In tight race, Democrats debate passion versus practicality

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton (L) and Bernie Sanders (R) participate in the NBC News -YouTube Democratic Candidates Debate on January 17, 2016 at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

Hillary Clinton. Clinton-faced with Sanders’ “louder and bolder” vision-offered “aggressive lessons on political practicality”, trying to portray herself as the more pragmatic and electable candidate, writes Rick Klein at ABC News.

Clinton wasn’t challenged on as many issues.

Health care emerged as a major dividing line, placing the future of President Barack Obama’s health care law in the spotlight.

Sanders gained the most followers during the debate, and of the most tweeted moments he was featured in many of them.

“But the fact is we have the Affordable Care Act….” Clinton urged building on the existing system.

“No one is tearing this up”. Have I ever once said a word about that issue?

“Bernie Sanders claimed he would not “… tear up the Afordable Care Act.

But Mr Sanders defended his plan for a government-run health insurance programme, which would dump private health insurance premiums and help reduce large co-payments.

Clinton said her policies were superior and the American people would know how her plan would be implemented and paid for. He voted for what we call the Charleston loophole. He countered that he had a D-minus rating from the NRA, despite hailing from a state that does not embrace gun control.

Clinton holds a large lead in the most recent poll, which was done back in December.

According to a Quinnipiac poll released last month, 59 percent of Americans view Mrs. Clinton as being “not honest or trustworthy”.

Clinton may have been overstating Sanders’ 2011 remarks.

“We are running ahead of Secretary Clinton in terms of beating my friend Donald Trump”.

Will they likewise be surprised by the outcome in Iowa and New Hampshire?

JOHN BERMAN: Look, the Sanders campaign did something very clever.

In response to a question, Clinton said her husband might serve as an adviser in her White House. Bernie Sanders with a full-throated embrace of her one-time rival and boss.

“Can you really reform Wall Street when they are spending millions and millions of dollars on campaign contributions and when they are providing speaker fees to individuals?” he said.

Mr. Sanders’ campaign website said it was a way to “stop forcing working Americans to choose between bargaining for higher wages or better health insurance”.

Clinton – still the Democratic frontrunner, it bears stipulating – went after Bernie Sanders in ways even the generally genial Vermont senator (who obligingly doesn’t want to talk about email servers or Bill Clinton’s behavior) called “disingenuous”. “No, I have not”, Sanders continued.

When the conversation shifted to fiscal responsibility, O’Malley said his time in Maryland made him the only person on stage to balance a budget.