Washington, October 14: As Democratic presidential candidates faced off for the first time, frontrunner Hillary Clinton, without offering any specifics, said she would be different than President Barack Obama, but closest rival Bernie Sanders promised a “political revolution.” In the first televised Democratic primary debate hosted by CNN in Las Vegas Tuesday, asked how her presidency would not be a “third term” for Obama, Clinton said: “I think being the first woman president would be quite a change.” But the former first lady and secretary of state could not specify if there would be a policy difference even as she insisted she would build on Obama’s policies in some areas, and go further in others. Self-proclaimed socialist setor Sanders, on the other hand, claimed he would bring about a “political revolution,” in which far more Americans would turn out to vote, and in which the balance of power was shifted sharply away from the rich.
Clinton also sought to combat suggestions that she is too closely aligned with Wall Street banks by saying she had persolly scolded Wall Street bankers to “cut it out,” months before the fincial crisis of 2008. “I respect the passion and intensity. I represented Wall Street, as a setor from New York,” Clinton said, after hearing Sanders outline a plan to break up big banks.
To that Sanders countered, “Congress does not regulate wall street. Wall Street regulates Congress,” Sanders said. “Going to them and saying please do the right thing is kind of ïve.”
But on Clinton’s use of a private e-mail system while serving as secretary of state, an issue that has dogged her campaign, Sanders appeared to come to her defence. “It wasn’t the best choice,” Clinton said when asked about the emails before attacking a House committee investigating the issue.
She cited a statement made by Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, in which he implied that the committee’s best outcome was to undercut Clinton’s poll numbers. “This committee is basically an arm of the Republican tiol committee. It is a partisan vehicle . to drive down my poll numbers. Big surprise. (ians)