Democrats spar over guns, healthcare, Obama

Washington, Jan 18: It wasn’t anything like the fiery Republican debate, but Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton went into the attack against rival Bernie Sanders, who is fast catching up with her in the polls. Totally embracing President Barack Obama, the former secretary of state attacked the self–styled Democratic socialist Sanders on guns and healthcare as accused him of hostility towards her 2008 rival turned boss. Meeting in Charleston, South Caroli for the NBC News–YouTube Democratic presidential candidates’ debate Sunday, Clinton, Sanders and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley displayed their sharp differences on issues ranging from health care to guns to Obama’s record. Meeting two weeks before the first nomiting contests in Iowa on Feb 1, Clinton slammed Sanders for voting “with the gun lobby numerous times,” and accused the Vermont setor of siding with gun manufacturers and gun rights backers in Congress. But Sanders hit back hard, arguing that he had a D–minus voting rating from the tiol Rifle Association and rejected her list of charges. “I think that Secretary Clinton knows that what she says is very disingenuous,” he said. The Democratic clash took place just a block from the Charleston, South Caroli, church where a self–proclaimed white supremacist went on a shooting rampage last year that left nine African–Americans dead. Defending Obama’s sigture healthcare law, Clinton said that Sanders’ proposed Medicare–for–all plan — released just an hour before the debate — would upend the health care law and incite a new struggle over health care with Republicans. Sanders angrily rejected Clinton’s claims that his plans would result in the gutting of Obamacare, saying that he wanted to build on the achievements of the current president, not overturn them.  (IANS)