Everything You Need to Know About the First Democratic Debate
A roaring crowd traveled to Las Vegas, Nev. Tuesday night, but not for the slot machines or blackjack tables. They were there for the first Democratic debate of the 2016 presidential election.
The debate was hosted by Facebook and CNN, which hosted the previous Republican debate. Last night’s lineup featured former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.). Despite the hype around Vice President Joe Biden’s possible run for the White House, he did not take the podium tonight.
It may have been a smaller stage but it was far from a snoozefest. Candidates debated for over two hours on topics ranging from gun control to mass incarceration. Here are some highlights from the night.
First up: Gun control
This was a fairly contentious topic on stage.
Sanders was asked about his previous opposition to gun control bills. He said he’s a moderate on the issue because he represents a “rural state.” The Vermont senator wants to see more background checks on people purchasing guns, but would not hold gun shops responsible for homicides and mass shootings.
O’Malley took a swipe at Sanders’ statement, claiming he managed to pass gun legislation in Maryland in a way that “still respected the hunting traditions of people who live in our rural areas.”
When asked whether she believed Sanders is tough enough on guns, Clinton said, “No.” She claimed most of the country, including many gun owners, supports background checks and slammed Sanders for repeatedly voting against the Brady Bill, a background check legislation introduced in 1993.
Webb, who has voted against gun regulations in the past, said gun laws should be focused less on limiting firearms, and more on keeping guns away from convicts and the mentally ill.
Chafee blamed firearm lobbyists for polarizing the discussion on gun control, and said he would work with the lobbyists to find a “common ground.”
Up next: Foreign policy and the future use of military force
When asked if she “underestimated the Russians” as Secretary of State, Clinton said she didn’t think so, at least not while working to “reset” U.S.-Russian relations with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. She does, however, want to see the U.S. take a tougher stance against the incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin, who she blames for worse relations between the two countries.
“There’s no doubt that when Putin came back in and said he was going to be president, that changed the relationship,” Clinton said. “We need to stand up to his bullying, and specifically in Syria, it is important.”
Sanders, a vocal opponent of the Iraq War, said he would strongly oppose sending U.S. troops to the “quagmire” in Syria. He was later grilled about his willingness to use the military in the face of grave threat. He replied he is “not a pacifist,” and that he voted for the war in Afghanistan and the airstrikes in Syria.
“I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that war should be the last resort after the exercise of diplomacy, but I am prepared to take this country to war if it is necessary,” Sanders said.
Webb deviated from the stage and spoke out against the nuclear deal with Iran. He said he believes the deal sent a signal throughout the region that “we are accepting Iran’s greater position.”
Where’d they stand on race relations, policing and incarceration?
When a viewer asked, “Do black lives matter, or do all lives matter?” both Sanders and O’Malley answered, “Black lives matter.” Sanders seized the question as an opportunity to turn the attention back on his criminal justice reform plans.
“We need to combat institutional racism from top to bottom, and we need major, major reforms in a broken criminal justice system in which we have more people in jail than China,” Sanders said.
Sanders and O’Malley have been under fire from activists in recent months for not addressing race relations in the U.S. O’Malley was booed during a speech when he said, “All lives matter.” Back in August, Sanders’ rally in Seattle was interrupted by Black Lives Matter activists who criticized the lack of diversity in the crowd.
Sanders also took a strong stance against the War on Drugs, particularly the harsh persecution of drug users and non-violent offenders.
O’Malley was confronted about his tough approach to crime when he was mayor in Baltimore, which critics say have sowed distrust of the police in communities. In retort, O’Malley stood by his policies, claiming arrests declined over time as “peace” was achieved in the city.
Clinton, when asked what she would do to improve race relations, gave high praises to President Barack Obama for setting “an agenda.” She said she’d focus on not only criminal justice reform, but also mass incarceration, which she called the “only bipartisan issue in Congress this year.”
Webb was the sole dissenter who said, “All lives matter.” He went on to say he “risked” his political career pushing criminal justice reform in Congress.
And what about big banks and income inequality?
Sanders, who voted against bailing out Wall Street banks in 2008, said he would focus his economic plan on helping the middle class. He said he wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, make college free and enact laws aimed at closing the gender pay gap.
O’Malley echoed Sanders’ sentiments, adding he would break up big banks that engage in both investments and commercial banking. He expressed strong support for reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act, a decades-old law that separated commercial banks and investment firms. That barrier was removed by Congress in 1999, which many point to as the catalyst for the 2008 financial crisis.
Clinton said she would not break up big banks, but would instead hike taxes on Wall Street and step up regulatory enforcement. She said she would also give Wall Street regulators the power to break up the banks if they “posed a risk” to the economy.
Chafee, on the other hand, fumbled on the subject of big banks. When he was grilled by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper about his vote to repeal Glass-Steagall, Chafee said he was still a junior senator when he voted for deregulation in 1999.
Here’s the topic the candidates agreed on the most: Immigration
All of the Democratic candidates supported a “comprehensive immigration reform” and building a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers.
Clinton even joined suit with O’Malley in believing health care benefits should be extended to undocumented immigrants and their children.
Additionally, O’Malley asserted he plans to go “further than President Obama,” whose administration announced in July that millions of undocumented immigrants would be allowed to stay.
“Do you think for a second that simply because someone is standing in a broken queue for naturalization, they’re not going to go to the hospital?” O’Malley said. “I am for a generous, compassionate America that says, ‘We are in this together because we need comprehensive immigration reform.’”
However, Chafee was largely silent on this topic.
What’d the candidates say about climate change?
This is where O’Malley, who is starved for a rise in the polls, got to shine.
O’Malley asserted he is the only candidate in the entire race with a plan to switch the country over to 100 percent clean energy use by 2050. Earlier in the debate, he and Sanders listed climate change among the biggest national security threats.
Sanders called climate change a “moral issue,” and seized the opportunity to plug in another key point of his campaign — campaign finance reform. The grassroots star, who famously did not take a dime of super PAC money, claimed fossil fuel lobbyists are discouraging more legislators from introducing climates bills.
Webb, a long-time supporter of the prominent coal business in Virginia, tried to move attention away from his past opposition to environmental regulations. Instead, Webb said the issue of climate change is a global one, and believed the solution is to reach an agreement with other big polluters like China and India.
Brief contributed by Covey Son.
More info:
- Gistory: Hillary Clinton: The Comeback Candidate
- Gistory: Bernie Sanders: The Old Underdog
- Gistory: Martin O’Malley: The Point-Blank Progressive
- Gistory: Second GOP Debate: The Summary You Need to Read
- Gistory: How is Black Lives Matter Shaping Discussions in the 2016 Election?
- Gistory: Here’s Where Democratic Candidates Stand on Climate Change
