On Tuesday October 13, the first Democratic Debate took place in Las Vegas featuring the five hopefuls wishing not only to win the Democratic Primary, but the role of the Presidency. Candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Jim Webb, Lincoln Chafee and Martin O’Malley. CNN states that the debate was an “important pivot point in the Democratic campaign”, as viewers watched mainly Clinton and Sanders vying to get ahead in the polls. Clinton criticized Sanders throughout the night, specifically his admiration for Denmark, saying, “We are not Denmark. I love Denmark. We are the United States of America and it’s our job to rein in the excesses of capitalism so it doesn’t run amok.”
Clinton continued by arguing that she would know exactly what it would be like to be an outsider in the White House, when questioned about her intentions for running for President, explaining that she was not going after the role solely because of her last name. She continued with saying that being the first woman president would make her the biggest outsider of all. Sanders came to Clinton’s rescue at one point, defending the former Secretary of State on her controversial email scandal. Sanders called it a “distraction” and that the “American people are sick and tired” of hearing about her emails.
With all eyes on the five candidates, and audience members eager to choose who “won”, CNN called it “Hillary’s Big Night”. In addition, the Washington Post suggested that Hillary’s success from the debate may “complicate Biden’s path”, as the current Vice President of the United States has been struggling whether to go all in and run for the Presidency. In a new poll released by Monmouth University, Clinton took 48% of the Democratic party’s approval with Sanders taking only 21%, reports the political website Politico. The Democratic Debate focused on the politics, while the Republican Debate focused on harsh comments made by candidates and previous business struggles and triumphs, as discussed through multiple media websites. The next Democratic Debate will take place on Saturday November 14 at Drake University in Iowa.
