According to CNN Money, income inequality was mentioned six times at last night’s debate, compared to zero by the GOP.
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The opening of the GOP Presidential debate, hosted by CNN, looked and sounded like a promo for an upcoming wrestling bout. And the program itself allowed contenders to shoot-off insults and attacks at each other, as wrestlers would do in interviews as they prepare for their staged confrontation. But the first Democratic Presidential debate, also hosted by CNN, felt the opposite: an issue orientated dialogue devoid of personal attacks which, ahead of airing, wasn’t marketed like a clash of titans.
From the onset, while other candidates were giving background on their families, Mr. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Senator, put the issues at center stage: mass incarceration, unemployment, education reform and climate change.
The issues, some of which weren’t even discussed at the GOP debate, remained the star of the show. According to CNN Money, income inequality was mentioned six times at last night’s debate, compared to zero by the GOP. And the middle class garnered 11 mentions during the Democratic Presidential debate, whereas, it was only mentioned three times at its counterpart, though Republican candidates far out-talked the issues of jobs, taxes, and the minimum wage.
Credit for the order and decorum of the Democratic Presidential debate should also be attributed to Mr. Anderson Cooper, who asked pointed questions throughout the night, and, at one point, was told by Gov. Chafee – when he was asked about voting for a bank bill he knew nothing about – “I think you’re being a little rough.”
Mr. Cooper grilled Mrs. Hillary Clinton: “Will you say anything to get elected?”
He also interrogated Mr. Sanders on when he would authorize the use of military force.
Mr. Cooper raised concerns about Mr. Sanders’ voting records on gun control, and Mrs. Clinton said the Senator isn’t tough enough on guns.
“It’s time the entire country stood up to the NRA,” said the former Secretary of State.
Mrs. Clinton found unlikely support during the debate when Mr. Cooper inquired of her email scandal.
“The American public is sick of hearing about your damn emails,” said Mr. Sanders to Mrs. Clinton, to which he received thunderous applause and a “thank you” from Mrs. Clinton, whose odds of winning the nomination after the debate rose – despite the criticism she received during the event for her Iraq War vote and support for a no-fly zone in Syria – from 65% to 70%, according to the Political Prediction Market.
Mrs. Clinton refused to take a stance on marijuana legislation; though Mr. Sanders said he would more than likely vote yes to legalize the plant for recreational use.
Mr. Sanders, as did Governor Martin O’Malley, when asked “Do Black Lives Matter or All Lives Matter?,” responded unapologetically that “Black Lives Matter.”
All in all, considering substance and temperament, last night’s Democratic Presidential debate was in stark contrast to its Republican counterpart.
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Photo: Getty Images