Sanders and Clinton trade sharp barbs about judgment
Wolf Blitzer got Thursday night's Democratic debate in Brooklyn off to a fiery start, asking Bernie Sanders about his comments that rival Hillary Clinton is unqualified and lacks the judgment to be president. Sanders said that he was responding to attacks from the Clinton camp and that Clinton herself is intelligent and experienced enough to be president, "but I do question her judgement," citing her vote for the war in Iraq, support of "disastrous" trade deals, and "running super PACs" that take millions from Wall Street banks and special interests.
Clinton focused on the not-experienced-enough claim, saying, "I've been called a lot of things in my life, but that was a first." Then she hit back, bringing up his Daily News interview. "I think you need to have the judgment on day one to be president and commander-in-chief," she said, and Sanders couldn't name specific laws and provisions from banking to foreign policy. Sanders went back to judgment, calling the Iraq war the "worst foreign policy blunder in the modern history of this country." He brought up super PACs, 401(c)4s, and said Clinton can't bring change if she's "so dependent on big-money interests."
Clinton earned some boos for saying that attacking the super PACs supporting her is also "an attack on President Obama," adding "this is a phony attack designed to raise questions" when there is no evidence of influence.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
Constitutional rights are at the center of FBI agents’ lawsuitIn the Spotlight The agents were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
-
Ex-FBI agents sue Patel over protest firingspeed read The former FBI agents were fired for kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest for ‘apolitical tactical reasons’
-
Trump unveils $12B bailout for tariff-hit farmersSpeed Read The president continues to insist that his tariff policy is working
-
Trump’s Comey case dealt new setbackspeed read A federal judge ruled that key evidence could not be used in an effort to reindict former FBI Director James Comey
