19 January,2016 07:21 AM IST | | Agencies
These were the major topics Democratic presidential candidates Clinton, Sanders and O'Malley sparred over on their first debate
These were the major topics Democratic presidential candidates Clinton, Sanders and O'Malley sparred over on their first debate
Washington: It wasn't anything like the fiery Republican debate, but Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton went into the attack against Bernie Sanders, who is fast catching up with her in the polls.
Democratic presidential candidates, former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders participate in the debate. Pic/AFP
Totally embracing President Barack Obama, the former secretary of state attacked the self-styled Democratic socialist Sanders on guns and healthcare by accusing him of hostility towards her 2008 rival turned boss.
Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina for the Democratic presidential candidates' debate on 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.
Clinton slammed Sanders for voting "with the gun lobby numerous times," and accused the Vermont senator 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 National Rifle Association and rejected her list of charges.
Defending Obama's signature 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.
