The senator from Vermont is not a guy with a poker face. The basic dispute at the Democratic debate on Sunday night was between Clinton’s argument that things are pretty much OK, and Sanders’s argument that more radical change is necessary. So when Sanders attacked Clinton for being too close to Wall Street, she responded by arguing that he was so radical he attacked Barack Obama.
“Where we disagree is the comments Senator Sanders has made that don’t just affect me—I can take that—but he has criticized President Obama for taking donations from Wall Street,” Clinton said. One of the reasons Bernie’s so interesting to watch in these debates is that sometimes he looks genuinely hurt by Clinton’s attacks. Not this time.
Clinton said, “Senator Sanders called him ‘weak,’ ‘disappointing.’” She said Sanders even wanted someone to primary Obama! It was clear Sanders thought this was ridiculous, and he cracked up.
Clinton concluded, “So I’m going to defend Dodd-Frank and I’m going to defend President Obama for taking on Wall Street, taking on the financial industry and getting results!”
Sanders said he worked for Obama to be reelected, but they had differences of opinion—and that it’s really hard to take on Wall Street when you’re taking millions of dollars in donations from the industry.