In Tightening Race, Arguments About Wall Street
/Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders debated last night in an elevated argument about policies and finances. In January, for the first time, the Sanders campaign raised more than Clinton's, which her finance director said was, "a very loud wake-up call." Clinton also won the Iowa caucus, but by a small margin. As a result, the tone of the debate changed.
In this clip, the reporter asks about Clinton's record, and Sanders avoids the question to discuss his view on "big banks."
As Sanders campaigns for equity, he shuns contributions from financial services companies: "I am very proud to be the only candidate up here who does not have super PAC, who's not raising huge sums from Wall Street and special interests." He questioned Clinton's contributions from companies, such as Goldman Sachs, which paid her $675,000 for three speeches, and gave examples of inequity:
He said that when a "kid gets caught with marijuana, that kid has a police record." But when "a Wall Street executive destroys the economy" and pays a $5 billion settlement, he has no criminal record.
Wall Street has been a popular topic on both the Republican and Democratic campaigns. Ted Cruz was recently criticized for accepting money from Goldman Sachs without disclosing it.
Discussion Starters:
- Assess the candidates' arguments about Wall Street. What's your opinion on the power of Wall Street?
- Who do you think won the debate? What were the highlights?
