Sanders and Clinton face off in Michigan primary

(Baonghean.vn) Before the Michigan primary election on March 8, Sanders and Clinton faced off in a campaign at Detroit's city hall in an effort to win the final votes for the leadership position in the upcoming November election.

Mrs. Hilary Clinton (left) and Mr. Bernie Sanders during the debate in Flint, Michigan. Photo: Internet.

Both Sanders and Clinton have been aggressively campaigning to build support in town halls. Sanders and Clinton traveled across the state on March 7, fighting for every last vote before their conventions today (March 8). Michigan will be the first state to vote for the leadership in the November election.

Clinton met with employees of a high-tech software company in Grand Rapids before attending an evening town hall in Detroit hosted by Fox News, while Sanders drew crowds at three town halls across the state.

The debate lasted more than an hour at the town hall, with the candidates taking turns addressing potential Michigan voters. Both candidates argued fiercely on trade issues as well as bailing out the auto industry.

Clinton claimed that Sanders was against the auto industry, which she herself voted for, noting that he had opposed a separate plan to save General Motors and Chrysler during the economic crisis in January 2008. Clinton also said that if everyone voted like Sanders, the auto industry, which supports 4 million jobs, would collapse.

Another point Clinton attacked Sanders was gun control laws after the father of a victim of the Kalamazoo shooting raised questions. According to Clinton, gun manufacturers are always trying to sell as many as possible to maximize profits and alluded to Sanders' close ties to the National Rifle Association.

In response, Sanders said the auto bailout was only a small part of the bailout of Wall Street, where she has many friends. And his argument was that Sanders "didn't want American workers to have to bail out Wall Street crooks." In fact, in January 2009, Sanders voted against spending half of the $700 billion bailout to support the auto industry. Most of that money was intended to keep America's big banks from going bankrupt.

What Mr. Sanders and Mrs. Clinton had in common during the debate was that they both called on Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to resign for allowing the people of Flint town to use lead-contaminated water for many years.

Clinton has been favored over Sanders in recent polls. A Monmouth University poll released on March 7 showed Clinton with a 13-point lead. But a primary victory could give Sanders hope.

Tu Linh

(According to Guardian)