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| Democratic debate: Sanders and Clinton face off in South Carolina – live updates | Democratic debate: Sanders and Clinton face off in South Carolina – live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 1.54am GMT | |
| 01:54 | |
| It's Carolina debate time! | |
| To those who’re tuning in now, welcome to our live coverage of the fourth Democratic presidential debate. The Guardian’s Ed Pilkington and Dan Roberts are in attendance at the debate in Charleston, South Carolina, where Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley are about to take the stage. | |
| With only two weeks before caucus time in the great state of Iowa, the camaraderie among the Democratic candidates – nobody cares about any emails over here! – has finally soured. Allies of the Clinton camp have maligned Sanders’ health and healthcare plan, Clinton accused Sanders of “making [it] up as he goes along”, and the Vermont senator has fought back by suggesting Clinton gets along a little too well with Wall Street. | |
| O’Malley said the whole debate thing itself hasn’t been fair. But he’s shown up anyway, polls be damned. | |
| Tonight’s 9pm debate will be a less crowded affair than the opposing party’s debate on Thursday – though Republican candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz will be sure to make an appearance in angry, Twitter-embodied spirit. | |
| The candidates are: | |
| We’ve got a cast of political reporters, columnists here and across the US. You can watch a livestream here, but it’s the Sunday before a holiday and there’s no football on. Why not hang out with us instead? | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.57am GMT | |
| 1.49am GMT | |
| 01:49 | |
| Bernie Sanders has unexpectedly bowed to pressure about his proposed healthcare plan, releasing a white paper just an hour before the debate. Dan Roberts and Ed Pilkington report from Charleston. | |
| The so-called “single-payer” insurance model is employed successfully in a number of industrialised countries such as Canada, but several practical questions over how to move from the current US system had overshadowed Sander’s ambitious promise. | |
| Sanders has always argued the efficiency benefits from having a single government purchaser of healthcare would more than compensate for the extra taxes used to pay for it – estimating there would be overall savings of $6tn over the next 10 years compared to the current system. | |
| But it remained unclear whether employers would necessarily pass on their savings from not having to provide medical insurance, or leave taxpayers facing a huge hike in their payments to the government in the interim. | |
| Economist Gerald Friedman estimated in the plan the average working family now pays $4,955 in premiums for private insurance and spends another $1,318 on deductibles for care that isn’t covered. The Sanders campaign claim that under his plan, a family of four earning $50,000 would pay just $466 per year to the Medicare-for-all program. | |
| Hillary Clinton has been stepping up her attacks on Sanders’ single-payer healthcare scheme, mindful no doubt of tightening polls in Iowa and her rival’s enduring lead in New Hampshire. She has claimed that the impact of the plan would be to return control over health insurance to the governors of individual states, and slap an additional 9% tax on middle-class families to pay for it. | |
| She released a statement almost immediately Sunday night, accusing Sanders of having “backpedaled” on guns and now healthcare. “When you’re running for president and you’re serious about getting results for the American people, details matter,” she said. “Senator Sanders is making them up as he goes along.” | |
| Funding 'single payer' health with payroll tax not income tax seems smart move by Sanders - gives employers no choice but to pass on savings | |
| 1.43am GMT | |
| 01:43 | |
| Musician endorsement rankings, Democrats 2016 edition. | |
| Hillary Clinton: Bon Jovi, Ne-Yo, Ja Rule, Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg, Ellie Goulding (5) | |
| Bernie Sanders: Neil Young, Killer Mike, Lil B the Based God, Dave Matthews, the Red Hot Chili Peppers (5) | |
| Martin O’Malley: Martin O’Malley (1) | |
| By your blogger’s inclinations, Sanders has the slight edge: the co-creator of Run the Jewels is in the Charleston spin room tonight to campaign for the senator. | |
| Then again, Clinton has a somewhat famous saxophonist on the trail for her. | |
| Jason Winter for Best Dressed! #ImWithHer https://t.co/ZUXeZvA16h | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.44am GMT | |
| 1.35am GMT | |
| 01:35 | |
| Need to catch up on the intrigue and bickering of the 2016 election? Don’t miss the weekend’s main political events: | |
| And on the other side of the aisle … | |
| 1.25am GMT | |
| 01:25 | |
| Meanwhile, Ed Pilkington and Dan Roberts are meeting the men and women who believe the Clinton and Sanders camps shall overcome … each other. They write in: | |
| There’s a pretty lively protest going on outside the Gaillard Centerwhere tonight’s Democratic presidential debate is being held. Supporters of Bernie Sanders are lined up on one side of Calhoun Street, chanting “no more flip-flopping” and “Grassroots not Superpacs” – not the snappiest of jingles. | |
| Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton troupers are lined up on the other side of the road, producing a noisy though placid face-off. | |
| The Bernie supporters definitely have the edge on decibel levels, though I’m not sure that shouting volume necessarily translates into votes, Donald Trump’s strategy notwithstanding. In other ways, the protesters seemed fairly identical to me. | |
| “I’m with Bernie because he actually cares about us - he’s been working for women and equal rights for 30 years without changing positions once,” said Melissa McKenzie, 32, on one side of the street. | |
| “I’m excited to see a woman in the White House, and I’m insanely proud I get to elect the first female president in my first election ,” said Abby Beauregard, 18, on the other. | |
| Lively protest feeling the Bern outside tonight's televised debate in Charleston https://t.co/zFQdKrWSRR | |
| But scratch beneath the surface and Bernie fans are worried, they continue. | |
| The lack of organisation in South Carolina concerns many of the supporters, especially compared with Iowa, where Sanders has invested in a formidable ground operation. | |
| “I’m not sure how hard he is trying in South Carolina,” said one supporter trudging away from the battle of the banners. “I had two calls this week from Clinton campaign people trying to get me to turn out for her and nothing from his people. I just don’t think they have the money.” | |
| 1.16am GMT | 1.16am GMT |
| 01:16 | 01:16 |
| Tonight’s debate is at a stadium only a block away from the Mother Emanuel, the black church that was brutally attacked last June by a white supremacist. Nine people were killed after praying at a Bible studies class with the gunman, and the tragedy continues to reverberate through the community. | Tonight’s debate is at a stadium only a block away from the Mother Emanuel, the black church that was brutally attacked last June by a white supremacist. Nine people were killed after praying at a Bible studies class with the gunman, and the tragedy continues to reverberate through the community. |
| Chief reporter Ed Pilkington sends a sketch from the church service earlier Sunday. | Chief reporter Ed Pilkington sends a sketch from the church service earlier Sunday. |
| That terrible event, so close in location to the debate venue, is unquestionably going to be raised tonight as the presidential contestants compete with each other to be seen to be tough on gun violence. | That terrible event, so close in location to the debate venue, is unquestionably going to be raised tonight as the presidential contestants compete with each other to be seen to be tough on gun violence. |
| We had a preview of that this morning, at a special Mother Emanuel Sunday service for Martin Luther King weekend. Bernie Sanders was among the packed congregation, giving a short speech in which he recalled attending King’s 1963 march on Washington. | We had a preview of that this morning, at a special Mother Emanuel Sunday service for Martin Luther King weekend. Bernie Sanders was among the packed congregation, giving a short speech in which he recalled attending King’s 1963 march on Washington. |
| Hillary Clinton wasn’t there, but her place was taken by her newly-announced surrogate, the former US attorney general Eric Holder. “Those who are elected must be held accountable” on fighting gun violence, he said, “and those who will not stand with us must be held accountable”. | Hillary Clinton wasn’t there, but her place was taken by her newly-announced surrogate, the former US attorney general Eric Holder. “Those who are elected must be held accountable” on fighting gun violence, he said, “and those who will not stand with us must be held accountable”. |
| Holder did not specify whom he was referring to, but you could be forgiven for assuming it was the white-haired senator for Vermont about five feet away – the senator whom Clinton has been bashing hard in recent days over his perceived weakness on gun reform. | Holder did not specify whom he was referring to, but you could be forgiven for assuming it was the white-haired senator for Vermont about five feet away – the senator whom Clinton has been bashing hard in recent days over his perceived weakness on gun reform. |
| The most moving words at the service came from Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed 17-year-old black teenager shot dead by George Zimmerman in 2012. | The most moving words at the service came from Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed 17-year-old black teenager shot dead by George Zimmerman in 2012. |
| “If nothing in life breaks you down, then losing a child will bring you to your knees,” she said. “The pain never goes away.” | “If nothing in life breaks you down, then losing a child will bring you to your knees,” she said. “The pain never goes away.” |
| 1.08am GMT | 1.08am GMT |
| 01:08 | 01:08 |
| It’s the battle of the banners in Charleston, where DC bureau chief Dan Roberts is mingling with the partisans. | It’s the battle of the banners in Charleston, where DC bureau chief Dan Roberts is mingling with the partisans. |
| 12.43am GMT | 12.43am GMT |
| 00:43 | 00:43 |
| Lauren Gambino | Lauren Gambino |
| If a debate falls on a Sunday and no one is around to watch it, do the candidates make a sound? | If a debate falls on a Sunday and no one is around to watch it, do the candidates make a sound? |
| That’s a question from my colleague Lauren Gambino, who reports on whether the organizers of the Democratic debate schedule actually want anybody to think about anyone besides a certain former secretary of state. | That’s a question from my colleague Lauren Gambino, who reports on whether the organizers of the Democratic debate schedule actually want anybody to think about anyone besides a certain former secretary of state. |
| I did my best to make sure, along with my staff and along with our debate partners, to come up with a schedule that we felt was going to allow for the – to maximize the opportunity for voters to see our candidates.” | I did my best to make sure, along with my staff and along with our debate partners, to come up with a schedule that we felt was going to allow for the – to maximize the opportunity for voters to see our candidates.” |
| So said Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), told CNN’s Reliable Sources on Sunday. | So said Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), told CNN’s Reliable Sources on Sunday. |
| Two presidential candidates politely disagree. | Two presidential candidates politely disagree. |
| We’ve never had such an undemocratic debate schedule as we have this year in the Democratic Party,” said candidate Martin O’Malley last week, during Fusion’s Black and Brown forum. | We’ve never had such an undemocratic debate schedule as we have this year in the Democratic Party,” said candidate Martin O’Malley last week, during Fusion’s Black and Brown forum. |
| That event was not an official debate and drew even more dismal viewership numbers than the three debates so far. O’Malley added: | That event was not an official debate and drew even more dismal viewership numbers than the three debates so far. O’Malley added: |
| And then to add insult to injury, they schedule these debates on Saturday nights when as few people will see them as possible.” | And then to add insult to injury, they schedule these debates on Saturday nights when as few people will see them as possible.” |
| Polling far behind the other Democratic candidates, the former governor of Maryland blamed his flagging campaign squarely on the DNC’s debate schedule. | Polling far behind the other Democratic candidates, the former governor of Maryland blamed his flagging campaign squarely on the DNC’s debate schedule. |
| That schedule has been the source of much internal, well, debate, with many accusing party leadership of deliberately creating a schedule that drives down viewership and tilts the nomination in favor of Clinton. | That schedule has been the source of much internal, well, debate, with many accusing party leadership of deliberately creating a schedule that drives down viewership and tilts the nomination in favor of Clinton. |
| If true – and the party’s chairwoman has repeatedly said it is not – the plan to protect Clinton has backfired. Tonight is the last Democratic debate before voting begins in Iowa and New Hampshire, where Sanders and Clinton are deadlocked. | If true – and the party’s chairwoman has repeatedly said it is not – the plan to protect Clinton has backfired. Tonight is the last Democratic debate before voting begins in Iowa and New Hampshire, where Sanders and Clinton are deadlocked. |
| What’s the fuss? Lauren takes a look at the schedule: | What’s the fuss? Lauren takes a look at the schedule: |
| There was the one a Tuesday in October, so long ago that you might have forgotten about it. There was the other one on a Saturday in November that competed with college football. And the one just days before Christmas – in the same 24-hour window Star Wars was released to record ticket sales. Now there’s one tonight, in the middle of a holiday weekend, after two NFL playoff games. | There was the one a Tuesday in October, so long ago that you might have forgotten about it. There was the other one on a Saturday in November that competed with college football. And the one just days before Christmas – in the same 24-hour window Star Wars was released to record ticket sales. Now there’s one tonight, in the middle of a holiday weekend, after two NFL playoff games. |
| So far, the three Democratic debates have drawn a total of 33 million viewers. By contrast the Republicans have held six debates, collectively attracting 102 million viewers. | So far, the three Democratic debates have drawn a total of 33 million viewers. By contrast the Republicans have held six debates, collectively attracting 102 million viewers. |
| There are only two more Democratic debates scheduled, compared to six for the Republicans. | There are only two more Democratic debates scheduled, compared to six for the Republicans. |
| On Sunday, Wasserman Schultz seemed to excuse the Democratic debates’ low viewership with a quality-over-quantity argument: | On Sunday, Wasserman Schultz seemed to excuse the Democratic debates’ low viewership with a quality-over-quantity argument: |
| They have got a reality TV star that is attracting a lot of train wreck, you know, you shouldn’t watch, but you can’t help yourself-type interest. On our side, we’re getting record viewership for our debates. And we have had three up to now, and this is our fourth. And that’s because voters really care about the issues.” | They have got a reality TV star that is attracting a lot of train wreck, you know, you shouldn’t watch, but you can’t help yourself-type interest. On our side, we’re getting record viewership for our debates. And we have had three up to now, and this is our fourth. And that’s because voters really care about the issues.” |
| So tonight we can expect Clinton and Sanders will likely go at it harder than they have yet, in a final sprint to shore up as many votes as possible before the 1 February caucus. | So tonight we can expect Clinton and Sanders will likely go at it harder than they have yet, in a final sprint to shore up as many votes as possible before the 1 February caucus. |
| 12.01am GMT | 12.01am GMT |
| 00:01 | 00:01 |
| Hello and welcome to our coverage of the fourth Democratic presidential debate, where Americans will get to spend time with a cantankerous semi-socialist from Brooklyn, the stateswoman who brought dancing to diplomacy, and a street busker from Maryland who thinks he can lead the free world. | Hello and welcome to our coverage of the fourth Democratic presidential debate, where Americans will get to spend time with a cantankerous semi-socialist from Brooklyn, the stateswoman who brought dancing to diplomacy, and a street busker from Maryland who thinks he can lead the free world. |
| Anything could happen! Most of it probably won’t. But you’ve probably got Monday off and all the football games have ended – probably – so why not stick around? | Anything could happen! Most of it probably won’t. But you’ve probably got Monday off and all the football games have ended – probably – so why not stick around? |
| Tonight we’re in Charleston, South Carolina, on the even of Martin Luther King Day, so it’s safe to expect some sober talk about civil rights – reproductive, voting, healthcare, inequality – and about a new struggle: gun control. Emotions are running high on both issues in Charleston, where chief reporter Ed Pilkington has landed and written up a little on what people are thinking. | Tonight we’re in Charleston, South Carolina, on the even of Martin Luther King Day, so it’s safe to expect some sober talk about civil rights – reproductive, voting, healthcare, inequality – and about a new struggle: gun control. Emotions are running high on both issues in Charleston, where chief reporter Ed Pilkington has landed and written up a little on what people are thinking. |
| And with only two weeks before one of our three contenders wins Iowa, the stakes are considerably higher. | And with only two weeks before one of our three contenders wins Iowa, the stakes are considerably higher. |
| This week the allies of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton ratcheted up attacks on her closest rival, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont – her daughter said something scary (and dubious) about his plans, and a Super Pac wanted to see a note from his doctor. | This week the allies of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton ratcheted up attacks on her closest rival, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont – her daughter said something scary (and dubious) about his plans, and a Super Pac wanted to see a note from his doctor. |
| Sanders bolstered his campaign presence in Iowa and launched a new ad tying Clinton to Wall Street – the great bugaboo of the senator’s campaign. Martin O’Malley, polling below 3% nationally, didn’t drop out of the race, so kudos for perseverance anyway. | Sanders bolstered his campaign presence in Iowa and launched a new ad tying Clinton to Wall Street – the great bugaboo of the senator’s campaign. Martin O’Malley, polling below 3% nationally, didn’t drop out of the race, so kudos for perseverance anyway. |
| The debate is set for 9pm ET on BC, a little after playoff football should end (unless the Steelers and Broncos go to overtime). Candidates will likely face questions about the Black Lives Matter movement, Sanders’ voting record, those pesky banks, those pesky military interventions in the Middle East – and you can bet they’ll give Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz a dishonorable mention or two. | The debate is set for 9pm ET on BC, a little after playoff football should end (unless the Steelers and Broncos go to overtime). Candidates will likely face questions about the Black Lives Matter movement, Sanders’ voting record, those pesky banks, those pesky military interventions in the Middle East – and you can bet they’ll give Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz a dishonorable mention or two. |
| Along for the ride this evening here at Guardian US are: | Along for the ride this evening here at Guardian US are: |
| We’ll make sense of the circus so you don’t have to … or at least we’ll try. Read on! | We’ll make sense of the circus so you don’t have to … or at least we’ll try. Read on! |