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Democratic town hall live: candidates in Iowa debate plans amid Sanders surge Democratic town hall live: candidates in Iowa debate plans amid Sanders surge
(35 minutes later)
1.41am GMT
01:41
Dan Roberts
I’ve been outside tonight’s (admittedly snowy) venue for an hour and I’ve yet to see a Hillary Clinton sign let alone a supporter. Not a very scientific poll, but...
1.38am GMT
01:38
Sabrina Siddiqui
The Guardian’s Sabrina Siddiqui reports from Des Moines, Iowa, where the eternally pugnacious Chris Christie had some post-blizzard cleanup tips from a New Jersey voter:
Chris Christie was defiant about campaigning in New Hampshire on Monday when confronted by a young woman at a town hall in Hooksett on why he was not home in New Jersey amid devastating flooding on the state’s southern shorefront.The woman, who identified herself as a student from New Jersey, said she had received calls from family and friends who were seeking justification for Christie’s absence. “Well, because it’s already done, it’s already done,” the governor responded, before asking her to name where the problems persisted.When the woman said she had received pictures and videos from family and friends of flooding “all over the state,” Christie grew incredulous and shot back: “Really?”“There’s been one county that’s flooded in the state - one county … So I don’t know where from ‘all over the state,’ since we have 21 counties, where that’s happened.” “Second, I don’t know what you want me to do, you want me to go down there with a mop?” he added. “All of the water had receded back, so for your friends and family, who are concerned about why I’m not there, I just wonder what it is they think I’d be doing today. You know, I’m the governor, not the chief engineer.”
Christie has faced mounting criticism in recent days from residents and reporters alike in New Jersey for seeming dismissive of what has been described as record flooding in some areas comparable to the Hurricane Sandy superstore of 2012. In some Cape May County Shore towns, the surge of flooding - a consequence of the weekend’s winter storm - has been recorded at more than 9 feet. Some insurance experts have estimated the financial toll of the storm could reach billions of dollars. Christie downplayed the storm’s impact earlier Monday during an appearance on MSNBC, insisting there was “no residual flooding damage” and that people were simply out to criticize him as he runs for president. “I haven’t seen any of that criticism and I think you’re just making it up,” Christie told a reporter on the network when asked to respond to the negative press.The governor returned to New Jersey over the weekend for one day, cutting short a six-day swing through New Hampshire. One of Christie’s fellow Republican contenders, Florida senator Marco Rubio, took a jab at him on Monday for essentially being shamed into returning to New Jersey. “When the storm was coming down and they knew it was going to head there, he didn’t want to leave campaign trail - he wanted to keep running for president,” Rubio told reporters after a rally in Des Moines, Iowa. “Only after it became impossible was he forced to go back to New Jersey.”Rubio and Christie have been engaged in an ongoing feud while competing in New Hampshire, which will hold its primary on February 9. Over the weekend, Christie took umbrage with Rubio for joking that the snowstorm was “one of the best things to happen to the republic in a while” because it shut down Washington.“Fourteen people died across the country, and that shows a real immaturity from Senator Rubio to be joking as families were freezing in the cold, losing power and some of them losing their loved ones,” Christie said on Sunday.
1.22am GMT
01:22
Dan Roberts
The Guardian’s Dan Roberts forwarded us a vivid - some might even say garish - demonstration of the enthusiasm gap between Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, in the form of this Iowa woman’s day-glo Bernie sign:
“It all depends on getting people out to vote.”
1.18am GMT
01:18
Want to catch up on today in politics before the Democratic presidential forum? Check out the Guardian’s liveblog from earlier today:
Related: Campaign live: Bernie Sanders comforts weeping supporter describing minimum wage hardships
1.03am GMT1.03am GMT
01:0301:03
Fight night! Kind of!Fight night! Kind of!
Tonight, the three remaining Democratic candidates meet for what is definitely, absolutely, cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die not a debate in Des Moines, Iowa. The “candidates forum,” hosted by CNN at 9pm, will feature former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley.Tonight, the three remaining Democratic candidates meet for what is definitely, absolutely, cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die not a debate in Des Moines, Iowa. The “candidates forum,” hosted by CNN at 9pm, will feature former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley.
What’s the difference between a forum and a debate? No cross-talk among the candidates. In fact, none of the three candidates will even appear onstage at the same time, save for a possible photo opportunity at the opening and/or closing of the forum. They may refer to criticisms from previous speakers, they may engage in straw-man arguments with those who have yet to take the stage, they may even pull a Clint Eastwood and yell at a vacant chair in lieu of their real-life opponent, but they can not debate.What’s the difference between a forum and a debate? No cross-talk among the candidates. In fact, none of the three candidates will even appear onstage at the same time, save for a possible photo opportunity at the opening and/or closing of the forum. They may refer to criticisms from previous speakers, they may engage in straw-man arguments with those who have yet to take the stage, they may even pull a Clint Eastwood and yell at a vacant chair in lieu of their real-life opponent, but they can not debate.
The last time they did this was on 6 November 2015, in South Carolina (check out our coverage here). This time, the proceedings are being held at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium and are hosted by Chris Cuomo, brother of the New York governor, who happens to have endorsed Clinton.The last time they did this was on 6 November 2015, in South Carolina (check out our coverage here). This time, the proceedings are being held at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium and are hosted by Chris Cuomo, brother of the New York governor, who happens to have endorsed Clinton.
One week before the Iowa caucuses, the forum takes place at a crucial point in the campaign. Sanders and Clinton are neck-and-neck among likely caucus-goers, with the former secretary of state desperate for a breakout that returns her to the status of presumptive nominee.One week before the Iowa caucuses, the forum takes place at a crucial point in the campaign. Sanders and Clinton are neck-and-neck among likely caucus-goers, with the former secretary of state desperate for a breakout that returns her to the status of presumptive nominee.