Democratic Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) debate during the CNN Democratic Presidential Primary Debate at the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 14, 2016 in New York City. The candidates are debating ahead of the New York primary to be held April 19.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Snide and snarly, former First Lady Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders traded jabs and caustic accusations in a Brooklyn battle of Democratic rivals that, at times, had the rancour usually reserved this political season for the Republican contest.
Mr. Sanders, seeking to close the gap with front-runner Ms. Clinton, painted her as a shifty elitist, the wife of a former president who has happily taken millions for speeches to Wall Street but refuses to reveal what she said for fear it doesn't match her talk on the campaign trail.
For her part, Ms. Clinton, who was roundly booed several times Thursday night by a boisterous Brooklyn crowd in the last debate before New York's primary next Tuesday, managed to land some punches on Mr. Sanders for defending gun makers even as he decried the greed of most big business.
Despite a commanding lead among both elected delegates – those selected by voters – and so-called super delegates, Democratic officials, governors and members of Congress, Ms. Clinton has failed to finish off Mr. Sanders, whose populist message and avuncular style has attracted vast numbers of young people.
Ms. Clinton has the backing of 1,758 pledged (including 469 super delegates) while Mr. Sanders has 1,069 (including 31 super delegates). Winning the Democratic nomination requires 2,383 pledged delegates. But Mr. Sanders, who has won seven of the last eight states, can't significantly reduce Ms. Clinton's lead because the Democratic Party allocates delegates proportionately.
To catch Ms. Clinton, the self-described socialist who only recently joined the Democratic Party, would need to win the remaining states with two-thirds majorities. Barring an unexpected Clinton collapse, that's almost impossible.
Still, Mr. Sanders is exposing Ms. Clinton's vulnerabilities and her often wooden campaign style as she seeks to return to the White House, this time as president.
After Ms. Clinton claimed she had been critical of big banks prior to the financial crisis, Mr. Sanders mocked her. "My goodness! They must have been really crushed."
On Thursday, she looked flummoxed – again – when Mr. Sanders demanded she release the transcripts of speeches she had given to the powerful and wealthy of Wall Street. She dodged the issue and then said she would make the transcript public only when others did. To which, Mr. Sanders called her bluff: "Secretary Clinton, you just heard her, [say when] everybody else does it, she'll do it. I will do it…I am going to release all of the transcripts of the speeches that I gave on Wall Street behind closed doors, not for $225,000, not for $2,000, not for two cents. There were no speeches."
The crowd roared its approval. Ms. Clinton looked stunned.
And then she tried to counterattack, saying Mr. Sanders should release his tax returns. The 74-year-old leftist, once called the "red mayor in the green mountains" by Rolling Stone magazine, pointed to his wife in the audience, and said: "Of course we will release our taxes. Jane does our taxes. We've been a little bit busy lately. You'll excuse us."
Tax filing day is Monday in the U.S. and Mr. Sanders said he would release the couple's taxes form from last year on Friday. There will be "no big money from speeches, no major investments," he said, a reference to the tens of millions the Clintons have raked in from book sales and investments since they left the White House 16 years ago.
The bitter sparring that has become increasingly personal in recent weeks dominated the debate.
For both, New York is a vital state. Mr. Sanders was born in Brooklyn and has strong ties to New York. He also needs to win big in New York and California, the two largest prizes on the primary calendar to have any hope of catching Ms. Clinton.
For Ms. Clinton, 68, who moved to New York when she opted to run in the safe Democratic Senate seat vacated by former Majority Leader Daniel Moynihan, a big win in her adopted state after a string of losses would curb the concern that she really isn't a very good campaigner, despite her solid command of policy.
Ms. Clinton's best moment in the debate came when she slammed Mr. Sanders who laughed when asked whether guns from Vermont – which has lax controls – were making their way into New York.
"It's not a laughing matter," Ms. Clinton said, suggesting Mr. Sanders had protected gun makers to win the backing of the powerful National Rifle Association as far back at 1990. For once, Mr. Sanders looked taken aback as Ms. Clinton detailed the grim toll of 33,000 people killed annually in the United States by gun-related violence. "I take it really seriously because I have spent more time than I care to remember being with people who have lost their loved ones," Ms. Clinton said.
The two also sparred over the Middle East where Ms.Clinton has stuck to an avowedly pro-Israel position, defending its use of air strikes that killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, many of them civilians including women and children, in 2014.
The former Secretary of State called the Israeli action "appropriate" adding it "did not seek this kind of attack, they do not invite rockets raining down on their towns and villages."
Mr. Sanders, who admitted his criticism of Israel may cost him votes in New York, defended his view that uncritical support of Israel wouldn't advance the prospects for peace in the Middle East.
"We are going to have to say that Netanyahu is not right all the time," he said, referring to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Long-term, there will never be peace in that region unless the United States plays a role – an even-handed role."