Hillary Clinton Accuses Bernie Sanders of an 'Artful Smear' During New Hampshire Debate (VIDEO)

Hmm, is she trying to accuse Sanders of something nefarious, like she's in bed with a Jewish cabal, or something?

I've never heard of anything like that, especially since I think Sanders' attack on her Wall Street ties is completely legitimate. Let's see how this plays out today in all the talking-head commentary.

The background is here, "Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton Hold 'Explosive' Debate in New Hampshire."

At watch, via CNN:



And at Politco, "Clinton and Sanders get ugly":

DURHAM, N.H. — Escalating the brawl that's defined the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders viciously attacked each other’s progressive credentials at Thursday night’s debate, with Clinton accusing Sanders of smearing her record and treating her differently because she’s a woman.

An uncomfortable Sanders was taken aback, responding, “Whoa, whoa, whoa...wow.”

"If you've got something to say, say it, directly," said Clinton of Sanders' repeated insinuations that she is beholden to her big money donors. "It's time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out."

Those explosive exchanges — which continued throughout the MSNBC debate — typified the fight between the two candidates who each regularly bristle when confronted with the other's definition of progressivism, or even their Democratic bona fides. The nasty tone showed that Democrats have a heated race on their hands, and that any idea of a Clinton coronation has vaporized.

"A progressive is someone who makes progress," a clearly unhappy Clinton said of Sanders' attempts to paint her as a moderate. "That's what I intend to do." She continued, "I'm a progressive who gets things done. Cherry-picking a quote here or there doesn't change my record."

When Sanders freshly accused Clinton of being part of the “establishment” that he’s railing against, Clinton had a ready response, one that invoked her gender.

“Honestly, Senator Sanders is the only person who I think would characterize me, a woman running to be the first woman president, as exemplifying the establishment,” she said. “It’s really quite amusing to me. People support me because they know me, they know my life’s work. They have worked with me, and many have also worked with Senator Sanders and at the end of the day they endorse me because they know I can get things done.”

Clinton’s accusation came after her campaign has been floating the idea that Sanders and his allies have been engaging in implicitly sexist attacks. With just four days before the New Hampshire primary, Clinton has been ramping up her gender-based appeal and calling out a “Bernie Bro” phenomenon raging online...

More.