MENU OF POSSIBLE DEBATE MOMENTS NH DEBATE

I.

FOREIGN POLICY / SECURITY

1. A President Cant Choose

A President doesnt get to choose what problems come to the Oval Office, what
crises need to be confronted, what reporters get to ask about. A President has to
fight to raise incomes and fix our economy AND keep our nation and our families
safe all at the same time. Being President means taking on all these challenges,
abroad and at home, every day you dont get to choose.
2. Talk Wont Get the Job Done on Coalition Building
Senator Sanders says we need to do coalition building. He says we need to work
diplomacy. He says we need to get the Gulf countries involved in fighting ISIS.
Thats great. Its easy to say those things but Ive actually done them. Ive
built coalitions. Ive gotten Arab governments to put their own military assets into
a fight in the Middle East. Ive gotten countries to go against their economic
interest to sanction Iran. I even got Russia and China on board. You cant just
assert that countries should do more. You have to persuade them. Youve got to
have the relationships. Youve got to know how to use leverage and pressure. And
youve got to have a plan.
3. You Cant Command if you Cant be Clear
Second guessing someone elses hard choices isnt a foreign policy. You need to
tell people what you are going to do. And Senator Sanders hasnt been clear in his
own positions. Hes been for and against arming and training the opposition in
Syria hes been for and against sending in American special forces. You cant
command if you cant be clear. Hes also said that we should put more Iranian
troops in Syria. I do NOT support inviting the Iranians to march their way into an
area just miles from Israel. Hes also said we should have a new NATO that
includes Russia. Right now, Russia is menacing our NATO allies. I dont think
they would be impressed by that proposal.
4. Cant Take Yes for an Answer on Climate Change:
What happened in Paris on climate change was historic and incredible -- and, just a
few years ago, almost unimaginable. It was a victory for American leadership and
1

President Obama deserves great credit for it. I know how hard this was. I was at
the Presidents side in Copenhagen when we first got the worlds biggest polluter,
China, to agree to participate in this process. And now, we have 195 nations
united, committed for the first time ever to meaningful targets to combat climate
change Senator Sanders just cant take yes for an answer.
5. GOP Rhetoric is Hatred
Now Donald Trump is calling for a complete and total shutdown of Muslims
entering the United States. Hes not working to make American great hes
trying to turn Americans to hate. And hes not an outlier. Ben Carson says that a
Muslim shouldnt be President. Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz have suggested that we
impose a religious test for Syrian refugees that only Christians would pass. Chris
Christie says not even 3-year-old Syrian orphans should be let in to America. I
want to say tonight to Muslim Americans: What youre hearing from the
Republicans is absolutely, unequivocally wrong. You will NEVER hear that kind
of rhetoric from the people on this stage. It is offensive, and it is not befitting a
candidate for our nations highest office.
6. We can beat ISIS: Commander in Chief moment
Americans are worried and concerned, and I understand that. But we have faced
more dangerous and powerful enemies before, and we have prevailed. Its time for
us to turn fear into resolve; to put aside divisions and politics and unite together to
beat this brutal enemy. As President, I would work to pull all of us together,
Democrats and Republicans, liberals and moderates and conservatives, government
and the technology sector around a common plan and a shared determination to
wipe out these barbaric terrorists and make our world, and our country safer. We
can do this, so lets get to work.

II.

DOMESTIC / ECONOMIC
1. Dont Lecture Me . From the Comfort of a Blue State:

Ive devoted my whole life to fighting for progressive causes .taking on the drug
companies and the insurance industry in the fight for health care coverage for all;
standing up for women in Beijing to declare that womens rights are human rights;
taking on oppressive leaders around the world over human rights abuses and
trafficking in young girls. So I dont need a lecture about what it means to be a
progressive, delivered from the comfort of a blue state. I know how to fight for
progressive positions when it is hardnot just when it is easy.
2. Defense of Middle Class Tax Position It Isnt About Me:
Why do I believe we should not raise taxes on the middle class? Because the
middle class is made up of American families. Families that Ive met as Ive
travelled in this campaign people struggling to make ends meet, to pay their
bills and set just a little aside so they can have a nice Christmas for their kids
people working harder than ever and not getting ahead a single mom who is
trying so hard to keep it all together, working multiple jobs, so her kids can go to
college . Ive talked to them in town hall meetings and in their workplaces
Ive heard about what they are coping with every day, and let me tell you
hard working middle class families dont need a tax hike they need a pay
raise. And Im running for President to fight for them.
3. Only One of Us Voted to Deregulate
If you actually look at the record, only one of us voted for a major bill to
deregulate Wall Street, and that was Senator Sanders. He voted for a bill in 2000
that took away regulatory authority from the SEC and CFTC over swaps and
derivatives. The bill was one of the reasons Lehman Brothers was able to become
so leveraged and dangerous, which Senator Sanders has even acknowledged.

4. Hedge Fund Ads

And why do you think there is only one of us only one of us on this stage
tonight who is being attacked by tv ads sponsored by hedge fund billionaires?
These titans of Wall Street are buying ads in this state they are buying ads on this
debate to attack me. Why? Because they know that if I become President, my
agenda will be to stop their agenda.
5. Not THAT Revolution
Wed have a revolution in this country, all right just not the kind of revolution
anyone wants. Because what Senator Sanders is calling for is to end Obamacare,
end SCHIP, end Medicare, end the private health insurance you have today. And
then hed roll everything together and turn it all over to the states to Republican
Governors like Paul LePage in Maine and Terry Branstad in Iowa. He would put
everything we have fought for at risk And I have to say, I never thought
replacing Obamacare would be something wed be arguing about at the
Democratic debate. So let me be clear: Senator Sanders may think we need to
tear Obamacare apart and start over, but I am running to protect and improve it
because it is working for millions and millions of people, right now.
6. Still Wrong on Immunity for Gun Makers/Sellers
Senator Sanders voted FOR the immunity law for gun manufacturers. He wants to
hold every corporation responsible for somethingexcept those that make or sell
guns. That was the wrong thing to do when he voted for it in 2005; it was the
wrong thing to do when he defended that vote at our first debate in Las Vegas in
October; it was the wrong thing to do when he defended it again at our debate in
Iowa last month. Its still wrong tonight. He said in October hed reconsider his
position, he said it again in November. In the meantime, Senator Sanders has
introduced or co-sponsored 21 bills since the first debate but none to fix his
mistake on the immunity issue. He says he wants to talk about the issue but
after shooting after shooting in Americas cities and towns, I am not sure
whats left to talk about. America is waiting for action.
7. Deal Me In
So if that means playing the gender card, well, deal me in.
4