Road before. Hillary clinton, the front runner, facing questions about her strength of her support. The former secretary of state says her enemies are up to their old tricks. I wont get down in the mud with them. Bernie sanders, a surprise threat. He says hes giving the clinton camp a scare by rallying against the billionaire class. Three others are on the mix. We theyre struggling to get traction. I know its a tough fight. I kind of like tough fights. Now, the stage is set for the democrats to drive home their differences with each other and with republicans. Were going to rattle their amnesia and force them to acknowledge reality. The other republican accounts are just trump out the pizazz or the hair. In a season breaking the rules, this nice in las vegas could change the odds once again. [ applause ] good evening everyone. Were live in the wynn resort in las vegas for the democratic president ial debate. Welcome. [ applause ] the five major candidates are about to faceoff for the first time in a primary race thats a lot more competitive than many expected. Welcome. Im anderson cooper. Thanks for joining us. Were seconds away from introducing the candidates to viewers watching around the world. This debate is airing on cnn, cnn in espanol and cnn international. Its also being broadcast on the west wood one radio network. Ill be the moderator tonight and be joined in the questioning by dana bash, cnn in espanol, Juan Carlos Lopez and cnn anchor don lemon sharing questions from democrats nationwide. Weve teamed up with facebook to send a Campaign Camper around the country for the past three weeks. Thousands of people stepped inside to record their questions for the candidates on video. Millions more have weighed in on facebook. Now its time to meet the candidates. Joining us on stage, please welcome former rhode island governor, lincoln chafee. [ applause ] former maryland governor, martin omalley. Former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton. [ applause ] senator Bernie Sanders of vermont. [ applause ] and former senator jim webb of virginia. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Democratic Candidates for president of the United States. [ applause ] now, everybody, please rise for our National Anthem performed by ninetime grammy award winner singer songwriter, sheryl crow. O say can you see by the dawns early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilights last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bottoms bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there o say does that star spangled banner yet wave oer the land of the free and the home of the brave [ applause ] [ applause ] want to thank sheryl crow. The candidates are here. The crowd is certainly ready. 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[ applause ] there is certainly a lot of excitement in this room tonight and no doubt around the country. Were back in the wynn hotel in the battleground state of nevada for the first democratic debate of the 2016 campaign. Im anderson cooper. Thanks for joining us. Weve welcomed the candidates on stage, and theyre in place at their podiums. I want to quickly explain the ground rules tonight. As the moderator, ill ask questions, followups and guide the discussion. Ill be joined by Juan Carlos Lopez and dana bash and don lemon who will share questions from around the country. Each candidate gets one minute to answer questions and 30 seconds for followups and rebuttals. Ill give the candidates time to respond if theyve been singled out for criticism. Our viewers should know that we have lights that are visible to the candidates to warn them when time is up. I want the candidates to introduce themselves to our audience. Each candidate has two minutes to introduce themselves. Lets begin with governor chafee. Thank you anderson and thank you cnn and facebook for organizing this debate. Not only will americans be electing a new president next year, well be electing a world leader. Voters should assess the candidates experience, character and vision for the future as they make this important decision. Im the only one running for president thats been a mayor, a United States senator and a governor. As mayor, i brought labor peace to my city and kept taxes down. I was reelected three times. As a senator, i earned a reputation for courageous votes against the bush cheney tax cuts that favored the wealthy. Against the tragedy of the iraq war. For environmental stewardship, for protection of our Civil Liberties. I served on the Foreign Relations committee and i chaired the middle east subcommittee for four years. As governor, i came in at the depths of the recession and we turned my state around. Rhode island had the biggest drop of the Unemployment Rate over my four budgets of all but one state. Happens to be nevada where were having this debate. Im very proud that over my almost 30 years of Public Service i have had no scandals. Ive always been honest. Had the courage to take the longterm view and ive shown good judgment. I have high ethical standards. As we look to the future, i want to address the income inequality, close the gap between the haves and the have nots. I believe in prosperity through peace. I want to end these wars. I look forward to the discussion ahead. Thank you. [ applause ] thank you very much, governor. Senator webb, you have two minutes. Thank you. People are disgusted with the way that money has corrupted our political process. Intimidating incumbent and empowering wall street every day. The turnstile government that we see and also the power of the Financial Sector in both parties. Theyre looking for a leader who understands how the system works, who has not been corrupted by it and has a proven record of accomplishing different things. I have a record of working across the political aisle. Ive also spent more than half of my professional life away from politics and being an author, journalist and sole proprietor. In government service, i fought and bled for our country in vietnam as a marine. I spent years as a assistant secretary of defense, secretary of the navy in the reagan administration. In the senate, i spoke about economic fairness and social justice from day one. I also wrote and passed the best piece of veterans education legislation in history, the post 9 11 g. I. Bill. I brought criminal Justice Reform out of the political shadows and into the national discussion. I led what later became called the strategic pivot to asia, two years before president obama was elected. I know where my loyalties are. My mother grew up in the poverty of east arkansas, chopping cotton, picking strawberries. Three of her seven siblings died in childhood. My wife came to this country as a refugee from war torn vietnam, learned english, a language not spoken at home and earned her way into cornell law school. I have five daughters, amy works with disabled veterans, sara is an emergency room nurse, julia is a massage therapist, emily and georgia are still in school. My son jim fought as an infantry marine on the bloody streets of ramadi. You may be sure in a webb administration, the highest priority will be the working people who every day go out and make this country stronger at home and who give us the right reputation and security overseas under a common sense Foreign Policy. Thank you. [ applause ] governor omalley, you have two minutes. My name is martin omalley. Former mayor of baltimore, former governor of maryland. A lifelong democrat and most importantly a husband and a father. My wife katie and i have four great kids, grace and tara and william and jack. And like you, there is nothing we wouldnt do to give them healthier and better lives. There are some things that i have learned to do better in life than others. After 15 years of executive experience, i have learned how to be an effective leader. Whether it was raising the minimum wage, making our Public Schools the best in america, passing marriage equality, the dream act and comprehensive gun safety legislation, i have learned how to get things done because i am very clear about my principles. Thanks to president obama, our country has come a long way since the wall street crash of 2008. Our country is doing better. We are creating jobs again. But we elected a president , not a magician. And there is urgent work that needs to be done right now. For there is a there is a deep injustice, an economic injustice that threatens to tear our country apart and it will not solve itself. Injustice does not solve itself. What im talking about is this. Our middle class is shrinking. Our poor families are becoming poorer and 70 of us earning the same or less than we were 12 years ago. We need new leadership and we need action. The sort of action that will actually make wages go up again for all American Families. Our economy isnt money. Its people. Its all of our people. So we must invest in our country and the potential of our kids to make college a debtfree option for all families instead of saddling our kids with lifetime crushing debt. We must square our shoulders to the great challenge of Climate Change and make this threat our opportunity. The future is what we make of it. We are all in this together. The question in this election is whether you and i still have the ability to give our kids a Better Future. I believe we do. That is why i am running for president and i need your help. Thank you. [ applause ] governor omalley, thank you very much. Senator sanders. Anderson, thank you very much. I think most americans understand that our country today faces a series of unprecedented crises. The middle class of this country for the last 40 years has been disappearing, millions of americans are working longer hours for low wages and yet almost all of the new income and wealth being created is going to the top 1 . As a result of this disastrous Citizens UnitedSupreme Court decision, our Campaign Finance system is corrupt and is undermining american democracy. Millionaires and billionaires are pouring unbelievable sums of money into the political process in order to fund super pacs and to elect candidates who represent their interests, not the interests of working people. Today the Scientific Community is virtually unanimous. Climate change is real. It is caused by human activity and we have a moral responsibility to transform our Energy System away from fossil fuel to Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy and leave this planet a habitable planet for our children and our grandchildren. Today in america we have more people in jail than any other country on earth. Africanamerican youth unemployment is 51 . Hispanic youth unemployment is 36 . It seems to me that instead of building more jails and providing more incarceration, maybe just maybe we should be putting money into education and jobs for our kids. [ applause ] what this campaign is about is whether we can mobilize our people to take back our government from a handful of billionaires and create the vibrant democracy we know we can and should have. Thank you. [ applause ] secretary clinton. Well, thank you and thanks to everyone for hosting this first of the democratic debates. Im Hillary Clinton. I have been proud and privileged to serve as first lady, as a senator from new york and as secretary of state. Im the granddaughter of a factory worker and the grandmother of a wonderful 1yearold child. And every day, i think about what we need to do to make sure that opportunity is available not just for her but for all of our children. I have spent a very long time, my entire adult life looking for ways to even the odds to help people have a chance to get ahead. And in particular, to find the ways for each child to live up to his or her godgiven potential. I traveled across our country over the last months listening and learning, and ive put forward specific plans about how were going to create more good paying jobs by investing in infrastructure and clean energy, by making it possible once again to invest in science and research and taking the opportunity posed by Climate Change to grow our economy. At the center of my campaign is how were going to raise wages. Yes, of course raise the minimum wage, but we have to do so much more, including finding ways so that Companies Share profits with the workers who helped to make them. Then we have to figure out how were going to make the tax system a fairer one. Right now, the wealthy pay too little and the middle class pays too much. So i have specific recommendations about how were going to close those loopholes, make it clear that the wealthy will have to pay their fair share and have a series of tax cuts for middle class families. And i want to do more to help us balance family and work. I believe in equal pay for equal work for women. But i also believe its about time we have paid family leave for American Families and join the rest of the world. During the course frt evening tonight, ill have a chance to lay out my plans and the work that ive done behind them. For me, this is about bringing our country together again. I will do everything i can to heal the divides, the divides economically, because theres too much inequality. The racial divides, the continuing discrimination against the Lbgt Community so that we Work Together and finally fathers will be able to say to their daughters, you too can grow up to be president. [ applause ] thank you, all. It is time to start the debate. Are you all ready . [ applause ] all right. Lets begin. Were going to be discussing a lot of the issues, many of the important issues that you have brought up. I want to begin with concerns that voters have about each of the candidates here on the stage that they have about each of you. Secretary clinton, ill start with you. Some democrats believe you changed your positions based on political expediency. Youre against samesex marriage. You defended president obamas immigration policy. You supported his trade deal and called it the gold standard. Suddenly last week youre against it. Will you say anything to get elected . I have been consistent over the course of my entire life. I have always fought for the same values and principles, but like most human beings, including those of us who run for office, i do absorb new information, i do look at whats happening in the world. You know, take the trade deal. I did say when i was secretary of state three years ago, that i hoped it would be the gold standard. It was just finally negotiated last week. In looking at it, it didnt meet my standards. My standards for more new good jobs for americans, for raising wages for americans and i want to make sure that i can look into the eyes of any middle class american and say this will help raise your wages and i concluded i could not. Secretary clinton, with all due respect, the question is about political expediency. In july, new hampshire, you told the crowd you take a back seat to no one when it comes to progressive values. Last month in ohio you say you pled guilty to being kind of moderate and center. Do you change your political identity based on who youre talking to . No. I think like most people that i know, i have a range of views. But they are rooted in my values and my experience. And i dont take a back seat to anyone when it comes to progressive experience and progressive commitment. When i left law school, my first job was with the childrens defense fund. For all the years since, i have been focused on how were going to unstack the deck and make it possible for more people to have the experience i had. To be able to come from a grandfather as a factory person and a Small Business person and asking the people of america to elect me president sniept are you a progressive or a moderate . Im a progressive. But i like to get things done. And i know how to find Common Ground and i know how to stand my ground and ive proved that in every position that ive had. Even dealing with republicans who never had a good word to say about me honestly. But we found ways to Work Together on everything from reforming foster care and adoption to the Childrens Health insurance program, which insures 8 million kids. Thank you. I have a long history of getting things done rooted in the same values ive always had. Senator sanders, a gallup poll says half the country would not put a socialist in the white house. How can any socialist win a general election in the you United States . Were going to win because well explain what it is. What democratic socialism is about is saying that it is immoral and wrong that the top onetenth of 1 own 90 .