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 Sanders fought back repeatedly, questioning Clinton's progressive
credentials and portraying her as a creature of the political
establishment in a debate that featured heated exchanges on
healthcare, college tuition funding and efforts to rein in Wall
Street.
The intensity reflected a race that has seen Clinton's once
prohibitive lead in polls shrivel against Sanders as the two vie for
the Democratic nomination for the Nov. 8 election.
One of Clinton's most forceful remarks came in response to a
suggestion by Sanders that she could be influenced by political
donations by Wall Street.
"Enough is enough. If you've got something to say, say it directly,"
she said. "But you will not find that I ever changed a view or a
vote because of any donation that I ever received.
"So I think it's time to end the very artful smear that you and your
campaign have been carrying out," she said.
 Clinton charged that Sanders' proposal for single-payer universal
healthcare coverage would jeopardize Obamacare, calling it "a great
mistake," and said his plans for free college education would be too
costly to be realistic.
"I can get things done. I'm not making promises I can't keep,"
Clinton said.
Sanders said he would not dismantle Obamacare but would expand it,
pointing to the many other countries that provide universal
healthcare.
"I do not accept the belief that the United States of America can’t
do that," Sanders said. "By moving forward, rallying the American
people, I do believe we should have healthcare for all."
Sanders said his proposal for free tuition at public universities
would be paid with a tax on Wall Street speculation. "The middle
class bailed out Wall Street in their time of need. Now, it is Wall
Street's time to help the middle class," he said.
SANDERS LEADS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE POLLS
Five days before New Hampshire holds the second of the
state-by-state presidential nominating contests, opinion polls show
Sanders, a U.S. senator from neighboring Vermont, with a
double-digit lead over Clinton after surprising the front-runner by
finishing just barely behind her in Iowa on Monday.
Clinton seemed energized by her underdog status in New Hampshire,
delivering her most aggressive debate performance of the campaign.
It was reminiscent of her 2008 run against Barack Obama, when she
also began as the front-runner but became a sharper and less
cautious candidate as she began to lose.
The debate was the first since former Maryland Governor Martin
O'Malley dropped out on Monday after a poor finish in Iowa, giving
the two candidates more freedom to directly engage each other.
Sanders accused Clinton of representing "the establishment," while
saying he represented "ordinary working Americans." He also noted
her Super PAC had taken contributions from Wall Street firms and
that Clinton received big speaking fees from Goldman Sachs.
Clinton disputed the establishment label, saying it was "quite
amusing" to accuse "a woman, running to be the first woman
president, as the establishment."
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The two battled over who best represented progressive ideals.
Sanders said he would lead a "political revolution," but Clinton
questioned his ability to get his proposals through a Republican-led
Congress.
"A progressive is someone who makes progress," she said.
And she attacked Sanders' own credentials as a progressive, bringing
up his votes against the 1993 Brady bill that mandated federal
background checks on gun purchases and his 2005 vote for a bill to
protect gun manufacturers and dealers from lawsuits.
"If we're going to get into labels, I don't think it was
particularly progressive to vote against the Brady bill five times,"
she said. "I don't think it was progressive to vote to give gun
makers and sellers immunity."
Sanders repeated his earlier pledge not to attack Clinton on the
controversy over her use of a private email account and a private
server for government business when she was secretary of state.
"I will not politicize it," he said.
But Sanders renewed his attacks on Clinton for her Senate vote to
authorize the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which she has since called a
mistake. He pointed out he voted against the war, which he said had
led to the rise of the Islamic State militant group.
"Look we did differ," Clinton responded. "A vote in 2002 is not a
plan to defeat ISIS. "We have to look at the threats that we face
right now."
Clinton has tried to play down expectations for her performance in
New Hampshire, where she came from behind for an upset victory in
the 2008 campaign just days after losing badly to Obama in Iowa.
The surprisingly strong performance by Sanders in Iowa is likely to
prolong a race that Clinton entered as the presumptive front-runner.
In addition to previously scheduled debates in Wisconsin and
Florida, the candidates added one in March in Flint, Michigan, to
draw attention to the city's contaminated water crisis ahead of the
Michigan primary. They also will debate in April and May.
(Additional reporting by Alana Wise and Megan Cassella; Writing by
John Whitesides; Editing by Leslie Adler and Jonathan Oatis)
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