Democrats make final arguments to Iowa voters

Sanders, who is riding a burst of enthusiasm in Iowa, reiterated his calls for free tuition at public colleges and universities and defended his call for raising Americans' taxes in exchange for lower heath care costs, as he opened the candidate forum Monday night. 

“Yes, we will raise taxes,” said Sanders, an admission rarely heard in presidential campaigns. “We may raise taxes, but we are going to eliminate private health insurance premiums for individuals and businesses.”

Sanders would replace the nation's existing employer-based system of insurance with one in which the government becomes a “single payer,” providing coverage to all. It would eliminate co-pays and deductibles, and Sanders' argues, bring health care spending under control.

A self-described democratic socialist, Sanders cast his governing philosophy Monday as one reflecting that “the right for economic security should exist.” But he sidestepped a question about whether his policies would mean an era of big government.

Sanders and Clinton spoke separately, fielding questions predominantly from voters still undecided ahead of the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, which kick off the nominating process.

Clinton pushed back at suggestions that she's new to the economic issues that have been at the center of Sanders' campaign.

“I think it's fair to say I have a 40-year record in going after inequality,” said Clinton, adding that she's also fought inequality on the basis of race, gender and sexual orientation. While the questions she faced where less specific on policy, she emphasized that the tough challenges a president faces — an implicit suggestion that Sanders is proposing unrealistic ideas.

Clinton was put on the defensive by a young voter who said many of his peers view her as dishonest. She vigorously disputed that notion, suggesting it was the result of decades of attacks from her political opponents.

“They throw all this stuff at me and I'm still standing,” Clinton said. When asked later if she was slow to apologize for controversial use of private email and a personal Internet server while serving as secretary of state, Clinton said, “I think that's a fair criticism.”

O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland, has struggled to win support in the race, despite aggressive campaigning in Iowa. He was cheered enthusiastically when he cited climate change as the top issue young people in America should be concerned about.

O'Malley was pushed on what his supporters should do on caucus night if — under the quirks of the Iowa process — they don't reach a minimum level of support in their local precinct. Should that happen, the O'Malley backers would have to pick another candidate.

But O'Malley said his message was simply: “Hold strong at your caucus.”

The latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll found Clinton with 42 percent, Sanders with 40 percent and O'Malley with just 4 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers. The poll, conducted between Jan. 7 and 10, had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, suggesting it could be a toss-up between the former secretary of state and the Vermont senator.

Over the weekend, The Des Moines Register, the most influential newspaper in the state, endorsed Clinton and on the Republican side, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

The evening came after Obama praised Clinton in a Politico interview published Monday. While never explicitly criticizing Sanders whose campaign is based on containing Wall Street excess and redressing social inequality, Obama found kind words for Clinton.

“She’s extraordinarily experienced — and, you know, wicked smart and knows every policy inside and out — (and) sometimes (that) could make her more cautious, and her campaign more prose than poetry,” Obama said.

“I was really touched and gratified when I saw that,” said Clinton, who has touted her close ties with Obama on the campaign trail and cast herself as best positioned to build on the president's policies.

Obama took issue in the interview with those who compare him with Sanders, an underdog who excited young voters and draws large crowds as Obama did.

“I don’t think that’s true,” Obama said, adding that Sanders has “the luxury of being a complete long shot and just letting loos,” while “Hillary came in with both the privilege — and burden — of being perceived as the front runner."

The previous Democratic event featuring all three candidates, a debate on Jan. 17, was marked by sharp exchanges as Clinton and Sanders tangled repeatedly over who’s tougher on gun control, Wall Street and health care.

Wire services