Sanders nears debate test, once refused request for more than 6 debates [View all]
In one debate, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders pointed a crooked finger at an audience member and yelled at him. “Do you not believe me?” he barked.
In a separate exchange, Sanders leapt out of the seat and, defying the debate rules, dressed down his opponent: “It’s people like you . . . ,” he began, before being cut off by the moderator amid boos from the audience.
These moments are classic Sanders, according to interviews with those who have shared a debate stage with him over a 25-year career in statewide campaigns. He can get defensive. Insults lodge under his skin. He turns bright red and can display a flaring temper.
As Sanders tries to capitalize on his large crowds and leading position in some early state polls, his next big test will be in the upcoming Democratic debates, where the candidate who rose to prominence via small town exchanges before a handful of people will be up against one of the Democratic Party’s most seasoned debaters.
Sanders has joined (the call for more Democratic debates), and his campaign website includes a petition calling on the DNC to add to the schedule.
“The best chance for this country is discussing the issues that matter,” according to Sanders’ website. “Republicans aren’t going to do it, so we need more Democratic debates.”
One person who finds that stance a little odd is William Meub, a personal injury lawyer in Rutland.
Meub was Sanders’ Republican opponent in his 2002 House of Representatives contest, and pressed hard for more than the half-dozen debates that were scheduled.
Feeling that his calls were ignored, he went to Sanders’ Burlington Senate office and interrupted a news conference that Sanders was having on the state’s dairy economy. The two went back and forth several times, with Sanders saying they would have a chance to debate because several encounters were on the books.
Meub replied: “You used to say you’d debate 10 or 15 times. Live by your words Congressman Sanders!”
The Sanders campaign didn’t reply to an e-mail asking about the episode.
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