Sanders, Clinton tackle cost of higher education

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Hundreds of Democratic supporters converged at the Verizon Wireless Arena in downtown Manchester Friday evening to celebrate presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

With Sanders, D-Vt., supporters shouting “Feel the Bern” on the right and the more reserved Clinton fans clapping on the left side, the arena was split down the middle for the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Celebration.

Both presidential candidates brought the crowds to their feet with their powerful rhetoric and passionate story-telling.

Sanders focused on his key hot-topic issues, such as breaking up the big banks and overturning Citizens United, a conservative group that favors a limited role for government. That resulted in roars and chants from his supporters.

Clinton’s speech ranged from education to manufacturing, earning applause from her multiple groups of followers, including members of Planned Parenthood and the American Federation of Teachers.

An important topic of the night was education. While Clinton spoke on areas ranging from preschool and lower level education to higher education, Sanders focused in on college tuition.

“When every child has a chance to succeed, America succeeds,” Clinton said to loud applause.

While Sanders vowed to make free public colleges a top priority in 2016, Clinton said she is imagining a tomorrow when educational debt is lowered

“We are going to invest in education for our kids, not jails and incarceration,”

Sanders said.

Clinton gave strong support to ideas that Sanders uses as his main platform to engage young voters, however the crowd was not an enthusiastic with her responses as they were with Sanders — perhaps because a majority of the Sanders supporters emptied out after he spoke, leaving an older crowd to listen to Clinton.

“Imagine a tomorrow when education lifts you up, and debt doesn’t get you down,” Clinton said.