Three questions that weren't asked of the Democratic candidates, but should have been

By David Freddoso, David Freddoso

Published December 20, 2015

Senator Sanders: Your home state of Vermont legislated and prepared for an ambitious single-payer health care plan, much like the one you have spoken for tonight. But it has been abandoned as cost-prohibitive because it would have required Vermont to double its tax revenues. If Vermont can't afford single payer, how can any other state or the nation as a whole?

Secretary Clinton: You recently told Rachel Maddow that the scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs — the one that left thousands of veterans languishing and even dying while waiting for health care — was not nearly as widespread as people believe and has been simply "overblown" by partisan Republicans. Do you stand by that remark, and do you think the VA served veterans well when its employees kept secret wait lists in order to hide the excessive wait-times that veterans faced?

Governor O'Malley: You imposed a special surtax on high incomes as governor, and subsequently — some would say consequently — tens of thousands of upper-income taxpayers left your state. The IRS kept track of where they all went, and the data show that they were replaced by a smaller number of taxpayers with average incomes much lower, meaning that they paid less tax into Maryland's coffers. Your successor — a Republican — made much of this during his campaign for governor. Do you maintain that this was a good policy for Maryland? If so, explain why the state's voters were wrong in thinking otherwise.