The CNN debate between Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders took place in Flint, Michigan on Sunday   and it featured something truly extraordinary and refreshing.The candidates spent their time presenting two compelling and different visions for America, based on aspirations and hope   and conducted a battle of ideas, not playground level personal insults. It was a perfect insight into what the Republican party is currently incapable of offering the American public.While the Republican debates have featured Donald Trump raving about the size of his own penis, the amount his opponent Marco Rubio sweats, and how Ted Cruz is a liar   Bernie and Hillary kept it classy.In terms of the topics discussed, the Republican debates have so far centered around fighting against immigration, guns, equal marriage, women s reproductive rights, and each other (allowing candidates to respond to whatever personal attacks have been made that week).By contrast, the Democratic debate was wide-ranging, covering a number of social, economic and political issues.Just some of the issues covered:On all of these issues, the candidates had compelling, and different, visions for America.On Flint, both candidates came out strongly on the side of the people. Sanders saying: Over the last several weeks, I had the opportunity to meet with a number of residents of Flint, had a town meeting in Flint, and I have to tell you, what I heard and what I saw literally shattered me and it was beyond belief that children in Flint, Michigan in the United States of America in the years 2016 are being poisoned. That is clearly not what this country should be about. And Clinton adding: The governor should resign or be recalled and we should support the efforts of citizens attempting to achieve that. But that is not enough. We have to focus on what must be done to help the people of Flint. In short, they didn t fight over the matters for which there was no principle at stake. They did not call each other liars or argue their care for the people of Flint was disingenuous just to score a point.But when it came to the issues that divide Sanders from Clinton, they went at it with everything in their arsenal.For example, on money in politics. The Sanders and Clinton campaigns are markedly different. One candidate (Sanders) relying on mass micro-contributions and rejecting the influence of big money backers, and Clinton (as the establishment candidate) doing the opposite. So when the matter arose, Sanders made a simple but powerful point: One of us has a super PAC. One of us has raised $15 million from Wall Street for the super PAC. One of us has given speeches on Wall Street for hundred of thousands of dollars. Conversely, on the issue of gun control   where Clinton is in favor if stricter gun controls while Sanders is more reluctant, it was Clinton who could landed a blow   again, on the issue, not the personal attributes of the candidate.Whichever candidate more closely represents your vision for America, the debate gave you a chance to fully explore their ideas, their policies, and what they would mean for American schools, jobs, daily lives, the economy and the environment. It was a reminder that America can do grown up politics, at a time when the Republican Primary has disintegrated into a frat-house brawl.You can watch the debate in full below:  Featured image via screenshot