After months of fierce disagreements, sharp attacks and pointed rebuttals, the first half of the fifth Democratic debate on Wednesday was the most agreeable one yet. And it was not just Mr. Booker talking love.
For all of the hints before the debate about attacks on Mr. Buttigieg and Ms. Warren, most candidates delivered their lines, even their direct confrontations, wrapped in velvet — that is, when they weren’t just rattling off long segments from their stump speeches or taking whacks at Mr. Trump.
When Mr. Biden said that he would not, as president, direct his Justice Department to investigate a former President Trump, Mr. Sanders came in — to agree.
“I think Joe is right,” Mr. Sanders said.
Mr. Booker, whose campaign is in the most risk of missing the next debate of those onstage, did confront Ms. Warren over her wealth tax. But he did so quite politely. He said it was “cumbersome.”
After Mr. Steyer was asked if he was the “embodiment” of a special interest because of the hundreds of millions of dollars he spent, he was not attacked by those onstage who have run by railing against billionaires. He was defended by Mr. Yang.
“I just want to stick up for Tom,” Mr. Yang said, adding. “You can’t knock someone for having money and spending it in the right way.
Mr. Steyer seemed as surprised as he was pleased. “Thanks, Andrew,” he replied.
The fiercest clash in the first hour came far from the center of the stage, between Ms. Gabbard and Ms. Harris, who accused the Hawaii congresswoman of having “buddied up to Steve Bannon to get a meeting with Donald Trump” and going on Fox News to attack Democrats.
Ms. Gabbard replied, “What Senator Harris is doing is continuing to traffic in lies, smears and innuendo.”
Soon, though, it was back to civility…..
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Biden just gave a long answer that focused on civility. This is the great difference between Biden and the party’s activist wing, which doesn’t like him. Biden really believes that politics will be improved if partisans are less angry. He thinks American politics can be less divisive. Many liberals think that there is no way to compromise with Republicans and that the problem in American politics is the GOP, not a lack of civility or divisiveness.
Yeah, Nate, I agree that Biden has exceeded expectations so far. But this is kind of like saying in May that Mike Trout is on pace for 95 home runs. Biden often tails off toward the end of debates, so let’s reserve judgment for now….
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Klobuchar talked about how voters might sometimes be inclined to vote for the person who is telegenic or charismatic over the person who would do the best job. That is in part a symptom of the very, very open primary system we have in America. In most other countries, people inside the party choose who the party leaders will be, and studies show that that results in better representation of women and more of a focus on experience and loyalty to party. Ironically, when Klobuchar mentioned Pelosi as a woman who beats Trump every day, she mentioned a leader who is chosen by party insiders (House members) and not the broader public.
Yeah, Sarah, I don’t know about Booker. But Klobuchar is about halfway to an honest-to-goodness Iowa bump (she’s at about 5-6 percent in the polls there now). So I think tonight could certainly get her into double digits if she gets good coverage coming out of tonight….
….
Biden keeps making gaffs….
AND?
Keeps crusing in the polls…
New South Carolina poll has Biden up 12% over Sanders, 15% over Warren, 24% over Buttigieg , 27% over Harris and 30% over Booker…….
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Matthew Yglesias
@mattyglesias
Biden has shrewdly equipped himself with a base of people who don’t follow politics closely, thus ensuring that his consistently fuzzy debate performances don’t cost him any support.
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(((Harry Enten)))
@ForecasterEnten
Some candidates who have really gone after Biden on the debate stage: Harris (went up in polls & is now at 3%), de Blasio (gone), Castro (campaign on life support) and Booker (in real danger of not making next debate). Buttigieg/Warren have notably mostly avoided Biden attacks.
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The fifth Democratic debate had a more civil vibe and the candidates faced more substantive questions than usual from the panel — which was noticeably all female, a rarity. The moderators asked about more predictable topics like impeachment inquiries, but also pointed, policy-specific queries on issues like voting rights, abortion, the social safety net, the #metoo movement, and paid family leave.
The choice of candidates for specific questions was targeted as well. While not a novel quizzing approach, moderators appeared to target candidates with questions they’d likely be weak on. Biden was asked a pointed question about the #metoo movement, which holds substantial weight after multiple allegations surfaced earlier this year that he made women uncomfortable with his hugs and other touching. Warren was immediately asked about criticism of her health care plan, which many predicted would create a rift between her and Sanders. Steyer, a billionaire, was grilled about his wealth and Yang, often dragged for a superficial platform, was asked specifically what he would say during his first phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin if elected president…
TPM…
Like a string of previous debates, Wednesday’s prominently featured squabbles over a program that could alienate general-election swing voters who may be wary of fully government-run, universal health care and that will be extraordinarily difficult to get through Congress — even if Democrats take the White House and make significant 2020 congressional gains.
The latest faceoff, in Atlanta, came against the backdrop of impeachment consuming Washington, President Donald Trump making major foreign policy moves and well-known Democrats having left — or recently joined — the race. But the White House hopefuls just couldn’t stop debating Medicare for All, in part because it represents an important ideological divide between progressive candidates and moderates but also because the party sees health care as a winning issue — especially after it helped Democrats win the House last year.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the race’s strongest progressive voices, staunchly defended Medicare for All.
Former Vice President Joe Biden said many people are happy with private insurance through their jobs, while Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, complained about others taking “the divisive step” of ordering people onto universal health care, “whether they like it or not.”….
More @ NY Daily News
The Democratic Party knows it needs the energetic support of black voters to win the 2020 presidential election. Near the end of last night’s debate in Atlanta, the question that arose—indirectly but unmistakably—was whether it needs a black candidate to turn them out.
The candidate who has surged into the lead in recent polls of Iowa and New Hampshire, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, has registered virtually zero support among African American voters. The candidates he overtook, Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, don’t have a whole lot more. And the candidate who does have the most support among black Democrats, former Vice President Joe Biden, has a decades-long record on criminal-justice policies and school busing that is out of step with the views of many black voters, especially younger ones.
So it was left to the two black candidates onstage last night, Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California, to warn their fellow candidates—and voters watching at home—that they take black voters, and especially black women, for granted at their peril….
More @ The Atlantic…
Bloomberg Politics
@bpolitics
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@JoeBiden
at the #DemDebate says Americans need to end the culture of male violence and “keep punching at it and punching at it and punching at it.”
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Bloomberg Politics
@bpolitics
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8m
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@CoryBooker
on
@JoeBiden
‘s comment that marijuana should not be legalized:
“I think you might have been high when you said it.”
Booker adds marijuana is already legal for “privileged people”
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Conversation
POLITICO
@politico
Kamala Harris, careful not to personally attack Pete Buttigieg over his lack of appeal with black voters, explained what she called “the larger issue” of candidates taking for granted constituencies that have been the backbone of the Democratic party https://politi.co/2KHYrVD
The fifth Democratic debate on Wednesday ended with more shared laughs than attack lines, striking a stark contrast to the partisan impeachment hearings that have dominated news coverage over the past two weeks.
The big picture: The Pete Buttigieg pile-on landed more softly than many had projected. Instead, the top four candidates in early state polling — Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — pulled many of their punches, giving some of the lower-tier candidates a chance to make waves in a debate that will otherwise do little to shake up the race….
More @ Axios…
Ok…
I’m out for the night….
Later…
I have no reason to believe that any of the Democratic candidates are taking for granted the constituencies that have historically been the backbone of the Democratic candidates.
The Democrats should support “fairness” in everything. Of course, candidates can have a difference of opinion as to what that is. Elizabeth Warren wants a 2% wealth tax on wealth that is over and above $50billion. To me that seems more than reasonable, but of course this outrages some people like James who consider that outrageously excessive.
We’ll see if Warren’s ‘dreams’ EVER get passed into law….
In addition to suggesting that she could never get a wealth tax approved, you have criticized her for trying to soak the rich.
I think that a 2% tax on wealth after the first $50 billion is possible politically. The challenge will be to determine an appropriate way to effectively evaluate wealth – and that is no small task.
Z?
I have always rooted for her to go after the student loan abuses…
She would have been doing a stellar job heading the CFPB for a Democratic president, something Obama did NOT get done…Trump now routinely puts people in office w/o Senate confirmation…
I’m NOT against her…
I’m against promises that have NO chance of becoming law…
Latest Gallup Poll shows Trump has a 90% approval rating among Republicans.
The idea that Republican Senators are going to vote to convict Trump with numbers like these borders on severe delusion.
Quite frankly, any chance that Donald Trump is going to be convicted in a Senate trial is absurd.Its not going t happen and this whole impeachment business from this point of view is gigantic waste of time.