Third Democratic Debate September 12, 2019 AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The third Democratic Presidential Debates were the best so far. There was a sense of completeness in having the 10 top tier contenders (Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Julien Castro, and Andrew Yang) on one stage at the same time. Winnowing the number of contenders from 20 to 10 in the debate did not affect the amount of time for each contender. But by increasing the length of time to three-hours, the moderators were able to allow more fulsome responses than in the first two debates.
Besides the structure (and less provocative moderators), the contenders were better prepared. First, they remembered to pay deference to Barack Obama, the most popular Democratic President since Franklin Roosevelt. Second, they also remembered to attack Donald Trump. Their only shortcoming was to allow the moderators to jab at the minutiae of how they differed on healthcare.
Taken as a whole, they were impressive, and anyone of them seemed able to compete against Donald Trump. We need to remember, however, that the Democratic nominee will be running against the entire Republican infrastructure, not just Trump. (That infrastructure includes gerrymandered districts, voter suppression, funding networks, and Russian influence.) Defeating Trump in 2020 will require the Democratic nominee help undercut Republican support.
Besides the structure (and less provocative moderators), the contenders were better prepared. First, they remembered to pay deference to Barack Obama, the most popular Democratic President since Franklin Roosevelt. Second, they also remembered to attack Donald Trump. Their only shortcoming was to allow the moderators to jab at the minutiae of how they differed on healthcare.
Taken as a whole, they were impressive, and anyone of them seemed able to compete against Donald Trump. We need to remember, however, that the Democratic nominee will be running against the entire Republican infrastructure, not just Trump. (That infrastructure includes gerrymandered districts, voter suppression, funding networks, and Russian influence.) Defeating Trump in 2020 will require the Democratic nominee help undercut Republican support.
Several noteworthy events occurred during the debate. The first forty minutes were devoted to a healthcare discussion, mainly between Biden, Sanders, and Warren. Biden argued that he would expand the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) to include a government insurance option. Sanders and Warren, proponents of Medicare for All, countered that even growing ObamaCare would leave 10 million people without healthcare. Sanders noted that in a Medicare for All system, employees could receive higher salaries. The healthcare costs employers currently pay for their employees’ healthcare could be used to increase employees’ wages. While this discussion was informative, Sanders and Warren did not address the costs of Medicare for All. The key takeaway was that all Democrats favor single-payer insurance, like Medicare for All, but differ on how and when to implement it.
The most curious incident occurred when Castro addressed Biden about the last debate. He pointed out that fact-checking showed Biden’s denial that his proposal for fixing ObamaCare would leave 10 million without insurance. Castro added that Biden’s plan would require candidates for ObamaCare to “buy-in” to obtain it. Biden denied saying that anyone would have to “buy-in” to his insurance plan. Then Castro said you admitted that people would have to buy in, did you forget it. The clear implication was that Biden suffered a senior moment. Following the debate and for three days afterward, pundits and Biden supporters castigated Castro for accusing Biden of having age-related memory problems.
Another memorable event occurred when O’Rourke said, assault rifles, AR-15s and AK-47s, should be outlawed and a mandatory buyback program implemented. O’Rourke’s intention to ban assault rifles in circulation, as well as their manufacture, importation, and distribution, was at odds with the position endorsed by most Democrats. O’Rourke argued that if the assault rifles were too dangerous for the government to allow their manufacture and importation, then it was too risky to allow the 10 million or so already in distribution to remain in service. Some Democrats believed that O’Rourke’s position would antagonize the pro-gun community.
Also notable was Biden’s response to a race relations question. A moderator asked Biden, “what responsibility do you think that Americans need to take to repair the legacy of slavery in our country?” Biden began his rambling answer by referencing institutional segregation which he had fought. Jumping to education, Biden proposed tripling the amount of money spent on poor Title I schools from $15 to $45 billion a year; raising teachers’ salaries to at least $60,000 a year; and increasing the number of school psychologists.
Biden then reminded us that his current and “deceased” wives were teachers who had students bringing problems to them. Biden then suggested that social workers and parents were needed to help teach parenting skills. Biden concluded his answer by telling us that because a kid coming from a poor background will hear 4 million fewer words, their parents needed to play the radio and record player.
Many observers considered Biden’s answer to this question to be a disaster. In one meandering response, Biden advanced the racist notion that the problems blacks had were due to their deficiencies. Further, his solution to those problems was education rather than social changes.
It was an excellent performance by the Presidential contenders, and thus, it was a good debate for the Democratic Party. And that may be the problem. None of the contenders provided the excitement that will be needed to defeat Trump. In 2016, Trump’s performances generated the kind of excitement created a buzz for the following week. It was chaotic, but it forced us to focus on him. Elizabeth Warren may have that potential. Her large crowds are not predictive of victory; they do mean voters are excited by her.
The most curious incident occurred when Castro addressed Biden about the last debate. He pointed out that fact-checking showed Biden’s denial that his proposal for fixing ObamaCare would leave 10 million without insurance. Castro added that Biden’s plan would require candidates for ObamaCare to “buy-in” to obtain it. Biden denied saying that anyone would have to “buy-in” to his insurance plan. Then Castro said you admitted that people would have to buy in, did you forget it. The clear implication was that Biden suffered a senior moment. Following the debate and for three days afterward, pundits and Biden supporters castigated Castro for accusing Biden of having age-related memory problems.
Another memorable event occurred when O’Rourke said, assault rifles, AR-15s and AK-47s, should be outlawed and a mandatory buyback program implemented. O’Rourke’s intention to ban assault rifles in circulation, as well as their manufacture, importation, and distribution, was at odds with the position endorsed by most Democrats. O’Rourke argued that if the assault rifles were too dangerous for the government to allow their manufacture and importation, then it was too risky to allow the 10 million or so already in distribution to remain in service. Some Democrats believed that O’Rourke’s position would antagonize the pro-gun community.
Also notable was Biden’s response to a race relations question. A moderator asked Biden, “what responsibility do you think that Americans need to take to repair the legacy of slavery in our country?” Biden began his rambling answer by referencing institutional segregation which he had fought. Jumping to education, Biden proposed tripling the amount of money spent on poor Title I schools from $15 to $45 billion a year; raising teachers’ salaries to at least $60,000 a year; and increasing the number of school psychologists.
Biden then reminded us that his current and “deceased” wives were teachers who had students bringing problems to them. Biden then suggested that social workers and parents were needed to help teach parenting skills. Biden concluded his answer by telling us that because a kid coming from a poor background will hear 4 million fewer words, their parents needed to play the radio and record player.
Many observers considered Biden’s answer to this question to be a disaster. In one meandering response, Biden advanced the racist notion that the problems blacks had were due to their deficiencies. Further, his solution to those problems was education rather than social changes.
It was an excellent performance by the Presidential contenders, and thus, it was a good debate for the Democratic Party. And that may be the problem. None of the contenders provided the excitement that will be needed to defeat Trump. In 2016, Trump’s performances generated the kind of excitement created a buzz for the following week. It was chaotic, but it forced us to focus on him. Elizabeth Warren may have that potential. Her large crowds are not predictive of victory; they do mean voters are excited by her.