Fact-checking the Houston debate
The showdown between the moderate and progressive wings of the Democratic Party — and front-runners Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren — never really reached a boil, as the Democratic candidates for president trained their harshest jabs for President Donald Trump.
But policy differences at the third Democratic presidential debate last Thursday did become more clear, particularly on the issue of health care.
PolitiFact analyzed several statements made by the candidates on the debate stage at Houston’s Texas Southern University.
Castro’s attack on Biden’s health care plan falls flat
“The difference between what I support and what you support, Vice President Biden, is that you require them to opt in (to a Medicare public option), and I would not require them to opt in. … They would automatically be enrolled. That’s a big difference. … Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?”
— Julián Castro, former cabinet secretary
This was one of the most explosive moments of the night. And it’s Mostly False.
Castro accused Biden of changing his position in short order about the contours of his health care plan — drawing criticism from some commentators for suggesting that Biden, at 76, is having memory problems.
Castro’s criticism falls into two categories: that Biden’s plan requires people who want the public option to “opt in” and that the former vice president contradicted himself on the debate stage.
On the first charge, Castro exaggerated the differences between his and Biden’s health care plans.
Castro’s plan is an opt-out plan while Biden’s is an opt-in plan, but the differences between those are much less than Castro suggests. Biden’s plan would
guarantee Americans who are in need access to Medicare coverage, just like Castro’s would. The differences would likely amount to the nature or timing of paperwork, rather than being significant barriers to access.
Then, Castro used this questionable distinction to claim that Biden had said opposing things within two minutes. But that’s an exaggeration at best.
Castro claimed Biden initially said people would have to opt in to Medicare and then later changed his tune and said they wouldn’t have to opt in. Biden did say at several points before Castro challenged him that enrollment would be
automatic — essentially a formality.
Sanders on the cost of American health care
“Let us be clear, Joe, in the United States of America, we are spending twice as much per capita on health care as the Canadians or any other major country on Earth.”
— Sen. Bernie Sanders
This is partially accurate: Sanders is right about Canada, but not about every other major country.
The United States led the world in health care spending in 2018, at $10,586 spent per capita, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Canada’s per capita health care spending was $4,974 in 2018, which is half of U.S. spending.
The next two countries with the high
est health care spending were Switzerland and Norway, with $7,317 and $6,187, respectively. The United States spends more per capita than those countries, but not twice as much.
Biden overstates US support for assault weapons ban
“Over 90% of the American people think we have to get assault weapons off the street — period.”
— Joe Biden, former vice president This is Mostly False. Biden was responding to a moderator’s question about his failure to get an expanded background check bill passed after the Sandy Hook school mass shooting in 2012.
The recent polls we found showed that a majority of Americans support banning assault weapons, but by a much smaller margin than Biden cited.
Overall, five polls taken after the shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, showed between 56% and 70% of people back a ban on assault rifles. Polls showed higher support among Democrats. We asked the Biden campaign for his evidence and did not hear back immediately. We wondered whether Biden was referring to the percentage of Americans who support expanding background checks, which was in the ballpark of 90% in many polls.
Booker on the number of African Americans ‘under criminal supervision’
“We have more African Americans under criminal supervision today than all the slaves in 1850.”
— Sen. Cory Booker
Booker omitted a key word in making this claim: men. This is an issue PolitiFact first looked into in 2014.
At that time, our research found that U.S. Bureau of Criminal Statistics put the number of African American men under state and federal criminal justice supervision in 2013 at about 1.68 million — 807,076 above the number of African American men enslaved in 1850, according to census data.
The comparison, however, wouldn’t likely hold if you include women and children, because women and children are less likely to be under some form of criminal supervision.
What to know about Kamala Harris’ criminal justice record
“There have been many distortions about my record” on criminal justice.
— Sen. Kamala Harris
ABC moderator Linsey Davis asked Harris about inconsistencies in her record on criminal justice, noting that Harris took more conservative positions as attorney general in California. “When you had the power, why didn’t you try to effect change then?” Davis asked. Harris said her record had been distorted.
When we looked back at Harris’ actions as California attorney general and San Francisco’s top prosecutor, we found a mixed record. Some initiatives moved toward criminal justice reform, while other policies were more consistent with traditional law-enforcement prerogatives.
On the one hand, Harris achieved some notable reform-minded victories, including efforts to reduce recidivism and eliminate bias in law enforcement. She also burnished her progressive credentials in 2004 with a controversial decision as district attorney not to seek the death penalty for a man suspected of killing a police officer.
At other times, however, Harris’ positions disappointed criminal-justice advocates.
For instance, as attorney general in 2016, she opposed a bill to require her office to investigate shootings by police, and she declined to weigh in on state ballot measures to legalize recreational marijuana and reduce penalties for nonviolent crimes. And despite her personal opposition to the death penalty, Harris defended it in court as attorney general.
Warren conflates two votes about gun control
“54 senators said, let’s do background checks, let’s get rid of assault weapons, and with 54 senators it failed because of the filibuster.”
— Sen. Elizabeth Warren
This is Half True. Warren is partially right and partially wrong.
Warren was referring to votes on gun control legislation on April 17, 2013. A few months after the Sandy Hook shooting, lawmakers took up votes on multiple gun control measures. All of them failed.
An amendment for expanded background checks failed though 54 senators voted for it (60 votes are needed to break a filibuster threat).
A vote to ban assault weapons also failed, but only 40 senators – not 54 – supported it.