USA TODAY International Edition
Rivals agree on Trump, diverge on party direction
Some candidates pull hard to left, others fear loss of center
It wasn’t all about Donald Trump. At the opening Democratic debate Wednesday night, the 10 contenders on stage focused less on the Republican incumbent – after all, there was little disagreement there on the threat they said he posed to the republic — and more on the direction of the Democratic Party.
On that there was a real debate – one that’s just getting started.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren called for abolishing private health insurance coverage in favor of a government-run system. “I’m with Bernie (Sanders) on Medicare for All,” she declared, a reference to her biggest rival to lead the party’s most liberal voters. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar cautioned that she was “concerned about kicking half of America off their health insurance in four years.”
When former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke said he would keep private coverage as an option, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio demanded almost angrily, “How can you defend a system that’s not working?”
The two-hour debate spotlighted differences over how far left the Democratic Party should move, though it clearly has moved left on some issues since the last election, and what voters it should target. That divide is likely to be in even sharper relief Thursday night. The second-day debate will feature another 10 contenders, including former vice president Joe Biden and Sanders.
At Wednesday’s forum, hosted by NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo, the candidates avoided the name-calling that Trump used four years ago.
Still, former Housing Secretary Julian Castro went after his fellow Texan, O’Rourke, over their differences on immigration. Castro, suggesting O’Rourke didn’t “do your homework on this issue,” began a back-and-forth exchange that reflected long-standing grievances between the two on the topic.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan clashed on U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.
Klobuchar slapped down Washington Gov. Jay Inslee after he bragged that he was the only candidate who had “passed a law protecting a woman’s right of reproductive health.”
The imperative to deny President Trump a second term was nearly religious in its intensity. Asked to name the biggest geopolitical threat facing the USA, Inslee replied: Donald Trump.
How best to achieve Trump’s downfall was the subject of a sectarian divide.
Appeal to liberal voters, especially younger ones? Or target working-class voters from places such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin?
None of the contenders clearly dominated the evening, and no one made the sort of cringe-worthy misstep that could undermine their campaign. O’Rourke sometimes seemed to struggle to get into the conversation. Warren’s command of policy details projected strength in the first half of the evening, although she faded a bit in the second half. At that point, Booker came across as confident and passionate; scorekeepers said he ended up with the most talking time, a bit more than 11 minutes.
None of the contenders clearly dominated ... and no one made (a) cringe-worthy misstep that could undermine their campaign.