Democrat rivals say Warren’s healthcare plans will hit middle class
‘Costs will go up for the wealthy and for big corporations and, for middle-class families, costs will go down’
DEMOCRAT candidates have rounded on Elizabeth Warren, the new putative front-runner in the race for the party’s presidential nomination, accusing her of being “dishonest” for not admitting her healthcare plan would raise taxes for the middle class.
Twelve candidates crowded on to the stage in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday night for the largest ever primary debate in a US election.
They took turns calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump and lambasting the president over his “despicable abandonment” of America’s Kurdish allies in northern Syria.
Joe Biden said Mr Trump was “erratic and crazy” and defended his own son Hunter, whom Mr Trump has repeatedly accused of receiving a “pay off ” from a Ukrainian energy company. Mr Biden said: “Look, my son did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong. I carried out the policy of the United States government in rooting out corruption in Ukraine and that’s what we should be focused on. My son made a judgment. I’m proud of the judgment he made.”
No other candidate questioned Mr Biden about the issue.
On the eve of the debate, a national poll put Mrs Warren on 30 per cent support, ahead of Mr Biden on 27 per cent. The other candidates focused their fire on her rather than Mr Biden.
Healthcare has emerged as the key issue for Democrat primary voters.
Mrs Warren was asked to respond “Yes or no” on whether her Medicare For All plan for government-run healthcare would put up taxes for the middle classes. The plan is also backed by Bernie Sanders, her fellow senator.
Mrs Warren said: “I have made clear what my principles are here, and that is that costs will go up for the wealthy and for big corporations, and for hardworking middle-class families, costs will go down.”
She then moved on quickly to talk about how many “selfies” she had taken on the campaign trail.
Moderate Democrats who do not want 150 million Americans forced off their private healthcare plans, instead allowing them to choose the publicly funded option, rounded on Mrs Warren.
In his most aggressive attack yet on his rival, Mr Biden demanded that she tell the American people “how much” they would have to pay.
Mr Sanders criticised Mr Biden, saying: “I say this as a friend but you got the disastrous war in Iraq done. You got trade agreements, which have cost us four million jobs, done.”
Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, accused Mrs Warren of having a “multitrillion-dollar hole” in her plan, making the country “even more polarised” and wanting to engage in “infinite partisan combat”.
Other candidates criticised Mrs Warren over her plan for a “wealth tax” of 2 per cent on individual income over $50 million. Beto O’rourke, the former congressman from Texas, accused her of being “punitive”.
Mrs Warren weathered the storm, saying: “I don’t have a beef with billionaires. My question is why does everyone else on this stage think it is more important to protect billionaires than it is to invest in an entire generation?”