Today’s post comes to us from Alex, friend of the blog. My apologies for getting this up so late in the week, I have no excuse but total laziness. Thank you, Alex!
As the dust settles after the second Democratic debate, the two sides of the party have become clearly divided. Moderates like Joe Biden staunchly defended an incremental approach to radical policies such as medicare for all, while progressives like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders fiercely attacked their moderate colleagues for thinking too small. As the direction of the party is up for grabs in the coming months, here is how the major players performed in the second act.
Biden Survives and Advances: Joe Biden shared the stage with Kamala Harris again, sparking anticipation for round two of the battle started in the first debate. Biden came prepared this time, however, ripping into Harris’s healthcare plan as well as the segregation still present in California districts after her run as state attorney general. He very clearly positioned himself in the moderate lane, supporting tune ups for the ACA as opposed to outright Medicare for All and even challenging the economic viability of the proposal as a whole. While Biden looked markedly better defending himself this time around, he still took his lumps. The former vice President found himself taking fire for the over three million deportations under the Obama administration as Julian Castro and Bill DeBlasio harped on the point repeatedly. Biden also suffered from his usual self inflicted wounds, referring to Cory Booker as “future president” at one point, as well as confusing his texting number for his website. Overall, Biden did enough to survive and advance, but the increasing attacks on the Obama administration is a concerning occurence for his campaign.
Bernie Sanders on the Defensive: Sanders has regained some ground in recent weeks, edging roughly 1 point ahead of fellow Progressive Elizabeth Warren in the polls. He found himself in the JV debate this time around, but he dealt with a heavy assault from lower tier moderates. Former congressman John Delaney and Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar took aim at progressive policies and forced Sanders to defend his plan to outlaw private health insurance. Sanders had trouble defending his positions, failing to explain how he will pay for them and struggling to justify taking away health insurance from over half the country in exchange for government run healthcare. The Vermont Senator admitted in debate one that he would raise taxes on the middle class, so he has a lot of work to do when it comes to explaining his policies in a more accessible way. Simply saying the benefits of his administration will outweigh higher taxes and a complete overhaul of the healthcare system is not enough to win the presidency. Sanders needs details, and it is unclear if he has them.
Elizabeth Warren holds firm: Once again, Warren was unable to share the stage with the frontrunner Joe Biden. Forming an odd team with Bernie Sanders, and sometimes looking like his personal protector, the Massachusetts senator faced the same assault Bernie did on her progressive policies. This is increasingly problematic for Warren, as the two longtime friends are vying for the same progressive voters, yet in no way have they distinguished themselves from one another so far. Warren looked better equipped to deal with the moderate attacks, and looked like the stronger of the two when she questioned why her colleagues were running for president when they were unwilling to embrace radical solutions. Eventually, however, she will have to turn her guns on Bernie Sanders. If both progressives stay in the race, it will be nearly impossible for either to capture the nomination due to the splitting of the progressive wing seen in current polling.
Kamala Harris Collapses: Kamala Harris saw a boost after her attack on Biden in debate one which propelled her into the top tier of candidates for a short time. However, her newly found backing quickly dissipated as she was unable to provide concrete policy proposals yet again, changing her position on Medicare for All for a fourth time. The California Senator came out swinging again, causing Biden to fight back. Harris defended her Healthcare plan, which achieves Medicare for All in roughly ten years and would cost $30 trillion over that period, by repeatedly saying Biden’s attacks were untrue. While this was not a great defense, she was able to survive the first hour. The backbreaking blow came from Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who brought Harris’ prosecutorial record into the light. Gabbard accused the the former California Attorney General of strictly prosecuting marijuana users, withholding information on a death penalty case until court ordered to release it, and even holding prisoners past their terms for cheap labor. This is a disaster for Harris, as her tenure as Attorney General also includes threatening jail time for school truancies and even defended the Death Penalty in a court of law, which are policies that are viewed as targeting minorities and the poor by Demcrat voters.
The B Team
Pete Buttigieg: The mayor of South Bend has gone absolutely nowhere since announcing his campaign. His performance in both debates was underwhelming, and his poll numbers have not even flinched above 7% in a month. He is holding steady in fifth, but appears to already have hit his ceiling barring a dramatic turn of events.
Beto O’Rourke: It has been a long fall for Robert Francis O’Rourke. Once the Democratic golden boy who could defeat Ted Cruz, he has now completely failed to capture any momentum with his 2020 Presidential bid. He made a shameless pitch that he could possibly beat Trump in Texas, which may be enough to snag a VP or cabinet spot, but he will not be the next president.
Cory Booker’s Dilema: There is simply no lane for Cory Booker in this field. Biden has a firm hold on the moderate wing of the party, while progressive stars Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have a lock on the progressive’s. Booker has tried to weave together a semblance of a competitive campaign, but there is nothing he can offer that has not already been presented in a better, cleaner fashion by the frontrunners.
