Democratic Debates
Night One
So if there’s one thing for sure about the first ten Democrats on the stage Wednesday night, it is that, with one exception, they agree on most things. They all want a public option for medical care, some want a mix of private and public insurance, and some just want public.
Climate change is a concern for all of the candidates. Jay Inslee, Washington Governor, has made it the focus of his campaign, and builds all of his other issues through an environmental lense, but they ALL recognize the environment as a priority.
While Senator Warren and several others had less to say about it, clearly immigration is a major issue for everyone. Julian Castro, former Mayor of San Antonio and Housing Secretary, made an impassioned case for his immigration plan, then demanded that the other candidates pledge to support it. Others seemed to agree, with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker expanding on the need to end underlying racism in our country.
Minnesota’s Senator Amy Klobuchar made strong points, but didn’t seem to have the “stage presence.” Her argument, that she is an effective Senator who can win in red counties, didn’t seem to catch on. She also took a more moderate path.
On one end of the stage, New York’s Mayor DeBlasio emphasized the need for the Democrats to get back to the “Party” of workers, and Ohio’s Congressman Tim Ryan called for the Party to regain the confidence of the “forgotten worker.” On the other end, former Maryland Congressman John Delaney was the exception, calling for bipartisanship and limited goals and clearly taking the most moderate stand on that stage.
While there were a few mentions of President Trump, with Governor Inslee and Secretary Castro stating the need to say “adios” to him; oddly he wasn’t the bête noire of the night. That honor fell to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. One problem the candidates couldn’t solve, was what to do if they became President and McConnell remained in control of the Senate. Senator Warren would lead popular movement against him, Congressman Delaney find a way to make a deal, and the rest depend on a Democratic wave to bring a Senate majority.
Overall, Warren started “on fire” but seemed to fade as the night went on. However, with her frontrunner status on the stage, she didn’t hurt herself either. Booker acquitted himself well, getting the most speaking time on the night. The surprise of the night was Castro; he showed himself as intense, articulate, and well prepared. His status went up.
Klobuchar was solid but understated. Beto O’Rourke started slowly (and looked exhausted) but improved as the night went on. Jay Inslee got the chance to push his environmental focus, but seemed to get left out of much of the rest of the debate. Congressman Tulsi Gabbard seemed over-rehearsed and unwilling to jump into the debate. She did push Tim Ryan into supporting the war in Afghanistan, a stand the rest of the Party is unlikely to support.
DeBlasio came off as “New York” tough, not willing to sit back and wait his turn. That toughness may appeal to Democrats afraid of a candidate who can’t stand up to Trump. Ryan made his points, but didn’t seem as prepared to talk about issues other than jobs. And John Delaney seems out of step with the center of the Democratic Party, trying to take the moderate view. We’ll see if Joe Biden will have the same problem tonight.
Night Two
Senator Kamala Harris: this was the night she broke out of the pack. She was the same intelligent, concise and compassionate speaker we heard in the Judiciary Committee hearings. She was solid, and placed herself in the “top tier” of candidates. And, of all of the candidates for President, she was the one that highlighted the great flaws in Joe Biden.
Biden, still articulate, looked “dapper;” but has so much to defend. A career in public service stretching back to the late 1970’s; his history gives opponents the opportunity to litigate every controversial issue of the past fifty years. Harris questioned Biden’s stand on school busing for desegregation back in the early 80’s. She was able to underline Democrat’s biggest concern: she was a child on a bus, he was a US Senator already at the peak of power, almost a half century ago, in short, he is too old.
Biden tried to defend his stand, but the language of school desegregation busing: de jure and de facto, court ordered versus agency ordered; is ancient. The key words to explain no longer have meaning, you have to define the definition, and in the end he sounded like he was dissembling, not explaining.
Pete Buttigieg was articulate, and stood firm under the questioning about the police shooting in South Bend. He took a chance, clearly admitting that he failed to diversify his police force, but was still able to expand the conversation from South Bend to the national issue of institutional racism.
Senator Bernie Sanders: it’s difficult for me to take a dispassionate view of him. His answers haven’t changed in the past decade, but his solutions all depend on the “Bernie” revolution. There is no room for incrementalism in his plan; it is all or nothing. And since I don’t believe we will ever reach it all, I find a lot of what he says empty.
Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado tried to find room in the “center lane” of the Party, but is no master of the forty-five second answer. He has a nuanced view, one that requires explanation, and takes a while to “wind up” to his answer. Meanwhile, the debate moved on.
Senator Gillibrand made a strong case as for women. She demanded a place for women in “the room where it happens,” and wants to be the one. She also highlighted her plan, echoed by Buttigieg, to clean up politics. Her view: if we don’t fix politics, nothing else happens.
Governor Hickenlooper staked out his place as a problem solver and a centrist, even expressing willingness to work with the petroleum companies in climate change. And Mr. Yang emphasized his solution: give everyone a base pay, and the issues created by poverty fade.
Congressman Swalwell of California seemed to be left out of much of the conversation, but stood out on the pivotal issue of gun violence. Like Inslee on climate the night before, the Congressman lead on his willingness to remove assault rifles from American life, going farther than any other candidate.
And Ms. Williamson has the “Beatles” answer to defeating Trump: “All you need is Love (da, da-da, da-da.)”
Harris was the clear winner on the debate stage. Biden defended himself as a man who gets things done, but spent much of the night on the defensive. Buttigieg, on a night some predicted as the end of his campaign, found a way to continue to reach more voters. Sanders was Sanders; like him and he sounds great, but he did little to convert others. The others chimed in, but those three stood out.
It’s over a year from the Convention
The Democratic Convention starts on July 13, 2020 in Milwaukee. It’s still a political lifetime away. Here’s the one-word takeaway from the first of many debates in the Democratic Party.
Biden – vulnerable
Warren – got a plan
Sanders – same plan as before
Harris – I can take on Trump
Buttigieg – don’t count me out
Booker – still needs to connect
Castro – I’m here.
The rest have a way to go to prove their impact. But we have a way to go, and politics can change overnight; stay tuned.
