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 In the first round of back-to-back debates, several of the
lesser-known candidates vied for attention in the crowded race to
take on President Donald Trump, shouting over one another to grab
the spotlight and prove they are capable of standing up to the
Republican in the November 2020 election.
The Democratic contenders repeatedly attacked Trump, saying his
economic policies benefited the wealthy at the expense of working
Americans, and calling his border policies heartless.
"On January 20, 2021, we'll say 'Adios' to Donald Trump," said
former Housing Secretary Julian Castro.
But they also turned their fire on each other, most often targeting
Beto O'Rourke. The former congressman tangled with Castro, a fellow
Texan, on border policy, and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on
healthcare.
The intensity of the exchanges after six months of a relatively mild
campaign reflected the high stakes in what could be a make-or-break
moment for some of the contenders struggling to be noticed in the
Democratic field of more than 20 candidates.
No one mentioned front-runner Joe Biden, who will take the stage
with top rival Bernie Sanders and eight other candidates in the
second debate on Thursday night.
The battle over healthcare began when the candidates were asked to
raise their hands if they support eliminating private health
insurance. Only U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and de Blasio did so,
but they quickly challenged the other eight candidates on stage.
Warren, a leader of the party's progressive wing who has been
surging in opinion polls, said private insurance was taking
advantage of Americans. She backs a government-sponsored
Medicare-for-All approach and criticized those who say it is not
politically feasible.
"What they are really telling you is they just won't fight for it.
Healthcare is a basic right, and I will fight for it," she said.
But former U.S. Representative John Delaney, an outspoken critic of
Medicare for All who supports a universal healthcare approach that
includes private insurance, said Democrats should not throw away a
system that some Americans are happy with.
"I think we should be the party that keeps what’s working and fixes
what’s broken," Delaney said.
After years of defending former Democratic President Barack Obama's
landmark healthcare law known as Obamacare from Republican attempts
to repeal it, Democrats have struggled during the campaign to agree
on the best approach to fixing it.
The Medicare for All approach pushed by Warren and Sanders, which
has gained support in Congress, would create a government-operated
plan that eliminates private insurance. It is modeled on the
Medicare government healthcare program for seniors.
O'Rourke said private insurance was "fundamental to our ability to
get everybody cared for," but de Blasio cut him off.
"Congressman O'Rourke, private insurance is not working for tens of
millions of Americans when you talk about the copays, the
deductibles the premiums - it's not working. How can you defend a
system that's not working?
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'BORING!'
O'Rourke also came under attack from Castro over the separation of
families and detention of migrants at the southern border. Castro
said he would decriminalize border crossings by migrants, which he
said had led to the separation of families. He challenged O'Rourke
and others to support him.
O'Rourke said that as a congressman he helped introduce a bill that
would ensure that those who are seeking asylum and refuge in the
United States are not criminalized.
Castro responded: "I'm not talking about the ones that are seeking
asylum, I'm talking about everybody else." He accused O'Rourke of
not doing his homework.
Trump hinted he would not tweet his reactions to the debate live. It
was taking place as he flies aboard Air Force One to Osaka, Japan,
for a G20 summit.
But shortly after it began, he could not help himself. "BORING!" he
tweeted.
"This debate was the best argument for President Trump’s re-election
and should really be counted as an in-kind contribution to the
President’s campaign," Kayleigh McEnany, the Trump campaign's
spokeswoman, said in a statement.
"The far-left, socialist policies Democrats embraced tonight were
akin to a mutual political suicide pact," she said.
The debate was an opportunity for some of the less-noticed
candidates to step out of the shadow cast by Biden, a former vice
president, and Sanders, a senator from Vermont.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker had the most speaking time in the debate at
about 11 minutes, according to the New York Times and other media
trackers. He was followed by O'Rourke, Warren and Castro. Washington
Governor Jay Inslee had the least.
Several of the contenders took aim at corporate America, saying it
did not pay enough in taxes, repaid government bailouts by shifting
jobs overseas and charged too much for its products.
"Who is this economy really working for? It's doing great for a
thinner and thinner slice at the top. It's doing great for giant
drug companies. It's just not doing great for people who are trying
to get a prescription filled," Warren said.
Inslee said he was the only candidate on the stage who had passed a
public healthcare option and a law protecting a woman's right to
reproductive health and health insurance.
That drew a sharp response from Senator Amy Klobuchar.
"There are three women up here who have fought pretty hard for a
woman's right to choose," she said, looking at Warren and
congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
(Reporting by James Oliphant, Ginger Gibson and Letitia Stein in
Miami; Writing by John Whitesides in Washington; Editing by Colleen
Jenkins and Peter Cooney)
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