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By: Eric Bradner, Gregory Krieg & Dan Merica – cnn.com – June 27, 2019
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was the top-polling Democratic presidential candidate onstage Wednesday night, and the early moments of the party’s first 2020 debate showed why.
Warren was asked four other questions before most of the nine other contenders had been asked two. Her platform set the pace for the night, with other candidates embracing elements of it — or at least passing on opportunities to break directly with her.
Warren dominated the debate’s first half hour, moving herself closer to Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont on single-payer health care — a move that could ease the concerns of progressives in the process. She faded the rest of the way, but went unscathed.
That Warren’s policy focus dominated the first quarter of the debate, and largely went unchallenged, also signaled a clear leftward shift within the Democratic Party. But that dynamic was apparent throughout the night, especially when candidates were asked about health care, immigration, protecting abortions rights and gun control.
Another candidate who took no fire: former Vice President Joe Biden, the party’s front-runner, who will debate with nine other Democrats on Thursday night.
Here are eight takeaways from the opening night of Democrats’ first 2020 presidential debates:
Warren goes all in on ‘Medicare for all’
2020 Democratic candidates clash over health care 02:22
One question going into the debate was how hard Warren — who has cut deeply into Sanders’ hold on Democrats’ progressive wing — was willing to fight for single-payer health insurance when she had signaled an openness to more moderate plans in the past.
“I’m with Bernie on ‘Medicare for all,’ ” Warren said.
Her answer further narrowed the political distance between Warren and Sanders, who will be on the debate stage Thursday night.
In her response, Warren channeled Sanders’ attacks on the insurance industry, casting it as a fundamentally corrupt enterprise, then targeting candidates who, for whatever reason, opposed or cast doubt on the plan.
“There are a lot of politicians who say, ‘Oh, it’s just not possible. We just can’t do it. There’s a lot of political problems,’ ” Warren said, before further sharpening her language: “What they’re really telling you is they just won’t fight for it. Well, health care is a basic human right and I will fight for basic human rights.”
A night for Spanish speakers and women
Spanish-speaking candidates stand out on debate stage 02:25
O’Rourke got the third question of the night, about the economy — and answered it in Spanish before delivering the English version.
It was an effort to show the former El Paso congressman’s ability to reach Spanish-speaking voters as immigration takes center stage in the Democratic race — as well as to reach the audience watching live on Telemundo.
Booker’s stare-down of O’Rourke during the answer got buzz on Twitter — and 30 minutes later, it became clear why: Booker went with the same move, beginning his answer on immigration by speaking Spanish.
Castro got in a line in Spanish, too, at the beginning of his closing remarks.
It was by far the most Spanish that had ever been spoken on a presidential debate stage.
And it came on the heels of history being made at the debate’s outset: Three female candidates (Warren, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii) were onstage, more than ever before.
Battle of the Texans
Castro took aim at his fellow Texan, O’Rourke, over immigration in what was by far the most direct and personal clash of the night.
Castro has called for decriminalizing crossing the border by repealing Section 1325 of the Immigration and Nationality Act — a position O’Rourke opposes, saying he wants a “comprehensive rewrite” of immigration laws and backs plans to “ensure you don’t criminalize those who are seeking asylum.”
Castro jumped on these comments, telling O’Rourke that “if you did your homework on this issue” he would understand that what he is talking about is different from what Castro is proposing.
Castro brought up comments O’Rourke had made on CNN earlier this month, when he told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he did not think the law should be repealed.
“Let’s be very clear: The reason that they are separating these little children from their families is that they are using Section 1325 of that act, which criminalized crossing over the border, to incarcerate the parents and then separate them,” Castro said. “Some of us on this stage have called to end that section, to terminate it; some, like Congressman O’Rourke, have not.”
Castro added: “And I want to challenge all of the candidates to do that. I just think it is a mistake, and I think if you truly want to change the system then we have to repeal that section.”
Democrats’ drift leftward
It took mere minutes, with the focus on Warren’s more liberal policies for the first quarter of the debate, for the contest to show how the Democratic Party has moved left since Trump took office.
Biden and a handful of other candidates are seeking to moderate the party’s message on issues like single-payer health insurance. But the debate showed that most candidates are trying to win over primary voters by showing their commitment to progressive causes.
That leftward lurch was on display throughout the night, with candidates staking out positions on health care, gun control and immigration rights that would have once been viewed as to the far left of Democratic politics.
Warren advocated for an end to private insurance as part of implementing Medicare for All, Booker drew a contrast with his competitors with his plan to require a federal license to own a gun and Castro attacked O’Rourke for not wanting to decriminalize border crossings.
It underscored a view that, even as Democratic primary voters say they are concerned about electability, the party’s candidates believe their path to the Oval Office depends on a motivated base — and that reaching that base won’t cost them too much with the evaporating middle in American politics.
‘There are three women on this stage’
[…]
Warren sets the pace while O’Rourke wears the target
[…]
Booker separates himself on guns
[…]
Biden gets a pass
[…]
De Blasio goes New York
[…]
Source: Democratic debate highlights: 9 takeaways from the first night – CNNPolitics
Photo courtesy of Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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