{"id":4543,"date":"2019-09-13T17:00:49","date_gmt":"2019-09-13T17:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/?p=4543"},"modified":"2019-09-13T17:00:49","modified_gmt":"2019-09-13T17:00:49","slug":"liberal-moderate-divide-on-display-in-democratic-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/liberal-moderate-divide-on-display-in-democratic-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberal, Moderate Divide On Display In Democratic Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
From left, Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and former Housing Secretary Julian Castro are introduced Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, before a Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by ABC at Texas Southern University in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HOUSTON (AP) \u2014 Joe Biden parried attack after attack from liberal rivals Thursday night on everything from health care to immigration in\u00a0a debate that showcased profound ideological divides<\/a>\u00a0between the Democratic Party\u2019s moderate and progressive wings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The prime-time debate also elevated several struggling candidates, giving them a chance to introduce themselves to millions of Americans who are just beginning to follow the race.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Biden dominated significant parts of the evening, responding strongly when the liberal senators who are his closet rivals \u2014 Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren \u2014 assailed him and his policies.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlike prior debates, where Biden struggled for words and seemed surprised by criticism from fellow Democrats, he largely delivered crisp, aggressive responses. He called Sanders \u201ca socialist,\u201d a label that could remind voters of the senator\u2019s embrace of democratic socialism. And Biden slapped at Warren\u2019s proposed wealth tax.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A two-term vice president under Barack Obama, Biden unequivocally defended his former boss, who came under criticism from some candidates for deporting immigrants and not going far enough on health care reform.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI stand with Barack Obama all eight years, good bad and indifferent,\u201d Biden declared.<\/strong><\/p>\n

His vulnerabilities surfaced, however, in the final minutes of the debate, when he was pressed on a decades-old statement regarding school integration. Biden rambled in talking about his support of teachers, the lack of resources for educators and at one point seemed to encourage parents to play records for their children to expand their vocabulary before segueing into talk of Latin America.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s quite a lot,\u201d quipped Julian Castro, the former housing secretary who was Biden\u2019s frequent foe during the debate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The candidates debated with polls showing a strong majority of voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction under the first-term Republican president\u2019s leadership. But nine months into their nomination fight, divided Democrats have yet to answer fundamental questions about who or what the party stands for beyond simply opposing President Donald Trump.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The party\u2019s 2020 class, once featuring two dozen candidates, has essentially been cut in half by party rules requiring higher polling and fundraising standards for debates. Just 10 candidates qualified for Thursday\u2019s affair, though more than that have qualified for next month\u2019s round.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Those in the second tier, after Biden, Warren and Sanders, are under increasing pressure to break out of the pack. They all assailed Trump.<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker called Trump a racist. Former Texas Rep. Beto O\u2019Rourke called him a white supremacist. And Kamala Harris, a California senator, said\u00a0Trump\u2019s hateful social media messages provided \u201cthe ammunition\u201d<\/a>\u00a0for recent mass shootings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump, you have spent the last two-and-a-half years full time trying to sow hate and division among us, and that\u2019s why we\u2019ve gotten nothing done,\u201d Harris charged.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to Trump, Biden\u2019s rivals also turned against Obama\u2019s legacy at times as they sought to undermine the former vice president\u2019s experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sanders insisted that Biden bears responsibility for millions of Americans going bankrupt under the \u201cObamacare\u201d health care system. Castro raised questions about the Obama-Biden record on immigration, particularly the number of deportations that took place.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Castro, a 44-year-old Texan, appeared to touch on concerns about Biden\u2019s age when he accused him of forgetting a detail about his own health care plan. At 76, Biden would be the oldest president ever elected to a first term.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?\u201d an incredulous Castro asked, challenging Biden on health care. \u201cI can\u2019t believe that you said two minutes ago that you have to buy in and now you\u2019re forgetting that.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI\u2019m fulfilling the legacy of Barack Obama and you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ABC News debate was the first limited to one night after several candidates dropped out and others failed to meet new qualification standards. A handful more candidates qualified for next month\u2019s debate, which will again be divided over two nights.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As well as policy differences, the Democratic debates have been shaped by broader questions about diversity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a nod to the diverse coalition they need to defeat Trump, the Democrats held this debate on the campus of historically black Texas Southern University. It unfolded in a rapidly changing state that Democrats hope to eventually bring into their column.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The party cheered when America elected the most diverse congressional class in history in last fall\u2019s midterm voting. But some Democrats still fear that anyone other than a white man may struggle in a head-to-head matchup against Trump.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Biden was one of four white men onstage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Along with health care, gun violence emerged as a flashpoint Thursday night in a state shaken by a mass shooting last month that left 22 people dead and two dozen more wounded.<\/strong><\/p>\n

O\u2019Rourke noted that there weren\u2019t enough ambulances at times to take all the wounded<\/a>\u00a0to the hospital.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHell yes, we\u2019re gonna take your AR-15, your AK-47,\u201d he said as the crowd cheered.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar noted that all the candidates on stage favor a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. She favors a voluntary buy-back program on assault weapons, however.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The national economy got surprisingly little attention, though several of the candidates criticized Trump on foreign trade and his trade war with China.<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said Trump had said scornfully of his candidacy \u201che\u2019d like to see me making a deal with Xi Jinping,\u201d the Chinese president.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to see HIM making a deal with Xi Jinping.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trump was silent on social media during the event. But Kayleigh McEnany, his campaign\u2019s national press secretary, said in a statement: \u201cThank you to ABC and the Democrat Party for another infomercial for President Trump!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, Trump said he\u2019d likely have to watch a re-run because of travel conflict. He predicted the Democratic nominee would ultimately be Biden, Warren or Sanders.<\/strong><\/p>\n

___<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peoples reported from Washington. AP writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON (AP) \u2014 Joe Biden parried attack after attack from liberal rivals Thursday night on everything from health care to immigration in\u00a0a debate that showcased profound ideological divides\u00a0between the Democratic Party\u2019s moderate and progressive wings. The prime-time debate also elevated several struggling candidates, giving them a chance to introduce themselves to millions of Americans who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[712,176],"tags":[694,816,31,51],"class_list":["post-4543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-news","tag-associated-press","tag-democratic-debate","tag-featured","tag-trending"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}