Democratic presidential candidates are still bickering over healthcare – and now? They’ve got a new target...but more on that in a minute. During the latest Democratic presidential debate in Los Angeles, the candidates again clashed with progressives over Medicare-for-All proposals.
Former VP Joe Biden and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar argued that Medicare-for-All would be far too expensive. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren defended their plans and said Medicare-for-All would lower prescription drug prices. Here’s a recap of the evening’s other big moments:
- Speaking of Warren, she and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg got into it over fundraising. While Buttigieg noted that he’s the only candidate on the debate stage who is not a millionaire or billionaire, Warren chided Buttigieg for recently holding an expensive fundraiser in a wine cave. She cracked, "Billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next President of the United States." Buttigieg spat back, “Senator, your net worth is 100 times mine.”
- Senator Klobuchar pushed back on that some – saying campaign finance reform is an issue that should unite Democrats, not divide them.
- ‘The Environment’ also got plenty of attention. Klobuchar argued that climate change an "existential crisis" that must be pursued aggressively. Biden and businessman Tom Steyer called it a big opportunity to create good jobs in the clean energy field.
- On the impeachment of President Trump, Biden stressed that integrity needs to be restored in the White House. Businessman Andrew Yang said an “obsession over impeachment should give way to a candid discussion about many other important issues.” Meanwhile, Steyer called Trump the most corrupt president in American history.
- On a related note, Buttigieg said Trump's foreign policy is a failure and argued that America must get back to leading the world. Biden accused Trump of demolishing important alliances around the world. Klobuchar said Trump "stands with tyrants" instead of leaders of free countries.
- As a group, however, the Democrats vowed to move quickly to protect Dreamers, immigrants who were brought into the U.S. illegally as children. For Sanders’s part, he said there must be comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who are working in the U.S.
And what about that “targeting” we mentioned before? By various accounts,‘Mayor Pete’ now has the attention of his opponents firing on him – perhaps because of his recently elevated status.
Meanwhile, if you’re wondering who got the most talking time last night? That honor goes to...Bernie Sanders. Senator Klobuchar came next, then Senator Warren. Mayor Pete came in fourth, with Biden in fifth. Steyer was sixth and Yang, dead last.
Source:PBS NewsHour/Politico