Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

With the presidential elections due in 2020, the Democratic Party’s presidential hopefuls come together to debate each other in a moment to gain an edge in their campaigns. as per the current poll numbers, Former Vice-President Joe Biden leads for the candidature of the democratic Party followed by 2016 US Democratic Party Primary Runner-up, Bernie Sanders, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.

The debates managed to provide a few moments which could be detrimental in the lead up to the US Primary races. From the ten candidates, the public got a sense of not only the policies that they offer but also a desire and hope of eliminating the gap between the people of the United States. Here are some highlights from the debate:

The first question, the first round

Senators Sanders and Warren have been big advocates for a healthcare policy called ‘Medicare for All’ while current front runner Joe Biden had been the defender of the Obamacare plan for the night. Charging an attack on the Senators, the former vice-president questioned about the affordability and the cost that the ‘Medicare for All’ plan would incur on the average American’s pocket.

Biden also had led the charge by saying looking at Warren and saying, “Thus far, my distinguished friend, the senator on my left, has not said how she’s going to pay for it.”

Senator Sanders and Warren were really careful to tip-toe around the topic which was laid perfectly by bringing in the elimination of the costs which have been incurred by the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance premiums levied on the people.

But the key moment would be when former US Housing Secretary Julian Castro was able to interject when he said that around 10 million people would not be covered as per the plan proposed by Joe Biden during the second debate. He also pointed out how Biden had quoted that people would have to ‘automatically buy-in into his plan’ while in his plan they would automatically be enrolled which led to a fiery debate between the two. The highlight of which would be when Castro said “Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?”, referencing to the vice-president’s attempt to change facts but many think it was a jab at the age of the vice-president.

Jabs at the President

The candidates took their time to attack Donald Trump on the failure to stop racial violence. Given that the recent rise in the number of attacks on the coloured people in the US. The people have been riddled with the question on the issue of gun control.

The candidates spoke in unison while saying that the racial divide in the country has been driven by the President on his failure to curtail the assault rifle sales and gun violence. Particular of which former Congressman Beto O’Rourke’s home town, El Paso, was a recent victim of the recent string of shootings.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg also had questioned the President on the current Trade War with China and how it has been negatively impacting the US Economy and how the president has failed to secure a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Immigration Issues

The Trump administration has often come under fire with regards to its immigration policies. Often criticized to not only throwing the asylum seekers out of the country but also putting the children of those who are illegal immigrants into cages.

Given that most of the people who seek asylum are from the Central American countries which have been riddled with violence. The candidates came together to speak on how they would try to loosen the restrictions which have been imposed by President Trump.

Senator Warren had said that the major issue behind the immigration crisis which the US faces are the withdrawal of aids from the Central American countries. Andrew Yan, the former tech entrepreneur had mentioned the role of the immigrants ‘positive for our economic and social dynamism’.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg also called out the supporters of the President when he was asked if He would call the supporters of the president as racists. Given that the President has referred the Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals in the past.

A House United, well

Many of the candidates might have come together to slam the current Trump Administration on his policy regarding gun controls and his trade policies. they surely did not hang back in attacking the positions of one another.

Particular of which was the exchange between Julian Castro and Joe Biden, where the debate saw them attack each other. The former vice-president himself did not hang back in his punches attacking the Medicare-for-all plan of Senator Warren and Sanders.

Many democrat candidates had asked to lessen the attacks on each other and focus on maintaining the civility of the debate. The candidates did agree that despite a difference in opinions among them, they all agree on the same goal with regards to Gun Control and Healthcare but have different routes to achieve them.

Conclusion

The candidates did come together talking about how climate change issues which  President Trump has an issue with. The issue with Trade war and how the tariffs which have been imposed by the United States on China has managed to dent the US Economy was echoed throughout the debate. The slow isolation of the United States and creating uncertainty within its own allies had been greatly talked about in this debate.

Despite this, the major takeaways would be consistent grilling of front-runner Joe Biden by the other candidates who have been questioning his previous positions. Senator Sanders and Warren had not made a major impact on the debate but still were able to protect their positions and offered major clarity on some.

Given that it is just a little early in the election year, the debate would be able to help bring down the number of candidates to the ones who would be considered as the most credible candidate to run against President Donald Trump.

(with inputs from agencies)

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