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Democratic Debate Has Early Focus on Trump’s Conduct and Impeachment Democratic Debate Has Early Focus on Trump’s Conduct and Impeachment
(32 minutes later)
The Democratic presidential candidates expressed uniform support on Wednesday night for the impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s conduct toward Ukraine, but signaled significant reservations in the fifth primary debate about the possibility that the 2020 campaign could become submerged in a congressional investigation of Mr. Trump’s behavior. The Democratic presidential candidates expressed uniform support on Wednesday night for the impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s conduct toward Ukraine, but signaled significant reservations in the fifth primary debate about the possibility that the 2020 campaign could become submerged in a congressional investigation of Mr. Trump’s behavior.
The debate in Atlanta began with few sparks between the leading candidates, but a barrage of fire directed at Mr. Trump and what the top Democrats described as a culture of corruption and self-dealing in his administration. That line of argument crossed ideological and cultural lines on the Democratic side, involving populist liberals like Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont and their more moderate competitors, including Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind. The debate in Atlanta began with few sparks between the leading candidates, but with a barrage of fire directed at Mr. Trump and what the top Democrats described as a culture of corruption and self-dealing in his administration. That line of argument crossed ideological and cultural lines on the Democratic side, involving populist liberals like Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont and their more moderate competitors, including Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind.
“We cannot simply be consumed by Donald Trump, because if we are, you know what? We’re going to lose the election,” Mr. Sanders said, pointing to social problems like homelessness and climate change, which he termed “the great existential crisis of our time.”“We cannot simply be consumed by Donald Trump, because if we are, you know what? We’re going to lose the election,” Mr. Sanders said, pointing to social problems like homelessness and climate change, which he termed “the great existential crisis of our time.”
For at least the first hour, the debate proceeded as a relatively subdued affair, with the candidates seeming to retreat from the harshest and most personal rivalries that flared a month ago at a debate in Ohio. Then, a gang of moderates — former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Mr. Buttigieg and Ms. Klobuchar — teamed up to savage Ms. Warren for her position on single-payer health care.
This time, candidates almost entirely refrained from clashing directly, framing their disagreements in polite or passive-aggressive terms, perhaps deliberately conceding that their intraparty competition could not compete for attention with sobering developments in the impeachment process.
The forum was less contentious in part because the moderators did not stoke the rivalries or highlight the ideological differences onstage as much as in past debates, instead asking more open-ended questions about an array of policy issues.
But the seeds of a larger debate over policy and political strategy became evident even in their answers targeting Mr. Trump. Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren railed against corruption in Washington, while other candidates, including Mr. Buttigieg and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., emphasized the importance of forging political unity and electing Democratic senators from red states.But the seeds of a larger debate over policy and political strategy became evident even in their answers targeting Mr. Trump. Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren railed against corruption in Washington, while other candidates, including Mr. Buttigieg and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., emphasized the importance of forging political unity and electing Democratic senators from red states.
Mr. Biden, who has staked his campaign on the perception that he is a strong general election candidate, used his leadoff answer to urge voters to pick a nominee who can “go into states like Georgia and North Carolina and other places and get a Senate majority.”Mr. Biden, who has staked his campaign on the perception that he is a strong general election candidate, used his leadoff answer to urge voters to pick a nominee who can “go into states like Georgia and North Carolina and other places and get a Senate majority.”
It was, atypically, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, normally a nonconfrontational voice on the debate stage, who opened a more contentious phase of the debate, critiquing Ms. Warren’s proposal for a tax on the nation’s largest fortunes. “It’s cumbersome,” Mr. Booker jabbed. “It’s been tried by other nations. It’s hard to evaluate.”It was, atypically, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, normally a nonconfrontational voice on the debate stage, who opened a more contentious phase of the debate, critiquing Ms. Warren’s proposal for a tax on the nation’s largest fortunes. “It’s cumbersome,” Mr. Booker jabbed. “It’s been tried by other nations. It’s hard to evaluate.”
Mr. Buttigieg soon followed suit, though, arguing that most Americans were on their side — but warning that Democrats must “galvanize not polarize that majority.”Mr. Buttigieg soon followed suit, though, arguing that most Americans were on their side — but warning that Democrats must “galvanize not polarize that majority.”
Mr. Sanders made the case for his “Medicare for All” legislation and took an oblique shot at Ms. Warren, who has not prioritized the measure, noting that he would introduce his single-payer “in the first week” of his presidency. Mr. Sanders made the case for his Medicare for All Act and took an oblique shot at Ms. Warren, who has not prioritized the measure, noting that he would introduce his single-payer system “in the first week” of his presidency.
But reflecting his de facto truce with Ms. Warren, Mr. Sanders reserved his sharpest words for the more moderate candidates who oppose Medicare for All, whom he did not name but whom he described as believing “that we should not take on the insurance industry, we should not take on the pharmaceutical industry.” But reflecting his de facto truce with Ms. Warren, Mr. Sanders reserved his sharpest words for the more moderate candidates who oppose Medicare for all, whom he did not name but whom he described as believing “that we should not take on the insurance industry, we should not take on the pharmaceutical industry.”
The exchanges grew notably less polite, though, when Senator Kamala Harris of California was offered a chance to respond on a foreign policy question that went to Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who targeted Ms. Harris at a debate over the summer.
Ms. Harris, with payback in mind, ignored the policy element of the question and unloaded on Ms. Gabbard. She noted that her rival had been a frequent guest on Fox News, refused to call President Bashar al-Assad of Syria “a war criminal” and “buddied up to Steve Bannon” during Mr. Trump’s presidential transition.
Ms. Gabbard responded that Ms. Harris was merely offering “lies and smears and innuendo” and asserted that the senator would continue the “Bush-Clinton-Trump foreign policy of regime change wars.”
Mr. Buttigieg, who is rising rapidly in the polls in Iowa, found himself for the first time in the position of defending his qualifications for the presidency, as the mayor of a small city who has never held statewide office. He cast skepticism of those credentials as a view from “traditional establishment Washington,” and argued that from the vantage point of South Bend it was “the usual way of doing business in Washington is what looks small.”
Two of Mr. Buttigieg’s rivals pushed back more or less gently, channeling in a tentative way the frustration across the Democratic field with the rise of a 37-year-old mayor with no experience in national government. Mr. Booker, a onetime wunderkind mayor of Newark, described himself as “the other Rhodes scholar mayor on this stage” — perhaps his most pointed expression of feeling overlooked in the race.
But it was Ms. Klobuchar who most effectively pivoted from her past criticism of Mr. Buttigieg, whom she has described as benefiting in the race from being male, into a forceful plea to the country to elect a female president.
“Women are held to a higher standard, otherwise we could play a game called name your favorite woman president,” Ms. Klobuchar said, brandishing one of her favorite lines from the campaign trail: “If you think a woman can’t beat Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi does it every single day.”
The Democrats met just hours after the administration’s ambassador to the European Union, Gordon D. Sondland, offered perhaps the most damaging testimony against Mr. Trump yet in the House impeachment proceeding. The inquiry, centering on whether Mr. Trump linked American financial and political support for Ukraine to a promise to investigate Mr. Biden, has worried some Democrats about the former vice president’s viability in a general election.The Democrats met just hours after the administration’s ambassador to the European Union, Gordon D. Sondland, offered perhaps the most damaging testimony against Mr. Trump yet in the House impeachment proceeding. The inquiry, centering on whether Mr. Trump linked American financial and political support for Ukraine to a promise to investigate Mr. Biden, has worried some Democrats about the former vice president’s viability in a general election.
Yet that is only one factor that is making an already volatile race more fluid than ever.Yet that is only one factor that is making an already volatile race more fluid than ever.
Since the debate last month, former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts has entered the primary contest, and former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York has taken steps to do the same. They have been lured into the campaign in part over their concerns about the leftward drift in the party, and also because there is still no clear front-runner with just over two months until the Iowa caucuses. It remains far from certain that they will be able to catch on so late in the race, but both have made clear that they are trying to win over more moderate voters.Since the debate last month, former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts has entered the primary contest, and former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York has taken steps to do the same. They have been lured into the campaign in part over their concerns about the leftward drift in the party, and also because there is still no clear front-runner with just over two months until the Iowa caucuses. It remains far from certain that they will be able to catch on so late in the race, but both have made clear that they are trying to win over more moderate voters.
If there is an opening for them, it is because Mr. Biden has not been able to consolidate support from center-left Democrats. Voters and donors from this wing of the party are uneasy with him mainly because of his lackluster fund-raising and campaign performances, and less because of Mr. Trump’s false claims that he acted improperly with Ukraine when his son Hunter was on the payroll of an energy company there.If there is an opening for them, it is because Mr. Biden has not been able to consolidate support from center-left Democrats. Voters and donors from this wing of the party are uneasy with him mainly because of his lackluster fund-raising and campaign performances, and less because of Mr. Trump’s false claims that he acted improperly with Ukraine when his son Hunter was on the payroll of an energy company there.
More broadly, though, the race remains unsettled because Democratic voters are splintered across racial, ideological and generational lines. Mr. Buttigieg surged in Iowa and New Hampshire in recent weeks, taking the lead in a new Des Moines Register-CNN survey of Iowa caucusgoers. But he has not made similar gains beyond the two heavily white states that kick off the nominating process.More broadly, though, the race remains unsettled because Democratic voters are splintered across racial, ideological and generational lines. Mr. Buttigieg surged in Iowa and New Hampshire in recent weeks, taking the lead in a new Des Moines Register-CNN survey of Iowa caucusgoers. But he has not made similar gains beyond the two heavily white states that kick off the nominating process.
Mr. Biden is strong in Nevada, where Hispanic and Asian-American voters play a key role, and in South Carolina, where African-Americans are expected to make up a majority of the Democratic electorate.
The two leading populists in the field, Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders, also are in the top tier in some early-state surveys thanks to strong support from self-identified liberals and many younger voters. But both have been unable to broaden their appeal to moderate Democrats. Together, these fractures have effectively created a four-way race, with none of the leading contenders yet proving they can break out of their demographic niche.The two leading populists in the field, Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders, also are in the top tier in some early-state surveys thanks to strong support from self-identified liberals and many younger voters. But both have been unable to broaden their appeal to moderate Democrats. Together, these fractures have effectively created a four-way race, with none of the leading contenders yet proving they can break out of their demographic niche.
Ms. Warren had shown the most progress in expanding her coalition beyond white liberals, but she has endured a rocky stretch since coming under attack in the last debate over her failure to outline how she would pay for “Medicare for all.”Ms. Warren had shown the most progress in expanding her coalition beyond white liberals, but she has endured a rocky stretch since coming under attack in the last debate over her failure to outline how she would pay for “Medicare for all.”
Last week she sought to tamp down criticism by unveiling a proposal for how to pay for her single-payer plan. But that seemed only to tie her more closely to an issue — replacing the private health insurance with a government-run system — that many Democrats fear will hurt their chances in the general election. Ms. Warren has seen her polling dip in the past month, most notably in Iowa, but she retains a committed bloc of supporters.Last week she sought to tamp down criticism by unveiling a proposal for how to pay for her single-payer plan. But that seemed only to tie her more closely to an issue — replacing the private health insurance with a government-run system — that many Democrats fear will hurt their chances in the general election. Ms. Warren has seen her polling dip in the past month, most notably in Iowa, but she retains a committed bloc of supporters.
It is a coalition that could be even larger were it not for Mr. Sanders’s revival. Polls show that many supporters of the two candidates view the other as their preferred second choice.It is a coalition that could be even larger were it not for Mr. Sanders’s revival. Polls show that many supporters of the two candidates view the other as their preferred second choice.
Mr. Sanders, 78, has gained strength in many surveys since having a heart attack last month. He has won the endorsement of three women of color in Congress, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, with whom he recently campaigned across Iowa as he firmed up support with progressive voters.Mr. Sanders, 78, has gained strength in many surveys since having a heart attack last month. He has won the endorsement of three women of color in Congress, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, with whom he recently campaigned across Iowa as he firmed up support with progressive voters.
However, no candidate may have gained more from Ms. Warren’s struggles than Mr. Buttigieg, who was one of her most aggressive critics in the last debate.However, no candidate may have gained more from Ms. Warren’s struggles than Mr. Buttigieg, who was one of her most aggressive critics in the last debate.
Already a favorite of many in the Democratic donor class, whose support has allowed him to finance a well-funded advertising campaign, Mr. Buttigieg, 37, has gained support with a sharp pivot toward the political center. His run from the left, where he positioned himself earlier in the race, has infuriated his rivals who view him as a politically elastic opportunist. But before the debate on Wednesday, Mr. Buttigieg had yet to sustain any damaging attacks for his recalibration. Already a favorite of many in the Democratic donor class, whose support has allowed him to finance a well-funded advertising campaign, Mr. Buttigieg, 37, has gained support with a sharp pivot toward the political center.
Mr. Biden has absorbed blow after blow from his rivals, and created a few challenges of his own, but it has yet to hurt him with his mostly older and nonwhite supporters.Mr. Biden has absorbed blow after blow from his rivals, and created a few challenges of his own, but it has yet to hurt him with his mostly older and nonwhite supporters.
Nonetheless, the former vice president’s polling numbers have slipped in Iowa and New Hampshire. He has had a series of unsteady debate performances and wrestled with how much he should focus on swinging back against Mr. Trump over his false claims about Ukraine.
Of late, though, Mr. Biden has seemed more inclined to continue a scrap with Ms. Warren. After she said last month that he was running “in the wrong primary” because of his criticism of Medicare for all — suggesting he might be better aligned with Republicans — Mr. Biden has sought to cement support with his working-class base. He has deemed Ms. Warren an “elitist” who seeks to diminish any Democrat who does not line up with her full-throated liberalism.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Buttigieg have not been the only candidates to target Ms. Warren: Ms. Klobuchar did so as well in the last debate, which helped her raise enough money and climb sufficiently in the polls to make the stage in Atlanta.
But in a crowded field filled with candidates who are far better financed, she has struggled to break through.
Senator Kamala Harris of California has more money than Ms. Klobuchar but also appears to have a serious financial challenge. Her campaign announced a series of layoffs last month that seemed to accelerate the downward trajectory she has been on for months. Ms. Harris has hyperbolically declared she was moving to Iowa, where she has stepped up her time on the ground, and has promised to spend Thanksgiving there with her family, but she is languishing in the polls.
Mr. Booker, too, has found it difficult to raise money and is one of the few candidates who have yet to air any commercials. Mr. Booker has built a strong campaign organization in the early nominating states, but he has not caught on with voters.
Businessman Andrew Yang has gained a vocal following, especially with younger voters, and raised enough money to begin blanketing the airwaves in Iowa and New Hampshire. He, along with the anti-interventionist Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, appear poised to win support from anti-establishment Democrats and independents in key early states.
Tom Steyer, a billionaire, has spent the most money — his own — on advertising of any of the candidates in the race, and his spending has been enough for him to rise sufficiently in the polls to make the debate stage again.