This past Thursday, ten Democrats stood onstage at Texas Southern University making pitches on why they should become the next president (and throwing the occasional low blow). This third presidential debate showcased the ever-shortening democratic field, cutting in half the previous number of candidates from the past two debates. Front runners Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden shared the stage for the first time, Bernie Sanders continued to remind us of our grandfathers, and fourth in polling place, Kamala Harris had her share of one-liners. Key issues like healthcare, immigration, and gun control were brought to the table as always, with some answers being helpful but with most of the questions being dodged. There were many moments that stirred up a laugh, sometimes a grimace, and occasionally left viewers speechless. If this behavior continues, it sure will be an interesting road to November 2020.
I watched the debate at the event hosted by the CCAR in the student center and was surrounded by the Pace student body made for a much more exciting viewing experience. It’s comforting to watch an event like this in a crowd that has shared disbelief at some of the things that exit these candidates’ mouths, and it’s interesting to hear others’ opinions at such a controversial time. In such a dynamic and crowded race, it’s important to gather as much information on each person as possible.
As for the debate itself, there were five key things I took away. To start, Barack Obama may as well have been on stage based on the number of times he was brought up – good or bad. CNN named him as one of the “winners” in their article about the debate since his praises were sung not just by the former VP but by everyone who spoke at throughout the evening. And rightfully so, since many of the topics being discussed (like healthcare) are the way they are because of his administration. Joe Biden occasionally had juvenile outcries of “Hey, I was there too!” but was called out on it. And technically, yes, he was there, but we all knew that – didn’t we?
A second standout moment was the entrepreneur Andrew Yang promising to gift $1,000 a month to ten families nationwide in his opening statement. He’s calling this a “Freedom Dividend” and taking the funds from his campaign money, claiming that donor money is all too often used in ads and things that don’t benefit the American people. Although this is true and the thought of deserving families receiving the extra income is heartwarming, it felt more like a stunt than a real political move.
Next, the divide between ten people all in the same party is fascinating since the end goal for them all is the same: get Trump out of the White House. Warren and Sanders are the most left-leaning, causing some stress for those who are worried about where moderate Democrats will cast their votes. Biden lies very much in the middle, making him a fan favorite, and his extensive experience in the White House also helps. Beto O’Rourke and Pete Buttigieg also are mostly moderate, raising many interesting points about confiscating all assault rifles (Beto) and pointing out some loopholes in medicare for all (Mayor Pete). When a candidate didn’t seem to want to start an issue they’d begin with “Now we’re all fighting for the same thing….” yet the “but” that followed almost always refuted another’s point. In order to pick the right candidate and get the Democratic party together, some middle ground needs to be found.
A fourth takeaway from the evening is the survey that members of the CCAR handed out before the debate, asking students to pick which of the ten Dems they would vote for if the election was today. The results had Elizabeth Warren as the winner, which is not entirely shocking since she’s been polling second behind Biden. As a law school professor and senator from Massachusetts, she has experience in the field, and her left-leaning ideas have been at times made some uncomfortable but mostly excited.
Finally, I’ll mention the candidates I haven’t talked about yet, just so no one feels left out. Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro, and Cory Booker all had good performances, but there were moments when I felt a shared grimace among the crowd. Castro repeatedly made jabs at Biden’s age (which, yeah, he’s old, but let’s talk about things that matter more). Booker and Klobuchar had their moments but didn’t get as much speaking time as I would personally like since I don’t know as much about them. Overall, I felt engaged by everyone’s performance most of the time and am looking forward to the next debate, especially the candidates that will make it there. We have roughly fourteen months until we pick our next president, but I don’t think the journey will be an easy one. Stay tuned fellow students, and stay informed.