Key Takeaways from the Debate: Joe Biden’s ‘Go Easy on Me’ Plea Ignored

(Bloomberg) -- Kamala Harris criticized Joe Biden on his healthcare plan. Cory Booker hit him for his record on criminal justice. And Kirsten Gillibrand questioned Biden’s support for women in the workforce.

And who got the most speaking time during the second night of the Democratic debates in Detroit? Joe Biden.

The nine candidates surrounding the former vice president on the stage Wednesday night came armed with research and planned attack lines to criticize the Democratic front-runner. But unlike the first debate, when Biden stumbled or froze under criticism, this time he also came prepared. He couldn’t blunt all the attacks -- and fumbled his closing pitch to lure voters to his campaign -- but Biden fared better this time around.

While the first night of the debates on Tuesday hinged on clear ideological divides between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party, the candidates on stage Wednesday focused more on the nuances of their policy proposals.

Here are the key takeaways from Wednesday’s debate:

Harris Ignored Biden’s Request to ‘Go Easy’

For Kamala Harris, Biden was really the only one other candidate on the stage.

Because the rules of the debate afforded candidates time to respond, the California senator and former vice president made the opening segment a verbal ping-pong match over the best way to achieve universal health care.

While Biden spoke to the audience and the cameras, Harris often fixed her eyes on the former vice president. She turned to other candidates when necessary, but inevitably rotated in Biden’s direction.

It was clear Harris was applying the lesson of the first debate: hitting Biden hard can be a winning strategy. It was also clear that Biden was anticipating it.

“Go easy on me, kid,” Biden said to Harris as she walked onto stage and they shook hands.

Harris Embraces Her Prosecutor Past

Being tough on crime used to be a solid strategy for a politician. But times have changed in the Democratic Party. Harris found herself taking flack for her previous work as a prosecutor and as attorney general of California.

Tulsi Gabbard said Harris prosecuted 1,500 people for using marijuana, maintained the cash bail system and allowed California to use prisoners for cheap labor.

“The people who suffered under your reign, you owe them an apology,” Gabbard said.

Harris stuck by her record. She said she significantly changed how California prosecutes cases and now supports marijuana legalization. Turning once again to Biden, Harris said as attorney general she was left “cleaning up the consequences of the bills you passed in the U.S. Senate.”

Harris has been embracing her experience as California’s chief law enforcement officer. At rallies and in her closing statement at the debate, she promised to “prosecute the case” against President Donald Trump.

Peace-Making Has Its Limits

Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand started off vying for the title of kumbaya candidate.

As the argument between Biden and Harris over their health care plans began to spill across the stage, they interceded as peacemakers.

“The person that’s enjoying this debate most right now is Donald Trump,” Booker said after Biden and Harris dug into each other. “As we pit Democrats against each other” Trump is working to “take away American health care.”

Gillibrand warned that viewers risked “losing the forest through the trees,” watching Democrats squabble over details of policies while many Americans can’t afford health care.

The comity didn’t last long. Booker abruptly shifted when he and Biden faced off over the Obama administration’s policy on deportations and the Newark police department’s record when Booker was mayor.

Booker accused Biden of invoking his role as Barack Obama’s vice president when it was convenient and running from it when necessary, such as on deportations.

Biden sought to flip the narrative on criminal justice by criticizing Booker’s record as mayor of Newark, but Booker shot back, saying, “If you want to compare records, and frankly I’m shocked that you do, I am happy to do that,” Booker said.

Booker also delivered a zinger as Biden continued to dig into the former mayor’s record. “You are dipping into Kool-Aid and you don’t even know the flavor,” Booker said.

Toward the end of the debate, Gillibrand sought to criticize Biden’s record on supporting women in the workplace.

Learning Lessons on Immigration

Candidates united in opposition to Trump’s immigration policies but split over how to deal with the humanitarian crisis at the southern U.S. border.

Biden said illegal border crossings should remain a crime, differing with Castro, Harris and Booker who want to treat such entries as a civil offense that can lead to deportation.

The sharpest attack came from Castro after Biden noted that the former HUD secretary never mentioned decriminalizing crossings while he served in Obama’s cabinet.

“It looks like one of us has learned from the past and one of us hasn’t,” Castro said.

Protests Interrupt Biden and Booker

There was also drama off the stage. Protesters twice interrupted the debate inside Detroit’s Fox Theatre.

As Biden was answering a question about deportations of undocumented immigrants during the Obama administration, chants of “3 million deportations” erupted from a group in the audience. They were escorted out quickly.

Earlier, Booker’s opening statement was briefly drowned out by chants of “Fire Pantaleo,” a protest apparently directed at New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. It was a reference to the Staten Island police officer who was cleared for the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died after being put in a chokehold by police in 2014.

Garner became a subject of discussion during the debate. De Blasio was asked why the police officer in the Garner case is still on the force in New York City. De Blasio responded: “there will never be another Eric Garner.” He then attacked Biden, asking him what he did about the Garner case while he was vice president. Biden responded by talking about enforcing police body cameras.

Race Debate Focuses on Trump

Looming over the debate before it even began were Trump’s racially divisive comments about Baltimore and Democratic lawmaker Elijah Cummings.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee called Trump a white nationalist. Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro called him a racist, and Booker hit Trump for calling Baltimore “rat infested.”

As a result, Biden -- who faced fierce attacks on the issue in the last debate -- avoided being the primary target when it came to race.

‘Tax the Hell Out of the Wealthy’

People often criticize politicians for refusing to take a clear stand for fear of offending one voting bloc or another. But running well behind in polls, de Blasio is swinging for the fences.

While other candidates, notably Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have specific plans and rates for tapping the nation’s richest taxpayers to fund programs, de Blasio is delivering a direct and memorable message.

“For 40 years, the rich have gotten richer and they’ve paid less and less in taxes. It cannot go on this way,” de Blasio said. “When I’m president, we will even up the score and we will tax the hell out of the wealthy to make this a fairer country.”

And yes, there’s a website for that: https://www.taxthehell.com/

--With assistance from Laura Litvan and Bill Faries.

To contact the reporters on this story: Tyler Pager in Washington at tpager1@bloomberg.net;Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou in Washington at megkolfopoul@bloomberg.net;Emma Kinery in Washington at ekinery@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu

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