Debate Takeaways: Harris Soars, Biden Stumbles, Buttigieg Scores

(Bloomberg) -- The second night of the Democratic debates lit up the race for the presidential nomination with moments that seemed destined to shake up the crowded 24-person field.

There was an emotional exchange between California Senator Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden over his record on racial issues -- one that boosted Harris’s claim on top-tier status and left Biden looking wounded and flat-footed.

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg punctuated a performance notable for nuance and steady professionalism by speaking of the death of his father this year and admitting that he’s fallen short on police accountability.

And unlike the first debate on Wednesday, this time everyone had words for President Donald Trump, calling him a liar, a racist and a warmonger.

Harris the Prosecutor Pressures Biden

Harris delivered the performance her supporters have been waiting for -- showcasing her prosecutorial skills in attacks that knocked Biden off his stride as frontrunner. As the only African-American candidate on stage, she leaned into her racial identity as she questioned why Biden spoke fondly of his relationship in the Senate with two southern segregationists earlier in his career.

“I do not believe you are a racist,” Harris said staring down the dais at Biden. “But I also believe, and it’s personal -- and I was actually very -- it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country.”

That was the beginning of a heated exchange. Biden pushed back, calling Harris’s accusation a “mischaracterization of my position across the board. I did not praise racists." He said he’d put his civil rights record up against anyone, but the damage was done.

Buttigieg Shows He Can Rebound

After dealing with the toughest week in his campaign following criticism for failing to manage the police department in South Bend, Buttigieg came prepared to confess his shortcomings.

“I couldn’t get it done,” the 37-year old Navy reserve veteran confessed for failing to diversify the city’s police force since becoming mayor in 2012. He spoke bluntly about how his initiatives were unable to prevent the loss of life, but said the country needs to address a “wall of mistrust” and systemic racism in policing.

Through it all, Buttigieg earned praise for living up to his reputation as well-spoken and policy-focused. Jen Psaki, the former White House communications director in the Obama administration, tweeted the mayor was “masterful at it. Never mentions bills, never mentions DC garbely gook.”

Sanders Versus Biden Never Materializes

It was supposed to be the debate within the debate, the socialist senator and the former senator/vice president, the liberal and the moderate, the two oldest guys in the field with five presidential runs between them. But the Sanders-Biden showdown never materialized -- partly because Harris was dominating both the debate and Biden’s attention.

But it was also partly about Sanders, who repeated a lot of his patented attack lines -- from 2016. He got the first question of the night but ultimately broke little new ground on the stage, even as he talked up “Medicare for All” and his student debt elimination plan. After that, the debate often seemed to go around him. Sanders is already fading in the polls -- to the benefit of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren -- and that erosion might continue after Thursday’s lackluster performance.

Democrats Name Their Enemy, and It’s Donald Trump

The first night of debates on Wednesday, featuring a 10-candidate field led by Warren, went so easy on Trump that the president’s only response was to tweet "BORING!"

Thursday, by contrast, featured attacks on Trump from beginning to end.

Sanders: "The American people understand that Trump is a phony, that Trump is a pathological liar and a racist, and that he lied to the American people during his campaign."

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: Trump “has torn apart the moral fabric of this country.”

Biden: "Donald Trump thinks Wall Street built America. Ordinary middle-class Americans built America."

Younger Dems Seek Passing of the Torch

The Democratic field’s 41-year generation gap was on display in ways both subtle and explicit. Representative Eric Swalwell, 38, talked about being a small child in 1988 when he first heard Biden deliver a call to “pass the torch” to a new generation in politics. That was during Biden’s first presidential run.

“Joe Biden was right when he said it was time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans 32 years ago,” Swalwell said. “He’s still right today.”

“I’m still holding on to that torch,” quipped Biden when questioned by the moderators. And then he moved on.

That left the other septuagenarian in the field, Sanders, to push back. The Vermont senator, who still counts on a base of college-age supporters, said the issues facing the country were not about age but “who has the guts” to take on Wall Street and the energy industry.

Agreement On Immigration, Not On Healthcare

The candidates united in their criticism of Trump’s policies on the southern border and the issues of family separation.

Colorado Senator Michael Bennet compared the situation to his Jewish mother’s escape from the Holocaust: “when I see those kids at the border, I see my mom.”

All ten candidates raised their hands in agreement that their healthcare plan would cover everyone living in the U.S. -- including undocumented immigrants. Trump tweeted their unified stance handed him another four years.

Sanders’s “Medicare for All” plan took center stage in the first segment of the debate. Only two candidates -- Sanders and Harris -- raised their hands when asked if they would support that proposal to the extent of abolishing private health insurance. Buttigieg said he would support “Medicare for those who want it” and Bennet said he would build off of Obamacare but does not want to overhaul the system.

Second Tier Candidates Stay There

It was a struggle to be heard for the lower-ranked candidates. Spiritualist Marianne Williamson didn’t get a word in for nearly half an hour.

Andrew Yang, who found an initial base of supporters online got another chance to present his signature plan for universal basic income -- but didn’t seem to shape the debate.

New York’s Gillibrand was one of three female candidates on stage Thursday and stressed her focus on women’s issues, making a passionate case for upholding Roe vs. Wade and abortion rights. But she struggled to emerge as a top contender.

The second tier and fringe candidates will have to hustle to rally support: the second set of Democratic debates, this time in Detroit, is just four weeks away. After that, the party promises to start whittling the field.

--With assistance from Billy House, Justin Sink, Jodi Schneider, Laura Litvan, Ari Natter and Steven T. Dennis.

To contact the reporters on this story: Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou in Washington at megkolfopoul@bloomberg.net;Gregory Korte in Washington at gkorte@bloomberg.net;Emma Kinery in Washington at ekinery@bloomberg.net

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

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