.It was all nice…until it wasn’t on the Democrat debate stage last night…and with just candidates at podiums, America got to see some deep divisions over healthcare. During the latest Democratic debate in Houston, progressive candidates promoted variations of Medicare-for-all.
Former VP Joe Biden argued that Obamacare worked and needs to be repaired and improved…and at one point, former Housing Secretary Julian Castro loudly accused Biden of forgetting something he said two minutes earlier – but it turned out, he was in the wrong.
When a fiery Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders thundered about “writing the damn bill” with regard to Medicare-for-all, it was Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who later clarified, that while he wrote it, she “read it” – and noted the fact that “on page 8 ... it says that we will no longer have private insurance as we know it. I don't think that's a bold idea. It's a bad idea.”
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg called such exchanges “an example of what many people hate about politics.”
The Democratic hopefuls found more unity on the issue of guns, calling for aggressive steps to curb gun violence. Though former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke said military-style assault weapons are weapons of war and should be banned. O'Rourke noted that he has called for sweeping gun buyback programs.
California Senator Kamala Harris condemned President Trump's She talked about Latinos who were targeted in the recent mass shooting in El Paso and said Trump is not pulling the trigger "but he's sure been tweeting out the ammunition."
Castro echoed that, accusing Trump of "scapegoating and fear-mongering" on immigration and border security.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said climate change is a threat to every living thing on this planet and argued that time is running out.
As for immigration, Warren said it makes America stronger and she wants to expand legal immigration and create a pathway to citizenship that is fair and achievable.
Dems also hit President Trump's trade war with China. Businessman Andrew Yang – aside from essentially trying to buy votes by offering a “contest” to give 10 American families one-thousand dollars a month for a year – argued that Trump's tariffs on China are pummeling the U.S. and Klobuchar said Trump is treating U.S. farmers and workers like poker chips in one of his failed casinos.
Source: ESPN
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