Without an audience to stoke any zingers fires, former VP Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders faced off last night. While much of what was debated was expected – one piece of news wasn’t: that Biden is pledging to name a woman as his running mate, if he wins the Democratic nomination.
During the latest Democratic debate in Washington, DC, Sanders also suggested that he will too, "in all likelihood." But Biden was firm – and he also said he would nominate the first African American woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here’s a rundown of some other highlights:
Biden and Sanders spent a lot of time talking about the growing coronavirus crisis. Biden said it should be treated like a war.
Sanders argued that President Trump should stop talking about the crisis as the misinformation he shares is damaging and “confusing” to Americans.
Sanders accused Trump of repeatedly promoting unfactual information about the coronavirus. Sanders called the crisis unprecedented and stressed that the U.S. must not worry about the cost of dealing with it.
Biden said the growing coronavirus crisis is "bigger than any one of us." The former VP also said the military could be brought in to quickly establish makeshift hospitals.
Sanders argued that the crisis is highlighting the dysfunctionality of the U.S. healthcare system. He made a strong pitch for his Medicare-for-All proposal.
Biden pointed out that Sanders still has not put a price tag on Medicare-for-All. Biden said Obamacare should be repaired and improved.
Biden and Sanders also sparred over foreign policy. Biden criticized Sanders for agreeing with ideas from some authoritarian regimes, saying "praising an authoritarian country makes our allies wonder what is going on."
Sanders tried to turn it around on Biden by criticizing Biden's support for the war in Iraq...but refused to step back from previous comments that sometimes, dictators “have good ideas.”
For his part, Biden acknowledged that his Iraq vote was a mistake. Biden also noted that he was very involved in getting 150-thousand troops out of Iraq after he became vice president.
The two men agreed that the world must act quickly to combat global climate change. Sanders stressed that dramatic, bold action is required and said Biden's proposals don't go far enough.
Biden insisted that he has been "ahead of the curve" on climate change for years. Meantime, Biden said he would not deport any undocumented immigrants unless they have committed a felony in the U.S.
Sanders argued that ICE raids must come to an end because no federal agent should ever "grab little babies from the arms of their mothers."
Source: CNN