A Dozen Democrats on the Debate Stage

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/opinion/letters/democrats-debate.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Race Takes Turn as Warren Faces Barrage Onstage” (front page, Oct. 16):

After watching all the Democratic debates, I am left with the following sentiments that I believe are shared by many Democrats:

My heart is with Bernie Sanders because what he says about America and what needs to be done is absolutely true. My head is with Elizabeth Warren because she is Bernie lite, a progressive who is more electable than Bernie since she is less scary to suburban Republicans and independents. And my fear puts me with Uncle Joe, because he may be most likely to beat President Trump in the swing Rust Belt states, and the thought of four more years of Trumpism is unspeakable.

But I felt the same way about Hillary Clinton and look how that turned out.

The others do nothing for this 65-year-old longtime Democrat. So how do I vote? I don’t know.

Shelly B. KulwinChicago

To the Editor:

What struck me most about Tuesday night was how articulate all of the candidates were in expressing their positions compared with the muddled thoughts and language we’ve heard from President Trump ever since he appeared on the national stage.

I watched the debate in a venue sponsored by supporters of Pete Buttigieg. He had some good moments. Then I wondered how he would stack up against Mr. Trump one on one: Would Americans appreciate Pete’s depth and calm or rally to re-elect the pompous bully Trump?

The most important thing that Americans can do next fall is to unite behind the eventual Democratic nominee. Impeachment is a long shot; let’s make sure that Mr. Trump does not win a second term, and let’s end this national nightmare!

M.P. ChevretteSouth Hadley, Mass.

To the Editor:

Re “Biden Defends Son Hunter at Debate, Saying Focus Should Be on Trump” (nytimes.com, Oct. 15):

In the Democratic debate, in defense of himself and his son, Joe Biden said: “My son did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong.” It seems to me, and perhaps to many in the country, that Mr. Biden’s tepid response to President Trump’s attacks intimates that indeed all may not be kosher with their respective behavior in Ukraine.

A more full-throated response from Mr. Biden might have been: “Mr. President, I, together with much of the country, am sick of the repetitive lies and insults that you are slinging at me and my son Hunter. If you have clear factual evidence, then I invite you to bring it forward so that the country may judge it on its merits. Otherwise, I ask you respectfully to shut up and move on.”

In this way, perhaps the air could be cleared, and an election won.

Craig W. SnyderJamesville, N.Y.

To the Editor:

It’s a shame that Elizabeth Warren isn’t as frank as Bernie Sanders. For countries with single-payer health care systems, taxes are indeed a little higher, but the net benefit is much greater, as Bernie pointed out. Just tell the facts and move on. By refusing to yield on this question, she does herself and her cause a big disservice.

Travis StasneyVancouver, British Columbia

To the Editor:

The reason Elizabeth Warren doesn’t outright say taxes may go up for universal health care but overall costs for the public will go down is not that she doesn’t trust the American people; it’s that she doesn’t trust the politicians sharing the stage with her, and she doesn’t trust the media covering the event.

And she shouldn’t trust them, because they will warp her message and make it into a gotcha moment. Instead of focusing on the “costs will go down,” they will focus on taxes going up. The Democrats should not be providing the Republicans with their talking points, especially when based on mischaracterizations. Ms. Warren was smart not to fall into that trap.

Michael BoyleBoston

To the Editor:

Re “How to Prepare a Debate Zinger That Doesn’t Sound Prepared” (nytimes.com, Oct. 15):

Are zingers and “biting quips” now an essential responsibility of presidents? Indeed, should voters even consider onstage debate skills as relevant to government leadership?

Douglas AllchinSt. Paul