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Democratic Debate Field Agrees on Impeachment but Diverges on Trade After Rebuking Trump, Democratic Candidates Attack One Another
(32 minutes later)
LOS ANGELES — The Democratic presidential candidates voiced strong support for the impeachment of President Trump in the sixth primary debate on Thursday night, but all of them seemed to accept the likelihood that he would remain in office after a looming trial in the Republican-controlled Senate and endure as their rival in the general election.LOS ANGELES — The Democratic presidential candidates voiced strong support for the impeachment of President Trump in the sixth primary debate on Thursday night, but all of them seemed to accept the likelihood that he would remain in office after a looming trial in the Republican-controlled Senate and endure as their rival in the general election.
For the second consecutive debate, the top Democratic contenders began by training their fire on Mr. Trump rather than on one another, describing him as an out-of-control president with little regard for the norms of his office and the rule of law. For the second consecutive debate, the top Democratic contenders began by training their fire on Mr. Trump rather than on one another, describing him as an out-of-control president with little regard for the norms of his office or the rule of law.
But fault lines among the Democrats emerged quickly on matters of the economy, with two candidates — Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Bernie Sanders of Vermont — parting ways on the merits of Mr. Trump’s new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, which the House approved only hours earlier. And in the earliest stage of the debate, there were hints of friction over proposals by Mr. Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to create broad new college tuition benefits and to impose new taxes on the country’s largest private fortunes. But as the debate neared its halfway point, the tensions that have been building for weeks between Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., over campaign funding and transparency reached a boiling point, playing out in a strikingly sharp and at times personal exchange.
And in a pointed answer early in the evening, the businessman Andrew Yang lamented the racial homogeneity of the rest of the debaters onstage. When a moderator noted that Mr. Yang was the only member of a minority group among the seven candidates, Mr. Yang described that distinction as “both an honor and disappointment.” He suggested that the economic distress of black and Latino voters made it harder for them to thrive in politics or to donate to political candidates. “So the mayor just recently had a fund-raiser that was held in a wine cave full of crystals,” Ms. Warren said, going on to add that “billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the United States.”
“I miss Kamala and I miss Cory, though I think Cory will be back,” Mr. Yang said, referring to Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who failed to qualify for the debate, and Senator Kamala Harris of California, who recently withdrew from the race. Mr. Buttigieg protested: “You know, according to Forbes magazine, I’m literally the only person on this stage who is not a millionaire or a billionaire. So, this is important. This is the problem with issuing purity tests you cannot yourself pass.”
Notably absent from the first hour of the debate was a discussion of health care, which has been the most divisive issue in the Democratic primary contest. In previous debates the topic had dominated the early stages, as the more progressive candidates championed their sweeping single-payer “Medicare for all” proposals, and the more centrist candidates dismissed that approach, casting it as one that would deprive Americans of choice in their health care options. But on Thursday, the issue was sidelined in favor of discussion over climate change, foreign policy and the economy. “Senator,” he added, “Your net worth is 100 times mine.”
If the candidates were united in heaping opprobrium on Mr. Trump a day after he was impeached by the House, which is controlled by Democrats, few offered fresh arguments in favor of impeachment. Prodded by a moderator to explain how they would persuade a larger share of the country to support removing the president from office, the leading candidates mainly pivoted to the themes of their stump speeches. “I do not sell access to my time,” Ms. Warren rebuked him.
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said it was high time to “restore the integrity of the presidency,” while Mr. Sanders castigated Mr. Trump for having “sold out the working families of this country” and Ms. Warren branded him “the most corrupt president in living history.” The candidates, explicitly or by implication, all suggested they would be best equipped to make that case against him next fall. Their exchange was curtailed by Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Sensing an opening to cast herself as above the fray and focused on party unity, she jumped in with some humor.
Ms. Klobuchar, a former district attorney, addressed the question more literally, explaining she would seek to move public opinion by challenging the president to let his top aides testify before the Senate. Democrats in both chambers have been seeking to obtain testimony from figures like Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, and John Bolton, the former national security adviser, so far to no avail. “I did not come here to listen to this argument,” she said. “I came here to make a case for progress. And I have never even been to a wine cave. I have been to the wind cave in South Dakota.”
In each case, however, the candidates seemed to anticipate a general election battle with Mr. Trump as a foregone conclusion, evincing little optimism that he could be removed from office in the impeachment process. Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., nudged voters’ attention to the general election, arguing, “No matter what happens in the Senate, it is up to us in 2020.” Fault lines also emerged quickly on matters of the economy, with two candidates — Ms. Klobuchar and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont — diverging on the merits of Mr. Trump’s new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, which the House approved only hours earlier. And in the earliest stage of the debate, there were hints of friction over proposals by Mr. Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren create broad new college tuition benefits and to impose new taxes on the country’s largest private fortunes.
Ms. Klobuchar referred to the Ukraine dealings that are at the center of the impeachment charges against the president as a “global Watergate.” “As we face this trial in the Senate,” she said, “if the president claims that he is so innocent, then why doesn’t he have all the president’s men testify?” The debate seemed to inaugurate a new phase in the campaign, with fewer candidates onstage and a deeper airing of substantive differences on the issues. Four top-tier candidates remain in the race, with former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. leading in the national polls, followed by Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren, and Mr. Buttigieg, surging in the earliest primary and caucus states. But less than two months before Iowa, the race remains highly fluid, with considerable remove for movement not just among the top few candidates but among the underdogs as well.
Mr. Trump provided a backdrop for the forum, and not only because of his newly embattled status and his anticipated victory on trade. In a series of richly substantive exchanges, on issues such as climate change, press freedom and American relations with China and Israel, the candidates held him up as the embodiment of all they would not do with the presidency.
The Democrats were particularly unsparing with regard to the president’s foreign policy record, calling him an ally to tyrants and a figure of fun on the international stage. Ms. Klobuchar alluded to Mr. Trump’s tempestuous departure from a recent NATO summit after a video surfaced of several foreign leaders joking about him. “He is so thin-skinned that he walked, he quit,” she said, adding, “America doesn’t quit.”
Several of the leading candidates vowed to take a more coordinated and forceful approach to dealing with China, including on human rights. Mr. Biden said he would seek to levy United Nations sanctions against the Chinese government for rounding up Muslim Uighurs in camps, while Mr. Buttigieg said he was open to the possibility of boycotting the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
“We’re not looking for a war,” Mr. Biden said, “but we’ve got to make clear: We are a Pacific power and we are not going to walk away.”
If the candidates were united in heaping opprobrium on Mr. Trump a day after he was impeached by the House, few offered fresh arguments in favor of impeachment. Prodded by a moderator to explain how they would persuade a larger share of the country to support removing the president from office, the leading candidates mainly pivoted to the themes of their stump speeches.
Mr. Biden said it was high time to “restore the integrity of the presidency,” while Mr. Sanders castigated Mr. Trump for having “sold out the working families of this country” and Ms. Warren branded him “the most corrupt president in living history.” The candidates, explicitly or by implication, all suggested they would be best equipped to make that case against him next fall.
In each case, however, the candidates seemed to anticipate a general election battle with Mr. Trump as a foregone conclusion, evincing little optimism that he could be removed from office in the impeachment process. Mr. Buttigieg nudged voters’ attention to the general election, arguing, “No matter what happens in the Senate, it is up to us in 2020.”
A lonely voice of skepticism came from Mr. Yang, the former tech executive mounting an underdog campaign, who described impeachment as a distraction from more important economic issues. Suggesting Mr. Trump’s acquittal in the Senate was a foregone conclusion, Mr. Yang likened it to “a ballgame where you know what the score is going to be.”A lonely voice of skepticism came from Mr. Yang, the former tech executive mounting an underdog campaign, who described impeachment as a distraction from more important economic issues. Suggesting Mr. Trump’s acquittal in the Senate was a foregone conclusion, Mr. Yang likened it to “a ballgame where you know what the score is going to be.”
Democrats, he said, should focus instead on offering a “new positive vision for the country.”Democrats, he said, should focus instead on offering a “new positive vision for the country.”
Economic and trade issues took on a more prominent role in the discussion. Just minutes into the debate, a question about trade highlighted tension.Economic and trade issues took on a more prominent role in the discussion. Just minutes into the debate, a question about trade highlighted tension.
Mr. Sanders said that he would not support the trade agreement that the House of Representatives passed on Thursday, calling it a “modest improvement over what we have right now” but arguing that it would not do enough to support workers and farmers. He also appeared to take an oblique swipe at Mr. Biden’s past support of measures like the North American Free Trade Agreement.Mr. Sanders said that he would not support the trade agreement that the House of Representatives passed on Thursday, calling it a “modest improvement over what we have right now” but arguing that it would not do enough to support workers and farmers. He also appeared to take an oblique swipe at Mr. Biden’s past support of measures like the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Ms. Klobuchar, a moderate, immediately seized on a chance to draw a contrast with Mr. Sanders, saying she would support the new trade agreement, which she called a “much better deal” for “farmers in the Midwest” and others who have struggled under strained international trade relations.Ms. Klobuchar, a moderate, immediately seized on a chance to draw a contrast with Mr. Sanders, saying she would support the new trade agreement, which she called a “much better deal” for “farmers in the Midwest” and others who have struggled under strained international trade relations.
They did not clash directly in the first minutes of the debate, but Ms. Warren and Mr. Buttigieg quickly sketched out two sharply divergent approaches to improving the economy and addressing inequality.They did not clash directly in the first minutes of the debate, but Ms. Warren and Mr. Buttigieg quickly sketched out two sharply divergent approaches to improving the economy and addressing inequality.
“Oh, they’re just wrong!” Ms. Warren bristled when asked about concerns regarding her tax plans, going on to defend her wealth tax proposal, which would affect the richest Americans to help pay for significantly expanding the social safety net.“Oh, they’re just wrong!” Ms. Warren bristled when asked about concerns regarding her tax plans, going on to defend her wealth tax proposal, which would affect the richest Americans to help pay for significantly expanding the social safety net.
Soon after, Mr. Buttigieg took a thinly veiled swipe at that approach, emphasizing the importance of “promises that we can keep without the kind of taxation that economists tell us could hurt the economy.”Soon after, Mr. Buttigieg took a thinly veiled swipe at that approach, emphasizing the importance of “promises that we can keep without the kind of taxation that economists tell us could hurt the economy.”
“We’ve got to break out of the Washington mind set that measures the bigness of an idea by the trillions of dollars it adds to the budget or the boldness of an idea by how many Americans it can antagonize,” he said.“We’ve got to break out of the Washington mind set that measures the bigness of an idea by the trillions of dollars it adds to the budget or the boldness of an idea by how many Americans it can antagonize,” he said.
In addition to impeachment, the debate on Thursday also came a day after a federal appeals court in New Orleans struck down a component of the Affordable Care Act — its mandate that all Americans buy health insurance — but did not invalidate the rest of the law, sending the case back to a federal district judge in Texas. That thrust back into the headlines the possibility that the law could eventually be dismantled by conservative judges. The case in question might not be resolved until after the 2020 election, but even the intermediate ruling could raise the stakes for the debate over health care, which has been the dominant and most divisive issue in the primary race. In a pointed answer early in the evening, the businessman Andrew Yang lamented the racial homogeneity of the rest of the debaters onstage. When a moderator noted that Mr. Yang was the only member of a minority group among the seven candidates, Mr. Yang described that distinction as “both an honor and disappointment.” He suggested that the economic distress of black and Latino voters made it harder for them to thrive in politics or to donate to political candidates.
And the debate also intersected with a deepening conversation among Democrats about how to address the economy during the campaign, given the continuing strength of the job market and Mr. Trump’s claims of progress in trade negotiations with China, as well as with Canada and Mexico. “I miss Kamala and I miss Cory, though I think Cory will be back,” Mr. Yang said, referring to Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who failed to qualify for the debate, and Senator Kamala Harris of California, who recently withdrew from the race.
While there is broad agreement that Democrats need a robust message on pocketbook issues, the party is split over whether that should take the form of promising targeted new benefits for middle- and working-class voters, or a sweeping overhaul of the economic system to remedy yawning inequality Notably absent from the first hour of the debate was a discussion of health care, which has been the most divisive issue in the Democratic primary contest. In previous debates the topic had dominated the early stages, as the more progressive candidates championed their sweeping single-payer “Medicare for all” proposals, and the more centrist candidates dismissed that approach, casting it as one that would deprive Americans of choice in their health care options. But on Thursday, the issue was sidelined in favor of discussion over climate change, foreign policy and the economy.
As the penultimate televised debate before the Iowa caucuses, the forum on Thursday had the makings of an important moment in the campaign.As the penultimate televised debate before the Iowa caucuses, the forum on Thursday had the makings of an important moment in the campaign.
In the run-up, candidates seemed to be girding themselves for a contentious encounter, with Ms. Warren and Mr. Buttigieg clashing repeatedly over matters of transparency and campaign finance, and Mr. Sanders’s campaign appearing to signal a more pugnacious attitude toward both Mr. Biden and Ms. Warren.In the run-up, candidates seemed to be girding themselves for a contentious encounter, with Ms. Warren and Mr. Buttigieg clashing repeatedly over matters of transparency and campaign finance, and Mr. Sanders’s campaign appearing to signal a more pugnacious attitude toward both Mr. Biden and Ms. Warren.
And allies of Ms. Klobuchar, a persistent underdog who may be on the rise in Iowa, viewed the debate as a particularly important opportunity for her to stand out among a smaller field of finalists. She is set to kick off a 27-county tour of Iowa, the leadoff caucus state, on Friday.And allies of Ms. Klobuchar, a persistent underdog who may be on the rise in Iowa, viewed the debate as a particularly important opportunity for her to stand out among a smaller field of finalists. She is set to kick off a 27-county tour of Iowa, the leadoff caucus state, on Friday.
As with every previous debate, Mr. Biden entered the evening as a steady front-runner in the Democratic race. More than any other candidate, he has tried to use the impeachment process as a way of impressing upon voters the political peril of the moment, hoping to shift their attention away from complex policy arguments and toward basic assessments of the candidates’ electability.As with every previous debate, Mr. Biden entered the evening as a steady front-runner in the Democratic race. More than any other candidate, he has tried to use the impeachment process as a way of impressing upon voters the political peril of the moment, hoping to shift their attention away from complex policy arguments and toward basic assessments of the candidates’ electability.
Mr. Biden’s camp hoped he would use the debate to emphasize his prospects in the general election and his readiness to serve as commander-in-chief, given the uproar over Mr. Trump’s dealings in Ukraine. On the campaign trail, Mr. Biden has not only been trumpeting his poll numbers against the president, but also claiming an ability to help Democratic candidates in House and Senate races next fall.
National polls released on Thursday — one by CNN, another by NBC and The Wall Street Journal — showed Mr. Biden in first place, ahead of Mr. Sanders by 6 or 7 percentage points. Ms. Warren was in third place, with Mr. Buttigieg well behind in the single digits.
Yet Mr. Biden, 77, has not come close to extinguishing resistance to his candidacy or allaying the party’s persistent concerns about both his ability to inspire more liberal voters and his political dexterity at an advanced age.
The two prominent populists in the race, Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren, may represent the most daunting obstacle to Mr. Biden. They are closest to him in national polls, though Ms. Warren’s numbers have receded since the early fall; both have huge campaign war chests and extensive field operations in the early states.
Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren have been relatively restrained in past debates, but both have grown more willing to challenge their rivals directly in recent weeks.
Ms. Warren has taken aim at Mr. Buttigieg in particular for his practice of raising money from wealthy people at private events, prompting him to open his fund-raisers to the news media. Mr. Sanders on Wednesday released a television commercial in Iowa emphasizing his reliance on an army of small donors, and his campaign staff has been sharply critical of Mr. Biden’s support for the Iraq war and international trade deals.
Perhaps the most significant candidate not onstage made no attempt to participate: Michael R. Bloomberg, the billionaire and former New York City mayor who entered the race last month. He has used his personal fortune to fund a mammoth advertising campaign, but has pledged not to take campaign contributions — effectively waiving the chance to debate, since the D.N.C. has been requiring candidates to prove they have a sizable number of donors in order to qualify.Perhaps the most significant candidate not onstage made no attempt to participate: Michael R. Bloomberg, the billionaire and former New York City mayor who entered the race last month. He has used his personal fortune to fund a mammoth advertising campaign, but has pledged not to take campaign contributions — effectively waiving the chance to debate, since the D.N.C. has been requiring candidates to prove they have a sizable number of donors in order to qualify.