7 highlights of the democratic debate in September

Castro, the former secretary of housing and urban development and the chief instigator on Thursday night, intervened.

"Yeah, it's called the primary democratic election, Pete, it's called an election, it's an election, you know?" he said. "That's why we are here, it's an election."

Here are seven conclusions of the third democratic debate:

1. Castro & # 39; s launches an attack on Biden

But it is Castro, a member of the cabinet of former President Barack Obama, who is ready to fight with the leader of the party.

In criticizing Obama over the evictions, Castro said about Biden: "He wants to get credit for Obama's work, but not have to answer questions."

"I stand alongside Barack Obama every eight years, good, bad and indifferent, that's where I stand," replied Biden.

The round trips have raised questions about what is actually Obama's legacy – and about how Democratic voters want to see him progress. Do they want to raise his loyal vice president? Or are they looking for what Obama was once: an inspiring young candidate to guide them to the future?

It is not clear that Castro is considered the latter. His attacks on Biden may have weakened Biden, but may also alienate Democratic voters, who largely resemble all their major candidates, including the former vice president.

The most amazing of their exchanges was the first, when Castro launched a very finely veiled onslaught on a subject that other Democrats have only touched on: Biden 's age.

He accused the former vice president of having "forgotten what you said two minutes ago" during an exchange about whether Biden's health plan would force the Americans who want to sign up for its public option to Medicare, subscribe to it.

Then he tried to twist the knife saying, "I'm filling the legacy of Barack Obama and you're not."

After the debate, Castro told CNN's Chris Cuomo that this comment was "not intended to constitute a personal attack or affront".

"It's a debate, and when we talk about health policy, we're talking about a policy that impacts every person in this country," Castro said.

"I think we're at a difficult point right now, because a lot of people are worried about Joe Biden's ability to bring the ball to the bottom line without fumbling, and I think Castro was worried. very legitimate about, can he be someone in a long grueling campaign that can pass the ball over the starting line and he has every right to call him back, "said Booker.

There is another possibility to consider. Castro had already been a candidate for nomination to the Democratic Vice Presidency. If another candidate on the stage Thursday night (other than Biden) wins the nomination and looks for an attack dog for a vice presidential candidate, Castro gave them food for thought.

2. Biden vs. Warren and Sanders on health care

The differences between Democrats on how to achieve universal health coverage dominated the first parts of the three debates. The only difference Thursday night was that all the main candidates were on stage.

Instead, Biden said, he is proposing a more modest proposal that relies on Obamacare by giving Americans the opportunity to subscribe to a Medicare-style program – but do not require it.

"I know the senator says she's for Bernie," Biden said. "Well, I'm for Barack."

Warren attempted to defuse Biden's approach by praising the former president. "We all have a huge debt to President Obama, who has fundamentally transformed health care in America and committed that country to the health of all people," she said.

The former vice president launched the offensive by urging Sanders and Warren to explain how they would pay the $ 32 billion bill over 10 years for their proposal.

Sanders reminded viewers that he "had written this damn bill" – which is remarkable because health care is one of the few problems on which Warren does not have his own plan; she supports Sanders' proposal for Medicare for All. And he argued that it was "the most cost-effective approach to providing health care" to everyone in the country.

Warren dodged a question about whether it would raise middle-class taxes to fund Medicare for All. And the way she articulated her nonresponse – focusing on the total cost of health care, rather than whether it was paid through income taxes or deductibles and co-payment – showed that She could make her point in a general election.

"The wealthier individuals and larger companies will pay more, and middle-class families will pay less, and that's how it will work," she said.

3. Centrists defend themselves

"While Bernie wrote the bill, I read the bill," said Klobuchar. "And on page 8 – on page 8 of the bill, it says that we will no longer have private insurance as we know it, and that means that 149 million Americans will not be able to have their current insurance. "

"The problem, Senator Sanders, with this damn bill that you wrote and that Senator Warren argues, is that he does not trust the American people," Buttigieg said. Turning to the audience, he says, "I trust you to choose what makes the most sense for you, not my way or the highway."

This was a noticeable change in the content of the health care debate which, until now, was largely dominated by progressive candidates. During the first debate, liberal agitators such as the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, were present to compete against candidates who did not want to eliminate private insurance. And in the second debate, Warren and Sanders stood side by side and rebuffed the critics of the candidates who did not qualify for the third debate.

4. Beto explodes

Beto O 'Rourke, former Texas representative, finally had the kind of party that showed why he had already been perceived as a phenomenon.

His greatest moment was when he argued forcefully for the compulsory buyout of assault type guns.

"Well, yes, we will take your AR-15, your AK-47, and we will not allow it to be used against our American compatriots," he said.

O 'Rourke's comment positioned him as a leader in the party's gun control campaign (much to the chagrin of New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who had already made a similar proposal).

That's where O'Rourke wants to be, as a result of the massive shooting that took place in early August in his hometown of El Paso and which he said changed him. as a candidate. And other Democrats, including Biden, California Senator Kamala Harris and Castro, congratulated him for the way he had gone home to try to help El Paso heal.

O 'Rourke had another great moment at the end of a speech on racism, when he said about Trump: "We have a white supremacist in the White House and it represents a a deadly threat to people of color in this country. "

Mr. O. Rourke's campaign was poised for a surge in Google searches and subsequent social media traffic. His website has been redone to present a menacing red image of Trump with the words "The President of the United States of America is a white supremacist" – as well as numerous links to Trump's racist comments.

5. Harris focuses

In the first debate, it was Harris who was the main tormentor of Biden – which earned him a surge of polls that ended in July and August.

So she tried a new approach on Thursday night, instead of targeting Trump.

She dedicated her entire opening statement to Trump, addressing him directly as he watched him – which was unlikely given his speech in Baltimore – before closing in, "And now, Trump president, you can go back to watching Fox News. "

Explaining his change of strategy in favor of CNN after the debate, Harris said: "All my campaign is dedicated to that and that's why I'm going to overthrow it."

"Listen, I think there is a common goal that we all need to focus on." And frankly, when we think about this discussion among Democrats, everyone should, in my opinion, be very clear on the fact of emphasize, of course, points of disagreement, but the ultimate goal must be to understand that we need an American president who understands the need to bring people together, "she said.

She tried to be a unifying voice in the health care debate. "Let's talk about Donald Trump taking office and spending most of the first year of his term trying to get rid of the Affordable Care Act," she said.

She also congratulated the architects of Obamacare, who laid the groundwork for the Moderate Candidate Projects, and Medicare for All.

"First of all, I want to congratulate Barack Obama for taking us so far," she said, adding, "I want to thank Bernie, take credit, Bernie."

6. The "reverse" of Buttigieg

Towards the end of the debate, the ABC moderators asked the candidates an unusual question: what had been their biggest setback?

This opened the door for Buttigieg, who is gay, to remind viewers of the historical nature of his candidacy – and what he overcame to enter the upper echelons of Democratic presidential candidates.

"As an officer under the command of" Do not ask not to say "and elected in the state of Indiana, when Mike Pence was governor, "he said," at one point, regarding professional setbacks, I had to wonder whether to simply recognize who I was going to be the ultimate professional setback in end of career. "

7. They have jokes

Democrats have tried to be funny.

Sometimes they failed – for example when Klobuchar, referring to Trump, opted for the obvious "Houston, we have a problem," or when Harris criticized his resistance to guns, saying "Instead of saying & # 39; no we can not, say "yes we can."

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang opted for a stereotype. "I am Asian, so I know a lot of doctors," he said.

Others deserved a little laugh. Bald Booker, for example, said of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, "I am the only person on this scene to find Trudeau's hair threatening."

Harris, meanwhile, told Trump that "on trade policy, he reminds me of this guy in" The Wizard of Oz. "When you pull the curtain, it's a very small guy."

Booker, a vegan who has no children but is the most common narrator of daddy jokes in the countryside, wondered if the Iowans and Texans should follow his example. "First of all, I mean, no, I want to translate that into Spanish: no," he said.