September American Democratic Debate: Calendar, Candidates, Problems | USA News



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Ten and only ten candidates for the 2020 US Democratic presidency will face each other on Thursday night during the third presidential debate this election season.

Unlike the two previous debates, the event will take place only one night and will welcome only 10 of the 20 Democratic candidates still in the race. In the first two debates, 20 candidates spoke during two nights.

This will be the first time that all the most prominent candidates will meet on the same stage.

"This is an important debate because it is the first debate of the autumn after Labor Day," said Joel Rubin, former deputy secretary of state to the government having served under former President Barack Obama.

"As a rule of thumb, we see the bid race really starting to take shape and people are starting to pay attention and do assessments," said Rubin, who also ran for a seat in the Democratic Party of Maryland Congress. . primary in 2018, told Al Jazeera.

Health care, immigration and the economy, among others, will be addressed.

As 10 presidential candidates prepare for another night of debate, here's what you should know:

1. When and where will the third debate take place?

The third presidential debate will be held in Houston, Texas on September 12 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm (local time) (00:00 to 03:00 GMT).

The event will be organized by ABC News in partnership with Univision.

2. Which candidates will be on stage? Why are some not?

The National Democratic Committee (DNC) has put in place stricter guidelines for the September debate, requiring candidates to vote in at least two percent of the four votes approved by the DNC between June 28 and August 28 and to obtain at least 130,000 unique donors, including at least 400 unique donors. per state in at least 20 states.

These requirements are significantly more stringent than the first two debates in which candidates presented themselves if they had voted at one percent in more than three separate votes approved by the DNC or if they had at least 65 000 unique donors.

Only 10 candidates reached the new threshold:

  • Former Vice President Joe Biden
  • American Senator Cory Booker
  • South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
  • Senator Kamala Harris
  • US Senator Amy Klobuchar
  • Former US representative Beto O'Rourke
  • Senator Bernie Sanders
  • Senator Elizabeth Warren
  • Former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julian Castro
  • Entrepreneur Andrew Yang

3. Which candidates will not be on stage?

The stricter guidelines mean that 10 candidates did not show up.

Among them: US Senator Michael Bennet, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Montana Governor Steven Bullock, former US Congressman John Delaney, US Congressman Tulsi Gabbard, Miramar, in Florida Mayor Wayne Messam, US Congressman Tim Ryan and former US representative Joe Sestak, billionaire Tom Steyer and entrepreneur Marianne Williamson.

4. How will the debate work?

Each candidate will have one minute and 15 seconds to answer moderator questions, 45 seconds to answer the following questions and 45 seconds for rebuttals.

The candidates will make their opening statement on Thursday, but there will be no final declaration.

5. What problems will probably be the focus?

The control of arms

Thursday's debate follows several mass shootings, including El Paso, Texas, where 22 people were killed. Democrats in Congress and in the field have since renewed calls for more stringent arms control measures.

O & # 39; Rourke, originally from El Paso, and Booker were particularly vocal during the election campaign on gun control.

Many candidates support universal background checks and the prohibition of assault rifles.

Health care

Health care was a major topic at the beginning of the election campaign, pitting the most progressive politicians against those who praised more centrist platforms.

While the complexity of their proposals varies, expect candidates to emphasize the need to move to a Medicare for All system or continue with an updated version of the Affordable Care Act (also known as d & # 39; Obamacare).

Democratic debate

Democratic 2020: Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, US presidential candidates, on the first night of the second democratic debate in 2020 [File: Lucas Jackson/Reuters]

This will be the first time that the two leading progressive countries – Sanders and Warren – who support Medicare-for-all, will face Biden, who wants to retain the most popular elements of the Affordable Care Act while adding a public option.

It should be noted that, although Warren has approved Sanders' Medicare-for-all plan, she has not yet released her own detailed health care proposal.

Climate change

Last week, the 10 candidates took part in the very first public forums specifically dedicated to climate change. The event, organized by CNN, saw the hopes of 2020 present their plans to tackle climate change.

All Democratic candidates said they would immediately join the Paris climate agreements, which Trump had announced he was retiring as soon as he took office.

Most of the candidates have at the very least adopted the Green New Deal, a congressional resolution aimed at reducing net greenhouse gas emissions in the United States "through a just and equitable transition for all. communities and all workers ". Senators Sanders, Harris, Warren, Booker and Klobuchar co-authored the resolution.

Immigration

Immigration has brought out some of the most difficult exchanges in the last two debates and do not expect anything else on Thursday night.

The decriminalization of irregular border crossing points has created divisions, with many wanting to make it a civil offense and others advocating a harsher position.

Democratic debate 2 night 2

US Senator Kamala Harris speaks to former Vice President Joe Biden on the second evening of the second debate on the US presidency in 2020 [File: Lucas Jackson/Reuters]

Although all candidates regularly bend to Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric, Biden was forced to defend the immigration policies of former President Barack Obama.

Expect to see more clashes about immigration during the Thursday night debate.

Foreign police

Although foreign policy is generally not a major issue during the presidential campaigns, Thursday's debate comes less than a week after Trump canceled peace talks with the Taliban, saying the talks "were at a standstill. # 39; stop ". Expect the candidates to decide on Trump's initial decision to hold talks with the Taliban and Afghan leaders in the United States and on his abrupt decision to convene these meetings at the last minute.

"There is no simple message about Afghanistan", Rubin, the former assistant secretary of state under Obama, I said. He added that the Democrats would probably criticize Trump for wanting to meet the Taliban during the anniversary week of the September 11, 2001 attack, but also blame Trump for not meeting with the Taliban.

"The Democrats both accept the progressive base wanting to come out of an endless war, but also the pragmatic use of diplomacy to do it in an intelligent way," Rubin said. "So, you will see a lot of overlapping discussions among the candidates.What will be unique is how individual candidates use their personal experience and knowledge to give impetus to the commander in chief. peacefully end what has become America's longest war. "

The debate will also take place shortly after Trump's decision to expel his national security advisor, John Bolton.

Bolton and Trump have clashed on a number of issues, including Iran, which has been a topic of debate in earlier Democratic debates.

6. Will Trump watch?

Trump has taken part in previous debates and should also keep his eye on this one.

Previously, he had labeled the candidates "boring" and criticized the news agencies that greeted them.

7. When will the next debate take place?

The next debate will take place on the 15th and possibly on the 16th of October, depending on the number of qualified candidates.

So far, 11 candidates have reached the threshold. Billionaire Tom Steyer, who failed to take the plunge for Thursday 's debate, has secured a place for the October event.

The fourth debate will take place in Ohio, but the city has not been announced yet.

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