AIDAN POLLARD
News Editor
1. Warren takes the hot seat
Elizabeth Warren came under fire from both Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttegeig about her unwillingness to admit whether or not her idea for Medicare for All would raise taxes on the middle class. Warren repeated several times that “costs will go down” for middle class working families, but was it unclear as to whether the dip in costs would come from fewer taxes, or fewer healthcare expenses. Even after Bernie Sanders specifically outlined how taxes will go up for the middle class while things like premiums and copayments will cease to exist under Medicare for All, Warren was unwilling to state the same.
2. Warren begins to pull away from Sanders, moves toward Biden
Warren spoke the most by a large margin at the October debate, while Joe Biden shied away from his normal amount of spotlight and Sanders took a backseat to some more moderate candidates.
As Warren begins to pull away from Sanders and creep up on Biden in the polls, she’s becoming a target for the moderate candidates in the race who are looking to take over Biden’s spot.
3. Big night for the moderates
Klobuchar and Buttegeig took an opportunity to dig into Warren’s ideas on healthcare.
Buttegeig criticized Warren’s inability to be specific, and have a “plan” for this, as he stated she so often does. He also took the opportunity to advocate for his Medicare for All Who Want It plan, which would be a Medicare for All plan that’s optional rather than mandatory, like Sanders’ and Warren’s.
Klobuchar took aim at Warren to emphasize the idea that other politicians are capable of having good ideas, and that Warren’s way was not the only way to a comprehensive policy.
4. Women’s health issues refused to be ignored
During the healthcare debate, attention was brought first from Tulsi Gabbard and then from Beto O’Rourke toward women’s health issues and the closing of Planned Parenthoods in Ohio, where the debate was held.
5. Automation vs. corporate greed
Andrew Yang took time to emphasize what he sees as the impending crisis of automation of working class jobs, but Warren disagreed and said the crisis has more to do with trade dealings and corporations’ ability to move overseas and automate jobs in the first place.
6. Biden defends his son’s choices
Joe Biden spoke the second most throughout the debate, but took a backseat during talks about foreign policy. He also defended his son’s actions and involvement in overseas business while Biden was Vice President. He claimed never to have talked shop with his son while he was in office and alluded to his son’s statements of regret earlier that week.