US Democratic debates: Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren hit back against moderate rivals over healthcare

Stephanie Cockroft31 July 2019

The frontrunners for the Democratic presidential nomination came under attack from their moderate counterparts in a debate that laid bare the rivals' positions on issues such as healthcare and immigration.

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren hit back against their more cautious rivals, who ridiculed "Medicare for All" and warned that "wish-list economics" would jeopardise the Democrats' chances of taking the White House in 2020.

Mr Sanders' plan to provide free universal healthcare has become a litmus test for liberal candidates, who have embraced the plan to transform the current system.

Medicare for All would abandon the private insurance market in favour of a taxpayer-funded system that would cover all Americans.

Speaking during the second round of primary debates in Detroit, former Maryland Representative John Delaney led the criticism, warning that liberal policies would lead to Donald Trump being re-elected.

He said: "They're running on telling half the country that their healthcare is illegal... It will turn off independent voters and get Trump re-elected."

Mr Sanders and Ms Warren hit back at their moderate rivals over issues such as healthcare
Getty Images

But Ms Warren hit out out at Democratic "spinelessness", adding: "I don't understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can't do and shouldn't fight for."

Mr Sanders, a Vermont senator, also insisted healthcare was a "human right, not a privilege" and that he would "fight for that". He added: "I get a little bit tired of Democrats afraid of big ideas."

Six months before the first votes are cast, the tug-of-war over the future of the party is pitting pragmatism against ideological purity as voters navigate a crowded Democratic field divided by age, race, sex and ideology.

The fight with the political left was the dominant subplot of the debates.

While much of the debate was dominated by attacks on the preferred liberal health care policy, the issue of race emerged in the second hour.

Mr Sanders speaks while Beto O'Rourke, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar (right to left) listen
Getty Images

The candidates, all of whom are white, were unified in turning their anger towards Mr Trump for using race as a central theme in his re-election campaign.

Mr Sanders called Mr Trump a racist, while others said the president's rhetoric revived memories of the worst in the country's history, including slavery.

"The legacy of slavery and segregation and Jim Crow and suppression is alive and well in every aspect of the economy and the country today," said former Texas Representative Beto O'Rourke.

There was an increasing sense of urgency for many candidates who are fighting for survival.

More than a dozen could be blocked from the next round of debates - and effectively pushed out of the race - if they fail to reach new polling and fundraising thresholds implemented by the Democratic National Committee.

The candidates line up on the first night of the second 2020 Democratic debate
REUTERS

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is working to keep her campaign alive, aligned herself with the pragmatic wing, saying: "We are more worried about winning an argument than winning an election."

Montana Governor Steve Bullock, in his first debate appearance, took a swipe at Mr Sanders.

He said: "Working people can't wait for a revolution. Their problems are here and now."

While he avoided any direct confrontations with his more liberal rivals, Pete Buttigieg tried several times to present himself as the more sober alternative in the race.

Steve Bullock talks to media after the debate
REUTERS

He rejected extreme positions, quoted scripture and refrained from calling out his opponents.

The 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, also subtly emphasised the generational difference between himself and Mr Sanders, who is 40 years his senior.

Mr Buttigieg also called on his party to stop the infighting.

"It is time to stop worrying about what the Republicans will say," he declared.

"It's true that if we embrace a far-left agenda, they're going to say we're a bunch of crazy socialists. If we embrace a conservative agenda, you know what they're going to do? They're going to say we're a bunch of crazy socialists.

"So let's just stand up for the right policy, go out there and defend it."

Twenty candidates are spread evenly over two nights of debates on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The second night features early front-runner Joe Biden, the former vice president, as well as Kamala Harris, a California senator.

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