7 takeaways from the first 2020 Democratic presidential debate

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Ten Democratic presidential candidates kicked off the 2020 debate season on Wednesday. Here were some of the main takeaways:

1) Sen. Elizabeth Warren unequivocally endorses getting rid of private insurance. If Warren ends up as the nominee next summer, this is the one moment from the debate that will still matter. She has gambled on unapologetically embracing “Medicare for all,” which could come back to haunt her in the general election given that it would mean about 180 million people losing private coverage.

2) But she gives an oddball answer on guns. Warren is at her most confident when making her populist case against Wall Street and big corporations, but she seemed to struggle when pushed out of her comfort zone. Asked a fairly straightforward question about what she’d do about the hundreds of millions of guns that are already privately owned, she vacillated between calling gun violence a “national health emergency” and saying that in the face of this emergency the natural response should be to … research the issue more thoroughly. Huh?

3) Sen. Cory Booker reminds people that he’s still in the race. Booker didn’t have any highlight reel moments, but he did make his presence known throughout the debate. For somebody once seen as one of the leading contenders for the nomination who has struggled to break out of the low-single digits, reminding folks that you’re still around has to count for something.

4) Sen. Amy Klobuchar and John Delaney won the conservative Twitter primary. By offering occasional reality checks to the sweeping proposals offered by the other candidates, this pair won the hearts of many conservatives on Twitter. Of course, this matters very little in the Democratic primary. To be sure, there is no doubt a substantial portion of the Democratic electorate that hasn’t bought into all the policy goals (or shared in all the anger) of the resurgent Left. But those who want a less extreme version of liberalism or a more civil public discourse, for now, seem to be gravitating toward Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg.

5) Reps. Tim Ryan and Tulsi Gabbard arguing like it’s 2004. In one of the few national security segments of the evening, Ryan made the post 9/11 case for the importance of preventing the Taliban from dominating Afghanistan, while Gabbard made the anti-war case for extracting Americans from Afghanistan. Gabbard’s position seem to have carried the room, but this issue is much lower profile now than it was during the height of the War on Terror.

6) Bill de Blasio and Beto O’Rourke competing for world’s most annoying politician title. This one, admittedly, is the most subjective on the list, but these two candidates were the most grating. It seemed fitting that the first fireworks of the debate season came when de Blasio attacked O’Rourke for not wanting to eliminate private health insurance companies. De Blasio seemed desperate to cut into every conversation, backing mostly the same policies as Warren, but trying to sprinkle it with boasts of being mayor of the biggest city in America. Does that act go over well? O’Rourke came off as wishy-washy, failing to answer whether he supported a 70% marginal tax rate or to explain his mixed signals on healthcare policy.

7) Lower-polling candidates hardest hit. Ultimately, nobody had a make or break moment tonight, which likely hurts the lower-polling candidates who will have a harder time qualifying for the September debates, which have stricter requirements. This may end up being their only chance to shine.

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