JUDY WOODRUFF: Almost
half of the candidates
seeking the 2020 Democratic
presidential nomination
faced off in Tuesday
night's debate in Detroit.
As Amna Nawaz reports, the
ideological rift in the crowded
field was on full display.
AMNA NAWAZ: For the 10 Democrats
on stage last night, an
existential question: How far
left to go?
More moderate candidates like
former Maryland Congressman
John Delaney set their sights
on the party's left flank.
JOHN DELANEY (D), Presidential
Candidate: So, I think Democrats
win when we run on real
solutions, not impossible
promises, when we run on things
that are workable, not fairy
tale economics.
AMNA NAWAZ: From Senators
Elizabeth Warren of
Massachusetts and Bernie
Sanders of Vermont,
the party's two liberal
leaders standing center
stage, a united front.
SEN.
ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA),
Presidential Candidate:
You know, 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.
SEN.
BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT),
Presidential Candidate:
I get a little bit tired
of Democrats afraid
of big ideas.
AMNA NAWAZ: It's a divide that
played out for nearly every
issue, as Democrats debated
the best way to defeat
President Trump.
South Bend Indiana
Mayor Pete Buttigieg:
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), Presidential
Candidate: Nominate me, and
we will have a different
conversation with American
voters about why the president
of the United States thinks
you're a sucker.
AMNA NAWAZ: On health care,
the moderates, like Montana
Governor Steve Bullock, in his
first debate appearance,
expressed doubts about
the health care overhaul
known as Medicare
for all.
GOV.
STEVE BULLOCK (D-MT),
Presidential Candidate:
At the end of the day,
I'm not going to support
any plan that rips away quality
health care from individuals.
This is an example of
wish list economics.
It used to be just
Republicans who wanted
to repeal and replace.
Now many Democrats do as well.
SEN.
ELIZABETH WARREN: Let's
be clear about this.
We are the Democrats.
We are not about trying to take
away health care from anyone.
That's what the Republicans
are trying to do.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SEN.
ELIZABETH WARREN: And we
should stop using Republican
talking points in order to talk
with each other about how to
best provide that health care.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
AMNA NAWAZ: Sanders also
defended his signature
proposal against attacks
from Ohio Congressman
Tim Ryan and former Colorado
Governor John Hickenlooper.
SEN.
BERNIE SANDERS: For
senior citizens, it will
finally include dental
care, hearing aids
and eyeglasses.
REP.
TIM RYAN (D-OH), Presidential
Candidate: But you don't know
that -- you don't know that,
Bernie.
SEN.
BERNIE SANDERS: Second of
all -- second of all...
JAKE TAPPER, Moderator:
I will come to you in
a second, Congressman.
SEN.
BERNIE SANDERS: I do know it.
I wrote the damn bill.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D),
Presidential Candidate:
Think if we're going
to force Americans to
make these radical changes,
they're not going to go along.
Throw your hands up.
SEN.
BERNIE SANDERS: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
JOHN HICKENLOOPER:
Oh-ho, I can do it.
But you haven't
implemented the plans.
AMNA NAWAZ: Similar to the
last debate, the debate around
immigration centered on a plan
to make crossing the U.S.
border a civil offense,
instead of criminal.
Former Texas Congressman
Beto O'Rourke:
BETO O'ROURKE (D), Presidential
Candidate: And I expect that
people who come here follow
our laws, and we
reserve the right to
criminally prosecute them
SEN.
ELIZABETH WARREN: The
problem is that, right
now, the criminalization
statute is what gives
Donald Trump the ability
to take children away
from their parents.
We must be a country that
every day lives our values.
AMNA NAWAZ: In downtown Detroit,
a city that's over 80 percent
black, night one of the debate
featured an all-white
field of candidates.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar
responded to President Trump's
recent attacks on Congressman
Elijah Cummings and Baltimore.
SEN.
AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN),
Presidential Candidate:
Little kids literally
woke up this weekend,
turned on the TV and saw their
president calling their city,
the town of Baltimore, nothing
more than a home for rats.
And I can tell you, as your
president, that will stop.
AMNA NAWAZ: While author
and spiritual adviser
Marianne Williamson focused
on the water conditions
in nearby Flint, Michigan.
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON (D),
Presidential Candidate:
It's bigger than Flint.
It's all over this country.
It's particularly
people of color.
It's particularly people
who do not have the
money to fight back.
And if the Democrats don't
start saying it, then why would
those people feel that they're
there for us?
And if those people don't feel
it, they won't vote for us,
and Donald Trump will win.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
AMNA NAWAZ: Expect race to come
up again tonight, as 10 more
candidates prepare to take the
stage, among them,
former Vice President
Joe Biden and California
Senator Kamala Harris,
who clashed over desegregating
schools during the
first debate last month.
SEN.
KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA),
Presidential Candidate:
Do you agree today --
do you agree today that
you were wrong to oppose
busing in America then?
Do you agree?
JOSEPH BIDEN (D), Presidential
Candidate: No, I didn't
oppose busing in America.
AMNA NAWAZ: Biden said last
week he was -- quote - -
"overly polite" last time.
Heading into tonight, Harris
signaled she will once again
set her sights on the candidate
leading in the polls.
SEN.
KAMALA HARRIS: My mother
raised me to be polite,
and I intend to be polite.
I will express differences
and articulate them.
AMNA NAWAZ: They will share
the stage with eight other
candidates hoping for their own
standout moments, before
the polling and fund-raising
thresholds double for
the next round of debates
in September.
For analysis of last night's
debate and what to look for
tonight, I'm joined by Stuart
Rothenberg, senior editor of
Inside Elections, Amy Walter of
The Cook Political Report and
host of "Politics With
Amy Walter" on WNYC Radio,
and Karine Jean-Pierre,
a senior adviser
to MoveOn.org.
Welcome to you all.
Let's jump right in.
Stu, let me start with you.
Last night, one of the
central themes was all
about the moderate vs.
progressive candidates.
Did one side do better than
other at making the case?
STUART ROTHENBERG, Inside
Elections: No, I think
both sides did very well.
And you're right.
That was the context.
It was created by the question
from CNN folks, but also it's
an honest division within the
party.
And you saw the two obvious
progressives, Bernie Sanders
and Elizabeth Warren, energize,
articulate, you know,
about their positions.
And you saw the pragmatists,
who I think did a really good
job, a number of them, whether
it was Delaney or Ryan or
whatever, trying to poke
holes in their arguments.
So I think both
sides did quite well.
AMNA NAWAZ: Karine, you noted
there from Stu some of the
lower polling candidates were
taking aim frequently at Senator
Warren, at Senator Sanders.
Medicare for all was one of
the big topics last night.
How do you think they did
in defending their turf?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, Democratic
Strategist: I think they
did a pretty good job.
Look, last night -- what I saw
last night was a debate about
policies and just substantive
issues, which is
incredibly important.
It's part of the process.
It's part of having a
primary, and I think they
did well for themselves.
And I think now we move on to
tonight and see how that goes.
AMNA NAWAZ: Amy, let's take
a look at how people are
deciding who it is they actually
want to vote for.
I want to point you to something
that always stands out to me.
This is from our "PBS
NewsHour"/NPR/Marist poll.
When you ask likely Democratic
voters, have they made up
their minds, 82 percent say,
no, they have not.
That is a lot of people.
So if you're a Democratic
voter out there watching the
debates, are you -- what are
you gleaning from this
kind of format right now?
AMY WALTER, The Cook Political
Report: Well, what you're
really looking for right now,
Amna, I think, when I talk to
voters, what they're telling
me is, they are hoping that
this field gets narrowed,
because there are just
too many choices for them.
They just get kind of
intimidated by the number
that are on the stage.
So I think, even though we saw
some new names in the mix --
Stu mentioned John Delaney and
Steve Bullock, who it was
literally his first time on the
stage, the governor of Montana
- - I think this race really
still is consolidating around
four, maybe five candidates.
And as those candidates
are getting challenged,
or maybe challenging
another candidate, you
will see their numbers
rise and follow, as other
people challenge them.
But I don't think we're going
to see one of these candidates
that right now is polling
in the low 1's or 2's suddenly
break out from the top.
And just overall this
fundamental debate
about pragmatism and one
that's more structural
reform, sitting here in Michigan
right now, this is a debate
that happened in 2018 in
the governor's race, and it
happened in 2016 in the primary
between Hillary Clinton and
Bernie Sanders.
So folks in the state are pretty
used to that conversation.
In 2016, it was the more
progressive candidate, Bernie
Sanders, who won the primary.
In 2018, it was the
more pragmatic, who's
now the governor,
Gretchen Whitmer, who won
her primary.
AMNA NAWAZ: Karine, I got to
ask you, when it comes to the
issues, they covered a lot
of ground last night,
climate change, health
care, immigration.
Race came up as well, which is
obviously going to be huge in
the 2020 election and how we
talk about it.
It's unfortunate it was an
all-white panel just based on
the random draw of the way the
candidates ended up.
But how do you think they
did at developing an overall
message of how they're going to
make the Democratic
case to voters of color?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Yes, it
was very unfortunate, Amna.
We have a very diverse field.
And, like you mentioned, it
was a pretty much all-white --
all white candidates on that
stage.
And, tonight, that will change.
But I am -- I'm actually
really glad that they -- the
question of race was asked to
the white candidates.
And they took an
opportunity to answer that.
What we saw the past three
weeks with Donald Trump and the
way he's brought up race and
how he's using it for his 2020
reelection is quite concerning.
And so it's an important
conversation to have.
We need to bring it up.
And you have people of color
living in this country that is
very worried as to where this
country is going.
And I think it's a good
-- it was great to see
these candidates on
this stage talk about
it last night.
AMNA NAWAZ: Stu, Karine
mentioned Donald Trump.
I want to point you to another
recent showing from our poll,
that PBS/NPR/Marist poll.
When it looks at what Democratic
voters are looking for in
their candidate, do they want
someone who actually aligns with
their values, or do they want
someone who can actually beat
Donald, the majority still say
they're looking for someone
who can beat Donald Trump.
So did you see that messaging?
STU ROTHENBERG: I think
president didn't get
as much attention last
night as I expected
he would get or that
he will get tonight.
But face it, Amna,
voters want it all.
They want somebody who can beat
Donald Trump, and they want
somebody who reflects their
values and priorities and views.
And they're going to -- they're
going to hold off deciding
until much later in the year.
I know we expect, we think that
we have already had debates
and there have been town halls
and interviews.
But we have got a long way to
go before people actually make
choices of who they're going
to support and who they aren't.
AMNA NAWAZ: Amy, it's worth
noting the Trump campaign put
out a response after the debate
last night.
They said, it's the same
radical Democrats, same big
government socialist message.
This issue of socialism
comes up again and again.
Pete Buttigieg, during
the debate, actually kind
of foreshadowed that.
He said, look, whatever we
do, they're going to call us
socialists, so we should just do
what we believe in
and move forward.
Is there some truth for that
to the Democrats right now?
AMY WALTER: Well, we
know what the playbook
is going to be for Donald
Trump and for Republicans.
They have been using the
socialist label now, really,
since the 2018 campaign.
It wasn't particularly
effective in that race.
But, again, that was a midterm
election, where it was a
referendum on the president.
This is going to be a choice
between the president and
another Democratic candidate.
But, look, I think that, when
we're asking whether or not
the candidate who appeals to
the more left or the more
center is going to win, we miss
another fundamental question,
which is, who's the candidate
that has the vision, the
message, who's able to connect,
who has a narrative and a story?
And so this is where I
think some of the moderates
didn't do -- they were
not as effective last
night, in that they were able
to sort of try and poke holes in
what the progressive candidates
were saying about a Medicare
for all system, mentioning how
difficult it was going to be
to pass, how unworkable it was,
but they're not offering, I
didn't see last night, a real
sort of vision or optimistic
message to voters who
are looking, as Stu
says, for everything,
but also who want to beat
Donald Trump and see a candidate
who has a realistic path to
getting there.
AMNA NAWAZ: So, Amy,
very briefly -- I feel
like one of the debate
moderator -- 30 seconds
or less, if you can.
(LAUGHTER)
AMNA NAWAZ: What are you
looking for tonight, when 10
more candidates take the stage?
AMY WALTER: Yes.
Well, Joe Biden now becomes
the face and the voice of that
moderate, in a way that the
candidates last night -- yes,
they tried to play that role,
but the real role is going
to be played by Joe Biden, and
how he holds up under what I
think is going to be pretty
aggressive, I don't know I would
use the word attack, but they're
definitely going to aggressively
challenge Joe Biden tonight.
Can he hold up?
He didn't do particularly
well in the first debate.
AMNA NAWAZ: Karine,
what about you?
What are you looking for?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: What I want
to see, which is -- we didn't
see last night, was, I really
want to see the contrasts
from -- with Donald Trump.
I mean, we talked
about health care.
More than 35 minutes
was on Medicare for
all, which is great.
But nobody mentioned that, right
now, the Trump administration
is in the courts trying
to take away health care from
tens of millions of people.
Like, that type of thing is
what I want to hear tonight
from these candidates.
What's the contrast?
How are we going to
beat Donald Trump?
And I agree with Amy.
I think Biden is going to
get a lot of the attention.
People are going to be focusing
on him tonight, especially
after the last debate.
But I also want to say that
I don't think we're going to
see much change after -- after
tonight.
I think the third debate,
the one in September
in Houston, where the
field will whittle down
a bit, we won't -- I don't
think we will have more than one
debate -- I think that's where
we will see some movement
with numbers and how people
are standing in this race.
AMNA NAWAZ: Stu, I will
give you the last word here.
What are you looking for?
STU ROTHENBERG: Biden,
Biden, Biden, and Biden.
(LAUGHTER)
STU ROTHENBERG: He's the
leading progressive pragmatist.
He is the -- if he
falters, which is certainly
possible, it will create
an opening for somebody
else to take that place,
because this is a party that's
split, that wants to win, but
wants to win with
a certain agenda.
AMNA NAWAZ: Stu Rothenberg,
Karine Jean-Pierre, and Amy
Walter, thanks to you all.
STU ROTHENBERG: Sure.
AMY WALTER: You're welcome.