JUDY WOODRUFF: The very first
presidential primary debates
for the 2020 cycle are now
over, but last night's round
two brought a new twist to the
Democratic contest, a twist
whose repercussions
stretched into today.
Lisa Desjardins starts there.
LISA DESJARDINS: Today, another
important stage for former
Vice President Joe Biden.
JOSEPH BIDEN (D), Presidential
Candidate: I would like to
say something about the debate
we had last night.
LISA DESJARDINS: In
Chicago, talking to Jesse
Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH
Coalition, he stressed
his history working for civil
rights and clarified he is not
for states' rights on the issue.
JOSEPH BIDEN: These rights
are not up to the states
to decide. They are the
federal government's
duty to decide.
LISA DESJARDINS: This after
a week of criticism, starting
with Biden's words about working
in the past with people he
disagreed with, and he named
two senators known as ardent
segregationists.
On last night's debate stage,
California Senator Kamala Harris
raised that directly to Biden.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA),
Presidential Candidate:
I do not believe you
are a racist and I agree
with you when you commit
yourself to the importance
of finding common ground.
But, I also believe -- and
it's personal. And I -- I was
actually very -- it was hurtful.
JOSEPH BIDEN: That's
a mischaracterization
of my position across
the board. I did not
praise racists.
That is not true.
LISA DESJARDINS: But Harris'
most forceful criticism of
the former vice president came
after she told a personal
story about being bused to an
integrated public school as a
child.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS: Do you
agree today that you were wrong
to oppose busing in America
then?
JOSEPH BIDEN: No.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS:
Do you agree?
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
JOSEPH BIDEN: I did not
oppose busing in America.
What I opposed is busing
ordered by the Department
of Education. That's what I
opposed. I did not oppose...
KAMALA HARRIS: Well, there
was a failure of - - of
states to -- to integrate...
JOSEPH BIDEN: No, but...
KAMALA HARRIS: ... public
schools in America.
LISA DESJARDINS: Today,
Biden tried to clarify,
but stopped short of saying
the federal government
should have enforced all busing.
JOSEPH BIDEN: I never, never,
ever opposed voluntary busing.
And it's a program that
Senator Harris participated in.
LISA DESJARDINS: Harris'
name is ringing. Hers was the
performance that most resonated
last night at a Democratic
debate watch party in Miami.
FRANCES KNAPP, Miami: I think
she was forceful. She was to
the point. She was empathetic.
She was really sharp tonight.
ALLIE GEIGER, Miami: I think
Kamala Harris has a really
good chance. I think women are
tired of being ignored.
I think minorities are
tired of being ignored.
LISA DESJARDINS: But Biden
too had fans, who said he
can win with swing voters.
LOUIS BONDI, Miami: He is middle
of the road and he explains
things to them. And he's a
centrist.
LISA DESJARDINS: The debate
itself was more raucous than the
previous night, with candidates
early on speaking over
each other in attempts to
get time. And there was
more heat and challenge.
California Congressman Eric
Swalwell said Biden had his
time in leadership, and should
step aside now.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA),
Presidential Candidate:
Joe Biden was right
when he said it was time
to pass the torch to a new
generation of Americans 32 years
ago. He's still right today.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
JOSEPH BIDEN: I'm still
holding on to that torch.
LISA DESJARDINS: Vermont Senator
Bernie Sanders aimed to contrast
himself with the more moderate
Biden, invoking his
2016 battle cry.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT),
Presidential Candidate:
We need a political
revolution. People have
got to stand up and take on
the special interests. We
can transform this country.
LISA DESJARDINS: South Bend,
Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
tackled questions about how
he is handling the shooting
of a black man killed by a
white officer there and why his
city's police force has
few officers of color.
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), Presidential
Candidate: We're obviously
not there yet. And I accept
responsibility for that,
because I'm in charge.
(CROSSTALK)
REP. ERIC SWALWELL: You
should fire the chief.
LISA DESJARDINS: For the second
night in a row, candidates
showed a divide on health
care. The more moderate
candidates, like former
Colorado Governor John
Hickenlooper and Colorado
Senator Michael Bennet,
pushed back on Sanders'
sweeping Medicare for
all plan, instead arguing
for an optional government-run
insurance plan instead.
SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO),
Presidential Candidate: And that
every family and every person in
America can make a choice for
their family about whether
they want a public option.
LISA DESJARDINS: With a crowded
stage and front-runners getting
the most early questions,
other candidates, like Senator
Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
in particular, fought to insert
themselves into the debate.
QUESTION: We are going to talk
about health care at length,
Senator, but at -- for the
moment, my colleague...
(CROSSTALK)
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY),
Presidential Candidate: I wrote
the part in Senator Sanders'
bill -- I wrote the part in
Senator Sanders' bill that is
the transition, which merges
what the two senators said.
LISA DESJARDINS:
Political outsiders
author Marianne Williamson
and entrepreneur Andrew
Yang spoke the least. Yang
said today his microphone was
turned off most of the night,
a charge NBC flatly denied.
Both raised ideas not brought up
otherwise, including this from
Williamson on race:
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON (D),
Presidential Candidate:
And the Democratic
Party should be on the
side of reparations for
slavery for this very reason.
LISA DESJARDINS: All
10 candidates agreed
on one significant
issue, that their health
care plans would covered
undocumented immigrants.
The Democratic candidates
will share the debate
stage again next month.