And the Races Are Off: Recapping the First Democratic Primary Debate

Hey babes, the time has come. It’s time for everyone to vote for the frontrunner to oppose President Trump in the 2020 presidential elections. If you haven’t been paying attention to political matters recently, it’s time to listen up because a lot of the hot topics will drastically change our lives. 

Over the course of two nights, 20 democratic candidates battled it out in the first presidential debate. We knew many of them were running such as former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Bernie Sanders. A few pushed their way to the top and made some waves such as Sen. Kamala Harris in her attack against Biden, ex-San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg in their attack against current immigration laws, and finally author Marianne Williamson whose quirky talking points gained her favor with the Republican party. Here’s a brief recap of what you need to know: 

Alright, so major talking points of both nights were: healthcare, economy, and immigration laws. The final five most popular candidates came out to be: Biden, Sanders, Harris, Warren, and Buttigieg. But right behind them are candidates: Sen. Cory Booker, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar And let me tell you, there was a lot of tea spilt. 

I can’t start this off without first covering the showdown between Sen. Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden. The overall opinion is that Biden seemed a little weak when Harris confronted him about his opposition to bussing in order to integrate schools in the ‘70s. Harris brought this topic up when she redirected a question initially aimed at the South Bend police shooting. 

“There was a little girl in California who was bussed to school,” said Harris. “That little girl was me.” Harris used her own background as a platform to call Biden out on his past choices. Biden then claimed that he didn’t oppose integration, but he opposed the Department of Education’s hand in it. This was later proven as false. Harris has gained a lot of attention since her slam and is expected to receive many more donations to her campaign. 

Next came the fight for a drastic change in immigration laws. Both ex-San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg fought over what to do about the crisis at the border and Castro argued that illegal immigration should be decriminalized due to the tragic death of a man and his daughter after they tried to swim across the Rio Grande from Mexico. Castro said that this man and his young daughter had tried to enter a U.S. checkpoint and claimed asylum but were denied and forced to swim. 

Fox News reports that decriminalizing illegal immigration would only make matters at the border worse. Tom Homan, retired ICE director, argued the day after the first debate that we should keep detention centers because he claims that the reason immigrants are bringing their children with them is because if they have a child, they will not be detained. Homan thinks that decriminalizing illegal immigration would simply be foolish.

Lastly, there seemed to be a general consensus among many of the Democratic candidates, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, that the American healthcare system needs to be abolished in favor of a universal healthcare. While there are debates between the candidates over which system to switch to (for more information check out my recent article on universal healthcare), some argue that we should supply healthcare to illegal immigrants as well as citizens. 

The argument about universal healthcare has gone hand in hand with the supposed economy boost that has given President Trump a bump up in popularity. While many Americans feel as though the economy is doing better, many Democrats are arguing that it’s only benefitting the top 1% rather than the middle and lower classes. “I think of it this way,” said Warren. “Who is this economy really working for? It’s doing great for a thinner and thinner slice at the top.”  

This is one of the reasons she is pushing for universal healthcare. She argues that many insurance companies charge as much as they want for policies, but only want to pay the bare minimum to help customers. She, and many others, want to change that and take power away from big insurance companies and perhaps big pharma as well. 

On a quirkier note, author Marianne Williamson said in her closing statements that she would beat President Trump with love. When asked what issue she would push first if she were elected, she said, “My first call is to the prime minister of New Zealand who said her goal is to make New Zealand the best place in the world for a child to grow up. And I will tell her ‘Girlfriend, you are so on, because the United States of America is going to be the best place in the world for a child to grow up.” Since the debate, many Republicans are asking for donations to her campaign so they can see her again in the third debate in September, even if it is only for shits and giggles. 

Well, my lovely boss babes, those were the bare bones of the Democratic presidential debates, but if you have four hours to spare, I suggest you watch them for yourself. Or read up on them. Do anything to educate yourself, because this next voting term can hold some major changes for the future. 

I got my information from The New York Times, Fox News, CNN, NPR, and The Chicago Tribune. 

Cover image via Star Tribune