We are just two weeks away from the Iowa caucuses, and the January Democratic debate hit on many of the key aspects of what the Democratic Party wants out of their primary candidate in order to be prepared to take on President Trump in the upcoming presidential election. Here are all of the major highlights from the night and how it affects the future of not only the Democratic party, but the landscape of America.
This debate, the last one before the Iowa caucuses, featured six candidates, the smallest number of candidates shown during this debate cycle. Much of the debate was focused on foreign policy, due to recent events that escalated tensions between the United States and Iraq. Supporting President Trump’s trade deal for North America and keeping troops in the Middle East were covered.
Another issue discussed was whether a woman could be president. Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) previously attacked Senator Bernie Sanders’ (VT) character, claiming that he said that women were unfit to be president of the United States. Debate moderators were quick to bring this up, and Sanders quickly denied this claim, calling it “incomprehensible.” Sen. Warren also emphasized her greatly successful political past as an earmark for her future performance in the upcoming Democratic caucuses and in this year’s presidential election. Warren also brought attention to her fellow candidate, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN) to exemplify that women can succeed in American politics and be strong contenders for the presidency.
A discussion that has been a high priority throughout this last year has been determining who is a strong enough candidate to defeat President Trump in the general election. As expected, all of the candidates who participated in the debate projected that they were highly confident of their skills and political prowess. New surveys seem to indicate that Democratic voters are voting almost equally between former Vice President Joe Biden, former Mayor of South Bend, Ind., Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Sanders and Sen. Warren. All four of the front-runners had strong answers throughout the night, but Warren and Sanders certainly stood out above the rest. Although Biden has been polling consistently above the other candidates recently, he received a small amount of attention during this debate, especially taking into account the magnifying glass that appeared to be over the other three front-runners during the debate. Despite this, Biden is steadfast in his claims that he is the most eligible and best-prepared to run against Trump. Although debates do not determine how well a candidate will perform, the sentiment across the Democratic Party is clear: Trump’s presidency has been lackluster at best, with many progressive interests being undermined and ignored, and it’s time for a fresh face in the White House.
