Joe Biden faced questions about his son’s work. Elizabeth Warren was hit over her Medicare for All plan. And Bernie Sanders was questioned about his health.
The fourth Democratic debate on Tuesday revealed sharper edges than its predecessors, as the candidates were tested by the moderators and challenged by each other.
With the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump sucking up attention and the clock ticking away to the Iowa caucuses, Pete Buttigieg showed a more aggressive side, while Cory Booker repeatedly called for peace among his Democratic rivals.
The candidates saved their harshest words for Trump, with every one of the dozen people on stage calling for his impeachment and several calling him the most corrupt president in history.
Warren Won’t Give a Yes or No on Taxes
Given her recent rise to a statistical tie with Biden at the top of the polls, Warren should have been expecting some sharp questions at Tuesday’s debate.
Yet early into the event she once again ducked the question when Buttigieg asked whether middle-class tax increases would be needed to fund her signature Medicare for All plan to create a government-run health care system that abolishes private insurance.
She responded obliquely, saying twice that “costs” would go up for the rich and would go down for the middle class, giving Buttigieg one of the evening’s most memorable moments. “We heard it tonight. A yes-or-no question that didn’t get a yes-or-no answer,” Buttigieg said. “Your signature is to have a plan for everything, except this.”
Buttigieg said voters should have the right to chose between public or private health insurance as he pitched his “Medicare for All Who Want It” plan. He said taking away private insurance would only further polarize an already divided nation. Warren, simply raised her hand while refusing to look at Buttigieg and fired back.
“So let’s be clear, whenever someone hears the term ‘Medicare for All who want it,’ understand what that really means: It’s Medicare for all who can afford it,” she said.
Rivals Rally Around Biden and His Son
Democrats at Tuesday’s debate rallied around Biden over his son’s involvement in business deals in Ukraine and China, suggesting that any criticism would only give Trump more ammunition for his unrelenting attacks on the former vice president.