海角大神

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders sought in Sunday鈥檚 Democratic debate to cast themselves as best-positioned to lead the nation through a global pandemic, uniting in their criticism of President Donald Trump鈥檚 response to the fast-moving coronavirus but diverging in how they would confront the spiraling public health and economic crisis.

Mr. Biden pledged to deploy the United States military to help with recovery efforts and warned that a federal financial bailout may be necessary to stabilize the economy. Mr. Sanders leaned into the same domestic policy proposals that have dominated his campaign, arguing that the government-run health insurance system he has long championed would allow the U.S. to respond faster to a health crisis.

The coronavirus outbreak has rapidly reshaped nearly all aspects of American life, shuttering schools across the country and significantly curtailing travel. Virus fears have also halted campaign rallies and prompted some states to delay upcoming primaries because of warnings from public health officials against large gatherings.

鈥淭his is bigger than any one of us 鈥� this calls for a national rallying for one another,鈥� Mr. Biden said.

Indeed, the stakes in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination have shifted dramatically since Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders last debated less than three weeks ago 鈥� as have the contours of the contest. After a sluggish start to the primary season, Mr. Biden has surged to the front of the field, drawing overwhelming support from black voters and consolidating the backing of several more moderate rivals who have dropped out of the race. He鈥檚 also actively courting the endorsement of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a liberal ally of Mr.Sanders who dropped out without throwing her support behind him.

The former vice president appeared determined throughout Sunday鈥檚 contest to keep his focus on the general election, making direct overtures to Mr. Sanders鈥� loyal supporters and committing for the first time to select a woman as his running mate if he becomes the Democratic nominee. After Mr. Biden鈥檚 announcement, Mr.Sanders said he would 鈥渋n all likelihood鈥� do the same.

For Mr. Sanders, the reality is that his path to the nomination is rapidly shrinking, and he faces the prospect of more stinging defeats in the four states that vote on Tuesday. Still, he appeared determined to draw sharp contrasts with Mr. Biden throughout the debate, challenging him aggressively on the Iraq War and free trade deals. He argued that 鈥淚 have taken on every special interest that鈥檚 out there,鈥� adding, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a very different record than Joe鈥檚.鈥�

Though Sunday鈥檚 debate was the first one-on-one contest of the Democratic primary, Biden and Sanders have been the leaders of their party鈥檚 ideological poles throughout the yearlong campaign. Their prescriptions for addressing the coronavirus outbreak highlighted the contrasting approaches they are pledging to bring to the White House.

Mr. Biden, a centrist who backed the 2008 bailout of the financial industry during the recession, warned that another government-backed rescue plan may be needed in the coming months to shore up the economy. Mr. Sanders, a fierce liberal critic of Wall Street, opposed the earlier bailout and said it would be a mistake to take a similar approach now; instead, he suggested a tax on the wealthiest Americans.

The Vermont senator also repeatedly pushed questions regarding the coronavirus toward a now-familiar debate between him and Mr. Biden over health care. Mr. Sanders argued that the troublesome shortages in coronavirus tests and anxiety over the preparedness of the nation鈥檚 health care system to deal with an impending increase in patients highlight why the U.S. should move to the government-run, 鈥淢edicare For All鈥� system he has long championed.

鈥淥ne of the reasons that we are unprepared, and have been unprepared, is we don鈥檛 have a system. We鈥檝e got thousands of private insurance plans,鈥� Mr. Sanders said. 鈥淭hat is not a system that is prepared to provide health care to all people in a good year, without the epidemic.鈥�

Mr. Biden, who supports adding a public insurance option to the current system, argued that a pandemic was not a moment to attempt to push through an overhaul of the American health insurance system, a politically arduous endeavor.

鈥淭his is a crisis,鈥� Mr. Biden said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e at war with a virus. It has nothing to do with copays or anything.鈥�

As the debate opened, Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders skipped a handshake, greeting each other instead with an elbow bump. They took their positions at podiums spaced 6 feet apart in keeping with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for limiting the spread of the novel coronavirus. They addressed the nation, and each other, from a television studio in Washington without an in-person audience.

The pandemic has upended the campaign for days, prompting Biden and Sanders to cancel rallies and instead hold virtual events with voters around the country. Their campaign staffs are also working remotely, and the candidates 鈥� both in their late 70s 鈥� said they were taking personal precautions to guard against a virus that is a greater risk to the elderly.

鈥淚鈥檓 using a lot of soap and hand sanitizer,鈥� Mr. Sanders said.

The senator found himself on the defensive at several points in the night, including about favorable comments he鈥檚 made about authoritarian regimes in Cuba and other Latin American countries 鈥� remarks that could hurt Mr. Sanders in Tuesday鈥檚 key primary in Florida, a state with a large population of residents from those nations. Mr. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, said that while he condemns authoritarianism in Cuba and elsewhere, it鈥檚 possible to recognize positive changes made by their governments.

鈥淭o simply say that nothing ever done by any of those administrations had a positive impact on their people would, I think, be incorrect,鈥� Mr. Sanders said.

Mr. Sanders also responded to criticism about his inability to draw support from black voters by raising questions about whether Mr. Biden can rally young people and new voters, saying he has doubts about whether Mr. Biden can generate 鈥渆nergy and excitement and voter turnout.鈥� Still, he vowed to mobilize behind Mr. Biden if he becomes the party鈥檚 nominee.

鈥淚f I lose this thing, Joe wins, Joe, I will be there for you,鈥� Mr. Sanders said.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.