As Democrats take aim at each other, some worry it only helps Trump
-
Politics Editor
| WASHINGTON
Dear reader:
The Monitor鈥檚 Story Hinckley is in Michigan this week, along with nearly all the Democrats running for president. Last night, she watched the debate from McShane鈥檚 Irish Pub in downtown Detroit, where patrons were filling out 鈥渄ebate bingo鈥� cards amid the wafting smell of buttered popcorn. There were whoops and hollers at key moments, such as when Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said flatly: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e wrong,鈥� in response to former Maryland Rep. John Delaney calling his Medicare for All plan 鈥減olitical suicide.鈥� New Age author Marianne Williamson drew some of the biggest cheers of the night with her answer on reparations. (For those interested in Ms. Williamson 鈥� who was the night鈥檚 most-Googled candidate 鈥� here鈥檚 an interview with her by our Washington bureau chief, Linda Feldmann.)
I was watching the debate from home on television 鈥撀燼nd on Twitter. About an hour in, I noticed some Democratic strategists expressing palpable frustration. 鈥淥n Thursday, thousands of Michiganders will lose their job when an auto plant 10 miles from this debate site shuts down. President Trump promised the people of Michigan that wouldn鈥檛 happen,鈥� Mo Elleithee, a former adviser to Hillary Clinton. 鈥淚 cannot understand why no candidate tonight has forced it into the conversation.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
In Tuesday鈥檚 debate, candidates engaged in sharp exchanges over health care plans, teed up by moderators. Tonight may be just as contentious.
鈥淢alpractice,鈥� agreed Paul Begala, a former top adviser to President Bill Clinton.
Mr. Begala, for his part, also tweeted : 鈥淒onald Trump has proposed the largest cut in Medicare in history. Every candidate on that stage is, allegedly, running against Donald Trump, and yet they have not mentioned it. Not once. That issue alone could cost him re-election. My guess is he鈥檚 laughing his butt off.鈥�
It's understandable that outside Democratic strategists would want the candidates to spend less time attacking each another and more time attacking the president. Some of the criticisms aimed by the more moderate candidates at the progressives 鈥� particularly on health care 鈥� felt like ready-made Republican attack ads.
But at this stage in the race, Democratic voters need to see how their candidates stack up 鈥� and, especially, how they differ. Everyone on that stage was unified in their opposition to President Donald Trump and his policies. But there is real disagreement over how best to challenge him. Does this moment call for big, bold change? Or unifying pragmatism? It will be up to the voters to decide.
Let us know what you鈥檙e thinking at csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.
