Candidates Face Off in Third Democratic Debate
On Thursday, September 12, the top ten Democratic Primary candidates faced off at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas in the third debate to be held so far. The participating candidates included those at the top of the polls, such as former Vice President Joe Biden and Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Other Participants included Amy Klobuchar, Corey Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Andrew Yang, Beto O’Rourke, and Julián Castro, all of which are currently polling less at eight percent or less, both nationwide and in Massachusetts. The topics discussed included healthcare, criminal justice reform, gun control, immigration and climate change, among others.
The candidates, in their opening statements, expressed their wish to move forward on certain issues, should they be elected to the White House, with Elizabeth Warren choosing to speak on rising college tuition, Bernie Sanders focusing on raising minimum wage, and Joe Biden stating he, “refuses to postpone” on finding cures for diseases and free public school. Above all of the candidates wishes for change and hopes for reaching the White House, however, is one goal they all share in common. “Houston, we have a problem,” says candidate Amy Klobuchar, referring to President Donald Trump, a man they all agree should be removed from the presidency. “Enormous opportunities once we get rid of Trump,” says Biden, Trump is the “most dangerous president,” adds Sanders.
The candidates stand relatively united on issues like healthcare, gun control, and climate change. Biden stands firm on his belief that America needs affordable health care, but also acknowledging that “medicare for all will take a very long time.” Senator Sanders takes a bold stance on the matter, saying “medicare for all is the most cost effective method of providing healthcare.”
Senator Warren hopes to lead the charge on climate change, stating that it’s “the threat to every living thing on this planet” and that “we need to use regulatory tools.” These statements come after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, leaving questions as to whether the Agreement will still being able to meet its goal without the U.S.’s support. On the basis of of education, there seems to be a visible divide in the candidates’ beliefs. Entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrew Yang is a proponent of private schools, while most other candidates believe public schools are the way to go, “step one is to appoint a secretary of education who actually believes in public education,” says South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, referring to Trump’s appointed Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. Throughout their disagreements however, one thing rings true in their beliefs: we need to value our teachers. “We need to pay our teachers more,” says Yang, “each teacher is worth his or her weight in gold.”
All ten candidates agree that they are “more united than divided” on the issues at hand, and more importantly, on beating Trump in the ballot box next November. The fourth Democratic Debate will take place October 15-16 in Westerville, Ohio.