And the Winner of the First Night in Detroit Is…

What is clear at this stage in the Detroit Democratic Debates is that the first night was filled with policy conversations that one could only dream of in a political climate dominated by Trump’s ridiculousness. Tuesday night’s debate was electric with everyone bringing their A game. Unfortunately, for some of those on stage, their A game is defined by outdated ideas and calls to prioritize conservative voters over the progressive standards that will excite the Democratic necessary to win the next presidential campaign.

Instead of talking in terms of candidates, it makes more sense to talk about who stood out on the many issues covered in the debate. Democrats tackled a whopping fifteen issues in Detroit, and as a race conscious black voter, it was encouraging to see four of those issues were directly about the black communities across this country that include the Democratic Party’s most loyal voters. And, it would not be honest of me to neglect to mention that even when Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders’ names were not invoked by the moderators or the other candidates on stage, the two were the target of the push back. This was wonderful for Sanders and Warren because they are well versed in the plans they support, and it left the others looking like minor-leaguers trying to challenge the team star so the coach would notice them. It didn’t work.

Healthcare

The night began with a healthy discussion on healthcare (no pun intended) which gave space for Sanders and Warren to show off their superior understanding of this country’s need for universal healthcare. Although the two senators rose to the challenge, on this topic their policies were challenged  by former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Maryland Congressman John Delany, and Montana Governor Steve Bullock. Bullock who seemed to have planned his entire debate around selling Democrats on the idea that Warren and Sanders are proposing “wish-list policies” that are out of touch with mainstream Americans and would cause Trump to win reelection. Bullock’s only problem was apparently no one on his team informed him how popular universal healthcare is with those voters necessary to win a Democratic primary. It is also worth mention that his tactics seemed rehearsed and reminiscent of California Congressman Eric Swalwell’s “pass the torch” remark to former Vice-President Joe Biden during the first debates. Swalwell is no longer in the race, let us see if Bullock’s tactic marks the end of his presidential bid.

Immigration

The candidates moved to immigration by basically debating decriminalization of those crossing the border, and we did not see much difference in the candidates and again only a few candidates went all the way by saying that we should not criminalize people who are crossing our border for reasons that are truly related to a humanitarian crisis. Warren outspokenly said that we should not criminalize people because this very policy is the tool that Trump uses to separate families. Sanders made a huge impact on this conversation by saying that anyone walking thousands of miles to enter this country is not a criminal. South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg noticeably said that under his presidency there will still be criminalization policies for crossing the border, while he did make the point that some of these issues will be handled in civil situations, his responses sounded a little outdated for someone who continues throughout his campaign and last night to remind us, in so many coded ways, that he is a millennial. The others had points that were political.

Defeating President Trump

Beating trump was also discussed and while this isn’t a policy issue, it is an important conversation to put to bed. Former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke did his best JFK/Obama motivational tactic. But, unfortunately, “Kumbaya” was not on the table because his opponents had real ideas on how to win. Hickenlooper and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar both came right out and said that Sanders’ and Warren’s ideas would undoubtedly give Trump the 2020 election win. This comment caused a visceral reaction from Warren and the Senator’s response may have been her most forceful all night. Warren said picking a candidate simply because they can beat Trump without Democratic voters believing in them is not a successful strategy. Throughout the night, Warren was interrupted by the moderators telling her she was out of time, which left the impression that she had more to say on the topic. It was a small, but extremely smart tactic on her team’s part. And while Warren did not speak on every topic last night, she raised her and interjected the saying “I would like to respond to that…on everything from foreign policy to ‘Pete and Bernie’s exchange about age.’ Before nearly every commercial break she could be heard saying, “I would like to respond to that,” and it left the impression that Warren has something to do with or say about everything, keeping with her slogan “I have a plan for that.”

Green New Deal

What turned out to be the most combative issue of the evening was the Green New Deal with Sanders and Warren once again on one side of the fight—supporting the GND—versus the rest of the candidates. Delaney said his bill was the only real bill [addressing climate change] being discussed in Congress, and Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan said he would essentially create a new cabinet level position titled the Chief Manufacturing Officer. Warren stated that her plan would create 1.2 million new jobs and Sanders said on the topic of the climate America has no choice, the country has to act. Hickenlooper pushed back and said that the plan should not be supported because it tied to many things that had nothing to do with the environment like healthcare and guaranteed income.

Race in America

The topic of race drew applause from the crowd and covered reparations, America’s racial divide, white supremacy and the water crisis in Flint. This part of the debate belonged to Marianne Williamson with her passionate call for 200-500 billion dollars of reparations to be paid to the descendants of slavery and the victims of the Jim Crow legacy. When a moderator asked Williamson “who was she to determine the amount…” she eloquently spelled out the number of folks who were promised forty acres and a mule and spoke on what was really owed versus what is politically feasible and finished by reminding us all that America is but a country of people and without healing nothing can really be addressed and reparations are necessary for healing. It is worth noting that several candidates came out and said that enslaved blacks were the reason this country was rich. As a black politico, this was a winning moment for my community and the first time I have heard so many white politicians have this conversation in a manner that has structural possibility. Williamson also reminded the nation of the tragic situation that is the water crisis in Flint, Michigan by sharing that she lives in a city not too far from Flint named Grosse Point, and it is majority white city where a water crisis would never happen.

The Economy

The debate about the economy, raising taxes on the wealthy, and student debt revealed more differences between those middle state Democrats and Warren and Sanders. Bullock tried to make the argument that Democrats sound as if they are against workers who fuel this country like coal workers, but Sanders aptly shut that argument down by saying no one in Congress is more “pro-worker” than he.

Foreign Policy

The conversation around foreign policy was the biggest critique of Trump throughout the night, and each candidate talked about how ill-equipped Trump is to serve as the Commander-In-Chief. The one point of tension was Warren’s warning about the danger of normalcy around nuclear weapons. She claimed that as president she would go on record that America would never use nuclear weapons preemptively while others said they would keep the option on the table. The other part of the foreign policy debate questioned if it os necessary to talk with all leaders, especially dictators. There were some differences, but it was clear the end result was the same; no one on stage wanted to give a dictator the attention that Trump has given Kim Jong Un.

Who Won?

This is the first debate I can remember where the winner was not on the stage. However, I am convinced that this is how democracy is supposed to work, the winner of last night’s debate was Progressives and the policies they support, which in turn means the entire country won. We know that policies being touted by progressive which include college loan forgiveness, a livable wage, the Green New Deal, universal healthcare, and reparations are good for the entire country. The Detroit Debate was the beginning of the end of a few people’s presidential bids. We know politicians are often full of themselves, and some will hang around longer than they should, but last night reminded us that while polls are not the markers of who will and who will not be elected, it is a matter of fact that Warren and Sanders reigned supreme over last night’s stage and others melted under the heat of the lights.