September 19, 2019 --

The September 12 Democrat presidential debate featured former Vice President Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen Cory Booker, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Congressman Beto O'Rourke, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and former HUD secretary Julian Castro. This was the first time the ten leading candidates appeared in debate together. The topics included healthcare, trade policy, climate change, gun control and charter schools. A quick review of the Washington Post transcript suggests that the candidates did not get equal time, nor did all ten get a chance to respond to all the questions asked by the moderators: George Stephanopoulos, David Muir and Linsey Davis, of ABC News, and Jorge Ramos of Univision. Watching the debate on tv, LPR was struck most by the sight of candidates raising their hands to be recognized to reply to comments from their opponents. Not quite a presidential gesture, LPR thinks.

President Trump was accused by Sen. Harris of sowing "hate and division." Sen. Sanders called the president "the most dangerous president in the history of this country." Sen. Booker agreed that Mr. Trump is a "racist," adding that the question is what the country will do about racism. Mr. O'Rourke referred to the president as "a white supremacist," who is "a mortal threat to people of color all across this country." For LPR, the format seemed more like a scattershot partisan infomercial The next debate is scheduled for October 15.