The Democrats launched their second round of debates last night with the first of two ten-candidate events live from Detroit and broadcast on CNN. Does their determination to hold the debates in red states suggest that the party leaders wanted to reach out to moderates and dissatisfied conservatives in order to build a broader coalition?
Perhaps. Did they do that? Don’t be silly. In case you had something—anything!—else to do, we’ve collected the best tweets of the night so you can get caught up on the insanity.
It Begins…Eventually
Even the candidates who weren’t participating knew this was going to be a long night.
Just sitting down for the Dem debate. It’s going to go for 2-and-a-half-hours – settle in.
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) July 30, 2019
CNN started their hype machine, because apparently they think this is Monday Night Football for nerds.
CNN’s NFL-style framing of this debate makes me want to dunk my head in acid.
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) July 31, 2019
Watching this intro, it’s a good reminder political coverage increasingly resembles sports coverage. That’s not good.
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) July 31, 2019
After introductions and commercials, the beginning of the actual debate neared.
This is like the MLB all star game — introductions and anthems first, long before the actual first pitch. https://t.co/TrfIKgUHw5
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) July 31, 2019
But first, opening statements, if only to remind us who some of these people are. They started with the newcomer, Steve Bullock of Montana.
“Is this person…running?”
-OH in the reason office as Montana Gov. Steve Bullock begins his remarks.
— Peter Suderman (@petersuderman) July 31, 2019
I have my eye on Bullock tonight. He has the chance to stand out as more moderate among all the Ds.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) July 31, 2019
Gov Steve Bullock looks like the substitute teacher is really trying to convince you to do the work your real teacher left
— Rick Barrett ⚔️🛡⛪️ (@BarrettBrief) July 31, 2019
Marianne Williamson said some things.
Marianne Williamson has my vote. And my star crystals.
— Joe Cunningham (@JoePCunningham) July 31, 2019
Relatively normal guy John Delaney came out swinging against the two big bolshies in the room, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Delaney goes right after Warren and Sanders in his opening, calls Medicare for All a bad policy and compares them as potential nominees to former Democratic nominees George McGovern, Walter Mondale, and Michael Dukakis, who were all crushed in general elections.
— David Rutz (@DavidRutz) July 31, 2019
I’m not a Democrat, but @JohnDelaney is right. Bernie’s Socialism is the path to Trump’s re-election.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 31, 2019
Delaney. Can’t unsee it. #demdebate pic.twitter.com/FxNrGQR04m
— jon gabriel (@exjon) July 31, 2019
That got the ball rolling as the night shaped up to be a battle between the left-wing and the far left-wing, with the two New England socialists coming under heavy attack from a bunch of people polling at 1% or less.
Hickenlooper goes after Warren and Sanders, though not by name, saying the views they have are not shared by the 40 Democrats who won House seats last year. “I share their progressive values but I’m a little more pragmatic,” he says.
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) July 31, 2019
Oh God. Klobuchar practiced that “let’s get real” line 150 times and it still came across awkward as hell. #DemDebate #DemocraticDebate
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 31, 2019
Ryan: Let’s be pragmatic
Hickenlooper: It’s important to be reasonable
Klobuchar: I won’t make crazy promises
Sanders: I WILL GIVE EVERY MAN WOMAN AND CHILD A BEANBAG CHAIR FILLED WITH GOLD NUGGETS#DemDebate #DemocraticDebate
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 31, 2019
It dragged on for a while.
When you’re almost 25 minutes into the #DemDebate and not a single question has been asked yet. pic.twitter.com/J5rMy8TVdK
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) July 31, 2019
Yelling About Math
When the questions at last began, the moderators directed the conversation to health care. Bernie went straight to ALL CAPS OLD MAN RANT, as usual.
Tapper: Senator, Delaney says the math in your health care plan doesn’t add up.
Sanders: I AM VERY MAD ABOUT THIS AND I CAN OUT-SHOUT ANYBODY HERE
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) July 31, 2019
BERNIE IS YELLING ALREADY
— LB (@beyondreasdoubt) July 31, 2019
Bernie’s “You’re wrong” elicited a smile from Delaney because he actually got noticed as a participant on the stage.
— David Dayen (@ddayen) July 31, 2019
Delaney while Bernie is yelling at him: pic.twitter.com/ZjuR5Im7iu
— Celine D. Ryan (@celinedryan) July 31, 2019
Delaney’s comments demonstrated his considerable expertise on the matter. Nobody liked that.
A lot of union workers pay little or no premiums for their health insurance. Medicare for all will take away their private coverage and jack up their taxes.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) July 31, 2019
Warren tried to jump in, but it was awkward.
Delaney plays the union card on Bernie. Bernie yelling about drug companies. Warren seizing a moment here and it’s effective.
Then she snaps at the audience. Eep.#DemDebate
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) July 31, 2019
The crowd is LAUGHING at Warren. Holy shit. #DemDebate
— Joe Cunningham (@JoePCunningham) July 31, 2019
In a nutshell: pic.twitter.com/7Z6iQpBg10
— Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) July 31, 2019
When that discussion finished, the kids table reprised it.
Oh hell yeah the Beto-Bullock fight that I’ve always dreamed of
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) July 31, 2019
Bullock coins a phrase – “wish-list economics”
— John Avlon (@JohnAvlon) July 31, 2019
How someone Beto’s age still has the mannerisms of an earnest 14 year old is fascinating to me.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) July 31, 2019
It continued from there, as the moderators let the candidates differentiate themselves on an important matter of policy.
Bernie’s “I wrote the damn bill” response to practical questions about his sweeping promise presumes that legislative language is the equivalent of a magic genie.
— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) July 31, 2019
Buttigieg basically says “go ahead and be far left, Republicans will call us that anyway.”
okay, but then you’re saying we’re right though
— Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) July 31, 2019
Bernie lashing out, and it didn’t go over.
Delaney: “His math is wrong.” He then quotes the section of the bill.
Bernie twitching like he wants to punch Delaney. #DemDebate live
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) July 31, 2019
Shorter John Delaney trying to explain that the math of #MedicareForAll doesn’t add up pic.twitter.com/EUE4pEmIUE
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) July 31, 2019
If You Catch Me At The Border
Next came immigration. The candidates tried to explain just exactly how open they wanted America’s borders to be. The consensus: pretty darn open.
Decriminalizing illegal entry into the US means treating illegal entry into the country similar to a speeding ticket. That’s an invitation for millions more to illegally enter the US.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) July 31, 2019
HIckenlooper on solving the immigration crisis: “How hard can that be?”
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) July 31, 2019
Notice how Bernie just slipped in that little part about having strong border protections. He has the most anti-immigrant platform of any candidate on the stage #DemDebate
— Josh Guckert (@JoshGuckert) July 31, 2019
Elizabeth Warren says she wants to expand legal immigration along with a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) July 31, 2019
Warren emphasizes standing up for people who overstay student visas.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) July 31, 2019
Warren being dishonest. The criminal act is illegal entry, not seeking asylum. People who seek at a port of entry are not charged with a crime. #CNNdebate
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 31, 2019
“Laws matter,” says Warren, while arguing for decriminalization. #DemDebate
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) July 31, 2019
Warren and Sanders were actually far apart on this, unusually. The discussion ended in time for a commercial.
the ad break includes a commercial for a pill named “otezla” that partially clears skin at the cost of nausea, diarrhea and depression at a listed price of $3,400 for a 30-day supply. anyway back to asking candidates why they’d change our terrific health care system
— the norms misser (@cd_hooks) July 31, 2019
Pick Me A Winner
After the break, the candidates talked about whether any of them could beat Trump.
If you’re Hickenlooper, I don’t understand why you soft-pedal this question. You are nowhere in the polls. If you’re not going to tell people Bernie will lose and you can win, why are you there?
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) July 31, 2019
O’Rourke pushed the idea that if he can lose in Texas, he can lose anywhere!
Beto O’Rourke, who lost his Senate Race, says Texas is now a battleground state
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) July 31, 2019
Um, Beto lost his Texas race. I’m not trying to be shady! I’m just saying…it’s not the strongest electability argument!
— Clare Malone (@ClareMalone) July 31, 2019
Even more impressive: he managed to say it in English! The polling on last debate’s bilingualism must have been muy mal, because no one even tried it this time.
beto: my responses are going better tonight
also beto: SPEAK IN SPANISH pic.twitter.com/CbNpZrpxxa
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) July 31, 2019
Delaney argues the candidates should not promise things they can’t deliver. The mob is unimpressed. Warren suggests promising EVERYTHING. The crowd goes wild!
Delaney definitely felt that one pic.twitter.com/8mz30IFdGM
— Salvador Hernandez (@SalHernandez) July 31, 2019
Delaney and Bullock are fighting for the 2016 Jim Webb vote. #DemDebate
— Cam Edwards (@CamEdwards) July 31, 2019
Guns, Sun, and (No) Fun
On the topic of guns, the candidates were more united.
Shorter Pete Buttigieg: We took away your beer. We can take away your gun too.
— Philip Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) July 31, 2019
Buttigieg talks about Court-packing & DC statehood as solutions to gun violence. Bullock: Koch brothers! Williamson: drug companies are bad!
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) July 31, 2019
Climate change also came up, including the amount of hot air coming out of Sanders’s mouth.
Tim Ryan’s “you don’t have to yell,” is the good zinger against Bernie that every other candidate wishes they had used.
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) July 31, 2019
Tim Ryan to Bernie: “You don’t have to yell.” Ohhhh, you’re barking up the wrong tree, Congressman. #DemDebate
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) July 31, 2019
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/mRzbfUYgmH
— Colin Campbell (@colincampbell) July 31, 2019
tim ryan: you don’t have to yell bernie
bernie: listen mortal *eyes going black*
Ḁ͖̻̤ͬ͗̊̐C̟̞̤̠̫ͭT̻̱̥̖̘̗̖͞U̫̤̲͖̲͇̪̔̇̅Aͨ͏̱͔̮͖͉̱Ḽ͎͍̈́́L̰̲̠̀Y̵̹͉͔̦̾ͪͬ́̀ͮ̑ ̵̉̾́I̠̜̞̙̙͋̂͋ͫ̚͝ ͭ҉̘͈͍̫̳ͅͅD͓̱̆̐̀ͅŌ̈́̅͊͆ͦ
— rudy mustang (@rudy_mustang) July 31, 2019
Twirling Toward Victory
Williamson used her inside voice and got some of the best applause of the night for her discussion of the environment and racism. She continue to actively oppose the idea of having a plan for things, seeking instead to dispel evil forces through…something. The crowd loved it.
Big applause line for @marwilliamson: “I lived in Grosse Point. What happened in Flint would not have happened in Grosse Point.” Fact. #DemDebate
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) July 31, 2019
Marianne: “IF YOU THINK THIS WONKINESS IS GOING TO DEAL WITH THIS DARK PSYCHIC FORCE…” pic.twitter.com/j7AdWcn5RD
— Noah Smith 🐇 (@Noahpinion) July 31, 2019
“If you think any of this wonkiness is going to deal with this dark psychic force” pic.twitter.com/YP24VIm60L
— Peter Suderman (@petersuderman) July 31, 2019
Trump VS high crystal priestess @marwilliamson is the debate America needs. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/Kx1Drc1twL
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) July 31, 2019
That was Williamson with the two biggest standing ovations of the night. #ItsHappening
— Jeremy Senderowicz (@jsende) July 31, 2019
40 Acres And A Carbon-Neutral Mule
That led naturally to a discussion of race, in which the candidates tried their best to out-woke each other.
We’re now in the part of the debate where the candidates work for Ta-Nehisi Coates’ vote.
— Damon Linker (@DamonLinker) July 31, 2019
Been waiting for the race question #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/WByjM4FeeH
— GahtDamn47 (@GDamn47) July 31, 2019
Buttigieg got weird.
“the racial divide lives within me” is a very strange thing to say.
— Farhad Manjoo (@fmanjoo) July 31, 2019
Williamson brought up General Sherman.
WAIT A MINUTE!!! Did #MarianneWilliamson just mention 40 acres and mule while breaking down #reparations number? Now that’s a confident white woman going after the #Democratic Black vote. #DemDebate #DemDebates #Democratic @CNN pic.twitter.com/fIcT4dz5oK
— John Burnett (@IamJohnBurnett) July 31, 2019
NAFTER
The topics came more quickly as the end mercifully neared. On trade, the candidates divided between free traders—led by Delaney and O’Rourke—and those who are closer to Trump’s pro-tariff policy—Warren, Sanders, and Ryan.
https://t.co/TDT1Dncv3e pic.twitter.com/tOuW6rC79g
— Scott Lincicome (@scottlincicome) July 31, 2019
Gotta love the Bernie accent — votes against “Nafter” to fight for the “workah.”
— David French (@DavidAFrench) July 31, 2019
On taxes, Delaney pointed out the constitutional and practical issues with Warren’s proposed wealth tax. She replied that she really, really wants his money.
The Warren wealth tax hand rub!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/2YF54JwPEv
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 31, 2019
This is also why Delaney’s idea of raising cap gains may be better:
A wealth tax lightly taxes assets with huge returns. Not the best structure for a tax meant to combat inequality. https://t.co/2XrCflmayU
— Kyle Pomerleau (@kpomerleau) July 31, 2019
“Of the 15 European countries that tried a wealth tax in recent years, only four still employ it.” Because they work so badly. @SenWarren hasn’t learned. #Cato2020 #DemDebates
— Walter Olson (@walterolson) July 31, 2019
The debate dragged on into the night. They talked of nuclear policy, the candidates’ ages, and assorted other topics. It was a lot.
Part 1: We’re taking your insurance!
Part 2: Who needs a border?
Part 3: Damned Second Ammendment
Part 4: Isn’t Trump the Worst?
Part 5: We Will Control the Weather!
Part 6: Local Problems? Call the Feds!
Part 7: RACIST! #DemocraticDebate
— Chris Stigall (@ChrisStigall) July 31, 2019
Tapper: To prevent global war, would you teleport a gigantic psychic squid into the heart of New York City, killing millions?
Buttigieg: I did it 35 minutes ago
— pixelatedboat aka “mr tweets” (@pixelatedboat) July 31, 2019
Finally, it ended, but moderator Jake Tapper had some sobering words for us all.
.@jaketapper “Join us tomorrow night for Round TWO!”
Everyone watching: pic.twitter.com/CslOZXeGhK
— Tom Reynolds (@Beregond) July 31, 2019
