Transcripts For CNNW Debate Post Analysis 20191220

Pay for everything and is it realistic . Which is the argument that klobuchar makes. That buttigieg makes in the very big divide that is this field. He did it more clearly with more strength. And in that moment. First of all it should be known that klobuchar is getting more attention from the media than i have seen in debates past. Shes not the only candidate in the room. Obviously her performance tonight is resonating. Two, i asked this question for a reason. Im not disrespecting democrats with the comparing youre not having this debate with the president of the United States. Its not going to go this way. At some point you have to start seeing the kinds of things that will allow you to win on the stage. You have a lot of smart people around the candidates they do research. And they really probe to see what kinds of messages will resonate with voters. And if they thought that the way forward here to distinguish themselves was to go sort of scorched earth against the president , they would have done it. I think they were reading the elect or the. And its baked in the cake the democrats deeply dislike donald trump and want to beat him. They need to distinguish themselves from each other. And have a message that touches the disaffection that dismisses everything he does because they are worried about something bigger than his behavior. They did. They did at the beginning. When they were talking about impeachment and given an opportunity to do that. Essentially get it out of the way. Before they started discussing but they want to get that out of the way. Discuss their and go into differences. I want to if you want to add to that. I want to switch to sanders. The thing about joe biden and the reason theres a sense that maybe he could be the guy who beats trump and the reason trump feels that way. He bought an impeachment trying to retard his progress. Is he is culturally akin to many of the disaffected voters. Hes an establishment figure and comes from a different place. And can speak to the voters. In the hes talking about spending less money. I know we all hear it all the time. Everything costs money. Is that whats going to resonate with people . The dignity a lot of democrats are insensitive to the sense of estrangement and disdain the voters feel. Sanders had been that candidate up until about three months ago. Where he gets the anger. He still does. The medicare for all which has become the talking point of every moderate. You cant pay for it. I still think its a real problem for him. I want to say about sanders who always by the way shows up and hes sanders. He is. The first thing you expect him to be. We learned more. It was his autobiography. He announced he was proudly ju jewish. And lived in israel. Before he said you must be propalestinian. This was i sat there and thought wow, sanders. We never talk about Bernie Sanders. Hes doing well in the poll. Hes picked up and the fact is sanders is as consistent as consistent can be. You know what hes going to say. You hear the hits from the 80s, 90s. Everybody knows the words they sing along. And they love it. There was something thats new. That is the asen dense. Enough to get him on the stage. Of yang. Yang has similar messaging. Not entirely. Very similar messaging on the forgotten man and woman to sanders. He does it in such a different we experienced it firsthand. We was talking about the biggest Industrial Revolution right now the fourth Industrial Revolution. What it means for young people. The cheap seats. Up top where the younger people were a lot of the students were loving it. Bernie breaks in he realizes this my lane. Says i want to talk about the environment for a second. And they didnt like it. There were moans and groans. Third place among young votes. He competing with sanders for the vote. And the way he talks about the economy is actually different because of what you said. His explanation for whats going on is a very contemporary. And a private sector one. He has a real of what works in the economy. He is a threat to pete in ways that i dont think we understand. He shows when people is telling. In other words pete tonight he got a little bit rattled. He was punching bag pete for a while. He fought back. He wasnt that optimistic happy warrior he started. He was grim and determined. Show the backbone. Yang brought the light. He brought the the joy and funny. And fresh ideas. Watch what happens with them. People under estimate him from the beginning. Hes doing something extraordinary. Hes not talking from talking points. This is somebody who is clearly thought about things. Digested things. Written a book. It will be in our mailboxes. Hes somebody who didnt just run for president because he wanted to be famous. He had ideas. And belief. And decided ill give it a shot and hes one that seems to be surprised and a joyful warrior. He speaks so i think authentically and moveingly about the special needs child. I have a special needs child myself and i deeply appreciate it. That was a huge point. When he said today talk about sometimes things hit you. We have been through it so many times. Where it hits you with your own personal experience. He said i dont know how many are in schools out there, having special needs is the new normal in the country. If you have a kid in public or private school, do you know that is the truth. Theres such an expanded understanding. It hasnt been met by the cultural understanding and how we deal with education. The point that everybody seemed strong the mayor from south bend had people coming at anymore two directions. Women candidates and test ov how he deals with it. Its good to know. Sure enough here he is. Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Tonight on the stage, we have been saying we think you guys were at your best tonight. Is that about less seats . You knowing who mayor pete the candidate is . To what do you ascribe great performance tonight. Our campaign and message continues to get stronger as we go. The contrasts are coming into focus. What you have up there is a good faith contest among different ideas and world views. Difference experiences. Each making the case for why what we bring is the best. My case is beating donald trump. Putting an end to his white house and trumpism. And realizing this is by definition a contest for the nomination and to be the president for the day after trump. Focusing on policies that will solve the big problems. And do it in a way to unify a divided and polarized American People. Lets shadow the swings taken at you. Klobuchar, fair criticism that part of the downside of your im not part of this washington insider game is the criticism she made you dont respect the collective experience enough. You havent been here to do it you dont understand it. Fair . The suggestion is i dont understand washington. I understand them i dont accept them. The American People are fed up with the way things are going in washington. We need to bring change. It might be a good idea to come from outside. Follow was hes smart and good. He doesnt win big enough. He tried to be head oert part and didnt make it. Heres the beauty of caucus, primary and election. The best way to settle the question is can you win is win. Wine cave pete. Not the catchiest. But its on twitter right now. The mayor just recently had a fundraiser held in a wine cave full of crystals and served 900 a bottle wine. Im the only person on the stage who is not a millionaire or billionaire. Senator your net worth is 100 times mine. Supposing that you went home feeling the holiday spirit. This isnt likely. And decided to go onto pete for america. Com and give the max by law. 2,000 would that pollute my campaign because its from a wealthy person . Im glad to have the support. I do not sell access to my time. Senator, your president ial campaign right noi as we speak is funded in part by money you transferred having raised it at the exact same big ticket fundraisers you denounce. Now, you did your home work. On this. You knew the record. It came tonight. Its not good enough to be in a whos worse situation. Whats your take about money in the campaign how you get it and what the truth is about the reality of politics . First of all im the mayor of south bend. Thats not a power house. I wornt be here if i hadnt worked a way to build grass roots support. We have a million individuals who have given to the campaign. The average contribution is 32. I wont define the campaign about who we exclude or reject. We have to bring together all the resources we can. Over on the other side trump will not tie one hand behind their back. That he put together 300 million in order to keep the grip on power. Theyre getting warmed up. We have to go to this with everything we have. The purity tests distract from the effort to make sure we bring everything we can to the ultimate goal which is sde feet trump and set up the era next. To the pros. Im curious about your prep for this. You knew you had the incoming. You knew you were going to get attacked from all of the opponents. I think you thought it was going happen the last debate. This time it happened. And you were ready to go. Did it feel different . Are we right about the fact you prepped in a big way . Its not just attack. Its specifics from the fundraiser from senator warren to the fact your experience is very limited from senator klobuchar. I think the bottom line is when youre doing well, folks might take you. You have to be ready to respond. I want to make sure when my campaign or my ideas are attacked i defend them. And i think its a honest debate up there. About different ideas, different approaches. It was important that we move past the purity test. Especially coming from folks who cant pass them themselves. It was honest debate. At one point you said youre a million to warren. And so is she a hypocrite . My point is demonizing donors because theyre millionaires. You cant say that. And contend that your campaign is somehow corrupted if you get support from wealthy democrats. The interest thing is we get the debate. I asked the same question. When you were up there listening to it, do you think that you have your head on the fight that youre about to have when you get out of this. Of course every party has purity tests we have seen it. You come to the convention. Theres a move back to the center. You have to be competitive. This race will be different. This man is the most judgment proof politician within his own party we have ever seen. He can say and do whatever he hpts. He will lose no one. You will not have that advantage. You dont have democrats behind you that way. Are democrats ready for the fight you or someone will be in . We know what were up against. We cannot only rally democrats together. Im meeting so many independents and folks who are future former republicans. They come up to me who ordinary lu vote republican. Im not tricking they will. We disagree on things. The biggest thing is bring an end to the trump presidency. And restore decently to the white house. Disagreement with decency was d display can you do that opposite trump . You cant deal with him having equal and opposite energy. You have to absorb and redirect. If youre playing his game. Even when youre winning youre losing. When he lies we have to call it out. We have to confront it. When he bullies you. You have to stand up for yourself. Deny him the signature quality. The ability to change the subject. I believe every election is about this question. From a voters perspective how is my life going to be different if you are president instead of you. We have the better answer on issue after issue. Defense in the past on guns and immigration. The American People are with us. He needs us talking about not their lives but him. Were pointing out of course the men were oblivious to it. You were asked would you give a gift or ask for forgiveness. The women said forgiveness. The rest of you were about gifts. Obviously we can each have our part in the debate. Defend ourselves. But no woman should have to apologize. For being fired up. For being angry. Especially about whats going on now. And or for getting hot under the collar. We do. Its jendered. Its expected of men. Its probably the case the male candidate that you be viewed as having something wrong with you if you dont get hot under the collar. Sexism in politics a is different set of expectations for female candidates and leaders. You saw two great females up there tonight. Holding their own. Setting pace. Thank you very much. Best for the holy days. You, your husband and family. Lets take a break. We have been lucky here. We had two people who made strong cases. Klobuchar and mayor buttigieg. When we come back well have more coverage live from los angeles. Figure out what resonated tonight so stay with us. Maria ramirez . Hi. Maria ramirez mom maria Maria Ramirez. Mcdonalds is committing 150 Million Dollars in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs. Prof Maria Ramirez mom and dad Maria Ramirez to help more employees achieve their dreams. If you have moderate mom to severe psoriasisrez or psoriatic arthritis, Little Things can be a big deal. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats differently. 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Thats amazing. Oh and she was on the debate team. Yeah, thats probably why youre the debate queen. Mmhmm. Ill take that. Look at that smile. I have the same dimples as her. Yeah. The same placements and everything. Unbelievable. The same placements and everything. What are you doing back there, junior . Since were obviously lost, im rescheduling my Xfinity Customer Service appointment. Ah, relax. I got this. Which gps are you using anyway . A Little Something called instinct. Been using it for years. Yeah, thats what im afraid of. He knows exactly where were going. My whole body is a compass. Oh boy. The my account app makes todays Xfinity Customer Service simple, easy, awesome. Not my thing. All right. Were back here in l. A. With the continuing coverage of the sixth democratic debate. It was strong tonight. There was disagreement with decency. Is that the winning message for democrats . One of the people who made gain today. He wants to give himself credit for knowing that yang would make a move. He joins us. Thank you. Your analysis. Fewer people up there is that the end of the analysis of why people seemed on their game tonight . Do you think its finding your footing . It was a different dynamic. I have to say. Seven is more compact than ten. So you felt like the ball was coming to you quickly. I enjoyed this much more. Forget about better worse, smarter or less. Why do you think you speak about economics and movement of the industry and evolution of the industry in a different way than other people up there . I spend seven years running a National Nonprofit that helped create thousands of jobs in primarily the midwest and south. So doing that work led me so see firsthand the impact of the automation in the communities. Its like if you want to convince somebody Climate Change. Bring them to a glacier. And automation bring them to detroit or cleveland. I did that work for seven years and im a numbers guy. They are staggering. I understand Technology Much better than the other candidates. In technology is 2340u transforming the economy in more and more powerful ways. The reality of the tech sector of the private sector is often ahead of government . Oh my gosh. You have to speak their language. And you have to understand. Schwarzeneggar has a great quote. He was used to geting things done in the private sector. Not just movies. Government he learned i have to speak their language and build a coalition. Or theres no progress. How do you do that . We know that dc is 25 years behind on technology. We got rid of the office of Technology Assessment in 1995. We have to play catch up as quickly as possible. With the rate of o change you cant afford to be decades behind the curve. You might have been able to get away with it in history. Its gone from being dangerous to disasterous quickly. I can help us play catch up and when i sat with the technology in silicon valley. Somebody said something you would not expect. We need government regulation and government input on this. Because were making decisions that we should not be making. One of them said that all of the incentive on Artificial Intelligence are going as fast as possible and theyll do something deeply problematic if thats the incentive. I want to open it up to the floor of the better mind here. Two things i thought stood out. One is that you said something that is so true for parents. You have a kid on the autism spectrum. Thats the new normal. Everybody seems to need something. That resonated with the room and me. With kids in school. You were the only Minority Group represented. You could add women in that. You were ready for the question. You immediately turned it away from yourself in a way that was very nonnormal for a politician. And you had statistics ready to telescope the issue into an argument about africanamerican, latin and emerging. You knew it was coming. Why go that way . Let me play it. Heres what im talking about. Its both an honor and disappointment to be the lone candidate of color on the stage tonight. I grew up the son of immigrants and i had many racial against me. Used against me as a kid. Black and latins have numbers working against them. The net worth is 10 of a white household. These are the numbers that define race. Why am i the lone candidate of collar on this stage . Disposable income. You need that to donate. The way we fix it is we take Martin Luther king, jr. Message of a dividend of 1,000 a month for all americans i guarantee if we had a freedom dividend. I would not be the only candidate of color on the stage tonight. The yang gang. In full effect in the cheap seats. The students. You were mathing it up. Make america think harder. Why did you instead of milk it. About what it means about me and me. Im an asian america and you telescoped it. Why . I would never put my experience growing up as an american and somehow frame that as representative of the experience of over 120 million americans of color. Particularly because the Asian American experience is distinct from the black experience. And it was 100 natural to give that perspective. No one wants to hear a sob story about a asian kid getting picked on for being scrawny. No one cares. They shouldnt. Maybe a tyiny bit. I have kids that are scrawny. Whats the rest of the floor have . I have a question. At the beginning of the debate, the questions were about impeachment. And i spent time with you in iowa. You mention this to me there. And said it again. That is the democrats are spending too much time on impeachment. Now that the president has been impeached and heading to the senate for trial. Do you feel that way . I have been campaigning nonstop since iowa. I cannot even remember anyone asking me a question about impeachment. Americans are not focussed on this in the same way the net works are. And to me theres a crucial number of zero. The number of republicans that signalled theyll Cross Party Lines you need 20 in the senate. Until that becomes greater than zero. It seems like a foregone conclusion. Do you think its hurting your party and whomever the candidate against trump will be . I was disappointed i seem to have the lone difference of opinion up there. Everyone else was impeachment impeachment. Americans are saying i dont care as much as im choosing between drugs or heating oil. Or my kid is depressed. Those are the issues voters are focussed on. You say you have to stop being obsessed. Obsessed over impeachment. Is that the media . This is the president of the United States who was impeached yesterday. By the house. They can take it. You cant blame a tv net work for saying impeachment is like the news of the day. It is historic. As a candidate running for president , i need to be talking about things that are different from impeachment. Will it effect votes . Of moderates who might vote republican or democrat. Do you see it affecting the election . What i see is reenforcing polarization. And its also a missed opportunity for candidates to present a unifying vision of the country that can peel off people who are independent or disaffected trump voters. Youre making a marketing argument. And its sensible. What do you do theres a constitutional argument as well. Do you not pursue blatant violations of the constitution and the oath of office if you theres not an interest among the market for it . Where do you draw the line how do you make a judgment . Im proimpeachment. Nancy pelosi did the right thing moving it forward. I will say i would be much more excited about it if they wrangle a republican or two. It is a very poor message to the country where you have all the democrats on one side and all the republicans on the other. But i agree democrats did the right thing moving forward. People are talking about impeachment. Nobody is talking about Artificial Intelligence and the National Security threat china poses. And real cash in peoples pockets. People have jobs and no money. You were somebody who brought completely fresh thinking. You are so future focussed. But you have this grip on american mystery. And y history. And youre starting to move. You have out lasted governors, senators. Billionaires. People in the house in representatives. Household names are not on the stage. You are. Why . Were having a conversation that americans recognize. As a the truth of whats happening in their community. We blasted away 40,000 manufacturing jobs in iowa alone. And iowa went to trump by eight points. This is playing out on main street around the country. Amazon is closing 30 of stores and malls and being retail clerk sa common job. I have had the same message the entire time. Its broken through to the American People. These are the real problems. And we have solutions. You have support from somebody i didnt think you would. Donald glover. A hip hop legend. He comes out and doesnt come out for booker or harris. Or obama. Biden. He comes out for you. And more are coming. How did you get him on the yang gang . You stole my question. Go ahead. This is a thrill for me. Im a huge fan. Someone on the team reached out to an agent that we knew in common and said next time youre in l. A. He wants to sit with you. We talk about the concerns and vision for the future. And we found that we were very aligned. And then from there we talk about different ways to collaborate. Im thrilled to be working with someone who sees the future as clearly as donald does. Youre starting to steal sfr different parts of the Democratic Party coalition. Moderate, young blacks and others. I think im proud to see that youre starting to prove a smaller stage you can get your argument across. The best to you for the holiday. You too. Huge fan of the people. Real pros. Not a little guy. 62. 200 pounds. Well take a break. After we take the break well come back. Another candidate who made a lot of head way on the stage. Senator warren. Next. [farmers bell] burke at farmers insurance, weve seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. Even a threering fender bender. clown 1 sorry about that. clown 2 apologies. clown 1 . Didnt mean it. clown 3 whoops. stilts sorry clowns were sorry scary hey, were sorry [man screams] [scary screams] burke quite the circus. But we covered it. At farmers, we know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum the ones that make a truebeen difference in peoples lives. And mikes won them, which is important right this minute, because if he could beat americas biggest gun lobby, helping pass background check laws and defeat nra backed politicians across this country, beat big coal, helping shut down hundreds of polluting plants and beat big tobacco, helping pass laws to save the next generation from addiction. All against big odds you can beat him. Im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. Im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. vo the flock blindly flying south for the winter. They never stray from their predetermined path. But this season, a more thrilling journey is calling. Defy the laws of human nature. At the season of audi sales event. All right. A very strong night here at the sixth democratic debate here at lmu in l. A. Were joined by senator warren. Thank you. In advance Merry Christmas for you and the family. It was an interesting night. One of the skills a great debater must have is change a perceived negative into a positive. You did that several times. One that stood out was this. Senator warren, you would be the oldest president ever inaugurated. Weigh in as well. And the youngest woman ever inaugurated. Always good when the candidate is pleased with their own answer. I was enjoying the laughter. The meaning of age, viability, strength. What have you learned about what it takes to win and lead. I think of this in the context of this historic moment. The president of the United States was just impeached yesterday. Because of corruption. Its been going on throughout his administration. Hes had ambassador ships for sale. His wealthy buddies. Everyones interest is ahead of the people of the United States of america. The way democrats will be able to beat trump is to draw a sharp contrast on that as possible. So hes the corrupt one, we have to be able to say credibly were out there fighting for the American People. Were fighting for folks struggling to pay student loans. Fighting for the folks who cant rustle up child care. The folks who cant pay medical bills. Thats the distinguish. One policy point. You were talking about to buttigieg tonight i use the verb talking. There was disa greemt on decency. The idea of how he gets his money. He was ready for you and came back about you in the past. And no different than he is. Why ignore the reality of the system. Were you ready for the response . I just disagree. When i made the decision to get into this race, it was because i see a government that for decades has worked a little better and a little better for those with money. And worked worse and worse for everyone else. Look at one of the economy questions we got i was waving my hand on. And didnt get to talk about. Gdp going up in the country. Record corporate profit. It didnt happen because of gravity. It happened because government just piece at a time made the a little nicer. So did you. He transferred that money the same way i did. Why did rules just keep working better and better for those folks in a democracy . Money wins in washington. We have to be ready and willing to credibly make the case thats not who we are. Are you better than pete when it comes to money in the campaign . I have made it clear my time is not for sale. Is his . I dont hold close door fundraisers. That was wasnt close door. Not at the dinner. I dont think thats right. There werent people in the dinner. The pool there was a pool there to cover it. The dinner. 900 wine. They were at a reception not the dirn. When the 50 donors who got the wine in the wine cave having media in the front part is not enough . It means nobody knows what was said behind closed doors. Hes opened the fundraisers right . He said he opened them before that. Look, this is about how were going to behave as democrats. And whether were going to say credibly to the American People im not here to fight for the billionaires. Im not here fighting for the big corporations. Im here to fight for a family like yours. For your family. How do you respond when he says youre a millionaire. You are a millionaire. Are you saying if i take money from you im corrupt . I didnt hear a response. If i run for office and took money from you would i be corrupt . I dont sell access to my time. Whether you give me 5 or whatever is the max. Im not spending my time doing call time. Im not spending my time having private conversations with you. Are you worried about the idea a photograph for 5,000. Well said. When he says purity test. That resonates with me. Theres something in the party where you have to be pure on every issue and above and people start feeling left out and excluded by your populism. Which can sound elitist . I dont see it like that. The American People arent looking for purity. Someone who is trying. And thats what im doing. Im out there trying. I said ill run a campaign from grass roots donation. I suppose that point i say go to Elizabeth Warren. Com and pitch in 5 bucks if thats how a campaign should run. I call time. A couple people gave 5 bucks each. 20 bucks. Because senator, you didnt answer the question. Which is for six years you did raise money that way. Did you feel corrupted by the money you were raising . I saw what it is that people expect. In return. I also understand you didnt give it. I understand that the American People who watch this government worked better and better and better. For giant corporations and rich people. Want to hear someone who credibly can say i will take on the billionaires. I will fight to beat back the influence of money in washington. Im building a Grass Roots Movement and the number one thing we start with is anticorruption. Im the biggest aint corruption plan since water gate. Its about Campaign Contribution and so much more. He made the point was the amount of money that will be thrust behind the trump campaign. And the republican campaign. Its probably historic. And is it responsible to disarm in the face of that and limit the amount of money that you can raise and spend . Buttigieg said the democrats will tie one hand behind their back if they continue on your road. I have never asked other democrats who are running against a republican to disarm. I dont believe in doing that. Im telling you how i run my campaign. Im running it with Grass Roots Movement. Heres the thing, you can only spend so much money on tv ads. So much money on internet ad vs. Interin the ad. Do you know what our advantage will be at democrats . The Grass Roots Movement we build. The one thing that beats out the fake stuff that comes in over the internet or the air waves. Its face to face. Hearing from the neighbor. Somebody who knocks on your door. Somebody making a phone call. Reaching out at church or waiting at the bus stop for the kids to get picked up for school. We have to to do this by grass roots. If we take this country back and make it work for the people. Build this from the bottom up. Heres why im so joyous at this moment. We have an opportunity in 2020 thats not like an opportunity we have seen in a long time. Donald trump has taken a corrupt system and made it so much more corrupt. That millions of people are now off the sideline. Millions of people are saying im in the fight and the door has opened a crack. When the door opens a crack, put your shoulder down and run hard. You have another question . Big picture, the fight the debate over who the nominee is going to be is still very much a philosophical one. Is it you or somebody like you who talks about revolutionary ideas and making Sweeping Change . Or somebody who says thats not realistic, we will not win because the republicans the president will destroy us. With ideas like that. Do you feel now that the debate sta stage was smaller. Were getting closer to the actual vote. How do you think that that debate is playing out right now . So, i think whats unrealistic is to offer more of the same businesses as usual. And think youre going to inspire people to get out and vote. Some people are scared. If theyre not hard core democrat. I might be interested in a democrat. And what warren is saying scares me. Im thinking of democrats, independents and republicans. Who are ready for an anticorruption bill. Im not talking about folks in washington. Folks across the nation. Democrats independents and republicans. Who support a two cent wealth tax. Democrats, independents and republicans who want to see us increase Social Security payment. I have that 200 a month for everybody on Social Security and disability. Start with the things that we agree on. Thats how we can win. We can win the democrats. We can win the independents and well scratch off the republicans. How about the democrats who dont want to give up the healthcare . For a medicare for all plan. Which would make them change. Arent they scared that maybe what shes referring to. 36 million americans didnt have a prescription filled last year. Because they cant afford it. The people have health insurance. People are just getting crushed by the deductibles and copay. Fees are going up. Expenses that are not covered. Heres my plan, as president , i will do as much as i can as quickly as i can for as many people as i can. Ill start with standing up to the Big Drug Companies and bring down the cost of epi pins and insulin. What if i dont want to change my plan. Thats where well start. That will save peoples hundreds of millions across the country. You changed on this, do you acknowledge that . You have changed the sell on your plan to meet concerns that are expressed about price tag and musts. The most recent was well try this if people want to try they can. Optionalty opposed to you have to give up insurance. I support medicare for all. This has been my transition plan. Its to gif the maximum amount of help to the max number of people as quickly as we can. And to do that without raising taxes on middle class families. By one penny. Listen, i do think that i like that sales pitch better. Its under lying thing. It sound better. You keep talking about corruption, corruption. Do you think joe biden now is wounded by this the whole thing. They seem to be tagging biden as corrupt. Do you think because of the fire hes taking he is now incapable of leading this anticorruption effort the way you are . What the president tried to do to joe biden is despicable. And i think most americans agree with that. Has it wounded him . I dont think so. I think joe is strong on this pount. But understand this. When we talk about corruption in the system, we have to talk about whether or not someone is going to be willing to stand up to the Big Drug Companies, to stand up to big ag. But not just willing in fact, willing in terms of peoples understanding. So, joe biden has a son that did take a job that seems kind of weird, and does that make him less is he now incapable of carrying the argument to the American People, im against corruption because of his son . Look, as ive said from the beginning, were going to have to make a credible argument that we are willing to stand up to giant corporations can biden do it . I think that i am the best person to do this. This is why im running for president. And remember this because you and i know this. This is what i talked about on the first day i ran for president. And before that. And before that. I put out the biggest anticorruption plan since watergate. Its about lobbying and pr firms and bought and paid for experts and socalled think tanks that just keep pushing congress in exactly one direction. And that is just a Little Something for the rich. Just a little exception for the welltodo, just a little nibble, a few word changes for the giant banks, for big ag, for big tech. And understand this. People talk about gridlock in washington. Theres no gridlock in washington. Keep in mind that when they wanted to pass a tax break of a trillion and a half dollars, got it done in no time at all. Five weeks . Six weeks . But heres the deal. They dont pass anything else. Why . Because not passing anything helps them even though we see Climate Change bearing down on us. Not passing anything helps big pharma because they just keep charging prices through the roof. Not passing anything helps the gun industry because that means were not fighting back. All of it, over and over and over is about an unwillingness to confront money and power in washington. Its time to make this government work not for those at the top but everyone else. Can i just ask one thing . Sure. Just about this biden thing, why do you think the president went to such extraordinary lengths to sully joe biden, the lengths that have landed him now in front of you as a juror under impeachment. Why did he feel biden was such a threatening candidate . I cant get into the head of donald trump. Thats just thats a really horrible place to go. I think that donald trump looks out for donald trump. And he looks out for Donald Trumps closest buddies who give him total loyalty, and he looks out for the other billionaires because he thinks theyve got a whole bro thing going on. Thats what donald trump does. And if he had to step on a cute little kitten to get something done that would help himself he saw him as a candidate. He saw an opportunity and took it. Senator warren, let me take this opportunity, i know time is short. Thank you for being with us. Advanced Merry Christmas to you and your family. Congratulations on the debate. Thank you. Thank you. Weve had some of the main players from the debate stage tonight. Lets talk about the implications, their answers afterwards, and what it lets us know about where the campaigns are headed. Stay with cnn. music if you have moderate to severe psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, Little Things can be a big deal. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats differently. For psoriasis, 75 clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. For psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. And the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Ready to treat differently with a pill . Otezla. Show more of you. All right. Thank you for following our continuing coverage of what happened out here in los angeles tonight, the sixth democratic debate. It was very interesting. Seven tonight made a difference. There was a lot more exchange. It helped people to know they didnt have to fight for time the same way and points were made. Joining us now, tom steyer. Good to have you. Chris, good to see you. Best to you and your family, Merry Christmas. You made the important point of saying christmas. I like christmas. Very good. The president thinks he brought it back, but its always been here. Its good to hear that. We thought this was your christmas tie but you wear it all the time. Its become a little bit of your signature. Your other signature on the stage is i know the economy better than these people with all due respect, so to win on the economy you cant do it from the washington perspective. Thats how trump beat you. Im the only one that can go toe for toe. You get eye rolls across the board from your fellow competitors from the party. Why are you right and theyre wrong . Look, i think we know how mr. Trump is going to run for president because he said it last week. He was talking to, i think, the israeli american conference of americans and he said, you dont like me and i dont like you, but youre all going to vote for me because if the democrats get in control theyre going to destroy the economy in 15 minutes. Thats how hes going to run for president. So, whoever is going to be the democratic nominee, hes going to be on stage saying that and were going to have to be able to take him out because hes a fake. He hasnt been good for the american economy. He wasnt a successful business person. Hes a fake. Hes been terrible for the American People on the economy and we have to talk about what it would look like to have true prosperity for americans, not fake prosperity. Heres the rebound. You say fake prosperity. 55 of people, his highest positive rating on the economy. Right. You ask americans are you better off than four years ago, the numbers are high on the positive side. They see him in a way that he has a grip on his party that no democrat in my lifetime has even approached. What are you missing about his strength . Look, im not missing anything about his strength. I know hes a talent. Thats what im saying. What is his talent. He went up against the most prepaured candidate in American History, someone i really respect. Hillary clinton. And won. Why . Because he was able to make the claim that he was going to run the economy differently, that he was going to protect jobs, that he was going to reduce the trade deficit, and create prosperity. And thats just not been true, chris. He did Something Else thats important for democrats to figure out in the own way which is the anger is real, the disaffection is real. Its not just culture but part of it is culture push back is real. How do you reach those people who are forgiving everything about this president because something matters more to them . Let me say a couple points. One is im really running because this government is broken. Okay. It has been bought by corporations. It isnt serving the American People. So, of course people are angry. But i think for democrats were going to have to get over the idea that his base is not going to turn out. His base is going to turn out. I had this argument in 2018 where people were saying if we talk about impeachment its going to inflame republicans. I was going relax, theyre going to vote. The question is are we going to vote. And thats going to be the question in 2020. We need democrats to understand this is a generational election. We all have to show up. We have to turn the page on this cruel administration and this corrupt president. We have to have a different way of thinking about the future. And its critical that everybody understand it and participate. And its going to happen. One more question. Then we go to the floor. Did you create what could be the biggest problem for your party in this election which is as you always like to say you were on the impeachment train long ago. We keep hearing in local elections, kentucky most recently, they didnt campaign on it. They didnt talk about it. Each of you guys say people ask me about impeachment least. Is that possibly the biggest problem for democrats to sell this principle of action on the constitution versus what a lot of people see as delay, politics as usual, the party with more numbers taking out the president . Look, its the exact same argument we had in 2018, chris. If you take a look at what happened between 2014 and 2018, in 2014, democrats showed up at a very low rate and we got killed. In 2018, the increase went from 35 Million People voting democratic to 59. So, that was with impeachment on the table. The truth is going to be this. Are we telling the American People twhaer different and were going to have a different offering for them. Everybody understands whats at stake. I bet you right now a buck that the turnout in the 2020 election is the highest in anyones life. We are on a generational election because theres so much at stake and americans know it. So, this fear that the republicans are going to turn out is not a fear. Its a fact. But in the short term, on impeachment, we just flew in from washington. D. C. D. Kr. I w i was on capitol hill when the house voted to impeachment the president. All day long and for past many, many weeks, one of the main republican talking points that seems to be resonating even with possible republicans who were maybe waivering on whether to support impeachment is democrats have been wanting to do this since day one. Thats in large part because of you and people knew your name because you spent a lot of money on ads calling for impeachment before we saw the mueller report, definitely before ukraine happened. So, what do you say to people who say you gave the republicans a very, very big talking point and its led to a partisan impeachment or contributed to it and maybe even the same this is the most corrupt president in American History. He started his corruption on his first day of presidency and started obstruction of justice on his first day of presidency. So, in fact they came in with a very limited grounds for impeachment charges. But in fact this guys been breaking the law and breaking his oath to the constitution since the very first day. Do i believe that telling the truth about him, that this is a situation where the republicans have been not partisan . They have been nothing but partisan about it. Were watching them absolutely deny evidence and break their oath to the constitution of the American People. So, does that bother me . Of course i think its terribly wrong. But what i know is this. Theyre going to turn out. The question is not are they going to turn out because we know they are. The question is are we going to give democratic voters a reason to turn out . In 2018, as i said, the turn out went up 75 . In 2020, ten of millions more of us than there are of them. If we show up, we win. So, look, i agree with you that our turnout is key. You make two arguments that dont usually go together because your biography is so weird. On one hand you say america deserves the better billionaire. Im the better billionaire. Ive never used those words. Those are your words. Ive never used those words and i never would. Okay. I will say it. You can make that case r if yourself. You make the business argument. But you also make the argument about the grass roots. And you make the argument about the importance of turnout. I dont think people understand how credible you are on that. In other words, you actually spent a as long as ive known you, you spent more time on the grass roots stuff than the business stuff. Why do you think you can lead a Grass Roots Movement and not just a billionaire advertising movement. As you know, i started one of the biggest Grass Roots Movements in the United States. We did the largest youth mobilization in American History last year. In the places where were organizing, we more than doubled youth turnout. The reason i say this, weve got to leave the Grass Roots Movement. Most people would not think a white dude whos a billionaire is credible to lead a Grass Roots Movement. You say ive done it. Ive done it for ten years. It wasnt just 2018. Look, ive been putting together coalitions of americans to take on unchecked Corporate Power for a decade and weve been winning. If you want to know whos beaten oil companies, me. If you want to know whos taken on the Tobacco Companies and beaten them, me. Doing grass roots and winning. But you havent won an election yourself. And let me play Amy Klobuchar for you for a moment. She was saying this to Pete Buttigieg earlier this evening. We need to we need to have a nominee whos actually won won a large scale. And she pointed to the electoral prowess of the other people on the stage. You maybe have taken on lobbies, et cetera, et cetera, but yourself have not won an election. So, why should democrats say oh, okay, im going to nominate somebody whos never won before . Actually i have won a lot. I just havent won as a nominee. Ive won propositions all over this country. Im saying as a nominee. Im saying whats the difference in your mind . As a nominee. Im saying theres a difference, thats trust. People whoever is going to be the democratic nominee, americans need to look at and think this man or woman is someone who understand bs these issues, is credible, but also i trust him or her to do the right thing. And can beat donald trump. Thats the point though. I used to think you were a wealthy man and then this guy Mike Bloomberg came along and decided he was going to run for president. Now youre middle class. I appreciate that. We can very well anticipate hes going to make the exact same argument youre making, i can go toe to toe with donald trump on the economy. And hes going to have i estimate hell probably spend half a billion dollars between now and super tuesday on tv to carry that message. Isnt that impediment for you if thats the lane youre trying to occupy . Whats the difference . Im a very different person from Mike Bloomberg. Hes a business person. Im a business person. But for one thing ive said i dont think Mike Bloomberg is an appropriate leader of the Democratic Party unless hes willing to accept and embrace a wealth tax because i think its absolutely important for anyone who wants to be a democrat to accept the idea that the profound income inequality is unjust and critical to change and that the wealth inequality is much worse and absolutely has been a redistribution from everybody else to the richest americans. And theyre including him and including me. And unless youre willing to accept that, i dont think its appropriate. But hes a completely different guy from me. How so . Ive spent ten years on the grass roots putting together coalitions to take on corporations and beating them. You know, ive never been a republican. Ive never made a speech for george w. Bush. He has a different history. I respect mike. If he were to accept a wealth tax, my attitude is bring it on. Let democrats hear your message if he says im good with the wealth tax, does the race still need you . Definitely. Im completely different from this guy. My point on this whole thing is we have a broken government. Theres a reason that we dont have medicare for all or a public option. Theres a reason we have this gross gun violence across the country. Theres a reason we pay twice as much for health care, a Reason Congress has never passed legislation on Climate Change and on and on. We have a broken government. Im saying in order to change that as an outsider ill put in term limits. Ill put in direct democracy. The American People are not being served by the government. How do you do that when you need a constitutional amendment. As far as im concerned, the actual leverage is direct democracy. What we see in 26 states is that when you collect signatures, when you can put something on the ballot and the people can pass a law, everything changes. T. Its just not in the constitution. I know. Something easy to say as a talking point but hard to deliver. The point of a president ial election is to determine what matters. If you go back to 2008 people talked about health care all the time. Lo and behold when barack obama became president , the first order of business was what he had been talking about. It wasnt easy. A mandate may be unconstitutional. Can you go back to it. The point is that is the example. The American People, when you run, you say this is what were dealing with. This is the problem. This is the framework for my election. And then you say when people say oh no its like no thats what the president ial election was about. I have another question on the impeachment question. Without litigating whether those ads were helpful or not helpful to the cause, right now republicans are raining ads down on these members who were elected in 2018 about impeachment in those districts that trump won. Do you have any money left to support those candidates now who have stood up . David, look, all the grass roots things that ive been doing in terms of the youth voter mobilization, next gen america, im continuing to support. Im just not legally allowed to run it. The deal we had, the organization we set up with National Labor unions for our future which knocked on 24 million doors is ongoing. Im allowed to support it but not run it. All the grass roots things im still doing, just not running. And the ads. Were still supporting the need to impeach. But people are saying its either or. Im still doing those things. Youre kind of the last big green standing. Youre the last person standing saying Climate Change is a crisis. With had we try to do it under the obama administration, with e got hit. O are green ideas going to hurt people. Theyre going to hurt poor people. You probably care more about poverty and done more about poverty than anybody in the race. How are you going to stand up to people who say your green agenda hurts poor people. Van, ive run multiple propositions around this country starting with environmental justice. My whole point that i said tonight what did i say every single time . If you want the right policy, start in the black and brown communities where its unsafe to breathe or drink the water that comes out of the tap. If you have leadership from those communities, youll get the right policy. If you have leadership from those communities, you have the moral high ground. Youll win. So, take a look at every single prop weve ever run. We dont fit that in. We start with that. Thats where we go. Long way to go though, tom, because flint, michigan still has a problem and there are flints all over the country. Im not saying youre wrong completely wrong. Thats my point. Its hard for those communities to believe in any of this coming from government because they deal with the government. I know youve got to go. Thank you very much. What a treat. In advance, best of holy days for you and your family. We see your wife over there. She looks better in the plaid than you. Ophthalmology in your future. Youve got a mic on. Were going to go to break so we can demic mr. Steyer properly. When we come back, whats the state of play Going Forward . Theyre walking into a trap. Your orders are to deliver a message calling off tomorrow mornings attack. If you fail, we will lose sixteen hundred men. If were not clever about this. No one will get to your brother. I will. The ups and downs of frequent mood swings can plunge you into deep, depressive lows. crying take you to uncontrollable highs. muffled arguing or, make you feel both at once. Overwhelmed by bipolar i symptoms . Ask about vraylar. Some medications only treat the lows or the highs. Vraylar effectively treats depression, acute manic and mixed episodes of bipolar i. Fullspectrum relief of all symptoms. With just one pill, once a day. Elderly patients with dementiarelated psychosis have an increased risk of death or stroke. Call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. Antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. Report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, which may mean a lifethreatening reaction, or uncontrollable muscle movements, may be permanent. Side effects may not appear for several weeks. Metabolic changes may occur. Movement dysfunction, restlessness, sleepiness, stomach issues are common side effects. When bipolar i overwhelms, vraylar helps smooth the ups and downs. That will makeout overwhelms, washington insiders very uncomfortable term limits. You and i both know we need term limits, that congress shouldnt be a lifetime appointment. But members of congress, and the corporations whove bought our democracy hate term limits. Too bad. Im tom steyer and i approve this message because the only way we get universal healthcare, address Climate Change and make our economy more fair is to change business as usual in washington. Im part of a community of problem solvers. We make ideas grow. From an everyday solution. To one that can take on a bigger challenge. From packaging tape. To tape that can bond materials to buildings. And planes. One idea can unlock a breadth of solutions. At 3m, we are solving problems that improve lives. Hi. Maria ramirez mom maria Maria Ramirez. Mcdonalds is committing 150 Million Dollars in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs. Prof Maria Ramirez mom and dad Maria Ramirez to help more employees achieve their dreams. I refused to accept the notion as some on this stage do that we can never ever get to a place where we have cooperation again. If anyone has reason to be angry with the republicans, its me the way theyve attacked me, my son, my family. This was a strong moment for joe biden. Welcome back to cnns continuing coverage. Were out here in los angeles. Weve been talking to candidates who made a difference there. We havent spoken with the vp but he did speak for himself tonight. As weve been following, the president has savaged joe biden and his son, what he wants to project as the reality of wrong doing. We accepted biden to return the assault. He doesnt. How did that resonate . What did it mean to the panel. Were joined by the man i call the professor because of his deep knowledge. Great to have you. So, the residents tonight are in agreement if on only this that joe biden had a good night tonight and seemed to be projecting more of what would warrant him being a front runner than he has in any of the previous debates. Do you agree . I agree. That may have been one of his best moments in any of the debates. It was articulated well. It seemed genuine. When you think about the voters hes targeting, his coalition and a lot of liberal democrats will hear that and go what world are you living in, buddy. But when you think about his audience which is primarily voters over 45 whether theyre white, africanamerican, or hispanic, they believe in they remember a time when there was somewhat more comedy and accommodation and agreement and i think he spoke directly to his audience with that answer and many others in that moment. Tom steyer just sat where you are and he was making a point that so, we average about half a billion dollars. You missed one of the best moments ive ever seen in one of these debates. Van jones, tom steyer, said you have consistently said that i am the better billionaire. We dont need bloomberg. And steyer says i would just like to say, van, ive never said that. I would never say that. Van without skipping a beat goes okay, im saying it. That was van jones taking full graduation from unity organizer to pundit. So, steyer made a point which is the following we know the republicans are going to come out. The question is will we . Now, the reason i didnt quite understand his rationale is is the reason theyre going to come out, is the reason they have unfathom able forgiveness for anything this president does or says because of a larger disaffection they believe he is the agent of because of impeachment which tom steyer helped ask. Did he give the best kind lg to the flames of their furry at the polls impeachment . Well, look, this is one of if not the fundamental divides in the democratic field. What is the theory in the case of how you beat donald trump . Theres one theory that says you have to find the nominee who will max out turn outin minorities and young people, especially younger minorities. Theres one that says under donald trump there are younger pieces of the Republican Coalition that have been loosened. There are voters, even some blue collar white women who ordinarily vote republican who are open to voting democrat if you dont skacare them away. Certainly biden, buttigieg, klobuchar represent the latter. Bernie sanders, warren are in the former camp. As david knows very well you always have to do some of both. Obama did quite a bit of both in 08 when he won. But not every candidate is equally skilled. Democrats will be making a genuine choice because if you pick joe biden you probably dont have someone as well suited as some of the others to turn out some of the Younger Voters but who may be better suited to win back pieces of the previous Republican Coalition that are uneasy about the way trump comports himself. We should be clear this is a function of the Electoral College and the way we elect president s. Voters are older, whiter. Theyre less college educated. And biden has a better reach into those voters than some of the others. But Elizabeth Warren just for people watching, i hear it said a lot, but how do we know . We know trumps strength. Hes 90 plus percent in that party. Even impeachment. Ryan lives with data more than any of us. If you look at the trials that have been run, i look a lot at the noneducated white women and joe biden does pretty well. Hillary clinton lost them by 27 points. Yeah. And joe biden runs roughly even with those voters. Still . Yeah. I mean, depends on the state and dend approximates on the poll. But the principle reason donald trump is president is so many blue collar white women in the midwest picked him rather than the first white woman nominee. Theres another way to win. You can theres a path through arizona rather than wisconsin and that would be kind of more the argument of kind of mobilization side. But theres no path without michigan and pennsylvania. And that does require you to do some of both but to win back others. This is the big debate. I mean, you hear from the voters on the left and from the advocates on the left that we need a big bold agenda to turn out, you know, this new coalition. Thats a big bet. That is placing a big bet at a time when maybe youre just asking the 53 or 54 of americans who consistently say in polls they disapprove of trump to take you. When you hear biden tonight i think what he is saying is i represent stability. Not a return to the past necessarily at all. He doesnt want to be that. But he wants to represent stability. And we talk about this all the time about a public that is exhausted by donald trump so that he can appeal to those exhausted or disaffected republicans. Right. And you know, his problem, however, is with young voters because he doesnt have young voters. Theyre not interested in joe biden. But would young voters vote for him if he were the nominee . Thats the question. Thats the question. Or turn out. Or turn out. Or turn out. They would vote for him the percentages would be good. The question is just whether theyll be excited enough in the right places. In the right places. Would he motivate them enough to get thome the polls. That is the question. One of the things that i think is a big myth that weve got to live inside of during the primaries is if people vote on the policies versus people. The people who care about policies no different between the public option or whatever. When you get in the long lines, thats about 20 of the people. 80 of the people are voting because they like somebody. Who runs the beer test on that stage . I was looking at that tonight im sorry to interrupt you, but do you think thats the case for a general election . Yes. Do you think thats really the case for a democratic primary in this day and age . No d he was moving forward. Youre talking about general election. Yes. Well, i always in my head on that note, i always have memories of brad who is the president s campaign manager. Back then he was the digital guy saying that they did not care that then candidate donald trump didnt have the 17point plan of health care or anything else exactly. Because it was about how he made people feel. It was the same people. They looked at it like steve jobs did with the ipod ad with the guidancing around with ear buds. Nobody knew what it was. It was just how you i dont felt. That is true. And its also true having been involved in the obama campaign. Yes, he had distinct positions, but he was not this debate about how left we should go, that was raging then. And he was not at the left end of the party, remember . John edwards ran a populist left campaign. Even hillary on some issues was to the left of obama. And it wasnt at the end of the day a specific issue although the war was motivational. But a sense of the kind of leadership that he would bring. And was the a broending kind of message that allowed him to win in the states that democrats had. Who wins the beer question on that stage tonight . I think biden and im going to say it. I think andrew yang. Probably biden. But i would say that i think that people right now are looking for somebody that they feel can, as i said before, bring the country back together. But the trap the democrats keep falling into is that donald trump is embodying a particular archetype and the archetype is the rebel who gets things done. Every time we say youre breaking the rules, youre reinforcing the archetype of the rebel who gets things done. And we invite the archetype of the scold. You are not following the rules. You are breaking the rules. So, the rebel versus the scold, the rebel will always win. Just to add to your point, the people who vote for him they dont believe in it anyway. They believe its rigged anyway. They were 45 in 2018. To glorias point, it is worth about stability, it is worth noting that after the last two impeachments in modern times, nixon and clinton, the other party won the white house and won it with a candidate that ran as an anecdote to the president. Bush ran on restoring honor and decency to the office. It is possible there will be an audience lets hold the conversation so i can get in a break. Youve got to listen to van, if thats the choice, biden or yang, you couldnt have more polar opposition in those two people. Dont ask it in the break because well hear the answer when we come back. As we go to break, one of the most notable moments in the night, the subject of age. Our postgame coverage continues next because it may shift tonight this topic. Well show you how after this. music if you have moderate to severe psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, Little Things can be a big deal. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats differently. For psoriasis, 75 clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. For psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. And the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Ready to treat differently with a pill . Otezla. Show more of you. The ones that make a truebeen difference in peoples lives. And mikes won them, which is important right this minute, because if he could beat americas biggest gun lobby, helping pass background check laws and defeat nra backed politicians across this country, beat big coal, helping shut down hundreds of polluting plants and beat big tobacco, helping pass laws to save the next generation from addiction. All against big odds you can beat him. Im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. Im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. burke at farmers insurance, weve seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. Even a threering fender bender. clown 1 sorry about that. clown 2 apologies. clown 1 . Didnt mean it. clown 3 whoops. stilts sorry clowns were sorry scary hey, were sorry [man screams] [scary screams] burke quite the circus. But we covered it. At farmers, we know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum [ drathis holiday. Ahhhhh ahhhhh a distant friend returns. Elliott. You came back and while lots of things have changed. Wooooah woah its called the internet. Some things havent. Get ready for a reunion 3 million light years in the making. Woohoo yeah welcome back to our coverage. Were here in los angeles, full panel. Were trying to process what tonight meant. What does your opposition say . Were getting a taste of that. The president was on full board tweet attack all through it about impeachment. They didnt make that the issue of the night on stage. What is the reaction of trump and co . Look at this tweet from Sarah Huckabee sanders. Okay. No. This is the wrong order. So, Sarah Huckabee sanders, we need the first tweet from her. On the bottom on the left. There it is. I have i i have have have no idea what biden is talking about. Hes making fun of his stutter. Okay. He has one. Everyone in politics knows or has damn good reason to know he has a stutter. He responds ive worked a whole life to overcome a stutter. Its called empathy. Look it up. She says i actually didnt know that about you and that is commendable. I apologize and should have made my point respectfully. How do you ma how do you make a point about a stutter . What hes referring to is an answer in which he was talking about Young Children who stutter approach him and he was talking through their voice. So, it wasnt even his he wasnt stuttering, showing that they stutter. Making fun of stutters. It was the opposite. Heres the question. As we saw with john dingell which is still i know weve said this several times. I have never heard a person in elected office let alone a president of the United States speak with such naked disregard for basic decency for humanity. Ive never heard it. It didnt matter once again. Dana says maybe well see this, it was pretty ugly what he said. But Sarah Huckabee sanders whether she knew or didnt know shes one of the most inept press secretaries of all time if she had no idea joe biden has a stutter. It still shows their inclination. They go ugly early, go mean first, and it works. Let me say she did apologize. I just want to point out weve got to the point now where people dont even apologize. I think sarah should have known. Im fine with the apology. Its a good thing to do. Its better than what her boss does. I also have to be suspicious because what weve seen, what we saw with him, they go mean for the affect. They apologize. It doesnt mean the same thing as the initial attack did. Couple points. My colleague John Hendricks about biden and his stutter, its a reminder, when youre on the stage with Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, you see a deficit of fluency. You put him on a stage with trump and against that backdrop you get a surplus of empathy and decency. The match up is very different. Here its that hes not as hyperarticulate as these other candidates. Against trump, its a human dimension of the way he interacts with people. I would point out that in 2004 bush won 90 of the people who said the economy was excellent or good. In 2012, obama won 90 of the people who said the economy was excellent or good. 40 of the people who say the economy is excellent or good say they disapprove of donald trump. There is a cost to his behavior. Thats a good counterfactual. The behavior is reinforcing because he has driven away so many of the people he should have on the economy i believe by the way hes behaved. He has no choice but to gin up for turnout. Thats why he wants to sully this is why, you know, to bring up ukraine. This is why sullying joe biden and his family is so important to him because if you put them together when you when maybe voters will vote on character which is something we talked about. You lose character vote to donald trump youve got bigger problems. So, we always talked about with bill clinton with the character issue, would that count. Right. And it never does. People say theyre going to vote on character and dont vote on character. Now, maybe they will. My point is in addition to the division between base versus reaching out to disaffected trump voters is the thing that buttigieg brought up before. Do you beat trump by meeting ugliness with ugliness, provocation with provocation . Do you play his game . I think hes right that if you do that youre always going to lose. Hes going to be better at ugly than you. The game has to be i refer to it as a game. Its deadly serious. It has to be jujitsu. You have to take his negative energy and use it against him. There are people uncomfortable including the women we were talking about before. And so, you know, theres a different view of. That you heard Elizabeth Warren, her language is very pugilistic. The question is what is the best approach to deal with donald trump. The concern about biden is ecohad be easily provoked particularly when his family is evoked. Maybe that creates sympathy for him. On the campaign trail. One of the best things was tone. That answer he gave it was perfect. That is how you have to run against donald trump. Exposing what trump is. Also the way yourcarry yourself. My concern, and ron, please, check it with the facts like you just did with the counterfactuals about the economy. But i dont see somebody losing a character contest with donald trump. The point of it is that the people who support trump arent assessing him the way democrats are assessing their candidates. They are forgiving of him in a way that democrats arent. They believe, well, because by and large the coalition of voters who are uneasy about the way america is changing. Right. Demographically, culturally, and economically. And they believe he i alone can stop these changes or at least save their position as the country. He presents himself in effect as a human wall against all the changes. They forgive an awful lot given that dynamic. So, can i ask my question. Yes. The question i have is that these democratic or republican, will these voters now i forgot my question. Go on, and then ill remember. Hes also the avenger of cultural avenger. I got it. Wait, i got it. I just amped it for you. Thank you for vamping. Will these voters who may have questions about joe biden, will they see him as a band aid and say okay, im going to do ill vote for him. Hes not perfect. Im not ready for the revolution of Elizabeth Warren or whatever. But ill vote for him as a band aid candidate because i just have to get away from the exhaustion and i want some stability and so, hes sort of my guy but hes not the future. Hes just kind of right now. That is the underlying theory. But thats what hes running on. Exactly. Im here right now. If donald trump was not the president , it is very hard to imagine joe biden being the front runner. Exactly, exactly. Joe biden has said explicitly i would not be doing this right now. Right. Biden feels like he has to come save america from four years. Be the bridge to the next Democratic Party. Thats the word, the bridge. We talk about biden as a bridge to the White Working Class but hes got a lot of africanamerican support. His main support is the africanamerican community. I think Something Interesting is going on with the black vote and biden. I think the black vote and biden is the opposite of the black vote for obama. The black vote for obama was a hopeful vote. It was a vote for hopeful change. This is a posthope vote. This is a black community saying we just dont think that white american, main stream american is ready for socialist and women and all this other stuff. We are exhausted and we are its almost a its a posthope vote. And yet its a steady vote. When you talk to older africanamerican voters, they say biden. Are you excited about biden . I just think hes what america will accept from this party. So, its a very sophisticated black vote. Thats exactly right. Is it posthope or practical . Im saying the same thing. Hope, you see somebody, you fall in love, you get hopeful. You might try something you wouldnt do before. This is the settling vote. I dont think its the worst thing in the world. Let me say one more thing about the base of this party, africanamericans, latinos, the people we talk about. This stage has fewer people of color up there. I had a fear race wasnt going to be discussed well. Let me say something, this party and these candidates who are almost all white spoke beautifully and well about race, about immigration, and about other issues. And Pete Buttigieg who has got beat up a lot with regard to black focus relationship, he spoke very beautifully tonight. He got no credit for fistfight and food fight. He spoke beautifully. He even asked about reparations which biden ducked. He ducked from reparations. Pete didnt duck it. He said you know the value of a dollar saved, whats the value of a dollar stolen. Now, listen. Thats barack obama level poetry on an issue obama wouldnt have touched ten years ago. I just want to say that something has happened in this party. I know its scary to people in the Republican Party fearing its being taken over, but theres something happening even with the white candidates, anything that was off putting, theyre able to address the fullness of the party and that was beautiful tonight especially given the color of the stage didnt match the color of the party and yet the politics did. I think robin would say ron has written a lot about the emerging american majority. You cant be the nominee of the Democratic Party unless you can speak to that. Exactly. Over 40 of the voter in this primary in 2020 will be people of color. And it may be as high as 45. States like california, texas, once you get past iowa and New Hampshire, the next month is nevada, south carolina, the south, texas. The diversity of the Democratic Party is going to be on full display at the moment someone is going to take the lead in this race. Same three words at the same time. Very good. I bet were going to say the same thing. I dont know, man. This is scary. The Joe Biden Campaign spin has a lot of truth to it. The spin is yes. He could lose iowa big time. Yeah. He could lose New Hampshire big time and still be okay. We were the only ones who lost both and won the nomination. I think that they have done a brilliant job of lowering expectations for iowa and New Hampshire. Give them that. As a result i think even if they finish close to the top in those if they finish fourth or fifth, theyre in danger of the whole thing unraveling because its hard to be the front runner when youre in fourth or fifth place. He could be fourth in iowa. He could. But now its set up in such a way if he could pull off a surprise in iowa, he could be on the road to the nomination. Whats difficult for him, a bronze in iowa is a gold medal. One curveball in this as the diversity comes into play, joe biden commanding position among africanamerican. Bernie sanders is running well among hispanics. Latinos are polling the best democratic firm, polling in nevada where hes leading, polling in texas where hes leading. He got 46 of the vote in california. Why hasnt there been more talk about him . I think people view bernie as operating in a narrow framework. The floor is strong and the ceiling is strong. Well see. It is possible that as the diversity kind of emerges you could see a split between the states with a large africanamerican population. And if sanders can continue to be strong, he may do well. One of the things with Elizabeth Warren, but bernies resurgence and he has had resurgence in recent months, its a real problem for her. Her bet was that she could consolidate the left. Whats very clear now is that Bernie Sanders isnt going anywhere. Its the worst possible situation for the left wing of this party. His ceiling, bernies ceiling, is too high for him to be the nominee but his floor is too low for him to walk away. You heard what buttigieg said. He said whenever one of these people, one of us wins, the rest of us have to get on it. It cant be slow. That was a message that should resonate with bernie. Sri to take break. We want to do final thoughts on the back side of the break ft its good to have the professor for that. Less than seven weeks away until the first votes are cast in iowa. And then everything starts to count. Each result sets a new narrative. So, final thoughts on the road ahead next. Seful music ] you have a brother in the second battalion . Yes sir. Theyre walking into a trap. Your orders are to deliver a message calling off tomorrows attack. If you fail we will lose sixteen hundred men. Your brother among them. We need to keep moving. Come on theres only one way this war ends. Last man standing. And my lack of impulse control, is about to become your problem. Ahh no, come on. I saw you eating poop earlier. Hey my focus is on the road, and thats saving me cash with drivewise. Whos the dummy now . Whoof whoof so get allstate where good drivers save 40 for avoiding mayhem, like me. Sorry hes a baby and everyone has dads eyebrows we chose eleanor. It was greatgrandmas name. So apparently, we come from a long line of haberdashers, which is a fancy word for. They left everyone, and everything so they could get here. And start this family. Every family has a unique story. This holiday season, help your family discover theirs. vo thewith every attempt, strto free itself,piders web. It only becomes more entangled. Unaware that an exhilarating escape is just within reach. Defy the laws of human nature. At the season of audi sales event. All right. Welcome back to our coverage. Here time for final thoughts. Its always easy to look and make sense of whats happened. What does it mean Going Forward . That takes us into the final thoughts prochlt fess s thoughts professor. I thought biden had a good night. But the candidates were three, four, five, buttigieg, warren, klobuchar went after each other and ignored the two people at the top of the polls. Ultimately warren is going to have to take votes in Bernie Sanders if shes going to get to the top and buttigieg and klobuchar have to take votes from biden. They have to engage with the front runners even though now they seem content to elbow each other out. I think not only did biden do better than weve ever seen him before, whats also striking is that he probably had his best moment, maybe second best moment, at the end of the night at 10 30 eastern at night talking about the main difference in philosophy between him and Bernie Sanders and the fact that you cant just have a lot of stuff that you cant pay for. You have to be realistic. And also just kind of big picture, the fact that it was a smaller stage and it was more manageable and youve got as a viewer and for voters out there, you got to hear and understand what the candidates felt. Gloria berjer. I felt the stakes cannot be higher. We are seven weeks before iowa which is why you saw klobuchar attacking buttigieg and warren attacking buttigieg. What im waiting for and we havent seen weve been talking about it for so long is warren and sanders. You were saying they need to get votes from each other and they still have not really fully engaged on that debate stage. And they could be disagreeg about medicare for all right now but theyre not touching each other. Van jones. Yeah, youve got to give biden his credit. Absolutely. He did it tonight. You know, those of us like myself are waiting for him to collapse, hes not collapsing. Klobuchar in full flower. I mean shes really struggling. Almost every debate, if she would do as well after the debate as on the stage. I think she challenged pete. When she says no woman with your record would be up here or implies that, i think shes hitting him on his weakest spot. Hes got to deal with that better than saying i was in the military. And andrew yang. You said buttigieg and klobuchar have to go after biden because hes the front runner. In iowa buttigieg is the front runner. His theory is if he does well there in and New Hampshire, biden starts to unravel. In terms of biden and sanders, the hope was she would outperform Bernie Sanders and consolidate the left. She hasnt been able to do it. Its one of the reasons she had to stumble over medicare for all. The reason she doesnt want to do it and he doesnt want to do it, if theyre going to get to where they want to go, they need the other supporters and Bernie Sanders supporters in particular would not deal well with a tax on him from Elizabeth Warren. So, theyre both she in particular is in a bind right now because shes the one its the first thing to be on a seesaw. Yes, they are. And everything is going to change after you start having the votes. And you know, my quick final thought would be be careful about your coverage because the media is going to be drawn to the top finishers and youve got to say discerning and let the information be empowering for you. Some people are going to be talked about more but that can change. You have to stay open as well. One of our colleagues Josh Campbell Jason Campbell for a football player. He gave us a great idea to end on. It was used in the debate tonight about what gifts you would give to the other people on here. Or or would you ask forgiveness. I would give them all a week off. Very nice. Dana. Dont apologize. Are you kidding . When gloria and i write our book about what its really like, well give it all to you. What she said. I want to apologize for all the men on stage when its time to apologize or give a gift only talked about biden or vote for me. Well played. I care too much. I offer my forgiveness for all of you for interrupting as i do to try to get into the mix. And for you my friend, my gift is endless, bottomless data. Can i do an apology. In 2016, van jones and car nell bettcher both said to me that the perception of trump as awe racist would not be as disqualifying and that he could win. And he was right. Why did it take so long . We all know that i need forgiveness and you guys show me forgiveness all the time with how you elevate what im trying to convey to the audience. My gift is gratitude. You guys are the best team in the business. I dont often get to work with all i dont have you this way. It is a privilege. You make it better for the audience, make it better for real people. And to watch it in person is tremendous as a journalist whos been in it as long as i have. Gratitude to each and all of oyou. Thank you for being with us tonight. But most importantly thank you all for giving us the opportunity of your attention. Thanks for watching us. An encore presentation of the pbs news hour politico democratic debate is next. Hi. Maria ramirez mom maria Maria Ramirez. Mcdonalds is committing 150 Million Dollars in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs. Prof Maria Ramirez mom and dad Maria Ramirez to help more employees achieve their dreams. If you have moderate mom to severe psoriasisrez or psoriatic arthritis, Little Things can be a big deal. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats differently. For psoriasis, 75 clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. For psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. And the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Ready to treat differently with a pill . Otezla. Show more of you. Blow a kiss into the sun we need someone to lean on blow a kiss into the sun all we need is somebody to lean on swedens greetings. Enjoy your first payment on us when you lease a new volvo. Now through january 2nd. Good evening and welcome to the pbs news hour politico president i president ial debate from los angeles, california. Im Judy Woodruff and im joined tonight thank you im joined tonight by my fellow moderators, tim alberta. Pbs news hour Senior National correspondent. And pbs news hour white house correspondent. And now please greet tonights candidates. They are businessman andrew yang. South bend, i