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What Went Down In The Third Democratic Debate
It’s interesting to see how the candidates frame their solutions to these issues, especially given the gridlock in Congress. Booker, for instance, has been talking about starting several White House offices. He said he’d start an office focused on hate crimes; he’s also proposed an office dedicated to protecting abortion rights.
Dan, I think it’s a natural response, but I also think that it comes from the particular moment we’re in. There’s lingering frustration with the DNC after 2016, and there are questions about what it is that parties are supposed to do. Obama’s legacy is being contested and interpreted by candidates. And I also think — though I can’t really prove this — that polarization means people are less likely to be making a substantive choice in the general election, so they want to feel like they’re making a meaningful choice in the primary.
As your Booker/Buttigieg correspondent tonight, I think they’ve been fine, but I’m not thrilled with how things are going. The Top 3 are getting a lot of attention from the moderators, and among the rest of the field, they aren’t the candidates with the most memorable moments.