What Went Down In The Fifth Democratic Debate

I’ll also note, on the paid family leave question, that Warren’s book “The Two Income Trap” was about the way that working, middle-class families, get squeezed by things like the cost of child care. I think it’s a pretty good issue for Democrats to focus on.

Julia, maybe the focus is partly a reflection of the fairly small areas of serious policy disagreement (granted, health care is obviously a major subject) among the candidates. With Buttigieg’s rise in the race, I think credentials are a very fair topic of conversation. The mayor of a city of 100,000 becoming president would certainly cut against the idea that traditional credentials matter.

Biden just gave a long answer that focused on civility. This is the great difference between Biden and the party’s activist wing, which doesn’t like him. Biden really believes that politics will be improved if partisans are less angry. He thinks American politics can be less divisive. Many liberals think that there is no way to compromise with Republicans and that the problem in American politics is the GOP, not a lack of civility or divisiveness.