What Went Down At The Fourth Democratic Debate

This health care flare-up between Clinton and Sanders is going to be interesting to see play out among Democratic primary voters. Clinton’s play here in the debate is to say that Sanders’s new plan (released tonight, just a couple of hours before the debate) is going to tear up Obamacare. “It’s one of the greatest accomplishments of President Obama, the Democratic party, and our country,” she said. The fight to pass the Affordable Care Act was huge for the Democrats — and quite painful. The idea of going through another struggle like that with Congress could prove unpalatable to a lot of voters — Sanders’s team is hoping that they continue to feel the Bern, and that this doesn’t morph into an … unpleasant Bern-ing sensation that derails the campaign’s momentum.

Clinton could spend all night — and probably will — revealing the depth of her knowledge of every issue brought up by the questioners. (Narcan, opioids, etc.) She campaigns as she has led her professional life — wanting to master every detail of a situation to make the best informed decisions. But this is a political season of emotion and outright anger, and many people seem to prefer the passion of Sanders to Clinton’s professionalism. All Sanders has to do is talk about the need for mental health coverage, or his “Medicare for all” proposal, and many people stop listening to her litany of details of why the country should stick with the complexity of the Affordable Care Act. It explains why her campaign, which is shaped around her background and experience, was so surprised that someone like Sanders could attract such support.