Former Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday he was surprised his primary opponents would attack the legacy of his former boss, President Barack Obama, during a 2020 Democratic presidential debate. But Democratic senators, most his former colleagues, said Obama’s legacy is in safe hands.
“I was a little surprised at how much incoming there was about Barack, about the president,” Biden told reporters in Detroit, referencing rivals’ jabs at the Obama administration on deportations, climate, and other issues. “I’m proud of having served him. I’m proud of the job he did. I don’t think there’s anything he has to apologize for.”
Democratic senators told the Washington Examiner the political lobs on stage had no deleterious effect on Obama’s legacy.
“No. I just don’t believe it. Well, I mean this was a campaign debate. I think people take it as such. It’s also very far ahead of the election. I’ve never seen a debate this early, almost a-year-and-a-half away,” Feinstein explained. “So, there’s a lot of territory to cover and a lot of time to do it and much can happen. I thought it was very interesting. I thought everybody was on their toes. I thought Biden, the front-runner, has done very well. I thought others did too. And I suspect there will be many more.”
Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin concurred and also stressed the political campaign as the reason for the infighting.
“No, not at all. I think this is a political campaign going on. People are trying to get themselves the nomination under the Democratic banner and they’re going to do things that they think are helpful,” Cardin noted.
He added, “President Obama’s legacy, I think, is solid and Donald Trump is probably doing more than any other person to make us miss Barack Obama in office.”
Hawaii Sen. Maize Hirono, however, wished that the primary candidates would stop attacking each other all together.
“I would rather that everybody on the debate stage attacks Trump and then come up with their programs,” she suggested.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a fellow primary contender, who was not on stage with Biden on Wednesday night but joined other primary opponents on Tuesday did not think anything she said on stage Wednesday was an attack on Obama’s legacy but, in fact, supported it.
The next debate is expected to winnow the field down to 10 primary candidates who will be allowed on stage and will be hosted in Houston. As of now, only seven have qualified to be on stage.
