Do Democrats want to win? If they do, Tuesday night’s debate performance didn’t exude the type of confidence one would associate with people who are in it to win it. With the Iowa caucus only weeks away, the Democratic candidates played it safe, so safe that it was hard to keep watching as there was nothing new or spectacular from any of the candidates.
It is safe to assume the candidates’ lackluster performance was the result of their concern about being too aggressive, likely assuming that such attacks could backfire and isolate potential voters. This is particularly important in Iowa, where the caucus process is extremely hands-on and requires hours of dedication, and ardent support is key. Risking lost support by aggressively attacking other candidates when a vast majority of Democratic voters have stated they want candidates to avoid such tactics could have caused problems if done incorrectly. Instead of making such a significant miscalculation, they all chose a safer route.
The most action of the night came between Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts over him allegedly telling Warren that a woman couldn’t be elected president. It’s a classic case of he said, she said. It was a moment Warren needed but failed to take full advantage of. It won’t help her win over any significant amount of voters, and in fact, the ease by which she approached the topic benefited Sanders.
However, the problem with this route is that it didn’t exude the type of candidates you would expect from candidates seeking to face President Trump head-to-head. We’ve all heard the repeated saying that Democratic voters’ No. 1 concern is defeating Trump, but it remains unclear what candidate actually can. They haven’t proved capable of matching Trump’s unorthodox style, and grandiose policy positions alone will not help.
The overcautious debate performance left the current rankings unchanged. Once again, no one went strongly after the front-runner, Vice President Joe Biden. Sanders attempted to go after Biden by differentiating his Medicare for All legislation from Biden’s more pragmatic expansion of Obamacare, but his attack fell short. Particularly amid Bernie’s own inability to defend how he would pay for Medicare for All or the fact that he couldn’t defend against the fact that taxes would increase significantly to pay for it or that over 100 million people would lose private coverage. Bernie’s weak and irrelevant attacks on Biden were punctuated by his failure to explain how he would pay for his expensive healthcare plan and what it would do to the millions of people who would lose private coverage.
“Medicare for all” is not popular with the vast majority of voters. Considering the fact that Obamacare barely passed, it’s difficult to see how such an expansive and expensive piece of legislation could garner enough support from moderate congressional Democrats, let alone any Republicans.
Throwing everyone into government-funded healthcare isn’t realistic or affordable. When the details of how we’ll pay for it are released, Sanders and Warren will face a steep electability hill. Warren has seen this herself after revealing details about her plan during the previous debate that raised significant concerns about her ability to perform well with moderate Democratic voters and independents. Lately, she’s seen her standing in the polls stagnate and decline.
Changing public opinion on healthcare isn’t going to be an easy lift. It’s unlikely that a platform that would change healthcare plans for millions and millions of people and cost trillions of dollars is a winning position in a general election. Even billionaire Tom Steyer was in agreement with the moderates on this front, which says a lot.
There were also other missed opportunities throughout the debate. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg missed an opportunity to speak more broadly about his military experience and how it would elevate him on day one as commander in chief. With the recent developments in Iran, it was a missed opportunity for him to make a case to voters on how he would have handled the situation differently from Trump. He also had a lackluster response on how he would improve his standing with African Americans.
This may be the end of the road for Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, whose performance was anything but memorable. She constantly looked down at her notes and struggled to remember the name of Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who she referred to as a close friend. It was hard to watch, and it seemed like Klobuchar was unprepared. Perhaps nerves got the best of her, which is understandable, but such a moment against Trump could be ruinous as he would likely take every opportunity during and after the debate to question the candidate’s mental acuity.
At some point, the Democratic candidates are going to have to stop playing it safe. Primaries present winners and losers, and to win, you have to showcase to voters that you’re capable of strongly crossing the finish line. So far, none of the candidates have done that, and until they do, Democratic voters will remain concerned about the candidates’ ability to successfully challenge Trump in a general election. After all, voters want someone who they know can win.
Shermichael Singleton (@Shermichael_) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is a Republican strategist and political analyst regularly appearing on MSNBC.
