The last question of Thursday night’s Democratic debate had nothing to do with public policy. Instead, it was a great test of authenticity. In short, it’s the holiday season, and if you could give any other candidate a certain gift or ask any of them forgiveness, what would you do?
Sadly, all of the candidates failed the test.
Here’s how each candidate answered (paraphrased):
Andrew Yang: After a pause, he said he would give the candidates his book, which they would like if they enjoy data and books. How can the guy whose campaign is all about a universal basic income not say he would give each candidate $1,000?
Pete Buttigieg: He just said it’d be a gift if anyone on stage beat Trump.
Elizabeth Warren: Warren perhaps had the best answer, but it still wasn’t a great response. She basically asked the other candidates for forgiveness because she gets worked up because she cares too much. While tearing up, she explained that she’s heard a lot of sad, personal stories while she takes thousands of photos. It was an empathetic answer, but it was still about her, in the end.
Joe Biden: Without even a hint of trying to answer the question, Biden basically echoed what Warren said about how he hears a lot of sad stories from people he meets.
Bernie Sanders: Sanders said he could buy the people on stage any one of his four books. Then, as he always does, he turned it into an angry rant against billionaires.
Amy Klobuchar: Klobuchar, like Warren, asked forgiveness because she can be blunt and said it’s important to pick the right candidate. It was almost as good as Warren’s answer and is deserving of bonus points because she didn’t give an answer like Buttigieg saying it’d be a gift if anyone beat Trump. Be real: A Klobuchar presidency would be very different from a Biden presidency, which would be very different from a Yang presidency, which would be very different from a Sanders presidency (which probably wouldn’t be that different from a Warren presidency).
Tom Steyer: Steyer promised to give everyone else on stage the gift of teamwork (Tom, you can’t wrap that). He just said that was the only way to beat Trump, by working together and supporting each other.
The candidates had a chance to tell the viewers something about themselves and talk about something they like that they’d want to share with the people they compete against. Maybe it’s just a batch of cookies or a meal, or maybe it could be a funny white elephant gift. Instead, every candidate made it all about themselves.
