'Results' Or 'Revolution': Everything You Need To Know From The Democratic Debate

The 11th Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential election cycle on Sunday (March 15) was the initial since the South Carolina primary a month prior. Since then, five candidates who were on stage have dropped out; Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who is still running, did not qualify. The debate also precedes four primaries that will be contained on Tuesday in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio.


Only two candidates remain: Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, who currently leads at the polls. The debate was overshadowed by the looming pandemic, an outbreak of COVID-19, the infection caused by the novel coronavirus. Both candidates have taken the Trump administration’s largely conflicting responses to task by putting forth their own plans and suggestions. Although the virus's impact could also be felt in most characteristic of the event, from the inquiries posed by the moderators to the location of the debate itself.


Before taking to the podiums, which were spaced 6 feet apart, Sanders and Biden ditched the collegiate handshake greeting for a friendly elbow-to-elbow nudge. Then, the candidates dug deep into several key issues, like health care and past voting records, in making their cases for the oval office. Here are the key takeaways from Sunday’s debate.


There was no audience.


The impact of COVID-19 would be felt before candidates even set foot on the stage. The location was moved from Phoenix, Arizona, to Washington, D.C., And one moderator, Jorge Ramos of Univision, stepped down immediately after potentially being exposed to the virus.


And in keeping with the mitigation tactic of social distancing to quota the illness’s spread, this was the opening Democratic debate of the season without a live audience. It follows efforts put forth by officials nationwide: In Washington state, Governor Jay Inslee prohibited groups of 250 or more from meeting in three counties, while New York Governor Andrew Cuomo temporarily banned gatherings of 500 or more.


The first question was about the coronavirus.


Right out of the gate, the moderators and candidates acknowledged the national state of emergency, and people’s fears of both societal and medical collapse.


Biden answered first, pointing people to his website, where he “laid out precisely what I would do if I were president today,” he mentioned. As MTV News previously announced, his plan includes prioritizing the dissemination of tests for COVID-19, and making those tests free for people who need such assistance, without consideration of immigration or insurance status. (An estimated 44 million Residents of the United States are uninsured.) He also wants to protect health care workers on the frontlines, make sure that people receive the right statistics in a timely manner, and secure paid sick leave for those impacted, along with to instate a fund to help those who have experienced a loss work due to the coronavirus.


Meanwhile, Sanders stressed the need to pass Medicare For All, which would insure every American across the board. “This coronavirus pandemic exposes the incredible weakness and dysfunctionality of our current healthcare system,” he mentioned. His plan also stresses the significance of increasing funds for emergency unemployment compensation, and put a moratorium on evictions, foreclosures, and utility shutoffs. He also urged the government to supply extra economic assistance and meals on wheels for the elderly, and make sure that there really are national and state hotlines to answer questions about the virus.


Biden mentioned people want “results, not a revolution,” are how we solve the economic crisis. Sanders disagreed.


The impact of coronavirus could also recently be felt on an economic level, with the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates to 0.25 percent or less, a low that have not been seen since the market crash in 2008. Air lines have cut flights, citizens have been urged to avoid cruises and crowded public spaces, and several large events have been canceled. Candidates were asked how they would remedy the current economic crisis, to which Biden made the case for “a major, major, major bailout package,” he mentioned, a statement that resemble his pro-bailout voting history in the 2008 crisis.


In response, Sanders, who voted against the bank bailouts in the 2008 crisis, took the possibility to discuss inequalities in revenue and distributions of wealth. “We need to stabilize the economy nevertheless we can’t repeat what we did in 2008. We’ve got to do more than save the banks or oil companies.” He continued by pointing out how wealth demographics affect the way folks are and will be affected by coronavirus, adding that under his plan: “No matter what your revenue is, you will not suffer as a result of this crisis,” he said.


The candidates covered a lot of ground in a short quantity of time.


Biden touted his past support of same-sex marriage — and questioned Sanders on his votes against the Brady Bill and other past votes on gun control measures, for which Sanders has since expressed his regret. Sanders called out the assortment of young people who are drowning in student debt and took Biden to task on his own voting record. “Go to the YouTube!” He said.


And that was in general a good thing, because it showed just how interconnected everything is once it comes to politics. Yet it wasn’t without a couple of road bumps: As soon as Sanders brought up immigration reform throughout a conversation about the novel coronavirus, a moderator attempted to prepare the case that the two are separate issues, any time they’re not; immediately considering that, the virus does not discriminate between nationalities or immigration status.


Both candidates asserted their cabinets “would look like the country,” with females in seats of power. 


Biden promised he would not only nominate a Black woman judge to the Supreme Court, yet that his vice president nominee would also be a woman.


“It is making sure we nominate a progressive woman,” Sanders mentioned, adding that “in all likelihood,” he would do the same thing. “And there really are progressive females out there.”


But Sanders also pointed out Biden’s history of voting for the Hyde Amendment, a provision that would bar the use of federal funds to pay for abortion, however Biden pushed back. “It isn't my view [now],” he mentioned, doubling down on the fact that several people in congress have voted for the Hyde Amendment at one point or another, because it is often folded into other legislation that is often unanimously passed by legislative bodies.