Elizabeth Warren & Bernie Sanders Team Up Against Moderates In 2nd Democratic Debate

Leading progressive Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) formed an unlikely team in Tuesday night’s Democratic debate. The two are known to be each other’s main competitors in the race, but instead of arguing, the two agreed on most topics, especially health care.

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The two were adamant that their more radical approach would bring Democrats to victory and that more moderate Democrats lacked the drive to win.

Sanders called for a cancelation of all student debt and for free tuition in all public colleges and universities. 

Warren warned that Democrats should not elect someone who “we don’t believe in” just because they seem like a safe option.

Sander’s single-payer healthcare proposal sparked debate with moderate Democrats like John Delaney. Sanders, with the occasional help from Warren, defended his stance and said he wanted to end the problem of insurance and drug companies who profit from the current system. 

Warren and Sanders portrayed critics of their shared healthcare ideas as being on par with Republicans. The two also criticized moderators for using “Republican talking points” when asking questions about the issue.

All of the candidates stressed the importance of winning in key swing states. Sanders, who is often a critic of the electoral college system, said that he is currently ahead of President Donald Trump in public polls. 

As with the healthcare debate, trade and immigration seemed to be points of contention. Warren wants to decriminalize entry into the country as a response to Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy. Gov. Steve Bullock (D-Montana) argued that with thousands of people attempting to gain entry to the United States via its border, the decriminalization of entry and access to free healthcare would multiply that number. He then accused Warren of “playing into Donald Trump’s hands” for her want to provide benefits to undocumented migrants. Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) and Delaney likened Warren’s trade agenda to that of Trump’s. Warren stated that her ideas were not “extreme” but that she wanted “deals that are negotiated by American workers for American workers.”

Future debates between Warren, Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden will be the defining moments of this centrist vs. left debate.