And the winner is...
What do you get when you put ten Democrats on a stage for the world to watch? Well, one thing you don't get is a straight answer. The Democratic presidential debate in Houston covered some of the most important topics on the minds of Americans as they wonder who is going to be the next president, or if President Trump is going to remain in office for another four years. The questions ranged from health care to gun control, racism and more. Healthcare was one of the biggest topics of the night that took up a lot of energy from the candidates. Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders engaged in an energetic debate about health insurance, which is high on the list of concerns for voters. Biden brought up cost. He compared his $740 billion plan against the "Medicare for All" proposal backed by both Sanders and Warren, which costs a staggering $30 trillion over 10 years. When asked about how they planned to pay for their policies none gave straight answers. Senators Sanders and Warren were asked multiple times if taxes for the middle class would go up and they did not answer.
Perhaps the highest point of the night was when Castro had accused Biden of contradicting himself and wondered whether the former vice president's memory was leaving him in what appeared to be an attack on his age. "Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago? Are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago? I mean, I can't believe that you said two minutes ago that they had to buy in and now you're saying they don't have to buy in," Castro said to Biden. "You're forgetting that."
Castro was later scolded by his fellow Democrats for the attacks on Biden. Pete Buttigieg said to Castro, "This reminds everybody of what they cannot stand about Washington.”
"That's called an election, Pete," Castro responded.
On the other side of the stage, Kamala Harris showed she is so insecure about her policies and herself that she uses most of her time attacking President Trump. (As if she has to devote her time to a room full of Democrats and convince them not to vote for Trump.)
Beto O'Rourke made one of the most horrific statements of the night when he exploited the horrific event that occurred in El Paso, Texas where 22 lives were taken by a sick individual. O’Rourke openly blames President Trump for this event. Whether Democrat or Republican, how sad is it to blame the president for an act so heinous against the American people? Rather than acknowledging this horrific time and showing our resilience as Americans, O’Rourke uses it to bring more division and hate into our country.
I think Michael Goodwin sums the debate up the best:
“And the winner is … Donald Trump. The Democrats’ third presidential debate was a long-winded, platitude-filled disaster where no single candidate could claim a clear victory. Instead, the seven men and three women took turns displaying why they are all probably unelectable.”
Well, there you have it. I'm sure the next few months will be very entertaining as we come closer to the election.
I ask that no matter which side you are on that we all pray for the leaders of our country so that we will once again be one nation under God. May God bless each of you.
Jacob Sanchez is a freshman studying general studies.