In two debates held on Wednesday and Thursday evening, Democratic contenders for president made their case to primary voters. The first debate mostly consisted of lesser-known candidates, although it did include some heavy-hitters, most notably Elizabeth Warren.

Warren set herself apart from the other candidates by being most precise in her policies and what she would do as president. She and Bill de Blasio took the most liberal position on health care, with both saying they would get rid of private health insurance in favor of Bernie Sanders’ Medicare-for-all plan.
Cory Booker and Beto O’Rourke tried impressing audiences with their Spanish-speaking skills, but it didn’t go well for either of them, with both being mocked afterwards by pundits for their bad attempts.

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro tries setting himself apart by being extremely aggressive on illegal immigration, at times cutting off other candidates mid-sentence to chime in. Castro said he would completely decriminalize crossing the border illegally.

The subject of gun violence came up, in which Cory Booker derided those who only share their “thoughts and prayers” after mass shootings, rather than working on tackling the issue.

All the candidates said they would support abortions, and all spoke of dealing with McConnell in the Senate, though nobody said how they would actually deal with him. The candidates also disagreed over what the greatest threat to the US is; some said Russia, some said China, while others said climate change.

At the second debate, the biggest storyline by far was the way Senator Kamala Harris gave Joe Biden an absolute beating regarding his previous support for racist senators and policies. Biden had a difficult time responding, saying the Harris was mischaracterizing his record. He instead tried to focus on his time as Vice President under Barack Obama, saying he wanted to build off of his accomplishments there, especially in the matter of health care in the US.

Bernie Sanders admitted that his Medicare-for-all plans would require raising taxes on middle class families, but argued that it would help lower medical costs. All the candidates on stage said they supported providing health care to illegal immigrants.

Pete Buttigieg said that Republicans are not being truthful to their faith when dealing so harshly with illegal immigrant crisis at the southern border.

Rep. Eric Swalwell took a shot at Biden, saying that to confront the issues facing the US, Biden should “pass the torch” to a younger generation of leaders.

Little else of importance happened during the debates, unless you consider candidate Marianne Williamson who was on stage for the second debate, but is considered a little wacky. Several of her statements left the other candidates and people in the watching and listening audience, including this writer, completely befuddled.