DETROIT (WBAP/KLIF)- Former Vice President Joe Biden had a tongue-in-cheek plea for Sen. Kamala Harris at the start of Wednesday’s debate: “Go easy on me, kid.”
But his chief antagonist and other top rivals did exactly the opposite on a night of political bloodletting that turned into the most negative moment yet in the Democratic presidential race — and likely delighted Donald Trump.
The second night of a debate double header turned into a bruising slog as marquee candidates filleted one another’s records and struggled to train a concentrated and effective attack on Trump — an obvious target given the fierce Democratic antipathy to his presidency.
Biden, Harris and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker especially all absorbed attacks that could be exploited by Trump down the road.
Despite the punches thrown in Detroit on Wednesday, the debate did not appear to bring the party closer to the goal that unites all Democrats — ejecting Trump from the Oval Office.
After both encounters this week, the most vexing questions for Democrats remained whether their expansive bench of candidates contains any single one with the dexterity and toughness to take on the storm that awaits from Trump in the head-to-head presidential debates in fall 2020.
“You want to be president of the United States, you need to be able to answer the tough questions,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told Biden during one tough exchange.
“I guarantee you, if you’re debating Donald Trump, he’s not going to let you off the hook.”
