The ‘On Politics’ Guide to the Second Democratic Debates

Hi. Welcome to On Politics, your guide to the day in national politics. I’m Lisa Lerer, your host.

[Get On Politics delivered to your inbox.]

It’s debate week. Round 2.

Or maybe Rounds 3 and 4? It depends how you’re counting, I suppose.

Either way, over the next two nights in Detroit, we are gearing up for what’s expected to be a far more contentious face-off than last month’s debate in Miami.

The reason? Joe Biden.

Mr. Biden’s struggle to deflect attacks from Senator Kamala Harris, and the rise in her poll numbers that followed, hardly went unnoticed by the other 20,000 Democrats running for president. (I exaggerate. Slightly.)

Politicians and strategists are a relatively uncreative bunch. If they see something that works — in this case, attacks on a front-runner — they try to copy it. Expect at least a few candidates to come ready with, as my colleague Jonathan Martin puts it, their canned Lloyd Bentsen lines.

Whether Mr. Biden can better navigate the debate stage and, perhaps, even score a few points of his own are the central questions. His last performance raised concerns not only about his preparation but also, as my colleagues reported today, about his age. Another lackluster showing could cost the former vice president his front-runner title.

“I’m not going to be as polite this time,” he told supporters at a fund-raiser last week.

Here are some other things I’ll be watching for:

Race takes center stage.

A discussion of race feels all but inevitable in the debates, given that they’re coming after a month of attacks by President Trump on prominent Democrats of color and will take place in a city that’s nearly 80 percent black.

It’s a conversation many on the stage want to have, both with the president and with each other. Mr. Biden and his top aides spent much of the past week sparring with Ms. Harris and Senator Cory Booker, two black candidates, over their civil rights and criminal justice records, and on Wednesday night he will be sandwiched between them.

They aren’t the only ones eager to talk about civil rights and criminal justice issues, either: Pete Buttigieg needs to win more support from voters of color, and Julián Castro, whose boffo performance in the first round of debates allowed him to hire some staff, has put reforming the criminal justice system at the center of his campaign.

WWBD? (What Will Beto Do?)

Beto O’Rourke roared into the race in March with a Texas-size burst of momentum. Since then, he’s struggled to find a foothold in the crowded field, a problem that wasn’t helped by his performance in the first debate, when he was bested on immigration policy by Mr. Castro. Can he find a way to regain some of that early promise?

You’re likable enough, Elizabeth.

Since the first debate, a series of polls have shown that Senator Elizabeth Warren is eating into Senator Bernie Sanders’s support, particularly among the most liberal Democrats. Both have shied away from attacking each other. But in a recent CNN interview, Mr. Sanders struggled to say something — anything! — he admired about Ms. Warren. He has also attributed her rise to her gender. We’ll be watching to see whether they keep that nonaggression pact.

Brave researches?

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, of the “Brave Wins” campaign slogan, has been dropping clues that she plans to hit harder this time around. Take this line, which she said last week in Iowa: “We have Democratic candidates running for president right now who do not believe necessarily that it’s a good idea that women work outside the home.”

Her aides declined to explain whom, exactly, Ms. Gillibrand was referring to. But some sleuthing this morning indicates that her campaign may be tapping into the magic of newspapers.com to research Mr. Biden’s record.

If you want to read more, here’s our preview: The Democratic Debate Lineups Could Lead to Fireworks

____________________

Drop us a line!

We want to hear from our readers. Have a question? We’ll try to answer it. Have a comment? We’re all ears. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.

Yes, it feels like the previous debates just ended. But over the next two evenings, 20 Democrats will again take the stage. Here are the answers to questions you might be too embarrassed to ask.

What time is the debate?

8 p.m. Eastern, Tuesday and Wednesday. You can watch on CNN.

How can I follow along?

I’m already in Detroit, where I’ll be live-chatting both nights from the Fox Theatre.

Like last time, we’ll send out an email to On Politics readers just before the debates start, with links for you to follow our live chat. And each morning, I’ll break down what we just watched.

[Not yet a subscriber? Sign up here to get On Politics in your inbox.]

Who’s on which nights?

Tuesday: Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren will be at the center of the stage, flanked by Pete Buttigieg and Beto O’Rourke. (Marianne Williamson, whose first debate performance took social media by storm, will be on the far left side.)

Wednesday: All eyes are on Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Joe Biden. Andrew Yang and Tulsi Gabbard, internet favorites, will also be there, along with bomb-throwers like Kirsten Gillibrand and Bill de Blasio.

We’ve got a cool visual breakdown of the key matchups.

When do we have to do this again?

August is mercifully debate-free, so the candidates won’t meet again until September. But this actually might be the last debate of its kind — for this cycle, at least. The next debate has much tougher requirements, which could (fingers crossed) keep it to a single night.

Source link