Former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have taken the stage for the first one-on-one debate of the Democratic primary.
The leading Democratic candidates are facing off Sunday night in Washington in the 11th debate of the primary season. The event was moved from Arizona, which votes Tuesday, because of concerns over the growing coronavirus pandemic, and is being held without an audience.
Sanders Says Biden Climate Plan Falls Short
Bernie Sanders is accusing Joe Biden of not going far enough on his plans to combat climate change.
To Biden, the Vermont senator said during Sunday nights Democratic debate in Washington, “I know your heart is in the right place” on climate change. But, calling the Paris Climate Accord—which Biden said he would rejoin—“useful,” Biden said that “bold action” was required for the good of the globe.
Biden asserted that his plans are ambitious, noting plans to end offshore drilling, as well as subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, but a need for global action to accomplish real change.
“We could get everything exactly right,” Biden said, of the need for international cooperation. “Were 15 percent of the problem.”
Biden Commits to Picking Woman VP
Former Vice President Joe Biden is committing to naming a woman as his running mate if hes the Democratic presidential nominee.
Biden made that assertion during Sunday nights debate with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Washington. Asked the same question, Sanders didnt definitively commit but said, “In all likelihood, I will.” Biden has previously said he would seriously consider naming a woman or a person of color as his running mate.
Biden and Sanders Clash on Health Care Plan
The first clash of the head-to-head debate between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders is coming in the form of a dust-up over whether Sanders signature health care plan is the best way to respond to the coronavirus.
After Sanders said the Trump administrations response to the outbreak laid bare the weaknesses of the nations current health care system, Biden pointed out that Italy—where the virus has essentially quarantined the country, has a government-run health care system that hasnt alleviated the problem.
“With all due respect to Medicare for All, you have a single-payer system in Italy,” Biden said. “It doesnt work there.”
Sanders responded by noting that experts say “one of the reasons that we are unprepared … is that we dont have a system.”
Sanders argues his single-payer health care system would provide free treatment for those diagnosed with COVID-19. Biden says he would authorize government funds to cover treatment.
Biden and Sanders Cast Themselves as Best Leader
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders sought in Sundays debate to cast themselves as best-positioned to lead the nation through a global pandemic, with Biden pledging to deploy the military to help with recovery efforts and Sanders using the crisis to pitch his long-sought overhaul of the countrys healthRead More – Source
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