In Ohio, the fourth televised debate of US presidential candidates from the Democratic Party. They became a record in the number of participants. Twelve people held an almost three-hour discussion in the conference room at Otterbane University - former vice president Joe Biden, senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Corey Booker, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobushar, former congressman Beto O'Rourke, former Minister of Housing Julian Castro , South Bend Mayor Pete Buttijic, Congressman Tulsi Gabbard, and businessmen Tom Steyer and Andrew Young.

The main areas of debate concerned US domestic policy. In particular, the subject of discussion was the reform of medical insurance and the public sector, as well as tightening controls on the storage and circulation of weapons. However, the candidates also touched on the foreign policy agenda: the Middle East, US relations with Ukraine and Russia. Candidates for the post of presidential candidate from the Democratic Party harshly criticized Trump for his course on the world stage.

“I believe that we should leave the Middle East. I don’t think that we should have troops there. Trump crouches over dictators, makes impulsive decisions that are often not clear to his team, abandons our allies and enriches himself at the expense of the United States of America. And here is what he achieved: our foreign policy and military-political potential is undermined, because no one in the world will believe this pathological liar, ”said Elizabeth Warren.

Biden, in turn, called Trump "a spontaneous crazy president who does not understand a damn thing in foreign policy and is guided by fear for his re-election." He accused the American president of trusting Vladimir Putin more than US intelligence.

At the same time, Andrew Young in his speech touched on the topic of "interference".

“We should bring this thought to Russia: listen, we understand everything. We have managed to interfere in other people's elections, and you - in ours, but it is time to put an end to this. If this does not stop, we will regard it as an act of hostility towards the American people, ”he said.

Amy Klobushar objected to him. She emphasized that she does not observe "moral equality between our country and Russia." However, she also eventually began to criticize Trump, who, in her opinion, does not fulfill her campaign slogan "to restore America to its former greatness."

“Appeal to Ukraine for political compromising information does not return America to its former greatness. The abandonment of the Kurds in the face of extermination does not return America to its former greatness. Staying in the arms of Vladimir Putin does not return America to its former greatness. This returns Russia to its former greatness, ”said Klobushar.

The next televised debate will take place in November. Prior to the Democratic Congress in July 2020, where a single party candidate will be selected, eight more rounds of debate are envisaged.

“They didn’t show themselves”

According to political analysts, one of the most memorable moments of the debate was Biden's speech. He had to fend off accusations when it came to his son Hunter, who worked for the Ukrainian oil and gas company Burisma at a time when his father oversaw Ukraine from the Barack Obama administration. Biden Sr. called his son “a good man,” noting that neither he nor Hunter had a chance to “do anything wrong.”

  • Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigic
  • Reuters
  • © Aaron Josefcz

Recall, Trump’s attempt to get President Boryden from investigating the bribe case from President Vladimir Zelensky became the basis for Democrats to demand the removal of the current American leader from power.

The American political scientist Dmitry Drobnitsky, in an interview with RT, called the "most important nuance" of the debate what kind of "vegetarian caution" Biden had for the other candidates.

“The only question that the debate moderator asked Biden was about the Ukrainian scandal with his son. And the subtext was this: "but we know that these are the machinations of enemies." Thus, Biden got the opportunity to say what he wanted, and no one tried to attack him, ”explained Drobnitsky.

In his opinion, this is due to the fact that even before the debate, Elizabeth Warren became the actual leader of the race in the Democratic Party. She is ahead of Biden according to several polls, and, as the expert notes, there is no serious compromising evidence on her. In addition, Warren is seventy, she is six years younger than Joe Biden, which makes her a more promising candidate than the former vice president, but at the same time a “target” for competitors of the same party.

“Other candidates“ jumped on ”her, though not about her personal qualities, like, for example, Trump, but mainly about her program. So, she was criticized for her position on health care reform. Warren successfully enough fought back, but I personally didn’t have the feeling that she was the undisputed winner in the debate, ”said Drobnitsky.

From his point of view, the other candidates, in addition to Biden and Warren, “did not show themselves” at the debate.

“They tried to play with the opportunity to catch up with the leader. But it seems to me that no one has succeeded, ”says the expert.

“There is nothing to talk about”

Dmitry Drobnitsky explains the lack of a full discussion during the debate by the fact that all the candidates of the Democratic Party share a similar set of ideas.

“They generally have nothing to talk about. They argue over some nuances. They are all socialists, all agree, with the exception of Tulsi Gabbard, that Trump should be fired through impeachment. Their “about nothing” discussions make a painful impression. The fourth debate, and again boring, ”the expert believes.

  • Debate viewers
  • Reuters
  • © Shannon Stapleton

A similar opinion is shared by political scientist Mikhail Sinelnikov-Orishak.

“Until now, I was basically confident that the Democrats should suppress Trump. After all, it became a matter of principle for them to prove that his first term was an unfortunate accident. But after watching this debate, I believe that Trump’s second term takes on more real outlines, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

Sinelnikov-Orishak also emphasized that the candidates “focused solely on criticism of the current president” of the USA, “forgetting” about all other pressing issues.

“The debate came down to the fact that their participants illustrated with concrete examples, in which Trump was wrong. Of course, it’s understandable when the candidates point the point of criticism against the main rival. But they should have something else besides exposing the competitor. Trump has this “something else”. Democrats don’t, ”said Sinelnikov-Orishak.

However, according to the expert, the Democrats still have time and opportunity to rectify the situation.

“The candidate from the Democratic Party will be determined in July. So, they still have time to work on the mistakes and come up with something attractive for voters. But at this stage, Trump looks more attractive to his voters than his opponents, ”concluded Sinelnikov-Orishak.