correspondent in Washington

In politics, popularity is inevitably accompanied by a volley of criticism. On Tuesday, October 15, of the 12 candidates for Democratic primaries on stage, Elizabeth Warren (23.4% of the voting intentions according to the last average Real Clear Politics) was the most attacked. A sign that the Massachusetts senator, who campaigns very left, is now taken seriously by his competitors as well as the favorite Joe Biden (29.4% of voting intentions on average).

Unsurprisingly, it was on the health record that the Massachusetts senator was first targeted. His centrist colleague Amy Klobuchar, in great shape on Tuesday night, criticized her lack of honesty over the tax hike related to her promise of universal public health insurance. Elizabeth Warren, who boasts of having "a plan" for each problem, has indeed stubbornly not talk about taxes but global "costs", which would only increase for the richest. "Bernie (Sanders) was honest in admitting that the taxes would go up, sorry Elizabeth but you did not say that," Amy Klobuchar said. "The difference between a plan and a chimera is its implementation," she taunted.

"No one wants to protect the billionaires"

The same senator Amy Klobuchar redoubled her attacks a little later about the super rich tax advocated by the former Harvard professor, who accused her reluctant colleagues of wanting to "support the billionaires". "No one on this stage wants to protect the billionaires, not even the billionaire here," said Amy Klobuchar, referring to financier Tom Steyer who was participating for the first time in a Democratic debate. "We just have different approaches," she continued. "That does not mean that we do not fight for ordinary people."

Kamala Harris, now in fifth place in the polls, has also attacked Elizabeth Warren. She blamed him for not supporting him in his call to suspend President Donald Trump's Twitter account. "I do not want to push him out of Twitter but from the White House," said Elizabeth Warren, calm and unperturbed. "If we want to talk seriously about dismantling the big tech companies, then we have to look into financing our campaigns," she said. And to promise, unlike others, never to accept money from Gafa, Wall Street, or big pharmaceutical companies.

Impeachment is unanimous

Other topics were rather unanimous among Democratic contestants. First, the investigation for the impeachment of Donald Trump. "Sometimes, some questions go beyond politics," said Elizabeth Warren. "Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in our history," said Bernie Sanders, while warning his side: "It would be a disaster if the American people thought that all we do is take on Donald Trump. " Joe Biden, he felt that the Democrats had "no choice but to move forward" in the process.

While his name is quoted in the Ukrainian case - he is accused by the Trump camp of lobbied to avoid an investigation for corruption to his son who worked for a Ukrainian gas company - the former vice president is forbidden. "My son did nothing wrong, and neither did I," he assured before bouncing back, "What we have to do now is focus on Donald Trump, he does not want me to be the Democratic candidate (...) because he knows that I will defeat him "in 2020.

On Syria, Tulsi Gabbard stands out

Discreet in the first part of the debate, Joe Biden was more vocal later. Removing the American soldiers and abandoning the Kurds in Syria is "the most shameful thing an American president has done in modern foreign policy history," fired the candidate. A position shared by his rivals, with the exception of Tulsi Gabbard who castigated those who supported this "war to overthrow the regime in Syria".

The critics of this controversial Hawaiian representative are worried that she will resume the position and vocabulary of Moscow and Damascus. "You are completely wrong," said young candidate Pete Buttigieg, an army veteran like her. "The ongoing massacre in Syria is not the result of the American presence, it is the consequence of the withdrawal and betrayal by this president of American allies and American values."

Age and health

This fourth debate finally made it possible to tackle the question of the age and state of health of the candidates head-on. In the first place Bernie Sanders, 77, who has suspended his campaign in recent weeks after a heart attack. The Socialist candidate was anxious to reassure and gratefully thanked his colleagues on stage for their support. The American press reported Tuesday night that it would now have the official support of the democratic superstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.