(MarketWatch) Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney played offense at the Detroit Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday night, pushing progressives like Sen. Elizabeth Warren to defend polices like “Medicare for All” that he called “fairy-tale economics.”
The splits between progressives and moderates were on sharp display Tuesday at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, where 10 candidates debated health care, foreign policy, wealth taxes, immigration and a host of other issues. Ten more candidates are scheduled to debate Wednesday night.
“I think Democrats win when we run on real solutions, not impossible promises, when we run on things that are workable, not fairy tale economics,” said Delaney, who is polling below 1% compared to Warren’s 14% in the RealClearPolitics average.
Similarly, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock spoke out against what he called “wishlist economics,” in jabs at Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the other leading progressive.
But it was Delaney who most aggressively challenged Warren in particular, prompting the Massachusetts senator to shoot back, “I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for.” The crowd erupted in applause.
Some of the policies espoused by progressives carry risks for a party that is aiming to unseat President Donald Trump in 2020.
A Pew Research poll found that only 27% of adults overall support a government-run health-care program with no role for private insurance.
Candidates support a variety of health-care plans, from Sanders’ Medicare for All plan to Pete Buttigieg’s, which would leave some private insurance in place. Frontrunner Joe Biden has spoken out against Medicare for All, saying millions would lose coverage.
That is the same argument Trump’s campaign manager made in a tweet on Tuesday night.
