Iowa Democratic Debate 2020: Warren lucks out on foreign policy but cashes in on Sanders' 'sexist' remark
The seventh Democratic presidential Democratic debate took place at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, January 14. It was quite an absorbing debate, given the fact that it was the last one before the first major battle — the Iowa caucuses — scheduled for February 3.
The occasion had all the ingredients to get heated up and two of the major ones were the Iran crisis and the gender-based controversy centered on Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
For 70-year-old Warren, it was a significant debate. While she looked unimpressive on issues relating to foreign policy, her alleged tussle with Sanders gave her a big opportunity to hit back and, at the end of the day, the Massachusetts senator was among the positive point-earners.
Foreign policy has never been Warren's forte. In fact, compared to Sanders and former vice president Joe Biden, she looked pale in her articulation when Trump's foreign policy adventurism came up for debate.
The lines she took had nothing new to offer — like vowing for withdrawal of all troops from the battlefields of the Middle East. "The US is going in circles," she said and the words, even while tickling the audience's funny bone, did not give any alternative vision.
A thumping comeback in the Sanders episode
However, Warren saw a massive opportunity to come back into the ring when the allegations of Sanders rubbishing a woman winning the presidency came up.
From the heights of "masculine talks" revolving war and foreign policy, Sanders suddenly found himself confronting a softer yet crucial issue about gender.
He did the best he could do — denying the charges and trying to show his gender-neutral credentials from the past but, in these times, that was only going to help Warren's cause and she did the most out of it with both her words and actions.
Taking an aim against males in general, she said all the four men on the stage had lost 10 races while she and Amy Klobuchar — the only other woman in the race — have never lost a race.
The generalization of men versus women was a masterstroke that more than made up for Warren's drawbacks on issues like foreign policy.
If men can be hard, women can be strong — the words drove home the message and ahead of the Democrats' tough battle against Donald Trump who is not known to respect women much, they would only strengthen Warren's chances of nomination.
The turf looked more familiar for Warren when she spoke on domestic issues like healthcare and at the end, she came up with a decisive gesture — that of not shaking hands with Sanders.
It was another low moment for the Vermont senator but by taking the fight to him on not political ideals but gender bias, Warren delivered the point that she is no "weak liberal".
Is Trump, who tried to make some gains in the Democrats' internal issues by expressing trust in Sanders, listening?