Harris bloodied Biden, but he’s not out — Warren and Buttigieg on the rise

The conventional wisdom for once is right: Kamala Harris had her breakout moments in the Democratic presidential debate Thursday night, and Joe Biden reinforced fears the times may have passed him by.

Before the forums, I predicted little would change. I think that’s basically right, except Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg did what they had to and more. Back-of-the-pack aspirants Michael Bennet and Julian Castro also elevated their low profiles.

Bernie Sanders was his same old self.

Biden, Beto O’Rourke and the other dozen on the stages, can only hope for another day.

One important caveat for Harris, who more than any was the star of the two days: For the second time she sowed confusion on her position on eliminating all private health insurance. In the debate she and Bernie Sanders raised their hands affirmatively on that question, as did Warren the night before.

The next morning, she was backing away, lamely claiming she misunderstood the question. Similarly, she made the same assertion when she originally announced — and then retreated.

Harris seems torn between appealing to the activist left on this issue and realizing it would be a disastrous position in the general election. She had better get it right going forward.

More than any other candidate, the freshman California Senator lights up a room — she showed a commanding presence that previously only was there when playing her familiar role as a former prosecutor. She was sharp substantively, alternately displaying a focused intensity and an appealing charm.

In deftly challenging Biden for noting he’d worked with politicians he disagreed with — like segregationist senators — to get things done, she cited her personal experiences as a young African-American girl without demagoguing. (One matter she may not continue to emphasize is her criticism of then-Senator Biden’s opposition to using school busing for racial integration. It is an issue that largely has disappeared from the political agenda, but she made effective use of it on stage Thursday night.)

Harris’s direct and unrelenting challenge of Biden seemed to unnerve the former Vice President — who had held his own for the first part of the debate — and he faltered in the closing segments.

Biden can recover, as he still decisively beats President Trump in polls, leads all Democrats, and enjoys significant political support. But a few more gaffes or lackluster performances will heighten a sense that the 76-year-old former senator, who has been in politics for almost a half century, is not right for the times in an election about change.

This week likely will accelerate Massachusetts Sen. Warren’s ascension at the expense of fellow left-winger, Vermont Sen. Sanders. No one is more versed and bold on the issues; she is not turning away from potentially lethal positions like a totally government-run single payer health care system.

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Buttigieg, also in the leading tier of candidates behind the front-runners, demonstrated his policy chops and a personal comfort. He wisely did not duck responsibility for the recent killing in his city of a black man by a white police officer. How that simmering issue plays out, and his handling of it, will determine where he can continue to build on the extraordinary buzz his candidacy has created.

Colorado Senator Bennet and former San Antonio Mayor and Obama Cabinet member Castro impressed enough to give them another shot at getting out of the political basement. And New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker held his own.

Of the others, the biggest disappointment was O’Rourke, the former Texas Congressman who excited Democrats with his close challenge last year of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Unlike Buttigieg, O’Rourke simply hasn’t been able to recreate that buzz, and his debate performance was no different.

Hopefully the next in a series of Democratic presidential debates will improve on the first ones. Major Democratic figures like Montana Governor Steve Bullock ideally would be included in future debates at the expense of fringe figures like Marianne Williamson, an author of self-help books who said her first act as President would be to call the President of New Zealand.

NOTE: This post has been updated from the original to correct the spelling of Cory Booker’s first name.

Albert R. Hunt is the former executive editor of Bloomberg News. He previously served as reporter, bureau chief and Washington editor for the Wall Street Journal. For almost a quarter-century he wrote a column on politics for the Wall Street Journal, then the International New York Times and Bloomberg View. Follow him on Twitter @alhuntdc.