SALT LAKE CITY — Democratic presidential candidates highlighted the moral stakes of the 2020 election Tuesday night as they debated hot-button topics like income inequality, impeachment and withdrawing troops from the Middle East.
Rather than simply lay out their plans to reduce health care costs or end gun violence, they discussed concepts like trust and honor, promising to rebuild the United States’ upstanding reputation in the eyes of its citizens and allies.
The American flag on soldiers’ shoulders should represent “a country known to keep its word,” said Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana. “If you take that away, you take away what makes America, America.”
He and the 11 other candidates on stage Tuesday night argued that President Donald Trump has demeaned that flag. Throughout the debate, which took place at Otterbein University in Ohio, they criticized Trump for disrespecting democratic principles and prioritizing his own interests over the interests of the nation.
“Understand that this president is turning the moral leadership of this country into a dumpster fire,” said Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey.
Booker’s remarks came during a discussion of Trump’s decision last week to withdraw troops from Syria, which led to attacks on American allies in the region, the Kurds, and the escape of more than 700 supporters of the Islamic State.
Although the candidates did not agree on whether the U.S. military should remain on the ground in the Middle East, all who spoke on the topic criticized how the current administration has handled recent foreign policy debates.
Troop withdrawal in Syria “is the most shameful thing that any president has done in modern history in terms of foreign policy,” said former Vice President Joe Biden.
However, it’s far from the only situation Americans should be ashamed of right now, candidates said. They condemned recent policy decisions related to abortion rights, corruption in government, the opioid crisis and tax breaks offered to some of the country’s wealthiest citizens.
Income inequality today is a “moral and economic outrage,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, noting that half a million Americans are sleeping on the street and hundreds of thousands of kids can’t afford to go to college.
Similarly, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, argued that policymakers need to take a hard look at America’s budget and tax system and think about what it has to say about the country’s priorities.
“This is about our values as a country,” she said.
Booker described the U.S. child poverty rate as a “moral obscenity,” calling on his fellow candidates to focus on solutions to problems like this rather than simply being defined by their hatred of Trump.
During a discussion of the House impeachment inquiry, it was clear that Booker isn’t the only candidate concerned about being better known for animosity toward the White House than love of American ideals. Debate participants argued that impeachment is a moral issue, not a partisan one.
“Sometimes there are issues that are bigger than politics, and I think that’s the case with this impeachment inquiry,” Warren said.
The president has left the country with “no choice” but to pursue impeachment, Buttigieg said, noting that Republican leaders should recognize the value of uncovering the truth.
Republican resistance to impeachment is “offensive to their own supposed values and to the values we all supposedly share,” he said.
Candidates promised to work on behalf of all Americans and ensure that the values espoused in the country’s founding documents will guide the country in the future.
“In the words of our founders ... if we’re ever going to make it as a nation, we must mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor,” Booker said. “I’m running to restore that sacred honor.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, said part of being a strong candidate is being able to reach across political divides.
“We have to remember that our job is not just to change policy but to change the tone in our politics,” she said.
The goal of Democratic candidates should not be just to win the White House, but also to unite an increasingly divided country, Biden said.
“We have to restore the soul of this country,” he said.