All Mike Bloomberg had to do at last night’s ultimately dreadful Democratic presidential debate to earn a passing grade was not stand completely idle as Elizabeth Warren verbally stomped over him. Was he successful? I suppose. Bloomberg did manage to offer complete sentences in response to some of Warren’s criticisms, but that doesn’t mean what he said in response was especially good or useful to his campaign either.

When asked why she felt that the billionaire was a risky candidate, Warren rightly highlighted Bloomberg's support of anti-choice GOP candidates along with Republican Senators like Lindsey Graham and former Senator Scott Brown, who Warren defeated in a race in the past. And then there was Warren’s continued scrutiny of Bloomberg and his company’s treatment of women. The most contentious exchange between them was when Warren referenced a claim from a recent Washington Post story that Bloomberg once told a female employee of his to terminate her pregnancy by saying, “Kill it.”

“Categorically never said it,” Bloomberg said in response. “When I was accused of doing it, we couldn't figure out what she was talking about. But right now, I'm sorry if she heard what she thought she heard or… whatever happened, I didn't take any pleasure in that.”

Warren turned to her larger point: “The Bloomberg corporations and Mayor Bloomberg himself have been accused of discrimination. They are bound by nondisclosures so that they cannot speak. If he says there is nothing to hide here, then sign a blanket release and let those women speak out.”

In response, Bloomberg said it was “probably wrong” to make jokes he’d made, adding, “If it bothered them, I was wrong, and I apologize. I'm sorry for that.” As for Warren’s request that all employees be released from NDAs, Bloomberg countered, “The trouble with this Senator is enough is never enough.”

In the week that Harvey Weinstein became a convicted rapist, it is unconscionable for any man, much less one seeking the presidency, to stand on a stage and tell a woman she is never satisfied because she wants him to end a known practice employed by powerful sexual abusers. What a joke of a person. (Damn, there goes a potential additional $2500 in income.)

Some have challenged Warren on her strategy and her remarks. In a post-debate interview with Chris Matthews, the MSNBC host said to Warren: "You believe he's lying? ...Why would he lie? Just to protect himself? ...You’re confident of your accusation?" Warren cited the woman’s word — imagine that.

It was a cringe-inducing exchange that illustrated once again why Matthews (among others) is ill-equipped to comment on our contemporary political era. And Bloomberg is just as equally unprepared to lead it, given he offered equally less impressive answers about his past comments praising redlining along with stop and frisk. I’m baffled and frustrated by his invocation of 9/11 to deflect from criticism of his racist policies. As for reports that Bloomberg hired a comedy writer to punch up his material, one assumes they are fans of Liz and Bernie.

Those aren’t the only people Bloomberg has been accused of hiring, either. Many have pointed out that a Democratic audience doesn’t usually boo “attacks on billionaires”, never mind cheer a candidate who’s flubbing his lines and getting things wrong. Who knows if Bloomberg really did corral some “supporters” into turning up? Either way, I do believe the cheers for Joe Biden were real — if for no other reason than the fact that he finally decided to be present in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary after running for so long.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

I’m not sure if Elizabeth Warren’s further dismantling of Elizabeth Warren will give her campaign the boost it needs. There are sparkles of light her supporters can look to. In their new endorsement of the Massachusetts Senator for president, the Boston Globe editorial board wrote, “Fearless and brilliant on her feet, Warren has the greatest potential among the candidates to lay bare Trump’s weaknesses on a debate stage.”