Following a shaky performance in the first debate, former Vice President Joe Biden came out fighting as he fielded attacks on a range of topics during the second Democratic presidential primary debate. WSJ's Gerald F. Seib looks at some key moments. Photo: Getty

Biden Fights Back Against Attacks in Second Night of Debates

Trump’s biggest rival at the polls, former vice president and longstanding Democrat Joe Biden was roasted by his own party members in the second round of presidential debates.

Mr Biden’s competitors in the upcoming 2020 election undermined his candidacy by raising questions about his commitment to black voters and women.

Californian Senator Kamala Harris led the charge and pulled no punches when it came to testing the strength of Mr Biden’s early lead.

The former vice president was repeatedly forced to defend his decades-old political record against pointed attacks from his younger, diverse rivals, who charged that Biden’s eight-year relationship with President Barack Obama was not reason enough to earn the Democratic nomination.

Harris, who declared that his willingness to work with segregationists in the US Senate during the 1970s could have had dramatic consequences on the surge of minority candidates in political office.

WHO IS KAMALA HARRIS?

Kamala Harris is of Jamaican and Indian ancestry and was California’s third female US Senator, and the first with her racial background.

Since becoming a senator she has supported single-payer healthcare, federal descheduling of cannabis, support for sanctuary cities, the DREAM Act, and lowering the tax burden for the working and middle classes while raising taxes on corporations and the wealthiest 1 per cent of Americans.

MINORITY VOTERS BACK BIDEN

It was the discussion of race that marked an escalating rift shaping the Democratic primary.

At the same time, polls show that Mr Biden has far more support from minority voters than his challengers, especially in the crucial early voting state of South Carolina.

And, she said, it could have prevented her and fellow presidential candidate Cory Booker, both of whom are black, from becoming senators.

“Had those segregationists had their way, I would not be a member of the United States Senate, Cory Booker would not be a member of the United States Senate, and Barack Obama would not have been in a position to nominate Biden to become vice president,” she said.

When pressed, Mr Biden repeatedly leaned on his relationship with Mr Obama.

“We’re talking about things that occurred a long, long time ago,” he said.

“Everybody’s talking about how terrible I am on these issues. Barack Obama knew who I was.”

The dynamic showcased the challenges ahead for Mr Biden and his party as Democrats seek to rebuild the young and multiracial coalition that helped Mr Obama win two presidential elections. Those differences were debated on a broad spectrum including health care, immigration and women’s reproductive rights.

Senator Booker, who at times adopted the position of peacemaker, also took Mr Biden to task over criminal justice issues and his role in passing a crime bill while a Delaware senator in the 1990s.

When Mr Biden fought back by criticising Senator Booker’s tenure as mayor of Newark, New Jersey, before becoming a New Jersey senator, Senator Booker shot back: “You’re dipping into the Kool-Aid and you don’t even know the flavour.”

RACE, MANUFACTURING AND CITY REPAIR

In Detroit, a city where Democrats desperately need strong minority turnout to beat President Donald Trump next year, Mr Biden, 76, repeatedly clashed with the two black candidates in the race, as well as the only candidate of Mexican heritage, all of whom are more than two decades his junior.

Mr Biden emphasised his work as vice president to help the auto industry and the city repair its bankrupt finances.

For Democrats, the internal fight, while common to almost every primary cycle, is one many would rather avoid, favouring instead a focus on defeating Mr Trump.

Several candidates said they thought Mr Trump should be impeached and others called him a racist.

“The first thing I am going to do is Clorox the Oval Office,” New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said.

BIDEN VS HARRIS

Anticipating a rough night, Mr Biden greeted Senator Harris onstage by quipping, “Go easy on me, kid.” She did not — and he often responded in kind.

Mr Biden charged that Senator Harris’ health care plan would cost taxpayers $3 trillion even after two terms in office and would force middle-class taxes to go up, not down.

He said that would put Democrats at a disadvantage against Mr Trump.

“You can’t beat President Trump with double talk on this plan,” he said.

Senator Harris slapped back that Mr Biden was inaccurate.

“The cost of doing nothing is far too expensive,” Senator Harris said. She added: “Your plan does not cover everyone in America.”

For the first time in the months-old Democratic contest, Senator Harris faced pointed attacks on her plan to provide universal healthcare.

Senator Harris faced criticism from all sides this week after releasing a competing plan that envisions a role for private insurance with strict government rules, but she wants to transition to a single-payer government-backed system within 10 years.

And she was also challenged for her record as a prosecutor and California’s Attorney-General, notably by Hawaiian Representative, Tulsi Gabbard.

“Senator Harris says she’s proud of her record as a prosecutor and that she’ll be a prosecutor president, but I’m deeply concerned about this record,” Ms Gabbard said.

“Too many examples to cite, but she put over 1500 people in jail for marijuana violations and laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana.”

There were also tense exchanges on immigration that pitted Mr Biden against former Obama housing secretary Julian Castro, the only Latino candidate in the race.

Mr Biden suggested that some of his rivals favour immigration laws that are far too forgiving. Mr Castro, for example, would decriminalise illegal border crossings.

“People should have to get in line. That’s the problem,” Mr Biden said.

Mr Castro shot back: “It looks like one of us has learned the lessons of the past and one has not.” Mr Biden did have a defender of sorts in Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, who derided the cost and impact of “Medicare for All” on middle-class families and those with private health insurance.

THE WASHUP

While the first primary votes won’t come for six more months, there is a sense of urgency for the lower-tier candidates to break out.

More than half the field could be blocked from the next round of debates altogether — and possibly pushed out of the race — if they fail to reach new polling and fundraising thresholds implemented by the Democratic National Committee.

But the dire stakes have forced many Democrats to turn against one another in recent weeks.

Their common focus was how they characterised Mr Trump’s impact on American life.

One of them, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, was particularly blunt. “We can no longer allow a white nationalist to be in the White House,” he said.

AP