The second round of Democratic debates kicked off Tuesday night in Detroit with the party's leading progressives, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, sharing a stage for the first time. And they dominated the discussion.

The debate was moderated by three prominent CNN correspondents — Jake Tapper, Don Lemon and Diana Bash — and the other candidates were former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, author Marianne Williamson, former Rep. John Delaney, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobucher, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke.

Warren and Sanders are running on the promise of a universal health care program run by the federal government ("Medicare for All") and a crackdown on powerful business interests, from Wall Street to the health care industry.

They have made a lot of promises, as Sen. Klobucher said in her introductory remarks. They defended those promises, loudly and passionately. Sanders stuck to his campaign rhetoric and at time hammered it home. Warren was also vehement in her responses.

After this round of debates, some candidates will drop out of the race. Hickenlooper needed a breakout performance. After his introductory remarks, he wasn't brought back into the debate until 35 minutes later. Hickenlooper made every effort to be more forceful and to stand out. In a brief faceoff with Sanders, he didn't back down but also didn't seem effective in his counterpoint. His closing remarks showed him at his best when he said he had a demonstrated track record.

O'Rourke also needed to improve his chances. "This moment will define us forever," he said early in the debate. Although he made some strong points, he didn't seize his moment.

President Donald Trump was often at the core of the debate. He was criticized for a number of his policies. As the conversation moved from health care to immigration and gun control and race, the candidates kept coming back to how to beat Trump.

The fight within the political left was the dominant subplot during the debate. The progressive platform was under scrutiny and attacked by the more moderate candidates. The debate demonstrated the fundamental rifts in the Democratic Party.

Whether it was the Green New Deal or Medicare for All, the candidates could not agree on solutions. There was ample evidence that Democrats have a long way to go to consensus.

REPRINTED FROM THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE

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