Harris hit Biden for his “hurtful” remarks about segregationists and his long-ago opposition to busing. Biden came back by claiming that Harris had misrepresented his remarks; taking a swipe at Harris for having been a prosecutor rather than a public defender, as he was; defending his record on busing as a defense of local control; and talking about his civil-rights record more generally, including his time in the Obama administration.

…There is no great public demand for the return of busing for racial balance in schools, and Harris isn’t really proposing it. 

…Eric Swalwell, a California congressman on the stage for whatever reason, probably did himself no favors by unsubtly raising Biden’s age. But he’s not the only Democrat who is thinking about it.

…Sanders is suffering this time around because a lot of people, possibly including the senator himself, misunderstood his strong showing in 2016. They thought it was about him and his promise of socialist revolution. Beyond a hard core, it was about his idealism in contrast to Hillary Clinton’s cynicism. Without Clinton in the race, his true base turns out to be smaller.

…Buttigieg rose rapidly and proved himself to be polished and thoughtful, but did not do much to defend himself — even from Swalwell’s criticism of his handling of a police shooting in his city of South Bend, Indiana.

…The polls already show that most voters don’t want to abolish private insurance. Many senior citizens will be livid to learn that Medicare for All also abolishes Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans.

Biden could use this issue to say his rivals are falling for ideological fads that endanger the Democrats’ chances in 2020. That critique would have the merit of being true. Which means that Biden’s problems are also his party’s.

Joe Biden’s Clear Road Back From Kamala Harris Debate Exchange – Bloomberg

hmmmm