5 takeaways from Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas

Six Democratic presidential candidates traded barbs in the most fiery debate of the race for the nomination thus far, clashing over policy, personality and peccadillos. Here are five takeaways from Wednesday’s NBC/MSNBC debate in Las Vegas.

Bloomberg stumbles

In his first debate appearance in the race, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg took fire for his wealth and for allegations of sexual harassment at his eponymous company. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked Bloomberg whether he’d release former female employees from nondisclosure agreements they’d signed with his company.

“None of them accuse me of doing anything, other than maybe they didn’t like a joke I told,” Bloomberg said.

Pressed by Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden about whether he’d release women from the agreements, Bloomberg demurred: “I’ve said we’re not going to get — to end these agreements because they were made consensually and they have every right to expect that they will stay private,” he said.

Bernie Sanders’ bros

Sanders defended his Twitter supporters, whom the Culinary Local 226 said had “viciously attacked” the union’s leaders after a flyer rating the candidates on health care said Sanders’ “Medicare for All” plan would “end Culinary health care.”

Sanders replied that “99.9 percent” of his 10.6 million supporters online were good people. “And if there are a few people who make ugly remarks, who attack trade union leaders, I disown those people. They are not part of our movement.”

That wasn’t good enough for former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, however. “But leadership is what you draw out of people. It’s how you inspire people to act,” he said. “Leadership is also about how you motivate people to treat other people.”

Capitalism on trial

Sanders didn’t shrink from his self-imposed label of “democratic socialist,” or his agenda of providing health care as a right and leveling the wealth gap. “We have a grotesque and immoral distribution of wealth,” Sanders said.

But that brought mockery from Bloomberg: “I can’t think of a way that would make it easier for Donald Trump to get elected than listening to this conversation,” Bloomberg said. “We’re not going to get rid of capitalism. … Other countries tried that. It’s called communism, and it didn’t work.”

And Buttigieg began the debate targeting both Bloomberg the billionaire and Sanders the socialist: “We shouldn’t have to choose between one candidate who wants to burn this party down and another candidate who wants to buy this party out. We can do better,” he said.

What’s in a name?

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar took fire from moderator Vanessa Hauc, a senior correspondent for Noticias Telemundo, about not knowing the name of the president of Mexico. Klobuchar replied that forgetting a detail doesn’t mean she wasn’t conversant with Latin American policy, prompting Buttigieg to pile on, noting Klobuchar sits on the Commerce Committee, which oversees trade policy.

“You’re literally (on) the committee that’s overseeing these things and were not able to speak to literally the first thing about the politics of the country to our south,” he said.

“Are you — are you trying to say that I’m dumb? Or are you mocking me here, Pete?” Klobuchar replied, defending her record and noting — repeatedly — that Buttigieg hasn’t been “in the arena.”

Warren attacks

Struggling in the polls, Warren turned in her fiercest performance yet. Known for her lengthy, wonky policy proposals, she slammed Buttigieg’s health care plan as being akin to a “PowerPoint” and Klobuchar’s as more like “a Post-it note.”

“I’m more of a Microsoft Word guy,” Buttigieg replied.

Contact Steve Sebelius at SSebelius@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253. Follow @SteveSebelius on Twitter.