Joe Biden starts strong but fizzles out in the Democratic debate

Day 2 of the Democratic presidential debates was a touch feistier than day 1, likely because the heavy hitters shared the same stage. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Kamala Harris, the four top contenders in the large field of 20-something candidates, were all front-and-centre hoping for a breakout moment. The rest of the candidates, including Eric ‘I’m a young guy’ Swalwell and Marianne ‘I have a screw loose’ Williamson, just took up air.

As the indisputable front-runner, Joe Biden knew he was going to be the punching bag for everybody else. Biden has been through these high-stakes debates many times in his 40-plus year political career, including two previous presidential runs where he had good performances but nonetheless dropped out of both races. As the experienced gentleman with the thinning, white hair and the long record, Biden also understood he would get pounded for his past votes on Iraq, his cooperation with segregationist senators from the deep South, and his relationship with reviled Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell.