Andrew Yang qualifies for the next presidential debate

ANDREW YANG

With the Iowa Caucuses just days away on Feb. 3, Andrew Yang is ramping up his campaign after learning he qualified for the next presidential debate prior to the New Hampshire primary.

The candidate, who has never run for office prior to his surprising campaign, qualified for the Democrats' presidential debate being held Feb. 7 after earning 5% in two polls: a CNN Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire and a Washington Post/ABC News poll released this past weekend. He had already met the DNC bar for the number of donors.

Yang joins six other candidates who have qualified for the debate: former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, businessman Tom Steyer and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

Yang's participation in the New Hampshire debate will mean the Democrats won't repeat the poor optics of the January debate when only white candidates appeared onstage.  Yang, Tulsi Gabbard, Deval Patrick and Cory Booker failed to meet the DNC's criteria. Julian Castro and Kamala Harris had ended their campaigns earlier.

To avoid the all-white candidates' debate, the DNC added one more way a candidate could qualify -- wining one delegate in Iowa, a feat that Yang and, perhaps, Gabbard might be able to meet.

Appearing on the conservative network Fox News last Sunday, Yang criticized the DNC for not allowing Fox sponsor one of the debates. Yang's appearance on the network, which has severely criticized the Democrats, followed his policy of reaching out to a wide spectrum of voters. 

"One thing I think Democrats should do, I think we should go on FOX News and talk to the American people," Yang said. "Because how can you win an election and bring the country together if you literally won't talk to 40% or 50% of the population?"

The qualification window for the Feb. 7 debate, which will be held at Saint Anselm College outside Manchester, N.H. closes at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 6, reports Politico.

Two more debates are scheduled for February: Feb. 19 in Las Vegas (three days before the Nevada caucuses) and Feb. 25 in Charleston, S.C. (four days before the state’s primary). Qualification rules have not yet been announced for those debates.

Andrew Yang qualifies for Democrats' December debate

Presidential candidate Andrew Yang will be on the December debate stage with other Democratic candidates.

ASAM NEWS

Andrew Yang has qualified for the final Democratic presidential primary debate of 2019, ABC News reports. Of the seven candidates who have qualified so far, Yang is the only candidate of color.

Yang met the polling threshold two days before the deadline. He received 4% support among Democratic voters and Democratic-leaning independent voters in a national Quinnipiac poll released on Tuesday, POLITICO reports.

Yang’s campaign also met the grassroots funding threshold: 200,000 unique donors, and a minimum of 800 individual donors per state in at least 20 states to reach the fundraising threshold.

“We were confident we would make this debate,” Yang told ABC News during his bus tour of Iowa Tuesday. “I’m even more confident we’re going to make the next debate to keep the momentum going, because we’ve been investing a lot of time, energy and resources in the early states in particular.”

The debate will be held on Dec. 19 in Los Angeles. It is being co-hosted by PBS NewsHour and POLITICO. Yang will share the stage with six other candidates: Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer and Elizabeth Warren.

Democratic Debate: Kamala Harris slams Tulsi Gabbard; Andrew Yang marginalized

Tulsi Gabbard, left, and Kamala Harris sparred with each other during the Democratic presidential debate.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Sen. Kamala Harris do not like each other. Their mutual dislike showed up when the two presidential aspirants clashed during the Wednesday debate among 10 of the candidates running for the Democratic presidential nomination.

When asked to explain her attack against the 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in which Gabbard called the former Secretary of State the "rot" of the Democraic Party, the Hawaii congressmember said the Democrats "is not the party that is of, by and for the people."

The Samoan American lawmaker said she was running to end the "Bush-Clinton-Trump foreign policy doctrine of regime-change wars." Sure enough, before the debate was over, Gabbard's remark was tweeted out alongside a 100 emoji by the official Trump War Room Twitter account linked to the president's reelection campaign. 

The MSNBC panel asked Harris to respond to Gabbard's remarks and, she didn't hold back.

"It's unfortunate that we have someone on this stage … who during the Obama administration spent four years on Fox News criticizing President Obama," Harris answered. 

Harris noted that Gabbard had met with Donald Trump during the transition period after the 2016 election, saying she "buddied up to Steve Bannon to get a meeting" with Trump and criticized Gabbard for her unwillingness to label Syria's Bashar Al-Assad a "war criminal."

"What we need on this stage, in November, is someone who has the ability to win," said Harris.

“When Donald Trump was elected, not even sworn in, (Gabbard) buddied up to Steve Bannon to get a meeting with Trump in the Trump Tower, fails to call a war criminal by what he is — a war criminal — and then spends full time during the course of this campaign again criticizing the Democratic Party.”

Trump's campaign took advantage of Tulsi Gabbard's criticism of the Democratic Party.

Instead of explaining herself, Gabbard called Harris' remarks as lies and smears. She then wheeled back to her safe place by bringing up her military service.

Some called Harris' attack on Gabbard was payback for the second debate when Harris was caught by surprise when Gabbard blindsided the California Snator on her record as San Francisco's district attorney and California's Attorney General. Since that debate, Harris' poll numbers have been falling, dropping Harris out of the top tier of candidates.

Harris's performance was her best since the June debate when she criticized Joe Biden for his work with segregationists, allowing her to bring up a personal story of being bussed for school.

Later in the debate, Gabbard stumbled again when she clashed with Mayor Pete Buttigeig, who has risen in the polls to put himself among the top three candidates. Gabbard said that Buttigeig proposed sending US military into Mexico to fight the drug cartels. Buttigeig said that comment was taken out of context. When discussing future alliances with Mexico, he said that would include military assistance if asked, as the US provides with many of its allies.

Buttigieg counterattacked, saying that he has “enough judgment that I would not have sat down with a murderous dictator like” Syrian President Bashar Assad, with whom Gabbard met in 2017.

The third AAPI candidate, Andrew Yang, was largely ignored by the moderators. It wasn't until 32 minutes into the debate when he was asked a question.

Yang's marginalization was not imaginary. He was allowed only 6:53 minutes of speaking time. Meanwhile, Warren was given twice as much time, according to NBC.

GRAPHIC / NBC

His supporters began using social media with the hashtak #LetYangSpeak needling the moderators emphasis on Warren, Biden and Buttigeig.

Brian Yang, a regional fundraiser for Andrew Yang tweeted out the marginalization of the candidate "systemic racism."

The YangGang was quick to turn the negative into a positive by creating a button with #LetYangSpeak as its message.

Yang's best line of the evening came late in the debate when the entrepreneur was asked what he would say to Russian President Vladimir Putin if Yang won the presidency.

The audience laughed when Yang responded: "Well, I'd say, 'Sorry, I beat your guy ...'"

Yang followed up by saying he would make clear to Putin "the days of meddling in American elections are over."

The moderators seemed to focus on Warren, asking her questions about her health plan for the first 20 minutes of the debate and allowing her to rebut criticisms from other candidates.

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Tulsi Gabbard reconsiders boycott of next debate, she will join the debate

YOUTUBE

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard might not take part in Tuesday's debate.

Hours after Views From the Edge posted the original story about Tulsi Gabbard's consideration of boycotting Tuesday's (Oct. 15) debate among Democratic hopefuls running for President, Hawaii's congressswoman tweeted one line: "I will be attending the debate."

The original story and context follows:

* * *

It's not been a good week for Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard.

A New York Times article titled "What, Exactly, is Tulsi Gabbard Up To?" with the sub head reading "As she injects chaos into the 2020 Democratic primary by accusing her own party of 'rigging' the election, an array of alt-right internet stars, white nationalists and Russians have praised her" prompted the Hawaii congresswoman to seriously consider boycotting the next Democratic debate Tuesday (Oct. 15).

In a video released by her campaign, she castigated the Democratic Party and mainstream media like the NYTimes for "rigging the election" through its debate qualifications, making it difficult for candidates who are polling poorly, ie. Gabbard, to meet and to get their message across to the voters.

The NYTimes article implied that Gabbard might be being used Russian bots to attack some of the candidates who have polled stronger than the Hawaii congresswoman and her apparent appeal to right wing groups.

“She’s taken a series of policy steps which signal to the right that she has deep areas of alignment,” said the Times quoted Neera Tanden, a longtime policy adviser to Hillary Clinton who now leads the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.

Of particular concern among some Democrats is her sharp attacks against Sen. Kamala Harris, who in the early going was considered one of the stronger opponents to Donald Trump because of her prosecutorial experience. In the second debate last summer, after Gabbard successfully criticized Harris' record as San Francisco's District Attorney and California's Attorney General, Harris popularity took a hit and still hasn't recovered.

Despite her aggressive campaign, Gabbard's appeal has barely moved the needle, hovering around the 2% mark in the major polls.

"There are so many of you who I've met in Iowa and New Hampshire who have expressed to me how frustrated you are that the DNC and corporate media are essentially trying to usurp your role as voters in choosing who our Democratic nominee will be," said Gabbard in the video.

"In this 2020 election, the DNC and corporate media are rigging the election again, but this time against the American people in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada," stated Gabbard.

"They are attempting to replace the roles of voters in the early states, using polling and other arbitrary methods which are not transparent or democratic, and holding so-called debates which are not debates at all but rather commercialized reality television meant to entertain, not inform or enlighten.

"In short, the DNC and corporate media are trying to hijack the entire election process.

Continuing, she said, "In order to bring attention to this serious threat to our democracy, and ensure your voice is heard, I am giving serious consideration to boycotting the next debate on October 15th. I will announce my decision within the next few days. With my deepest aloha, thank you all again for your support."

The 10 Democratic candidates from the September debate will be joined by Gabbard and tech billionaire Tom Steyer, who will be making his first appearance on the debate stage.

The debate is being moderated by both CNN and the New York Times, 8 p.m. Eastern. The specific moderators have yet to be named.

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Harris praises Andrew Yang's boldness for offering his Freedom Divident to 10 families

SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE

Kamala Harris laughs as Andrew Yang eggs on the audience cheers during the debate in Houston.

During the latest Democratic debate, when Andrew Yang announced his plan to hold a drawing to find 10 families to give $1000 a month for a year, the microphones picked up the laughter of some of the other candidates.

Perhaps the loudest chuckle was coming from Sen. Kamala Harris, who had the lectern next to Yang. When Yang made his announcement during his opening statement, Yang and Harris acknowledged each other with Harris laughing and pointing at Yang and Yang opening his arms towards Harris, then cupping his ear to urge the audience to cheer louder.

Harris was laughing not at Yang, she was laughing at the sheer audacity of Yang's proposal, an announcement that has never occurred during a presidential forum or nationally televised debate.

"I admire and, frankly, take joy in hearing people with innovative ideas and who are questioning the status quo and willing to challenge it," Harris said in an interview with CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day."

“I think that’s healthy for our democracy,” Harris continued. “And one of the things I like about Andrew Yang is he is constantly raising ideas and approaches that have not typically been on that debate stage, and I think he is challenging all of us to think about how we can be more innovative, and I admire that.”

"This is how we will get our country working for us again, the American people,” Yang said as he concluded his opening statement.

The audience cheered, but Harris' chuckling was picked up by a live mike as the camera panned down the row of candidates to Pete Buttigieg, who was heard saying, “It’s original, I’ll give you that.”

What the TV camera didn't show was Yang playing to the audience, cupping his ear to encourage the cheers and Harris laughing at his antics.

Some questioned the legality of using one's campaign funds to pay for Yang's proposal, but Yang's campaign aides said in a statement that they had consulted with their lawyers, who say the "Freedom Dividends are fully compliant with all FEC regulations."

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Debate: Kamala attacks the true villain; Yang announces his 'big surprise"

• How did the Asian American candidates do?
• Notes from the 3rd Democratic debate

SCREEN CAPTURE / ABC

Andrew Yang announced a raffle for ten lucky families, who will receive $1000 a month for a year.

The debate among 10 of the 19 Democratic candidates probably didn't change their poll standings so much for the top tier hopefuls. If there's any shuffling about it would be among the middle tier and those single-digit candidates.

The top three candidates -- Joe Biden, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren -- will remain where they are with Biden as the frontrunner and -- depending on the poll -- followed by Warren and Sanders.

Asian Americans Kamala Harris and Andrew Yang didn't do any damage to their campaigns which means the California senator is still fourth or fifth and Yang in sixth or seventh.

Yang's "big surprise" that his campaign teased Wednesday, turned out to announce a raffle for 10 American families to $1000 a month over the next year as part of a showcase for his Freedom Dividend, or universal basic income plan. 

Yang announced the online raffle during his opening statement, which drew applause from the audience. 

People will be able to enter during the next week, according to a person with knowledge of the plans. The money will be distributed to 10 families in increments of $1,000 per month as a way of highlighting Yang’s signature campaign promise, a universal basic income.

Yang already is alreaddy paying out of his pocket $12,000 a year to families in Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida, three states that could shape the voting trend in the primaries.

A campaign official said the money would come from campaign funds and would be paid out for the full year even if Yang does not become the nominee.

Presidential candidate Andrew Yang announced at Thursday night’s debate that his campaign will randomly select 10 families and give them a total of $120,000 over the next year as part of a pilot program for his universal basic income plan.

Yang announced the online raffle during his opening statement. People will be able to enter during the next week, according to a person with knowledge of the plans. The money will be distributed to 10 families in increments of $1,000 per month as a way of highlighting Yang’s signature campaign promise, a universal basic income.

Yang's other strong moments was when he talked about his father living in a shack with a ground floor in Taiwan immigrating to the US to raise a son running for President of the US. He argued that immigrants, their ambitions and entrepreneurship are what drives America's economy.

He avoided a trap question that recaalled Yang's earlier statement that charter schools are better than public schools. "I am for good schools," Yang responded.

SCREEN CAPTURE / ABC

Sen. Kamala Harris: "Now President Trump, you can go back to watching Fox News" 

Harris had a change of strategy for the third Democratic debate that chose to focus on Trump and not the other candidates on the stage in Houston.

In her opening statement, she made clear that the main goal of her campaign is to defeat Trump. Unlike Trump's hate and divisiveness, she wants to focus on "our common issues, our common hopes and desires, and in that way unifying our country, winning this election, and turning the page for America." 

She ended with a line that drew cheers and hearty applause from the crowd: "Now President Trump, you can go back to watching Fox News."

Talking about Trump's trade policies and his lack of success, Harris said, “The bottom line is this: Donald Trump in office on trade policy … reminds me of that guy in The Wizard of Oz,” she said. “You know, when you pull back the curtain, it’s a really small dude.”

All in all, Harris emphasized the human side of her campaign allowing the audience a peek at her past when she quoted her India-born mother, who told her, “Don't let anybody tell you who you are, you tell them who you are.” 

In the GOP ad, Alejandra Ocasio-Cortez's image burns to
reveal a pile of skulls

The strange GOP commercial

During the debate, ABC aired a troubling ad paid for by the New Faces GOP PAC, run by former congressional candidate Elizabeth Heng, who in 2018, ran unsuccessfully against California's Fresno 16th District against incumbent Rep. Jim Costa.

The 30-second ad opens with an image of New York Democrat, Rep. Alejandra Ocasio-Cortez, an outspoken progressive who won her seat n 2018.

Heng's narration calls Ocasio-Cortez, the "face of socialism and ignorance." Ocasio-Cortez's face then burns away to 

reveal images of skulls.

Elizabeth Heng: "I am a Republican."

"Does Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez know the horror of socialism?" the narrator asks.
"Mine is the face of freedom," Heng says to the camera during the ad's closing seconds. "My skin is not white. I'm not outrageous, racist nor socialist. I'm a 

In a news release previewing the ad, the PAC's organizers say the mission is twofold: Broaden the GOP's image and "lead the fight against socialism."

“Republicans are running TV ads setting pictures of me on fire to convince people they aren’t racist. Life is weird!” Ocasio-Cortez responded on Twitter. “Know that this wasn’t an ad for young conservatives of color — that was the pretense. What you just watched was a love letter to the GOP’s white supremacist case.”

The rest of the field

Most of the other candidates had their moments. It was probably the best performance for Beto O'Rourke who will probably move up in the polls.

Pete Buttigieg did well enough to stay in the race. His measured, plain-talking style has an appeal to white mainstream voters.

Julian Castro, the former Obama administration HUD secretary, tried to attack Biden but his aggressiveness made him looking like a bully.

Senators Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker, though they had no major flubs, should consider dropping out of the crowded field although they will probably stick around for the fourth debate next month.

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Andrew Yang plans big surprise during the Democrats' debate

Candidate Andrew Yang plans a surprise during the debate in Houston.

Finally, Andrew Yang has the mainstream media's attention.

Yang's campaign sent a tweet to The Daily Beast's Sam Stein that at Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate in Houston, the candidate is going to do "something no presidential candidate has ever done before in history."

By this mysterious tease, with no other specific details, mainstream media's interest piqued up. Speculation is rampant. 

Will he be the first candidate to drop out during a televised debate? In so doing, will he endorse one of his rivals? Will he crowdsurf onto the room like he did last week at the AAPI Presidential Forum? Will he jump into a mosh pit full of his Yang Gang supporters? Will he announce the score of the football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers, which will be airing at the same time as the debate?

Yang has had trouble getting mainstream media to give him the attention given to candidates that he has outperformed in the polls. It seems the only time he gets air time is when he's doing something no other presidential candidate has done: line dancing with senior citizens; crying in response to a mother who had lost her son to gun violence, challenging Trump in basketball, and the aforementioned crowd surfing.

Yang has been unable to move beyond 2% (in some polls, 3%) in most polls so he's been stuck with the "long-shot" monicker.

This debate will feature the top ten hopefuls on the same stage. Previous debates have had to split the candidates into two separate nights.

While most eyes are anxious to see how frontrunner Joe Biden and his closest rival, Elizabeth Warren, interact. Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg need to insert themselves among the top four or five to gain momentum towards the next debate in October.

The candidates who poll in the single digits, including Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Beto O'Rourke and Julian Castro to have a "moment," do or say somethingmake an impression with the audience. And watch out for that Asian guy who loves MATH.

To prepare for the debate, Yang shows his moves on the basketball court in the video below:

What: The third debate between candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination

When: 5-8 p.m. PT Thursday, Sept. 12

Channels: ABC and Univision

Streaming: The debate will stream on the ABC app and the ABC News Live channel, available on Facebook, Twitter, Roku, Hulu, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube, Apple News and the ABC News, “Good Morning America” and FiveThirtyEight websites and phone apps. Univision News will also livestream the debate on its digital platforms, including Facebook, YouTube and Periscope.

Democrats prodded to include an AAPI debate moderator

SCREEN CAPTURE / CBS

Elaine Quijano was the lone moderator for the Vice Presidential Debate.

While AAPI candidates for POTUS have had an impact in the Democrat's debates, Asian Americans have been absent among the moderators for any of the debates for the POTUS candidates for the Democrats.

“It is now time for the DNC to take their commitment (to diversity) even further by ensuring that Asian Americans are represented among moderators on the debate stage,” wrote Rep. Grace Meng, who is Chair of ASPIRE, said. The New York congresswoman is also vice chair of the DNC.

ASPIRE, the political arm of Asian American and Pacific Islander Members of Congress, sent a letter last week to declared candidates for the Democratic nomination for President encouraging them to prioritize AAPI communities in their outreach, hiring, and campaign materials.

AAPI voters’ participation in the 2018 midterm elections increased more than any other racial group, according to a letter sent by ASPIRE,

Meng said she was hopeful that the DNC would appoint an Asian American or Pacific Islander as a debate moderator. “[I] look forward to Chairman Perez responding to our request,” she said. “I am confident that host networks will not have trouble finding qualified and talented AAPIs to include in their moderator panels.”

Apparently, the PAC's letter fell on deaf ears. ABC announced Wednesday (Aug. 21) the four moderators: ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos, "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir, ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis and Univision anchor Jorge Ramos.

The Democrats have staged two debates hosted by NBC and CNN and no Asian American journalist have been among the panelists questioning the candidates although they featured female, Hispanic and African American moderators.

CBS journalist Elaine Quijano, a Filipino American, was the first Asian American to moderate a general election debate when she performed the chore for the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate between Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence. She performed professionally and acted as the adult in the room while trying to corral the argumentative candidates clamoring for attention.

Two of the 10 candidates who have qualified for the September debate thus far -- Sen. Kamala Harris and businessman Andrew IYang -- are Asian Americans. A third, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, has until Aug. 28 to meet the requirements for the debate.

If Gabbard qualifies - she is currently serving her stint in the Hawaii Army National Guard -- ABC will move to a two-night debate format with assignments given to the candidates by random draw.

“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing population in our country, and we are already an important constituency in key electoral states such as California, Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. It’s crucial that candidates seeking the Democratic nomination pay attention to Asian American and Pacific Islander voters across the country,” said Meng in the letter also sent to the various campaigns.

Besides Meng, the letter from ASPIRE was signed by Representatives Ami Bera (CA-07), Judy Chu (CA-27),  TJ Cox (CA-21), C Pramila Jayapal (WA-07),  Ro Khanna (CA-17),  Andy Kim (NJ-03), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08),  Ted Lieu (CA-33), Doris Matsui (CA-06),  Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (CNMI), Michael San Nicholas (GU),  Bobby Scott (VA-03), and Mark Takano (CA-41), all of whom are Democrats.

The DNC has already committed to ensuring that at least one woman and one person of color serves as a moderator at each of its primary debates for the 2020 cycle.

"The DNC is committed to an inclusive and fair debate process," DNC senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill told Refinery29 in May. "That means that all 12 DNC-sanctioned debates will feature a diverse group of moderators and panelists including women and people of color, ensuring that the conversations reflect the concerns of all Americans."

The 10 candidates who have qualified for the debate stage as of Aug. 22: 

• Former Vice President Joe Biden
• Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
• Sen. Kamala Harris of California
• Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
• South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg
• Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas
• Andrew Yang, entrepreneur
• Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro

“We encourage you to keep Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in mind as your campaign makes hiring decisions and prioritizes outreach to different voting blocs as you campaign for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. History has shown us that we are stronger when all voices are represented at the decision-making table,” wrote the Aspire members.

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Democratic Debate: Harris gets rocked, Gabbard attacks, Yang impresses

Kamala Harris left, appeared to be caught off guard by Tulsi Gabbard's attacks.

Former Vice President Joe Biden must have been secretly smiling during the second night of the Democratic presidential debate when Rep. Tulsi Gabbard attacked Sen. Kamala Harris' record as California's Attorney General.

The second night of the Democratic debates held in Detroit Wednesday night (July 31)  produced fireworks and featured the four candidates of color, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Gabbard and Harris

"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," said Gabbard, the Samoan American representing Hawaii. "There are too many examples to cite but she put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana. "

"She blocked evidence that would have freed an innocent man from death row until the courts forced her to do so," Gabbard continued, "she kept people in prison beyond their sentences to use them as cheap labor for the state of California."

Surprisingly, Harris seemed unprepared to respond to the accusations which have been raised since the day Harris announced his candidacy in Oakland. 

Gabbard's attack was predictable based on her criticism of the Indian American senator since Harris caught Biden off-guard with her criticism of Biden's association with anti-segregationist legislators in the first round of the Democratic debates.

"Kamala Harris is not qualified to serve as commander in chief and I can say this from a personal perspective as a soldier," Gabbard said during an Fox News interview  Tuesday. "She's got no background or experience in foreign policy and she lacks the temperament that is necessary for commander in chief."

Harris response avoided answering the accusations directly. She said that she had “personally” always opposed the death penalty. Harris said she was “proud” of her record as California attorney general, drawing a contrast to Gabbard’s job as a legislator.

“I am proud of making a decision, not just give fancy speeches, or be in a legislative body and give speeches on a floor but actually doing the work of being in the position to use the power that I had to reform a system that is badly in need of reform,” Harris said.

From the outset, Harris was on the defensive as candidate after candidate questioned the feasibility her healthcare plan which she outlined earlier this week. Harris was on her heels the rest of the night in contrast to the Miami debate when she was confident and on the offensive.

True to his word, Yang was more aggressive and more animated during the debate. CNN allowed him 8.3 minutes of airtime compared to the 3 minutes in the Miami debate. Still, it was the least time among the candidates. Biden, who was under attack from various rivals most of the night, was given 21 minutes, the most among the 10 candidates on stage. 

In almost all Yang's responses; from foreign policy to health care to immigration to the economy, he repeatedly turned his answers to the policy proposal that has given him the most attention -- his "Freedom Dividend," that would give $1000 a month to every American over 18.

SCREEN CAPTURE

Although Andrew Yang did well in the debate, his bid to become POTUS is still a long-shot.

In his opening statement, the businessman received a positive reaction from the crowd when he said, "We need to do the opposite of much of what we're doing right now, and the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math."

During the debate, Yang, who considers automation a primary challenge for American workers, garnered both cheers from the Detroit crowd and reactions on social media when mentioning the impact of automation on America's manufacturing jobs and how "immigrants are being scapegoated" while robots fill factories.

With his lectern next to Kamala Harris, Yang pointed out that he's polling better than a slew of politicians. He may not be in the top tier of candidates bu he's polling better than Marianne Williamson, Rep. Seth Moulton, Gov. Jay Inslee, Rep. Tim Ryan, Gov. John Hickenlooper, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Rep. John Delaney, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gov. Steve Bullock, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and on par with former HUD Secretary Julian Castro.

Biden, who remains the frontrunner, was criticized continually throughout the debate for past policies, but he was better prepared than he was in the first round of debates held in June. Often in his answers, Biden appeared to have lost his train of thought and cut short his response.

Sen. Cory Booker abandoned his furrowed brow look from the first debate and was much more animated, smiling and acting more at ease and allowing. He was effective in questioning Biden's criminal justice efforts. Booker said that Biden's get-tough positions was responsible for much of the inequality in the criminal justice system today.

The Democratic debates -- the first night was Tuesday -- in Detroit showcased the differences between the candidates and the divide between the moderates and progressives within the party especially around the issue of healthcare, which took up the most time -- 39 minutes -- of the 2-hour, 45 minute debate.

While Harris has qualified for the next debate in September to be hosted by ABC, it could be the end of the line for several of the lesser known candidates struggling to rise in the pols. At the time of this writing, neither Gabbard or Yang have met the qualifications put forth by the Democratic National Committee.

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Kamala Harris stands out in second night of Democrats' debate

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Sen. Kamala Harris did well in the second night of the Democratic debate.

ANALYSIS

Everybody thought that Sen. Bernie Sanders would attack the frontrunner former Vice President Joe Biden, but Biden was caught flatfooted when the attack came from good friend Sen. Kamala Harris.

Unlike the previous night, in this set of 10 Democratic candidates there was a clear cut winner and that was the Indian American from California.

On the topic of the state of race relations, Harris outshouted her peers  talking over each other and demanded to be heard. She looked directly at her friend Joe Biden and with the slightest of tremors in her voice. 

RELATED: 

• High stakes in debate for AAPI presidential candidates
• Tulsi Gabbard should move up in polls after impressive debate performance

“I do not believe you are a racist,” Harris said as she looked past Sanders directly at Biden. “And I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground. But I also believe, and it is personal, and I was actually very — it was hurtful, to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country. And it was not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose busing.”

"And you know," she continued, "there was a little girl in California, who was a part of the second class to integrate her public school, and she was bused to school everyday. And that was little girl was me."

Moments later, her engagement team tweeted out a photo of that "little girl in California."

Harris also scored points when the other candidates were trying to speak over each other, and like the only adult in the room, Harris spread her hands out and said,  "Hey guys, you know what, America does not want to witness a food fight. 

"They want to know how we're going to put food on their table."

The remarks were followed by loud applause, including from several of the other  candidates.

On immigration, Harris said with emotion and conviction: “I will release children from cages, I will get rid of the private detention centers and I will ensure that this microphone that the President of the United States holds in her hand is used in a way that is about reflecting the values of our country and not about locking children up.”

Applause broke out when she used the word "her."

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Andrew Yang almostg disappeared in the Democrats debate.

Andrew Yang seemed stiff and a little awed for the moment, being the first Asian American man to be on a presidential debate stage on national TV.

When the subject veered from the economy, he seemed uncertain and out of his element. Of all the candidates who clamored to be heard, Yang held back, (poltely) did not interrupte and as a result, he had the least airtime of the ten candidates on stage. Even feel-good guru Marianne Williamson spoke up more even as the twitterverse couldn't understand what she was talking about.

Yang has already qualifed for the next debate in July. He's got to learn to be more assertive and not speak so fast when explaining how he would fund his Freedom Dividend, giving  $1000 a month to everyone over age 18. He needs to let his words sink in like he's speaking to fifth-grader.

Here's how Google saw the debate:

Biden had the most time speaking because he was always being attacked and under debate rules, he's allowed to respond to the criticism.

Below, because of Harris dominating performance, she was the subjectline being searched across most of the country.

As the debate progressed and Harris scored point after point, interest among the online watchers grew. Willlaimson's also had a good showing but that's deceptive. A little searching will show that most of traffic was due to the online jokes about her responses..

Other observations from the debate:

• The Thursday debate had the oldest candidates of Sanders and Biden, the youngest represented by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigeig and California's Rep. Eric Swalwell. At times, Biden and Sanders looked and sounded like two grouchy old men.

• The generation gap was never so clear marked by Swalwell quoting Biden who said in a California speech that it was "time to pass the torch." Swalwell used the line effective. “If we’re going to solve the issues of automation, pass the torch," the California lawmaker continued. "If we’re going to solve the issues of climate chaos, pass the torch. If we’re going to solve the issue of student loan debt, pass the torch. If we’re going to end the gun violence for families who are fearful of sending their kids to school, pass the torch.”

• Swalwell tried to kneecap Buttigeig when the South Bend mayor said that he failed to resolve the recent racial divide in his town, exacerbated by the shooting of a black man by a white officer who had turned off his camaera. Swallwell shouted from across the room, "You should fire the police chief!"

• The three women apparently learned from the first night's debate and didn't hold back when the men tried to take over the conversation. Harris, Williamson and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand  repeatedly tried to butt in in order to get stage time. 

• Yang chose to not wear a tie which the commentators couldn't help but point out as if he had committed a serious breech of protocol and wasn't serious about running for president. Personally, I think the importance of the tie is overblown.

• Harris deft attacks vs. Biden also sends an image of what she might do when confronting the similarly aged Donald Trump.

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