The Democratic Party Attempts To Pivot To The Future — Ready Or Not

When history looks back on the first round of debates among Democrats in the 2020 presidential cycle, it will see a generational milestone.

Both nights of the twin bill in Miami put the spotlight on a national party in transition, loosening the bonds of its past and looking ahead to new personalities to propel its future.

Parties are about people, and also about ideas. The ideas openly discussed this week included free tuition at public colleges, new taxes on wealth and radical action to address climate change. They also included universal health care, medical coverage for undocumented immigrants and the phasing out of private health insurance.

All these would have been regarded as outside the mainstream not too long ago, and Republicans will surely argue they are still outside the mainstream today.

But we all tend to remember candidate debates for their