Former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) said that Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) widely circulated slapdown of him was “dishonest” and “lazy” in his first response to what happened.
Warren and Delaney sparred throughout the debate on July 30 over extreme Democratic proposals such as the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, with Delaney arguing that the proposals were unrealistic.
Warren responded at one point: “You know, I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for. I don’t get it.”
People spread video footage of the response, as did Warren’s campaign, with the hubbub reaching Wikipedia, where a user edited Delaney’s page to say he “died” on Tuesday.
Delaney wasn’t allowed by moderators to respond to Warren, but did so on Wednesday while appearing on “Fox & Friends.”
After a clip was played showing Warren’s remarks, Delaney said: “That’s the response when someone really can’t defend their plans.”
“It’s a dishonest kind of lazy response,” Delaney said.
He said that Warren’s response showed what was wrong with “the extreme left of the party.”
“When I point out that the things she’s proposing are either impossible promises or fairy-tale economics, she says, ‘Oh, you’re not being ambitious enough,’” he said. “And so I think it’s just kind of lazy and a dishonest response to people who don’t feel comfortable defending these kind of crazy proposals.”
Why would anyone go through all the trouble of running for President just to get up on stage and talk about what’s not possible? @ewarren is ready to fight. pic.twitter.com/fxHTGp78IG
— Team Warren (@TeamWarren) July 31, 2019
I doubt many pundits will say it, but John Delaney of zero name recognition and zero support among Democratic voters won the #DemDebate last night… pic.twitter.com/tNbOr32E0s
— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) July 31, 2019
Delaney ended the debate with a speech to the audience: “Folks, we have a choice. We can go down the road that Senator Sanders and Senator Warren want to take us, with bad policies like Medicare for All, free everything, and impossible promises that will turn off independent voters and get Trump re-elected. That’s what happened with McGovern, that’s what happened with Mondale, that’s what happened with Dukakis.”
He said he has new ideas to create universal healthcare for all Americans but keep private insurance in addition to creating jobs. The clip was shared by Daily Caller opinion contributor Eddie Zipperer, who said he felt Delaney won the debate.
Medicare for All is projected to cost $32.6 trillion over 10 years. It only has 13 percent support if it means the end of private insurance, which is the case for a bill Sanders wrote and keeps promoting.
The Green New Deal, popularized by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was projected to cost $93 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Total government spending over the next 10 years is projected at less than $60 trillion
While Delaney earned praise from some for his efforts to temper the proposals forwarded by some candidates, he’s been polling at around 1 percent, compared with former Vice President Joe Biden, Sanders, Warren, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who are all above 10 percent in most polls.
A number of other candidates consistently rank above Delaney as well, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas).
