During the third Democratic debate, the candidates sparred over health care, gun control, foreign policy and numerous other topics. While the tone ranged from collegial to caustic, the big news came in the last half hour when Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders cast serious doubt upon his own candidacy.
The mic drop debate moment
The stunning moment happened about 75 minutes into the debate, just after Cory Booker called Joe Biden “Pampers”. As Biden snapped back a slick burn about Booker’s mouth looking like a rectum , Sanders sighed deeply and shook his head. Asked by moderator George Stephanopoulos if he took issue with Booker’s rectum-like mouth, Sanders replied, “I agree, it does look like a rectum, but no, that’s not it.”
As the crowd grew silent, Sanders opened up about what was on his mind. “Look, I have to say something,” he said in a raspy, hesitant voice. The senator winced while looking around the room, then asked rhetorically, “Why the hell am I running for president?”
Stephanopoulos sat back, a look of astonishment on his face. “I mean,” said Sanders, “What’s the point?” Before anyone could reply, Sanders gushed a confession:
I’m not qualified. I’m just not. I spent my days yelling and shaking my fist and repeat the same things about millionaires and billionaires over and over, even during intimate moments with my wife. Especially then! Also, I’m not likable, I have an annoying accent and there’s no way anything I’m proposing will ever become law. If you support me, you’re throwing your vote away, because there’s no way I can win. Period.
The moderators fact-check Sanders
After Sanders was done, ABC’s David Muir decided to fact-check his assertions with the debate participants.
Muir: Let’s follow up on Mr. Sanders’ claims. Open question for the other candidates: who here believes the senator is not likable?
Every candidate raised their hand, with Andrew Yang’s raised highest. Shortly thereafter, Sanders raised his own hand.
Muir: Ok, how about his claim that he repeats the ‘millionaires and billionaires’ thing way too much?
All hands raised again, including Sanders’.
Stephanopoulos: Let me cut in here, David. Who among you finds Senator Sanders’ accent annoying?
Kamala Harris: Point of order, George. I think that’s too narrow. Can we vote about whether he’s annoying as a whole package?
Stephanopoulos: I don’t think we want to talk about his package, but ok. Is Senator Sanders just plain annoying?
Every hand went up, including the four moderators.
Stephanopoulos: As annoying as Donald Trump?
Andrew Yang raised his hand. The other candidates hesitated, looking at one another.
Joe Biden: How about we say they are separately but equally annoying?
Nods and murmurs of assent from the candidates, followed by all hands raising.
The debate closes with more fist-shaking
The ten candidates closed with shopworn rhetoric about their electability, policy proposals and defeating Donald Trump. When it was Sanders’ turn, the temperature in the room rose a few degrees as everyone wondered what he might say after his stunning confession.
We will no longer tolerate the greed of Wall Street, corporate America and the billionaire class – greed which has resulted in this country having more income and wealth inequality than any other major country on earth.
No. We will no longer stand idly by and allow 3 people in this country to own more wealth than the bottom half of America while, at the same time, nearly 20 percent of our children live in poverty, veterans sleep out on the streets and seniors cannot afford their prescription drugs. We will no longer accept 46 percent of all new income going to the top 1 percent, while millions of Americans are forced to work 2 or 3 jobs just to survive and over half of our people live paycheck to paycheck, frightened to death about what happens to them financially if their car breaks down or their child becomes sick.
Together, we are going to create a political system which is based on the democratic principles of one person – one vote – and end a corrupt system which allows billionaires to buy elections.
Afterwards, George Stephanopoulos turned to the audience and asked, “Show of hands: who would like to see the senator run from the debate stage?”
Every single hand lifted high in the air.
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