Beyond Health Insurance: Democrats Touch On Abortion, Paid Paternal Leave, Marijuana And More

USA Today: Democratic Candidates Traded Barbs And Attacks But Agreed Trump Should Be Impeached
Two days after an association of Democratic state attorneys general became the first national party committee to impose an explicit abortion litmus test on its candidates, Warren was asked whether there’s room in the party for those who oppose abortion. Saying abortion rights are human rights and economic rights, Warren said they’re fundamental to what the party stands for. She was pressed on whether the party should exclude recently-re-elected Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards who has signed anti-abortion legislation. (Groppe, Fritze and Collins, 11/21)

The Hill: Warren On Anti-Abortion Democrats: 'I'm Not Here To Drive Anyone Out Of This Party'
When pushed on whether there was room within the party for Bel Edwards, Warren said, “I have made clear what I think the Democratic Party stands for.” Warren and virtually all of the 2020 Democratic contenders are staunch advocates of abortion rights. Bel Edwards describes himself as "pro-life" and earlier this year signed a bill limiting abortion rights in his state. Several conservative governors have implemented restrictions on abortion access this year, but Bel Edwards is the only Democrat. (Axelrod, 11/20)

Vox: At The Democratic Debate, Female Moderators Ask 2020 Candidates About Paid Family Leave
On Wednesday, something unheard of happened on the 2020 Democratic debate stage: Moderators asked candidates what they would do about high child care costs and the lack of paid parental leave in the US. It just took five debates and a panel of all-women moderators for this to happen. Ashley Parker, a White House reporter for the Washington Post, pointed out that child care and paid family leave are important issues to many voters. (Campbell, 11/21)

MSNBC: Video: Women's Issues Take Center Stage At Democratic Debate
Democratic candidates debated paid family leave, abortion rights, and equal pay. (11/21)

Politico: ‘You Might Have Been High When You Said It’: The Best Zingers On The Debate Stage
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Booker butted heads over their divergent views on whether marijuana should be legalized at the federal level. Booker objected in particular to Biden's assertion at a forum last week that he considers marijuana a "gateway drug" and would like to see more research on it before pushing legalization nationwide. "This week I hear him literally say that I don't think we should legalize marijuana. I thought you might have been high when you said it," Booker said, arguing that "marijuana in our country is already legal for privileged people and ... the war on drugs has been a war on black and brown people." (Oprysko and Marshall, 11/21)

The New York Times: With Impeachment As Backdrop, Democrats Direct Fire At Trump In Debate
Mr. Biden did not appear to incur new damage to his campaign, which has been durable despite some of his self-inflicted errors. Yet at a moment when a pair of new candidates were entering the race in part because of his perceived weakness, the former vice president appeared tongue-tied on more than one occasion. He drew nervous laughter when, in discussing domestic violence, he said it was important to keep “punching at” the problem. (Burns and Martin, 11/20)

Kaiser Health News: In This Democratic Debate, Health Care Issues Took A Backseat
Biden disputed Booker’s accusation, saying he supports marijuana decriminalization, as well as releasing offenders from jail and expunging their records. “But I do think it makes sense based on data that we should study what the long-term effects are for the use of marijuana,” he added. Research on marijuana has been significantly limited by the federal government’s classification of the drug under Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, making it difficult to access for experimental purposes. The surgeon general, Jerome Adams, has said it can “prime your brain for addiction to other substances,” a claim PolitiFact recently rated “Half True” due to a lack of context. (Huetteman, 11/21)

Bloomberg: Democrats Duck Big Fights In Atlanta Debate, Focus On Trump 
As the first openly gay major presidential candidate, Buttigieg reflected on discrimination, speaking more bluntly about his sexual orientation than he had at any earlier debate. Buttigieg said he knows the pain of discrimination even as a white man. "I do have the experience of sometimes feeling like a stranger in my own country," he said, “turning on the news and seeing my own rights come up for debate, and seeing my rights expanded by a coalition of people like me and people not at all like me, working side by side shoulder to shoulder, making it possible for me to be standing here wearing this wedding ring in a way that couldn’t have happened” decades ago. (Epstein and Pager, 11/20)