| POLITICS & CAMPAIGNS: Following the whirlwind day on Capitol Hill, the political circus continued in Atlanta as Democratic candidates took part in the fifth Democratic debate. In a departure from the first four debates, Wednesday night’s affair was more civil as most of the candidates trained their fire on the president rather than each other. However, as always, there were multiple key battles between candidates on certain issues. Following routine exchanges in the opening 90 minutes, Biden found himself tangled with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who panned the former vice president for opposing legalizing marijuana during a campaign stop this week. Booker told the former VP that he thought he “might have been high” when he made the comment because marijuana is already legal in America for “privileged people” (The Hill). Biden, who celebrated his 77th birthday on Wednesday, touted his support from African American voters and key Democratic figures, but made a verbal blunder, saying that he was supported by the only African American female senator in history, referring to former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), even though Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) stood footsteps away from him on stage (The Hill). Despite the misstep in the back-and-forth, it remains to be seen whether Biden’s advantageous support among African American voters will hold through the primaries. In multiple instances during the campaign, Biden has faced potential landmines that could have derailed his standing with the key voting bloc, including his discussions about the 1994 crime bill and bussing. None has appeared to have damaged his strength as a presidential contender among black voters. According to a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll and a survey of primary voters in South Carolina, Biden leads overwhelmingly with African Americans, taking 49 percent and 44 percent, respectively. The ongoing impeachment hearings arose as a subtext but not a central subject of Wednesday’s debate. Biden said the president’s interest in securing investigations by Ukraine of his actions as vice president show that “Trump doesn't want me to be the nominee (The Hill). Notably, the words “Hunter Biden” were not mentioned once during the two hour contest. Niall Stanage: Five takeaways from the Democratic debate. Elsewhere, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held their own without making any major missteps that will harm their campaigns down the road and continued to push for their signature progressive agendas. In the centrist lane, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttgieig turned in a solid performance as he makes headway in polls, headlined by surveys that show him leading in Iowa and New Hampshire. While some expected bitter disputes between him and Warren on myriad issues, those were largely avoided. However, Buttigieg did find himself in a sparring match with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) after she claimed that Buttigieg was interested in sending U.S. troops to Mexico. The criticism was based on a comment the Indiana mayor made in Los Angeles over the weekend. Buttigieg labeled the attack “outlandish” (The Hill). The Hill: As Buttigieg rises, Biden is still the target. The Hill: Harris rips Gabbard over Fox appearances during Obama years. The Associated Press: Wednesday’s debate revisited well-plowed ground over “Medicare for All.” Issues of particular importance to female voters arose throughout Wednesday’s debate, including paid family leave and abortion. The conversation also led to talk about the role of women in politics and the level of experience needed to become president. Buttigieg’s age (he will be 38 in January) and his experience to be president were featured in that discussion. The exchanges led Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to defend her recent remarks that women are treated differently in politics (The New York Times). “Women are held to a higher standard. Otherwise we could play a game called ‘Name Your Favorite Woman President,’ which we can’t do because it has all been men,” she said. The debate featured four female debate moderators, only the third time a debate has featured women-only questioners: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, Andrea Mitchell and Kristen Welker, and Ashley Parker of The Washington Post. The New York Times: The electability debate, brought to you by the people who want to be elected. The next debate and final meet-up of the year will take place in Los Angeles on Dec. 19. While Wednesday’s back-and-forth did little to reshuffle the top-tier among Democratic contenders, one latecomer — former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick — would like to get on that stage in California but is unlikely to meet thresholds set for fundraising and polls. > Former President Obama, who is tiptoeing into 2020 politics, headlines a fundraiser this afternoon in Los Altos Hills, Calif., to benefit the Democratic National Committee. Associates say the 44th president nudged back into politics sooner than he imagined because of concerns that the diverse electorate his party brought together is being split by “Medicare for All” and immigration proposals — ideas that he thinks could alienate moderate voters in the 2020 election (The New York Times). 
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