The Atlantic

The Democratic Primary Is Now a Sideshow

Twelve candidates crowded onto the stage, but impeachment remains the biggest story in politics.
Source: John Minchillo / AP

Give the fourth Democratic presidential debate its due: Yes, it was interminably long, but it was also terminally boring.

There are several reasons the debate never really took off, but the central problem was that each of the candidates is seeking to excite the Democratic base, and right now the thing that is most exciting to Democrats is impeaching Donald Trump.

This led to a disorienting evening. There’s a strong likelihood that at some point between now

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