How Joe Biden escaped the Democratic debate unscathed

While people will likely be talking about Tuesday's post-Democratic debate handshake-that-wasn't between Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for quite a while, the early takeaway is that all six candidates took it pretty easy on one another during the debate itself.
Several observers think former Vice President Joe Biden, in particular, was let off the hook. Biden, despite various gaffes, has remained the frontrunner since he jumped into the race last year, and his lead is steady, if not overwhelming. But the sense after the debate was that his opponents are still waiting for him to stumble on his own and therefore missed a chance to go after his resume and chip away at the polling deficit.
And, well, not losing might be just as valuable as a standout performance for the former vice president, who appears to have emerged without much more than a scratch. Tim O'Donnell
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Mennonites in the spotlight over Texas measles outbreak
Under the Radar Close-knit religious community claims it has been made a scapegoat for wider issue of anti-vax sentiment in rural West Texas
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Xochitl Gonzalez’s 6 favorite books that shaped her storytelling
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Stephen King, Julian Barnes, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend
Feature Rebecca Romney stumbles upon a 1778 novel by Jane Austen’s favorite author
By The Week US Published
-
Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after public spat
Speed Read Trump and J.D. Vance berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy for what they saw as insufficient gratitude
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's Mexico and Canada tariffs begin, roiling markets
Speed Read Stocks plunged after Trump affirmed that the tariffs would take effect, sparking a likely trade war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Judge tells White House to stop ordering mass firings
speed read The ruling is a complication in the Trump administration's plans to slash the federal workforce
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump vows 25% tariffs on EU at Cabinet meeting
Speed Read The tariff threats serve to enhance a growing suspicion that the president views Europe as an adversary, not an ally
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump proposes 'gold card' visas for rich immigrants
speed read The president claimed the US will begin selling $5 million visas offering permanent residency
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
House passes framework for big tax and spending cuts
Speed Read Democrats opposed the GOP's plan for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending cuts, citing the impacts it will have on social programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump sides with Russia on Ukraine war anniversary
Speed Read The president's embrace of the Kremlin is a reversal of American policy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump purges Pentagon, puts MAGA pundit at FBI
speed read The president fired top military leaders and appointed podcaster Dan Bongino as deputy director of the FBI
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published