Elizabeth Warren Was Focus Of Debate — She Had A Plan For That

Welcome to the top, Elizabeth Warren. The Massachusetts senator who has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of many Democratic primary polls found herself painted with a frontrunner's target at Tuesday night's CNN/New York Times debate.

Warren was by far the leader in speaking time in the largest Democratic primary debate in history, talking more than six minutes longer than former Vice President Joe Biden. Several questions revolved around her policies and stances, and candidates were all too happy to invoke her name in measuring their own proposals.

Several candidates who are huddled at the bottom of the polls directly called Warren out, much of the critiques centering as much around her healthcare and wealth tax plans as well as her perceived her-progressive-way-or-the-highway attitude.

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The first attack on Warren didn't take long to get going, and looks like it could be a thorn in her side moving forward.

The question was posed by moderators to Warren: Will you raise taxes on the middle class to pay for your Medicare For All proposal, yes or no? Warren wasn't able to give a yes or no, instead focusing on an overall cost decrease rather than a potential tax increase.

The moderates were first to jump. Mayor Pete Buttegieg noted for a candidate who has a plan for everything, Warren can't answer a yes-or-no question about one of her tentpole proposals. Sen. Amy Klobachur, who went on an all-out offensive against Warren Tuesday, said Warren was making Republican talking points.

"The difference between a plan and a pipedream is something you can actually get done," Klobuchar said.

In a more cordial criticism, former Vice President Joe Biden suggested Warren be more straightforward about a major plan's tax impact.

Klobuchar later continued her assault on Warren, focusing on Warren's proposed wealth tax.

"I want to give a reality check here to Elizabeth, because no one on this stage wants to protect billionaires — not even the billionaire [candidate Tom Steyer] wants to protect billionaires," Klobuchar said. "We just have different approaches. Your idea is not the only idea."

For her part, Warren seemed unshaken by her newfound spot at the top. She relished each opportunity to talk about income inequality and detailing any of her dozens of plans she's released during the campaign.

Warren also, per usual, was the beneficiary of arguably the night's most viral moment. When Biden took partial credit for the founding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Warren led, Warren gave thanks ... to President Obama.