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Democratic debate memes, night 2: Grab that torch, and call New Zealand

Marianne Williamson issues a challenge to NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Kamala Harris and Joe Biden throw down.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, generational studies. Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
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Gael Cooper
2 min read
Democratic Presidential Candidates Participate In First Debate Of 2020 Election Over Two Nights
Getty Images

Back so soon? There are so many Democratic presidential hopefuls the first debate had to stretch into two nights. On Thursday, 10 contenders debated from Miami's Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. 

Candidates in Thursday's round two of the Democratic debates included some political powerhouses, from former Vice President Joe Biden to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Also onstage were California Sen. Kamala Harris, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, author Marianne Williamson, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, California Rep. Eric Swalwell and Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet. 

The first debate's memes had a Spanish accent, but on Thursday night, at least one candidate really wanted to talk about ... New Zealand?

Torch song

One early zinger came when Swalwell jabbed at Biden's age (he's 76) by citing a statement Biden made 32 years ago about passing the torch to a new generation of leaders. Biden's retort that he's "still holding on to that torch" also earned some jokes.

Author, author? 

One of the more unusual candidates on stage was Williamson, who's written numerous self-help and spiritually themed books. Not everyone was sure why she was there, and others had thoughts on what her policies might be. Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, tweeted, "Is Marianne Williamson a character from Clue?" Tweeted another, "Marianne Williamson would end illegal immigration with essential oils."

Fight night

Biden couldn't stay out of the line of fire. One of the most heated exchanges of the night came when Harris confronted the former vice-president on racial issues and his past record on busing.

Tempers were raised, and Twitter reacted. "Kamala Harris had two things on her to-do list tonight," cracked one Twitter user. "She crossed off the first. The second is "Take names."

Hello, Middle-earth?

One of the odder responses came when Williamson said her first act as president would be to call New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to brag about how good the US is for children. Viewers were perplexed.

Watch this: Presidential candidate Andrew Yang talks geo-engineering, asteroid detection, space force and more!