If Tuesday night’s debate had taken place six months ago, the questions and answers would have been dominated by Russia, Russia, Russia. But with the accusations that President Trump was a traitor exposed for the hoax they always were, the left had to come up with a new slogan. Enter racist, racist, racist.

Democrats and their media handmaidens apparently insist that their team march to a one-word mantra of six letters that begins with an “r.” That way they can turn on a dime and nobody will really notice. Brilliant!

MICHAEL GOODWIN: DEMS ARE OBSESSED WITH TWO THINGS -- IMPEACHMENT AND RACE. IT WON'T HELP THEM WIN

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Except that people notice because repeatedly calling the president a racist is obviously a fig leaf designed to hide a lack of substantive arguments. Even the partisan audience in Detroit didn’t seem impressed with the name-calling, perhaps because it was coming from 10 white candidates.

By the same token, the audience might simply have been confused by the speed-dating format. In a warm-up speech, the party’s national leader, Tom Perez, tried to justify the hectic pace by saying that it would give viewers a sense of all 10. I don’t think Perez would have won many votes with the audience afterward.

CLICK HERE TO READ MICHAEL GOODWIN'S COLUMN IN THE NEW YORK POST.