The early Democratic Party 2020 debates have often demanded a very specific torture of the viewer. With 20 candidates allowed to participate, serious contenders dont get enough time to detail their differences, while vanity candidates with pathetic polling and no real reason for running waste everyones time.

Its tedious. But on Wednesday night, three candidates with no chance of becoming president nevertheless did their country a service, presenting detailed and accurate critiques of the Democrats who do have a real chance of being elected. Though it pains me to say it, the gadflies brought their A-game.

Early in the night, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio hit former Vice President Joe Biden over former President Barack Obama s immigration record. Democrats dont like to harp on it, but in his first four years in office, Obama deported more people per year than any other president in history. Immigration activists protested Obama for most of his presidency, and former Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) called him the deporter in chief on the House floor. Obama even separated children from their parents at the border, though not in the systemic manner that President Donald Trump has. So de Blasio asked Biden a simple question.

Did you say those deportations were a good idea or did you go to the president and say this is a mistake, we shouldnt do it. Which one?

Biden didnt really have an answer. Awkwardly, he said he would keep his conversations with Obama on immigration private.

Bill de Blasio is probably never going to make it to double-digits in national polling. On Wednesday night protesters interrupted the debate to rip him for failing to take action against Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer who killed Eric Garner . But de Blasios confrontation with Biden nevertheless gave Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) an opening to drive home an important point about the Obama administration.

You cant have it both ways, Booker told Biden. You invoke President Obama more than anyone else in this campaign. You cant do it when its convenient and then duck it when its not.

Because Obama remains the most popular figure in the Democratic Party, most 2020 contenders have been reluctant to criticize his administrations flaws even on issues where the Democratic Party needs to learn from Obamas shortcomings. But therein lies the benefit of gadflies, whose only real shot at staying in the race is generating some buzz by going toe-to-toe with the front-runners. The results werent cheap shots but substantive critiques.