The moderators couldn’t control the Democratic debates — and no one wanted them to

The candidates argued, interrupted and bulldozed through their allotted time during the second of two Democratic primary debates, and the moderators struggled to keep the conversation on track.

Until, that is, the strongest of the bunch stepped in and seized control: “Hey, guys, you know what? America does not want to witness a food fight,” she proclaimed. “They want to know how we are going to put food on their table.” And order prevailed.

Even though she was standing behind a candidate lectern, California Sen. Kamala Harris quickly emerged as...