Notes From the First Democratic Debates
NBC News Screengrab
The first Democratic debates are over, and now we turn to the observations of who won, who lost, who was surprising, and whose campaign is winding down. Here are some observations from the first debates on Wednesday, June 26, split up between the first and second nights:
--
Night One:
No candidates seriously answered the questions and pandering was the name of the game as three candidates spoke to viewers in Spanish (Beto, Booker, Castro). Corporations were blamed, the economy was accused of being terrible (despite it doing well), everyone was extreme on abortion, and healthcare was the biggest divide among the candidates. Here are some thoughts on how each candidate did.
Elizabeth Warren: NBC tried to portray Warren as the front-runner, out of fear that Bernie Sanders could become the nominee. She was active in the first hour but disappeared in the second. She made an odd statement about gun violence being a research issue and her rant on Mitch McConnell was incoherent. Her appearance showed that she is not worthy of becoming the front-runner that many Democrats want her to be.
Beto O’Rourke: Beto was nervous and looked as though he had no idea of what he was doing. When asked a question about taxes, he spent his entire time speaking in Spanish. When given ten seconds to answer the asked question, he could not come up with one. He looked scared when he was attacked and the damage he took was probably enough to make him realize he is not ready for the spotlight. Beto should drop out.
Bill de Blasio: Why is he running for president?
John Delaney: Delaney was smart, reasonable, and moderate, which puts him in opposition to the direction of the Democratic Party. He tried to be non-ideological but the moderators ignored him. Unfortunately, his positions won’t allow him to last very long in a more progressive Democratic primary.
Tulsi Gabbard: Gabbard’s spat against Tim Ryan concerning Afghanistan is most notable from the debate, but her foreign policy ideas are very dangerous. When asked what would make her position on Iran different than President Trump’s, she seemed unsure of herself and took the same exact position the Trump Administration has taken on Iran.
Cory Booker: Booker seemed nervous at the beginning and his attempt at speaking Spanish was an attempt to pander, which he did throughout the entire debate. He was unexciting and did not come across as the “Spartacus” he made himself out to be.
Jay Inslee: Inslee was ignored for most of the night, and his attempts to talk about his record as governor of Washington State fell on deaf ears. The only time the moderators seemed interested in him was when they asked about climate change.
Amy Klobuchar: Klobuchar started frail, but quickly got into a nice groove for herself towards the end. Out of all of the candidates on night-one she seemed to have the most potential. Her moderation on immigration reform (she supports the Gang of Eight bill), criminal justice reform, and her representation of Midwestern America is a big opportunity for her to pick up support should Joe Biden drop out.
Julian Castro: Castro was the most impressive debater on the stage. His attacks on Beto were strong. His views on abortion were extreme, but then again, so are the rest of the Democratic Party’s views on that issue. He could potentially turn out to become a dangerous candidate that could see a quick rise in the polls.
Tim Ryan: Ryan was nowhere to be found all night long. When asked a question, he appeared pale and not ready. His answers were rambling messes, and his losing spat with Tulsi Gabbard put the final nail in the coffin for his campaign. Do not be surprised if Ryan is the first Democrat to drop out.
Night Two:
This debate was an absolute train wreck. The candidates showed how extreme their positions are on immigration, playing directly into the hands of Trump. A lot of yelling and screaming from everyone, particularly Bernie Sanders. Here is the rundown:
Joe Biden: Biden started off solid at the beginning but ended poorly. He missed a lot of opportunities to take charge and prove his frontrunner status, particularly when people like Eric Swalwell attacked him. He had a fair response when he was attacked by Kamala Harris on his opposition to busing, but the attacks on him did damage. He clearly is uncomfortable with his positions compared to the rest of his competition.
Bernie Sanders: The man would not stop yelling and never answered a single question. His inability to prove how Medicare-for-All would be implemented nationwide shows how awful the policy is. His excitement from 2016 is over and so is his campaign. Everyone stole his ideas and it shows.
Kamala Harris: She came out swinging and looked solid. She had the best debate out of everyone. She flipped-flopped once again on her position on private health insurance, but her damaging attacks on Joe Biden’s past positions on racial issues was the focus of the night. Do not be surprised if she becomes the frontrunner very soon.
John Hickenlooper: Was he even there at all?
Kirsten Gillibrand: She was rambling all night and kept interrupting at random points to say literally anything that was on her mind. She was probably the most hated candidate of them all by both viewers and the other candidates. She needs to drop out.
Michael Bennett: His focus was on attacking Bernie Sanders and Medicare-for-All. His invocation of the Holocaust in comparing it to the southern border shows how extreme his position is on immigration. He will not be going anywhere.
Pete Buttigieg: He was smart and confident out of the gate. His ownership of failure in the relationship between the police and African-Americans in South Bend will either help him greatly or hurt him, but it seems as if no damage was done. Great debate by Mayor Pete.
Eric Swalwell: His only goal was to attack Biden, but it fell flat. He tried to interject and talk at random times and no one seemed to listen. His attack on Buttigieg was his only success of the night. His campaign will go nowhere.
Andrew Yang: He looked edgy without a tie, however, his edginess did not come across when it came to talking about his policies. He spoke for only three minutes and there was very little interest in his ideas.
Marianne Williamson: She did not speak for the first thirty minutes of the debate but when she did she had all of America’s attention. Her answers were weird because she is weird, but frankly, she is the candidate that the Democratic Party and America in general deserve.
Final Thoughts: The DNC did a terrible job for themselves with their format. There was no reason why Marianne Williamson should have been on the stage and not Congressman Seth Moulton or Montana Governor Steve Bullock. The Democrats frankly have their favorite candidates: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Mayor Pete, and Elizabeth Warren. There is no interest in any other candidates, and the focus on those few will only increase as it goes on.