Democratic Debates – Who won, who lost.
We have just witnessed yet another 2019 Democratic Debate – this time run by CNN. My disclaimer, as always, is that as a good conservative, I find almost all of the rhetoric on the stage to be ignorant, uninformed and tragically ridiculous.
My goal here is to attempt to ascertain how the performance of each will affect their standing in the polls and their possibilities for winning the Democratic nomination.
Incidentally, it appears that there are new rules – If you are one of the top 4, as long as you say “This is really important” then you get more time. If you are not one of the top 4 you are ignored and stepped on.
Joe Biden +3 – I expected the question of Joe’s illegal activities in Ukraine to be brought up, and it was, and I expected Joe to get heated and try to back everyone else down. But no. Joe answered the question by deflecting and no one else had anything significant to say about it. Biden was assertive, drawing upon his experience and actually presented himself as the reasonable guy on stage. As far as the Democrats are concerned, he is past his crisis. He had many moments that could be considered “Presidential,” more than anyone else.
He has some baggage to work through in real life, but I have to say this performance helped him.
One mistake though, was that, when asked directly, he said he would put the troops back into Syria. This may very well come back to bite him.
Elizabeth Warren -6 — I predicted that many would attack Warren, and everyone did. I would have expected her to perform better though, she seemed rattled. When asked about whether she would have to raise taxes on the middle class to raise the $30 Trillion need for her health care plan, she repeatedly deflected and denied. Several people called her out on this, made her look bad. She went into her “You didn’t build that” speech, which pissed me off, but was good for her constituency.
Overall, and the reason she got such a bad score, is her mannerisms while under fire. When the camera was split showing her while someone else was speaking (especially when under attack), she frequently looked spacey and confused, and had an almost Parkinsons-like manner. Her manner of raising her hand made her look small, and very un-Presidential. I’m willing to bet that her team sees this and she fixes this by next time. In the meantime, this could stop some of her campaign’s momentum.
Kamala Harris -3 — I predicted that Harris would attack Joe and Liz, and I was not disappointed. When watching her, I couldn’t help thinking what a terrible actress she was. Her campaign is in freefall, nothing could help her, but this was not a good performance.
Tom Steyer +4 — I predicted that Steyer would steal the show, and was disappointed a bit. CNN did not give him much of a chance to speak, but when he did, he was focused and fresh. Surprisingly, he actually agreed with Bernie about taxing the rich out of existence, was reasonably ominous about it. Good to start a cultish following, but not mainstream yet (… but he has a billion dollars…).
He has a whole lot of work to do, but I believe this performance will put him on the board.
Steyer did look like he was drooling a bit at one point. Not a good look.
Andrew Yang +2 — He has a cultish following, and I believe his following will improve based on this performance. He disagreed with other candidates on a number of issues (disagreed on the wealth tax, because it failed in Germany, France, Denmark and Sweden, better for a value added tax). Will get the addicts, wants to legalize all opiods and more. I believe we will see a bump in his polls, but not a mainstream candidate just yet.
Tulsi Gabbard +1 — Gabbard came out, once again, an angel in white, the most attractive candidate by far. I like her voice and her confidence. She came out swinging, but I was a bit disappointed in the result. She lost an exchange with Mayor Pete (he was smoother, not more correct). She attempted several times to challenge others but was interrupted by the commentator (rudely, in my opinion, given the latitude others were given). She had moments of disagreement on the issues that were appropriate and not outside of the realm of Democrat support, so she stood out a bit.
I believe she will get some bump, but not enough to jumpstart her campaign. She needs more. Probably won’t get it.
Bernie Sanders + 2— Nothing new with Bernie, still the same rhetoric, the same manner and the same energy.
But that was it exactly.
After his heart attack, he still has the same energy, which is a bonus for Bernie.
I believe Bernie will get a bit of a bump, but not more than he had before. Health will still be an issue in his campaign and I believe it will ultimately be his downfall.
Corey Booker +0— He always sounds reasonable, but he is a sideline voice at this point. Took his speaking time to match my socks. (It’s laundry night).
Beto O’Rourke +0 — Nothing will help him at this point, so I didn’t really listen much. With the sound off, though, he presented like a kid, I kept having the urge to yell at him “Stand up straight!!!”
Amy Klobuchar +5 — My prediction for tonight’s debate was that she was not capable of making a name for herself would not be able to create opportunities to make her points. I was actually surprised at how Klobuchar not only made her points, but managed to elevate herself to a unique new position. She attacked Warren on taxes for health care, and called Warren’s plan a “pipedream.” She was passionate, her emotional content was good and appropriate.
This was the opportunity she needed, but her campaign has no momentum, and she may be too far down in the polls for it to matter. If this gets her enough followers to help her fundraising, then at least she lives to fight another day.
Klobuchar got a lot of extra face time on CNN after the debate. Hmmm…
Pete Buttigieg +4 — I predicted that Mayor Pete would continue his holding pattern, but I was wrong again. I do believe in this debate he performed above his weight class. He was the voice of reason in several heated exchanges between other candidates, and appeared “adultish” in the presence of more experienced politicians.
While I disagreed with his points versus Gabbard (and almost everything else he said), he won the exchange because of his presentation.
He is second tier at this point, and I don’t believe he will rise above that, but I think this puts him back in the public eye.
Julian Castro +0 — I expected nothing, his campaign is dead. I took this time to fold my underwear (laundry night, remember?).
ALL the Democrats were LOSERS ! None have the intelligence to change a burnt out light bulb ! Why don’t hey ALL give up and go back to their pathetic lives ?
Well said, Thomas!
They can’t get pack to their pathetic lives because most of them are supposed to be in Congress fixing the problems that they have created in this country. They desperately don’t want to do that.I didn’t watch the debates so I have a question: Are they all still touting “Reparations”?
The candidates all need to take a course in accounting it is obvious that none of them can balance to zero and I have no plans the pay for what they propose except taking more of our tax money and giving it away to illegal aliens
The Democrats (Everyone of them) would lie, even if the truth sounded better. What a horrible cadre of SO CALLED LEADERS!
What I saw in this debate was an attempt to cover an effort. Appeasement. Sir Winston Churchill once said, “An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodiles hoping it will eat him last.” It appears each of these democrat candidates fits the bill.
The Demented Dems should choose Elizabeth Warren to run as President with Bernie Sanders as her running mate. If she should die suddenly of a heart attack or a bullet Bernie could take over as President seamlessly with the same Socialist agenda moving the US forward to ruination and the world to a One-World Socialist Government under control of the UN with Obama as its leader.
I missed the debate. How prominent was CLIMATE CHANGE? All about SYSTEM CHANGE…false UN science to create a CRISIS and scare kiddies into replacing capitalism with Socialism. Transfer of wealth from the rich countries to the poor countries via the Kyoto then Paris accords. Carbon taxes, Cap and Trade, grants to poor countries…Nirvana. AOC as agent of change.
Haven’t you heard? We’re all going to be dead in 12 years thanks to Climate Change! They figure why discuss it as they just want to win at 1 or 2 of our very last 3 election cycles so space aliens in 100 can find their statues amid the rubble and corpses and know that one of them mattered.
Replace capitalism? The US is a fascist political/economic system. That’s why everything is so insane and
and the system is collapsing.
I’d have to say that even though I didn’t watch, I can bet with full confidence it was a continuation of the Clown Convention and that the American Public that is still able to think for themselves and see through the smoke screens, that America Won big time with the idea NONE of these losers is worthy of the POTUS office.
Gabbard, the only grown-up in the Demented-Dem-Clown-Show, won’t go anywhere unless she changes Party’s.
Be careful what you hope for, some idiots have mentioned Michelle Obama as the Demo candidate for President. Could America be that stupid.Why not dig up Stalin our Castro, they would fit in well with the Democratic Agenda
Hmmm Castro vs folding underwear. It would appear your priorities are in order!
Could not support any of this group-all clowns, hateful, stupid and many evil. Elect Warren and this county will be down the drain in a couple of months. She would look sick next to Putin. The Democrats have become the dummies of the Century. Not a constructive idiot among the group. No wonder I support Trump-much smarter and a lot more constructive than any of these garbage Dumbocraps.
Everyone of these Demo RATS are all Anti American and
out right losers! None of these people stand up for America
and what it was founded on. They are all for Illegals instead of
Americans, and don’t forget, everyone of these people support
killing the most precious and helpless of our society:
The UNBORN!
God Help this country if anyone of these Demo RATS
ever get elected to the Presidency!
Thank God for our Wonderful President & Vice President!
Go Trump/Pence 2020!
Sadly CNN controlled too much. So obvious they have a huge agenda. Journalism is dead at CNN. They should be banned from the debates
I also missed the Debates and it seemed I did not miss much. Actually from what I heard the Climate Change Crisis wasn’t even discussed, pissed of a lot of Democrats. I think they need to explain to the American people how in the world they are going to pay for their Socialistic system of free everything, including the illegal immigrants. They are basically saying Trust Us! Yea, when pigs fly as it goes! There are four major talking points that I feel would have been important, Immigration crisis, Impeachment circus, and gun control (unneeded), and health care, not for illegals, but for our citizens, but that requires voting against big Pharma which will hurt their campaign war chests, in other words it will never happen!
All the democrats lost, Trump won !