# 13 October 2015 Democratic debate (for commentary during & after) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 14, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593 "2015-10-14T00:20:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/141 "2015-10-14T17:37:56Z")
There’s a difference between being against trade agreements and being against a particular trade agreement. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/142 "2015-10-14T17:40:58Z")
Forgot to mention before, I was reminded for Larry David doing George Steinbrenner’s voice on _Seinfeld_ just about every time Bernie spoke: [Larry David on Seinfeld as George Steinbrenner 1 of 2 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLAa-kxM8lE) Uncanny. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/143 "2015-10-14T17:48:40Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > There’s also the same state problem. I realize that we expect shenanigans from Clinton, but trying to tell us that they can be husband and wife and live in different states is just stretching credibility to the breaking point. My mother and stepfather were legally residents of two different states for the \>30 years they were married. And they were apart far less frequently than Bill and Hillary are. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/144 "2015-10-14T17:53:03Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > She changed her position on a trade agreement she supported only months ago, and cited “new” information that was not new or completely irrelevant. > > Not to mention, we haven’t had a President against trade agreements since Herbert Hoover. Any mainstream candidate that says they oppose a trade agreement the PResident of their party supports is a liar. Be honest, is there any doubt in your mind that Clinton is a supporter of TPP? I think she’d like to be, but it won’t matter. It’s going to be decided before the election. And AFAIAC, the important thing is that her coming out against it leaves Obama all but isolated within his party in his support of it. Meanwhile, on the other side, Trump’s against it, which will make it easier for the Freedumb Caucus to sink it on the general grounds that if Obama’s for it, they’ve got to be against it. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/145 "2015-10-14T18:14:06Z")
I’ve never been enthusiastic about Hillary for some of the same reasons that others have reservations about her. Having said that, she was presidential at this debate. Head and shoulders above the other candidates in almost every respect. I wish she had the passion of Sanders and the appeal of O’Malley. She has neither. What she does have is experience and street cred. She’s the best suited for the job. That will have to do. I expect her presidency to be of uneventful diplomacy abroad and unfulfilled promises of change (gun control, economy, climate) at home. She won’t make things worse, but not markedly better. Which is still far better than anything that Republican clown circus is going to produce. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/146 "2015-10-14T18:26:18Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I don’t see what everyone’s so mistrustful of Hillary. I don’t think she’s changed her stance on things any more than the typical politician, and certainly not more then Mitt “Etch-a-sketch” Romney or Donald “I used to be a Democrat” Trump or even John “No I’ve never been a maverick” McCain. I trust Hillary, I think she’ll do a good job. Where others see clever manipulation, I see a command of the issues and intelligent polish. Is it just a woman thing? Everyone seems to judge how she comes across but most men I’ve seen are much worse than her in demeanor. For what it’s worth, I really don’t see gender when I’m looking at a politician. I do perceive her as having a command of her business combined with charisma and confidence. But when she smiles, it just chills my reptile brain with no explanation. Sort of like when Heidi Klum smiles and wishes somebody luck–knowing full well they are standing on a trap door that will drop them into an alligator pit. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/147 "2015-10-14T18:35:14Z")
VP best bets are Mark Warner or Sherrod Brown. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/148 "2015-10-14T18:50:31Z")
Anyone got a link to the full replay? All I see are links to the live stream, or else clips. ---
**Author:** ![CGav8r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@CGav8r](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CGav8r)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/149 "2015-10-14T19:01:01Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > VP best bets are Mark Warner or Sherrod Brown. I agree. Terry Mac struggled in running for Gov, and came across as a bit slimy; Warner and Brown have better bona fides than being able to raise a lot of cash. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/150 "2015-10-14T19:07:30Z")
1-The Constitution says the Vice President must have the same qualifications as the President. Bill isn’t qualified to be President, therefore he isn’t qualified to be VP. 2-The rule about the President and the VP being from the same state only applies to the members of the Electoral College from that state. 3-Salon viscerated the Wall Street Journal’s claims on Bernie Sanders - [http://www.salon.com/2015/09/24/the\_wall\_street\_journal\_gets\_whacked\_how\_its\_bernie\_sanders\_hit\_piece\_completely\_backfired\_partner/](http://www.salon.com/2015/09/24/the_wall_street_journal_gets_whacked_how_its_bernie_sanders_hit_piece_completely_backfired_partner/) ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/151 "2015-10-14T19:21:08Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > The implications that Koreans eat dogs is a common racist (anti-Korean, or anti-Asian in general) trope. Not to defend Huckabee, but [many Asian cultures do eat dogs, including Koreans.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_meat) It’s not racist to point that out. Huckabee is still a dumbass. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/152 "2015-10-14T19:28:31Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > 1-The Constitution says the Vice President must have the same qualifications as the President. Bill isn’t qualified to be President, therefore he isn’t qualified to be VP. > > 2-The rule about the President and the VP being from the same state only applies to the members of the Electoral College from that state. > > 3-Salon viscerated the Wall Street Journal’s claims on Bernie Sanders - [http://www.salon.com/2015/09/24/the\_wall\_street\_journal\_gets\_whacked\_how\_its\_bernie\_sanders\_hit\_piece\_completely\_backfired\_partner/](http://www.salon.com/2015/09/24/the_wall_street_journal_gets_whacked_how_its_bernie_sanders_hit_piece_completely_backfired_partner/) He isn’t eligible to be elected president, but my ignorance was fought today and I think he could succeed by other means. True enough about the electors, but either the presidential or vice presidential electoral votes for that state could go to one but not the other. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/153 "2015-10-14T19:35:33Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Not to defend Huckabee, but [many Asian cultures do eat dogs, including Koreans.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_meat) It’s not racist to point that out. Huckabee is still a dumbass. It’s not racist to mention that Asians eat dogs, especially in a neutral context. Out of the blue, as the only food on the metaphorical table, it’s a little racist, and it’s over-the-top racist to state that Asians eat _other people’s pet dogs_, which is what he did. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/154 "2015-10-14T19:51:21Z")
Hillary seemed solid, and thanks to Sanders has moved to the left. She did fine but was not exciting to me as a candidate. She just is. she made no gaffs though and probably followed her plan strategy to the tee. Despite being bloodied on the gun issue I thought Sanders was really strong. He does come across like Lewis Black at times but I guess I am happy with intelligent anger and thought he did very well. He expressed for most of us, that the press needs to stop treating the Email issue so seriously. It is a minor issue at best. O’Malley I thought did very well. He looks Presidential, which never hurts. He actually seemed to have thought out policy ideas and probably gave himself a small surge in the polls and a chance for the VP nomination. Webb did a poor job communicating, acted petulant and whiny about his time to talk which was legit but came across badly. He did himself no favors and will not see a bump in the polls. Chaffee, OMG, Chaffee. He was terrible. He really blew it and has nothing going for him. He answered badly, his look and lack of confidence alone would be enough to kill him but he probably lost support last night in his own state. I thought CNN was terrible. I thought the unbalanced questions going to the 2 main candidates was a disservice to us the viewers and voters. Anderson came across very poorly I thought, though still better than Chaffee at least. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/155 "2015-10-14T19:59:53Z")
I agree with that except for this: > [@What\_Exit](#): > > I thought CNN was terrible. I thought the unbalanced questions going to the 2 main candidates was a disservice to us the viewers and voters. The other three showed why they’re _not_ “main candidates”. Giving the most attention to the ones with a real chance, the ones people most want and need to know more about, is \*exactly \*what good journalists should do. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/156 "2015-10-14T20:06:57Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Not to defend Huckabee, but [many Asian cultures do eat dogs, including Koreans.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_meat) It’s not racist to point that out. Huckabee is still a dumbass. If you’re actually discussing cuisine, sure. But this is a little different, I think. Not the end of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Donald\_Rump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Donald\_Rump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donald_Rump)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/157 "2015-10-14T20:48:31Z")
I wonder if the beginning of the Democrats’ primary debate season is the beginning of the end of the GOP’s infatuation with unelectable outsiders. At the margin, _some_ GOP voters must have been watching Clinton’s performance last night and thought, “Holy shit, if we’re going to beat Clinton, we cannot - must not - nominate Trump/Carson/Fiorina.” By staying largely out of view, Clinton has allowed herself to be more of a theoretical than real candidate. Last night, I think she reminded a lot of people that she not only exists but will be a formidable opponent. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/158 "2015-10-14T21:38:54Z")
(Overall, my initial reaction was that Hillary seemed young, strong and confident. Did her numbers go up?) Was the intention to give each of the five equal speaking time? I’ve only watched part of the debate so far, but my impression was that Webb was given much less time. Perhaps I’ll keep track of time when I watch the whole debate. If I were running such a debate and the intention was to give each player equal time, I’d have someone keeping track. If one kept using more time despite warnings, I’d stop asking them questions until the others caught up. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > One more thought about Webb: his Vietnam service was genuinely courageous, but I think it’s unrealistic to draw a connection between one’s actions under fire in a war that ended in January 1973, and one’s fitness for the Presidency in January 2017. True. But please note that electing a malingerer who turned into a war-monger didn’t work out at all well. > [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > Webb observed the Republican party had moved away from him, so he’s running Democrat. This is too bad … Webb strikes me as having the strength, honor, and integrity to slam some reality back into the party. Of course, he hasn’t. And he walked away from that battle … 😕 There are many sane people offering advice to the GOP; it seems misplaced to blame Webb. His background isn’t in psychiatry. > [@Lobohan](#): > > He’s pushed back against that article. 😕 Murdoch rag posts half-truths. But the lead story is dog bites man. Details at eleven? ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/159 "2015-10-14T21:54:10Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Lawrence Chafee also did not come across well and his flubbing of a direct question about his voting record looked awkward as hell. He also has no chance at being POTUS and will likely disappear from polls (although I have no idea what his polling numbers are currently, either) in the next few days. I agree that Lionel Chafee looked awful, and almost certainly hurt his quixotic run for the white house, even though that seemed like it would have been hard to do! Actually, I didn’t get to watch this debate (though if anyone has links to the whole thing…), but I wanted to jump on the botch-Lincoln-Chafee’s-name train before it was too late. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593/160 "2015-10-14T22:11:32Z")
A conservative’s point of view: Hillary–looked very Presidential. I still don’t like her but she solidified her image as qualified. Sanders–angry old bastard. Spend spend spend spend. Free shit for everyone, and pay for it by taxing the rich. Just a socialist pipe dream that will not sway independents. O’Malley–solid. Will present a good alternative if Hillary screws up. Webb–out of his element. He is a moderate trying to appeal to left wing primary voters. His “I served in Vietnam” shtick is tired and worn. Chafee–bombed big time. A poster upthread said that he was relieved that “issues” were being discussed. There were no issues being discussed. We got the same class warfare that the Dems have been peddling for 80 years. It reminded me of the Simpsons when Homer ran for Sanitation Commissioner and promised that if you voted for him, he would have garbage men emptying your trash inside your home and picking it up everyday, and then blew his whole budget in a month. There simply aren’t enough rich people in the whole world to tax and be able to provide middle-middle class living for everyone. This debate was definitely a hard left turn for the Dems which will turn off many independent voters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-october-2015-democratic-debate-for-commentary-during-after/734593.md?page=9)