Harris way on top. In both nights. This is what I was hoping to see from her.
Biden’s lead may not be enough if he can’t respond better than this.
Everyone else pales.
Agreed. Biden looks out of sorts when she hit him about being chummy with segregationist senators.
This is a Harris break out. Biden ain’t over but he’s going to drop hard after this and Harris moves up big.
You guys still think it was ridiculous for me to suggest that Biden’s least worst option was to skip the debates? Perhaps with the excuse that he doesn’t want to fight with other Democrats, he wants to train all his fire on Trump for 18 months straight.
seriously! i have never heard him like i did tonight. whoever thought that was a good idea for tonight should be fired.
I thought Buttigeig was a sideshow until tonight. He can’t be president but would make a great running mate.
Biden accidentally took his Ambien just before the debate. His numbers should nosedive in the morning.
Bernie is a psycho.
The first pass the torch play was really good. Biden missed a great opportunity to show a sense of humor and just say “You got me kid. Well played”
Gillibrand is a megapsycho. She’s nutso.
The author lady and the former tech exec. Wtf?
I don’t like Kamala but she seemed to have her shit together.
What surprised me is that he knew this was going to be a question, and Biden still completely whiffed on it.
“No, I didn’t oppose busing; I opposed busing forced by the Dept of Education” :rolleyes:
Holy fucking Christ, did his prep team not go over this with him?
I’d also add that…he at times did look old and confused, which is even worse. He stammered. He couldn’t hear a question. Christ, this was a disastrous debate performance.
Marianne Williamson IS Jenna Maroney.
I think Gillibrand did…well…okay, I guess? But okay is not what she was hoping for. She’s just a notch more charismatic than Klobuchar.
I thought Buttigieg actually had a really good night except for one issue, which was the police involved shooting in South Bend. And I don’t think that was a total disaster. I’ve been a Buttigieg skeptic, but I have to say that at times, he looked presidential. The kid is good. I just don’t know if he’s what the Democratic party and country are looking for. But I think he did more than enough to hang with the big dogs through the end of the summer.
I think Kamala Harris kicked 'em in the teeth tonight, and as much grief as I’ve given Bernie “Democrat” Sanders, I did enjoy his closing remarks.
I thought Bernie did pretty well tonight. People who say he looked crazy or whatever…I don’t get it. Bernie tonight was the same old Bernie he’s been since 2015. Nobody put Bernie on the defensive tonight.
So, yes, Biden’s answer about busing was weak (DOE - seriously, Joe?), but unlike apparently most here I thought he came off rather well overall in the debate. Harris was stellar of course, but Biden had more than a few strong moments.
I feel like none of these candidates said anything of substance, including Harris. Well, perhaps Hickenlooper did but he doesnt have a snowball’s chance in hell.
I will say this: for the so-called progressive and inclusive party, it didn’t seem particularly inclusive to the lone Asian-American candidate. Christ, they let that bat-shit self-help guru talk and they let 0% Eric Swalwell basically steal everyone’s time, but a guy who was in the top 10 in polling had virtually ZERO questions.
“the party” != the debate moderators
He didnt participate in the clusterfuck of constant interruptions and talking-over one another that most of the others did. This may have been admirable but it also silenced him.
I thought Biden was absolutely solidly Biden. Perhaps he didn’t have any highlight reel moments that will boost him among hardcore Dems, but I’ve got a polling audience of two: My Uncle G and Cousin D; both union members in metro Detroit, both voted Obama, then one voted Trump and the other abstained in 2016. For voters like them, I think Biden did just fine. Kamala has a long way to go to win their support, even though I also thought she was stellar tonight. Attacking Joe on a busing bill he worked on almost 50 years ago isn’t the way to win over either Industrial Midwestern whites, or black voters. The former don’t give a shit about this, and for the latter, this isn’t news. I will say this: I’m surprised he wasn’t ready with a better answer.
Biden, imo, did himself no real damage tonight. Will he lose some points in the polls? Sure; I don’t think anyone thought he was going to run away with this from gate to finish line. But it doesn’t mean he’s not still the front-runner, and his performance doesn’t make me think he’s not the best bet to win back the Industrial Midwest. I’m still waiting for someone else to woo me over.
And I’m sorry but I almost feel like im in the Twilight Zone hearing all this adulation and praise being heaped on Harris. What the hell did she do? She gave a decent theatrical performance but was substantively empty.
I think this is an excellent analysis. Personally, I adore Harris – but I’m stickin’ with Joe, at least for now.
They all are who they are, and the best part of this debate for me was that they all got to be who they are. They didn’t name-call. They didn’t make ad hominem attacks or take cheap shots. There was substance in their answers.
Any one of them is a thousand times more qualified that the drooling idiot who presently occupies the Oval Office. Listening to actual policy points, even if not much fleshed out due to time constraints, was like being washed over by a cool stream in the high heat of summer.
It’s early days. I appreciate all these candidates. Some more than others, of course.
If I had to rank the debaters, I’d probably put it like this:
- Harris
- Buttigieg
- Sanders
- Biden
- Who cares?