Democratic Primary Season 2020

[naplesE30]

That is their words and platforms. I didn’t exaggerate ( other than the everything for free, granted it’s not everything) or mis quote any of what they are running on. Nor did I belittle anyone or candidate other than maybe perhaps Biden, but in no worse way than any of his competitors. But, If it seems ridiculous when it’s all written down without the rationalization they give for it, then perhaps it is. Perhaps they should run on some actual adult policies that have a chance of actually passing a divided Congress, because I’m pretty sure right now the only realistic adult running in the dem party is Schultz and he doesn’t stand a chance.

[CarpHunter]

Hey naples, I'm curious, what exactly do you gain in the discussion by belittling your own election process? I grey torr not a fan of Democrats, but is it not worth discussing their ideas like a adult.

[e30RS]

I love the bumbling stumbling Biden. He is an absolute buffoon.

[Wschnitz]

Summary for you: all your troubles are over, and everything will be free. Oh and old college debt will be forgiven if you have it, men cannot be restricted for abortions either, if your gay or black the nation owes you reparations, but not Native Americans oddly, especially considering a front runner claims to be one, you’ll get paid by govt cause everyone deserves it, unlimited immigration for all, with the same benefits as citizens naturally, middle class will be taxed more, and that’s all I can think of other than Biden is now kind of a racist, or he was, and is now in rehab for it I think.

I really don’t see how you can go wrong regardless of who you favor.

:roll:

[naplesE30]

anyone got a link on last night's debate? i saw a bit of it when i dropped into a bar with coworkers after our shift, but i'd like to see the whole thing.

Summary for you: all your troubles are over, and everything will be free. Oh and old college debt will be forgiven if you have it, men cannot be restricted for abortions either, if your gay or black the nation owes you reparations, but not Native Americans oddly, especially considering a front runner claims to be one, you’ll get paid by govt cause everyone deserves it, unlimited immigration for all, with the same benefits as citizens naturally, middle class will be taxed more, and that’s all I can think of other than Biden is now kind of a racist, or he was, and is now in rehab for it I think.

I really don’t see how you can go wrong regardless of who you favor.

[z31maniac]

Total clownshow.

This is some seriously insightful commentary.

Thanks for your contribution.

[Javier h]

I recorded it but havent watched it

This was good practice for Biden. He needs to address issues that will come up if he goes against Trump.

I don't see Harris as President. I think Trump might eat her up but let me watch the exchange.

I think Biden can handle himself and it should be enough but lets see how this shakes out.

[Schnitzer318is]

I was less enthralled with last night's debates vs. the first group of candidates. I don't enjoy whining, arguing, etc. Make your point in a controlled and deliberate manner. Don't need all the emotional fluff.

We'll see who drops out and where the donation money starts/continues flowing.

[mbonder]

Thursday's debate saw a few more fireworks than Wednesday's as some of the heavy hitters came out to play. Probably the biggest talking point over the next few days will be Kamala Harris challenging Joe Biden on his comment about working with segregationist congressmen and the inability of past congresses to pass an Equal Rights Amendment. The back and forth on that one was a little cringeworthy to be honest, as I think Harris (as well as many people trying to tear down Biden) have taken his comments about working with others in Congress in the past out of context to make him sound racist, which I don't believe he is. They also completely miss the reality that one person isn't solely responsible for the fact that an entire house of Congress failed to pass the ERA. For me, this seemed more like Harris pulling the black card more than anything else.

Besides that moment, I thought that Biden presented himself well and made statements that were measured and thoughtful. There were no big slip ups or gaffes, which for him will go a long way toward consolidating his early lead in the polls. I didn't feel as though this debate hurt him at all, and in some respects (his comments on Obamacare in particular) he probably gained supporters for being more moderate about healthcare than some of the others (sticking to the idea of both public and private options for healthcare).

The only spot that I thought he didn't look good in was at the end of his exchange with Harris he cut himself short in his explanation of why he didn't support busing to integrate schools (which he correctly mentioned was a local issue and the federal government didn't have jurisdiction in those cases, but he didn't explain the constitutionality behind it and I think the point got swallowed up in the other BS at the time over the ERA). In that moment it appeared as though Biden was disgusted with Harris and the line of questioning and simply didn't want to talk about it anymore, which didn't come off too well to me.

Sanders continues to push for Medicare-for-all without actually presenting a way to pay for it besides the belief that by having a single payer system costs will fall, making it more affordable. While that may be the case, there are a host of programs that he's pushing that even if collective action drives down costs, they won't be nothing, which I think has led his message to be less palatable than it was four years ago when it was new and shiny.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg should see his stock rise in the polls after last night's debate. He had a commanding presence and did not let himself get sucked into the bickering back and forth with other candidates. His delivery inspires confidence and he proved to be a moderate compared to the likes of Harris and Sanders. He may never be a true top tier candidate because he has come out as gay (for me it's irrelevant, but for some it's a scarlet letter), but he deserves to be around for a while and to be heard.

Here's my view of the rest of them:

Eric Stalwell: Challenged Biden to "Pass the torch" but then didn't really say what he would do with it. Has a goofy delivery to his speech

Mike Bennet: Didn't say much, at times wanted to jump on the attack Biden wagon, but didn't do anything big in that regard.

Kirsten Gillibrand: Focused solely on women's rights, probably because there isn't a man out there who would vote for her.

Andrew Yang: Give every American $1000 was his solution to everything. Spoke twice during the whole debate, should quit now.

John Hickenlooper: Only time he said anything of value was when he explained his work turning Colorado's ailing economy around by legalizing weed. Otherwise he seemed old.

Marianne Williamson: Straight nutter. Sounded like she started her day with a glass of chardonnay.

[e30RS]

Total clownshow.

[decay]

Here you go. Skip ahead to about 2:00:00 to get to the start of the debate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=vJ6MrDO0kgY

thanks.

[Schnitzer318is]

anyone got a link on last night's debate? i saw a bit of it when i dropped into a bar with coworkers after our shift, but i'd like to see the whole thing.

Here you go. Skip ahead to about 2:00:00 to get to the start of the debate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7847&v=vJ6MrDO0kgY

[decay]

anyone got a link on last night's debate? i saw a bit of it when i dropped into a bar with coworkers after our shift, but i'd like to see the whole thing.

[Schnitzer318is]

After last night's debate... The only one that I wasn't entirely sure of was Amy Klobuchar, who I thought would be more assertive with her comments, but appeared to be so measured in what she said as if she wanted everyone to like her on stage rather than showing the clear differences between her and other candidates.

Onward to tonight's debate!

^I can respect that interpretation, though the spanish speaking didn't bother me as much. The problem with such a big field (or this one in particular) is there is so much overlap in terms of policy. The first half of the debate it seemed like they were all for the same things. Second half separated them a little more.

Gabbard - I liked her, didn't talk too much, was no-nonsense when she did.
Beto - He's not going to fare well in the polls after last night, been dropping already. The anecdotes took too much of his time.
Tim Ryan - who?
Jay Inslee - One roar from the Trump is the enemy comment
Warren - As suspected, she got pretty open-ended and vague in her responses despite having the most talking time. Unfortunate
Julian Castro - I liked his stage presence, a little combative at times with Beto, but overall a solid performance
Bill De Blasio - I think he did fairly well
Delaney - Liked him as well. His ideas didn't seem over-the-top and might actually get done, but think the party might have moved more left than he is willing to go (same with Beto)
Booker - Talked about living in the ghetto a lot. But presented well and gave a good account of himself.
Klobuchar - I thought she did well also but didn't do anything to jump out

At the end of the day this is going to come down to who garners the most money so many of these candidates are "also-rans" already. We'll have to wait to see how the donations shake out to see who will actually be a possibility. Right now, it's just an interesting watch. Kind of like pre-season football.

[mbonder]

After last night's debate I felt that a few people started to separate themselves from the crowd, here's my list of contenders after the first night of the first debate. I'll add to it after the second half of the field debates tonight. These are by no means anything more than my personal opinion after watching, feel free to comment if you watched and saw it differently.

I thought that John Delaney was the clear winner last night. He presented himself in a dignified way while also making several poignant comments about the economy and the nature of healthcare in the country. He was subtle enough in his digs of several other candidates that he didn't come off as overly aggressive but still stood his ground against some of the other big names out there.

I also felt that Cory Booker increased his stock last night as he moved away from the fairly in-your-face style that he tends to have when in Congress that can come off as whiny. He presented several instances where he challenged others on their views and presented several of his own. I did tire of him talking about how he lives in Newark, however.

Elizabeth Warren was clearly given more time as well as a central position on the debate stage (given that she polled higher than the rest it was no surprise), so she did get to talk more than any other candidate and was asked to respond directly to several other's comments. In that sense I believe that she stuck to her principles and policies that she has laid out to date. However, I don't think she was able to present herself as a clear favorite in the field and her support of Medicare-for-All wasn't necessarily fleshed out as much as I would have liked given that it is one of her signature policy objectives. Given the weaker field compared to tonight's debate, I just felt she didn't stand out enough.

Bill De Blasio interjected himself at several key moments and did so in a way that asked several important questions related to income inequality and the responsibility (perceived by the Dems at least) of the government to lessen that inequality. He had a presidential demeanor to me, and although he didn't say anything that I'd say was specific beyond what the rest of the candidates are saying, he seems as though he'd be able to debate Trump well, so I felt as though he presented better than expected as well.

Julian Castro to me sounded at times intelligent, but then at times whiny, especially when he got into back and forth arguments with a couple different candidates. Just didn't seem like anything other than childish in the moment. Plus he feels the need to speak spanish at any possible juncture to prove that he's the only hispanic candidate. While we're on that whole Spanish thing, I felt it was ridiculous the amount of pandering to the hispanic voter simply by attempting to speak spanish. SNL is going to have a field day this weekend with that BS.

Several that I felt played themselves out of it if they weren't already were:

Beto O'Rourke (clearly showed no policy ideas)
Tim Ryan (Looked confused at times)
Jay Inslee (Focused on the environment and nothing else)
Tulsie Gabbard (who talked incessantly about her military experience and nothing else)

The only one that I wasn't entirely sure of was Amy Klobuchar, who I thought would be more assertive with her comments, but appeared to be so measured in what she said as if she wanted everyone to like her on stage rather than showing the clear differences between her and other candidates.


Onward to tonight's debate!