Tonight’s debate finally had some fire to it. It started when Warren and Pete went at it over rich fundraisers. Pete actually landed a shot when going at Warren for taking money for her 2018 Senate run. But after that Pete faced a bukkake of onslaught from everyone else (he would probably prefer an actual bukkake over what happened……No not because he’s gay…but because, like his support, semen is all white). Warren landed some shots on him, Yang got him, and even Amy got him (you know its bad when mom-joke Amy is dunking on you) but the best imo was Bernie going at both Pete and Biden on billionaire supporters
The next blowup happened over healthcare with Bernie and Biden going at it. They two old men of the stage got into a yelling match over Medicare For All. If you don’t know where these two stands on this then you really haven’t paid any attention at all.
Some other random thoughts of the night
The media need to stop trying to make Amy happen. Nobody wants the “Midwestern nice/queen of the mom jokes/I’d like to speak to the manager” candidate
Amy got the 2nd most speaking time which is crazy. The only useful thing she said was shitting out Pete for losing by over 20 points in his only statewide race
Andrew Yang continues to be ignored. The least speaking time again and had HALF the time as Amy even though they’re polling the same. As always he generally impressed when he actually got to speak
Tom Steyer needs to end this vanity campaign. He was very vanilla up there and doesn’t really add much besides being a billionaire.
Joe Biden actually looked and sounded coherent for once at a debate. His eye didn’t start randomly bleeding, his teeth didn’t try to leave his mouth and he didn’t bite anyone’s finger so this night is a win for him.
Probably the best moderators so far even though they kept a stupid impeachment question (everyone up there agrees on this issue) and some bad framing that’s par for the course for the media
Grades
I hate to do this but I’m bound by journalist law to grade each candidate based on nothing but my own dumb eyes and ears.
Biden: A- Sounded like a normal human, didn’t fuck up, and mostly stayed in the background. Keep running that play and Biden might win the nomination
Sanders: A- Stumbled a bit with the race question early but came back firing at Pete and Biden. Made his normal stump speech but for the first time actually was aggressive attacking others. He needs to continue doing that…its effective
Warren: B Warren continues to have solid debate performances. I’m not sure she’ll gain or lose any supporters from this performance. She hit Pete hard but also took some damage back
Yang B Had some decent moments, had some flat moments. Don’t think he’ll fall or gain too much but he’ll be in the debate again next month thanks to the #YangGang
Amy B- I upgraded this to a B- only due to the amount of time she got (20 mins 2nd most). Don’t think she said much to help her much but the exposure alone might give her a bump
Pete C- Besides getting hit hard over his wine cave fundraisers he actually held firm. Was his normal slimy squid self making eloquent speeches with little substance to back them up.Was wounded in this debate but not killed off yet
Steyer C Was invisible the second half of the debate. Doesn’t add much in general but still remains in the race.
Up until the last 30 mins or so this was an absolute snoozefest. For the majority of the debate the questions bounced around topics with seemingly no rhyme or reasons. This was probably the worst debate of all. Part of that were the moderators, especially Maddow, who were largely terrible. They talked about impeachment, an under-covered topic where there is a lot of disagreement, as well as talking about “Lock Him Up” chants, which is what every American is up late at night worrying about. OHHH THE CIVILITYYY *clutches pearls until they turn to dust* The non-existent media bias was on display again, Andrew Yang was ignored yet again, not speaking for the first 30 mins and getting the least amount of speaking time. The first three questions to Bernie were literally, “Why is Obama wrong” “Are the Trump-like Lock Him Up Chants at your rallies good?” and “Would you make a deal with the Taliban”. Now I’m all for tough questions let’s just spread them around. My main critique is the questions are too easy and not substantive enough. I still can’t believe no one talked about how Mayor Pete faked African-American endorsements for his plan. Every debate before this focused on how Elizabeth Warren didn’t have a healthcare plan but now that she released a plan there wasn’t a question about it? Someone needs to start a petition to get half decent moderators up there. I can’t see anyone getting a boost or declining after this pitiful performance. No one had a great performance and no one had a horrible night…except for MSNBC but at least they didn’t ask about George Bush &Ellen.
But then the sparks started flying right when the debate was almost over. Cory Booker mocked Biden’s stance on legalizing weed:
Will this be the spark Booker needs to ignite his campaign? Probably not but he was strong on this issue and his closing statement was good. Booker is one of the people on the stage that I think I would like personally but not politically. Still don’t think it’ll be enough to get him back on the stage next month. #DecriminalizeAllDrugs
Two other sparks of the night included Tulsi Gabbard. In both instances I think Tulsi handled herself well by acknowledging both Harris and the mayor were using smears instead of answering the questions at the heart of the debate.
Now the Pod Saves bros (narcissism much?), show the debris of this exchange. The bombshell….Tulsi has been on Fox News!!!!!!! Now for those of you that didn’t die from the heart attack you got from reading that, listen I know its bad. Why would you ever dare talk to Republicans. I believe Kamala when she says that we need to focus on talking to everyone and bringing everyone together. But if you talk to Fox News you can go fuck yourself simple as that. Now thankfully the Pod bros cut off Tulsi’s response. She tried to claim that Kamala smeared her because she couldn’t answer the heart of the issue. Now that’s ridiculous, yes Kamala immediately changed the subject and attacked Tulsi instead of talking about how she wouldn’t have an establishment foreign policy, but I don’t know if you’re aware of this…but Tulsi Gabbard HAS BEEN ON FOX NEWS! Forget about changing U.S imperialism, forget the war in Afghanistan, forget Syria, forget Venezuela or Bolivia, forget the thousands of civilians starving or dying of cholera in Yemen,,, folks we’re talking about going on Fox News ya know the real important stuff.
Besides that there wasn’t really too much important stuff that happened in this debate. No one really stood out and no one really fell flat. Probably the worst debate but here’s an updated tier
Another round of Democratic Debate is tonight which means one thing…we’re a month closer to voting than the last debate and a month closer to this whole shitshow being over. There are ten candidates who will be on stage tonight and it still makes no sense to me why the DNC doesn’t just have a JV and varsity debate nights where the top 6-8 are on one night and everyone else is on another so each person can speak for more than 30/60 seconds at a time. The only plus side to this particular example of the idiocy of the democratic party is that by doing it this way we’re not forced to waste our time listening to Michael Bloomberg or Deval Patrick in addition to them wasting their money on vanity campaigns. Now if you haven’t really paid much attention to the race so far I’m here to help. I’m gonna break down each candidate, key info about them, who does/should support them, as well as their path to the nomination.
First I’ll start with the Frontruners:
Bernie Sanders: Independent Senator from Vermont
Campaign Slogan: “Not me, Us”
My Unofficial Campaign Slogan: “Fuck the Establishment”
Supported by: teachers, blue-collar workers, young people
You should support him if you: hate politicians, want to blow up the system, hate combing your hair, are a heart-attack survivor, are young and/or idealistic, believe the only way to make change is to organize and collectively stand-up to power
Flaw(s): He’s 78, His success depends on building/sustaining a movement
Path to the Nomination: The 2016 runner-up is running a strong campaign again with the top fundraising metrics of anyone and is doing it $20 at a time and while remaining steady in the p*lls. The way Sanders wins is simple, he’s gotta to maintain his support and bring traditional non-voters into the equation. He’s gotta win Iowa or New Hampshire to maintain momentum for strong finishes in Nevada, South Carolina and Super Tuesday. If he takes 2/3 of the first 4 and wins California on Super Tuesday he might run away with it early. Regardless, with the amount of money he’s raised he will be in it to the convention again.
Elizabeth Warren: Senator from Massachusetts
Campaign Slogan: “I’ve Got a Plan for That”
Supported by: Middle/Upper Class Whites, Professors, Librarians
You should support her if you: love diving into the nitty-gritty details of policy, hate big banks, want a progressive who’s also a woman, have a fetish for plans, think Harvard has been underrepresented in the White House
Flaw(s): Lack of Foreign Policy, Seems like a Politician
Fundraising: $60 million (#2 in the field)
Path to the Nomination: Elizabeth Warren had a strong rise to frontunner status after a slow start to her campaign. Her path to victory is similar to Bernie’s, she has to finish strong in the first 4 contests (with at least 1/2 wins) and take the momentum to Super Tuesday. Warren also has a strong grassroots donor base with makes it likely, barring any collapses, she will also make it to the convention.
Now it’s on to the V.P. candidates section
Pete Buttigieg: MAYOR of South Bend, Indiana
Campaign Slogan: “It’s time for a new generation of American leadership”
Unofficial Slogan: “Same Old Ideas with a New Face”/”The Stock-Image Candidate”
Supported by: Middle/Upper Class Whites, Religious types, Flight Attendants
You should support him if you: love horrifically awkward dance routines, like the status quo but think it needs a new face, want the first gay President more than anything else, Love Notre Dame more than anything else
Flaw(s): Lack of Experience, Lack of minority support, Supports ND sports,
Fundraising: $50.9 million (#3 in the field)
Path to the Nomination: Pete Buttigieg is the establishment/media’s star and his headshot looks like it was on a bulletin board of some shady backroom where the democratic elites were looking for the best candidate to support. Now they know they can’t pick a straight white guy so they went with Pete who only fits 2/3 #Progress. He’s perfect* for the media/establishment as they can focus on identity politics (do you know he can speak 7 languages???) (did you also know Mayor Pete is who thousands of middle age woman think of during the 30/45 seconds their husbands thrust on top of them on their annual “sex night” (his b-day) and that “talk dirty to me in all the languages Pete” is what Anderson Cooper says in his head right before he nuts into his least favorite silk sock) while Pete can focus about “new ideas” while running as a moderate and going to fundraisers held by the political elite. He can win Iowa and maybe NH but won’t win the nomination unless he gets a lot more than the 0/1% support with African-Americans he currently has.
Kamala Harris: Senator from California
Campaign Slogan: “For the People”
Unofficial Slogan: “For the People…Except those I’ve locked up”
You should support her if you: are motivated solely by corny one-liners about Trump, want criminal justice reform broadly but don’t support any of the individual fixes, want the parents of truant kids locked up, like fluffy talk with no substance behind it
Flaw(s): Record as Attorney General (CA), Authenticity, Purpose for Running
Fundraising: $36.4 million (#6 in the field)
Path to the Nomination: Kamala Harris came out strong with a big rally in CA and establishment support. However, she hasn’t been able to create real support so far as she’s doesn’t really have a brand or reason to run. She focuses on mainly anti-Trump rhetoric (unique in the D primary, I know) and her record in the criminal justice system but she has a sketchy (at best) record which includes prosecuting marijuana cases after admitting she smoked pot, prosecuting the parents of truant students and laughing about it, and keeping prisoners in jail to benefit from their cheap labor. She, like Pete, started off branding herself as a progressive but has shifted to being moderate as the campaign went on. Right now there’s not a path for Harris unless she finishes strong in Iowa (where she has gone all in) and takes that momentum to South Carolina and then her home state.
You Should Support Him if You: want universal basic income over anything else, like free money, dislike all politicians, want a businessman to run the country
Flaw(s): Lack of Political Experience, Ambiguity on some policy issues
Fundraising: $15 Million (9th)
Path to the Nomination: His candidacy gained traction around the idea of Universal Basic Income, but has continued to grow as people realize he’s not a 1 issue candidate. He also talks about automation, the need to confront big tech, as well as the importance of bringing in new ideas/perspectives. I don’t see him winning any of the early states but if he can have respectable finishes, he has the ability to stick around until there’s only a handful of candidates left where he could be a real threat.
You Should Support Him if You: are old and just want to support the only guy you recognize in the race, haven’t been paying any attention to the campaign, live in a fantasy world where Republicans will compromise and work with you once Trump is gone, just like ol’ uncle Joe from Scranton, have an Amtrak fetish
Flaw(s): Outdated Worldview, Struggles to form coherent sentences, No Energy
Fundraising: $36.7 million (5th)
Path to the Nomination: Biden is running without any energy outside of old media types and without being able to fundraise outside of big-dollar fundraisers. Despite this he is still considered a frontrunner by the media because of meaningless national polls. His campaign has admitted they don’t think they can win Iowa or NH so Biden’s path to victory has to include not embarrassing himself in the first 2 races, and holding on to the older African-American vote to win delegates in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday. If he can do that he might be able to get enough SuperPAC cash to flood the airwaves and somehow come out on top.
Amy Klobuchar: Senator from Minnesota
Slogan: “Let’s Get to Work”
Unofficial slogan: “Let them Eat Cake….with Combs”
Supported by: Moderates, Midwesterners
You Should Support Her if You: want Midwestern values in the White House, eat exclusively with items that aren’t forks or spoons, want a moderate white woman to support, enjoy watching paint dry
Flaw(s): Boring, Once ate a salad with a comb
Fundraising: $17.4 Million (8th)
Path to the Nomination: Amy’s campaign, like that of Kamala Harris, hinges on Iowa. If she can’t win in Iowa on her “I’m a moderate from the Midwest” campaign then she’ll probably drop out. She needs a strong performance in Iowa to shock life into her campaign and carry it forward. The media is trying to generate that spark but its only up to the voters in Iowa.
You Should Support Her if You: hate endless regime change wars, want to vote for anyone hated by hillary clinton, are a surfer, are attracted to women and vote via your hornyness, or enjoy Hawaiian culture
Flaw(s): Sketchy ties to Authoritarians, Last candidate to call for Impeachment
Fundraising: $9 million (11th)
Path to the Nomination: Tulsi picked up a mini-spark already when Hillary Clinton insinuated she was a Russian asset. This lead to people who want to push back on McCarthy-like smears and people who like to dunk on Hillary teaming up to defend Tulsi. She has seen a slight rise in the polls (different from what happens after she posts a work-out video on IG) but still needs a spark to become a serious contender. Looking at the early state polls, New Hampshire seems to be the best bet for where she can make a strong finish and build momentum from. Barring a top 5 finish there I don’t see how she survives very long in the race.
Cory Booker: Senator from New Jersey
Slogan: “Together, America, We Will Rise”
Unofficial Slogan: “The True Gilded Candidate”
Supported by: Those easily wooed by eloquent speakers, Obama Impersonators,
You Should Support Him if You: liked Obama but thought he was a little bit too radical or too good of a public speaker, want Rosario Dawson to be the First Lady, Like inspiring talk with no substance behind it
Flaw(s): Corporate Donors, His Record
Fundraising: $18.2 Million (7th)
Path to Nomination: Get a time machine and change his past record to match his inspirational talk. Without a huge spark, or divine intervention, or possibly both, Booker doesn’t have a path to the nomination.
And Finally the Need to Drop Out candidates
Tom Steyer: Billionaire
Anyone not in the debate tonight not named Marianne Williamson
If you made it this far you’re either incredibly curious or a masochist, but either way I’m gonna reward you with a video of a dog:
Probably somewhere in the Howard Schultz-Tom Steyer range. Bloomberg will burn through tens, maybe millions, of dollars to get himself into contention which would be better used in a pile literally burned. Now I’m not gonna list all the better uses for that money or why Bloomberg won’t have a major impact on the race because no one wants to read a never-ending blog.
Instead we’ll look at the massive protests that are occurring all over the world and are being largely ignored in the U.S media.
From Puerto Rico to South America to the Middle East to Hong Kong, there have been massive protests going on in recent weeks and months with most having common themes; income inequality and the ineffectiveness of the government.
In Chile there has been estimates up to million people protesting in the streets over a subway rate hike. The craziest part has been that the tax is only 5 cents in U.S currency. This slight rate charge was the straw that broke the Chilean people who are frustrated at not only the current President but also the vast, and growing, income/wealth inequality in the country.
More than a million people have protested in Bolivia to address the Amazon fires. Protests in Haiti stem from the alleged corruption of the current President. Protests in Baghdad are rallying against the ineptness of their government. We saw protestors in Puerto Rico force out the Governor there. In Lebanon there has been weeks of massive protests advocating for systemic economic changes in the country. All across the globe people are rising up against their inept governments and against inequality. For more on these protests read Will Bunch’s great work on this global movement.
Now as an American I know nothing about experiencing income inequality or seeing mass protests. I think the U.S should step up its role as the world’s leader by helping places like Chile, Puerto Rico, and Iraq. I think history will show that these countries can’t do this on their own and need America to set up their government or help install leaders who will surely do nothing but honest, good work.
In all seriousness though, the world’s people are growing more and more frustrated and are increasingly rising up against the ultra rich and the governemnt. I’m not a big stock market guy but if you are to come away from this with one thing it should be to invest in any company involved in the guillotine business.
Despite being dubbed “The Squad”, and for some reason allowed to stick by the general population, these four congresswoman , believe it or not, don’t agree on everything. Ayanna Pressley endorsed Elizabeth Warren over Bernie Sanders. Will a Representative endorsing her home-state Senator for President have a real effect? Who knows. My only take on this is for the love of God can we stop calling them the “THE SQUAD”. Of all of the dumb nicknames that exist, this name that sounds like a third rate superhero movie or cheesy childrens book, fucking boils my blood. Just Stop. I want to Van Gogh myself everytime I hear someone say it, so please stop or there’ll be blood on your hands too
Instead of talking about this clickbaity topic I’m going to talk about the only state that’s producing 100% community-owned electricity. Yes this story is boring and doesn’t drive clicks as well but fuck you you already clicked so I don’t care whether you read it or not.
Nebraksa, the 37th biggest state, provides almost 2 million people with electricity from public utilities with some of the lowest rates in the country. Citizens elect boards to oversee the operations and have regularly scheduled meetings where any Nebraska citizen can have a say over their energy. 56% of the energy generated is carbon-free and Nebraska has one of the biggest wind farms in the country. Now I know what your’re thinking, these socialist programs could never work in the midwest, at least that’s what the media relentlessly tries to speak into existence. I mean up until now there’s never been a successful government program in the this area of the country. But this system provides low cost energy to all citizens of Nebraska all while not focusing on stockholders or profit but instead gives people the ability to control the decision making.
If you are still reading and want to learn more about how a deep red state can be the first to have public utilities providing electricity for the entire state, here’a a link to the story by Yes Magazine.
Are you wondering why people are losing trust trust in the media? Are you wondering why the Democratic party is a perpetual loser while simultaneously having public support behind the majority of issues? Well look no further than tonight’s Democratic Debate where the DNC and CNN decided that what people want is 12 egomaniacs sharing the stage fighting for speaking time. Anyone that decided that a 3 hour debate with 12 people on stage was a better idea than 2 2 hour debates with 6 people a piece should be fired need to be tar and feathered outta Ohio. After everything I just said it though I will give the DNC credit (#FairAndBalanced) The party has shown how progressive they have become to include the underrepresented, lobotomized demographic in their decision making staff.
Now that the important stuff is out of the way, let’s get into the substance of the debate. Most of the people on the stage held their own and appealed to their own base and will continue to tread water until Iowa. Only a few people stood out to me (Sanders, Yang, Butti…eg), and only a few losers (Biden, Beto). Now most other “news sites” will do winners/losers, or grade each candidate. Not only am I gonna do both, I’m also gonna tier all candidates into 4 groups FrontRunner, 2nd Tier. JV Stage, Should Drop Out.
FrontRunners:
Bernie Sanders: Bouncing back after a heart attack and having arguably the best debate performance of the night as well as his best personal performance. He was energetic, fiery and attacking Biden over Iraq, NAFTA, and the bankruptcy bill was a moment he needs to build on. Attack Biden, Pete, the Media, tell people to follow the money. Lean in to the angry old-man caricature. Keep saying how fucked up the system is and call out the enablers in the media and Democratic Party. This debate performance should continue solidify his position as a frontrunner. WinnerGrade A-
Elizabeth Warren: Another solid performance where Warren is articulate, energetic, and steady. BY FAR best part of the her night was after Biden try to co-opt some of the credit for the CFPB where she slowly said thank you before pausing to name President Obama and not Biden. The most direct, indirect shot I’ve ever seen and clearly flustered Biden. One of the better performances of the night but didn’t quite move the needle relative to her position as much as other candidates. Treaded WaterGrade B+
2nd Tier Candidates:
Andrew Yang: The most underestimated candidate in the field continues to perform. Leading the field ideas like Universal Basic Income, Concerns over Automation, and Drug Decriminalization that have shown popular causing some of the bottom-feeders to start to ride the wave. His strength is not only evident by debate performances and p*lls but fundraising as well. In Q3 he tripled his Q2 numbers raising $10 million (more than Beto and Klouba…ar combined) and good for 6th overall. WinnerGrade A-
Pete Buttig…g/ Kamala Harris/ Cory Booker: All 3 are trying to be fill the centrist “progressive who like to get things done” lane and be the face of tes movement currently led by what’s left of Joe Biden. Mayor Pete’s main message is New Guy With Fresh* Ideas! Perfect example of his new, bold ideas is his healthcare plan which is Medicare for All….who want it (and can pay for it). He’s raising a lot of money from big donors but is still stuck bickering with Beto (aka Dante’s 2nd Circle of Hell). It looks like Kamala Harris is running the “Anti-Trump and Not Much Substance” play out of the Hillary Clintion playbook. She focused on getting Donald Trump kicked off twitter… which would force him to spend more time focusing on having the nuclear codes. Cory Booker was one of the people who got lost in the fray and I kinda forgot he was there. All three are very eloquent speakers and establishment darlings but none are real candidates but are 2nd tier due to lack of options. All Tread WaterGrades B–
Need to be Relegated to the JV Debate:
Amy Kloub…ar/ Julian Castro/ Beto O’Rourke/ Tulsi Gabbard: Out of this group MidWestern Amy had the best night of the group as she fought for the centrist lane while constantly showcasing that she is nice and from the midwest. Castro and Gabbard were among the group that just blended in and were hurt by idiotic decision to have 12 people up there. Beto could arguably be in the “drop out” section as though he still has some fight left, he has lost the establishment darling and horny/unsatisfied woman voters to Mayor Pete as well as the stoned/skater/nerd voters to Andrew Yang. All Treaded WaterGrades: Amy B-, Castro/Gabbard C,Beto D+
Need to Drop Out
Joe Biden: Another poor performance from a “frontrunner”. He continues to struggle forming coherent sentences trying to make his case as to why going back to normal is the way to go. Surprisingly only Bernie took a clean shot at his record but it will continue to haunt him. The end of the debate was the worst part for Biden as he was flustered by and patronizing towards Warren over the CFPB. Then in his closing remarks he screamed that America can do anything it puts its mind to, Anything! (Besides making health care a human right, aggressively addressing climate change, properly tax the rich, break up monopolies, and end these stupid wars). LoserGrade D
Tom Steyer: After buying his way onto the debate stage Steyer proving billionaires have too much money and make bad purchases. Actualy had some decent lines about corruption and the changes needed but it would be more sincere and/or compelling if it came from someone spending money on down-ballot races or issue education incstead of funding a vanity project. Treaded WaterGrade D+
Official Post 4th Debate Tiers
P.S. I was writing this during the debate but can’t not talk about CNN’s last question. Pop Quiz for those who didn’t watch: Was it about: Climate Change, Filibuster Reform, Corruption, Immigration, Criminal Justice Reform, Impeachment, Clean Water Crisis, Infrastructure, or Ellen DeGeneres & George Bush????? If you didn’t guess the DUMBEST FUCKING possible answer then you have way more trust in CNN than you should. This “News Network” used the last 15 minutes or 1/16 of a debate to talk about A TV HOST AND A WAR CRIMINAL TURNED PAINTER. No wonder Bernie Sanders had a heart attack having to endure these questions. I almost had a heart attack laying in bed when I heard that fucking question. Jesus Christ I don’t even have the words to describe this utterly stupid, beyond parody, Circus that is American politics and Political Media.
P.S.S Looking at the speaking times for each candidate is almost a worse look for CNN as it exposes the media’s bias against Sanders and Yang. Sanders, the guy who raised the most money in Q3 ($25 million), has by far the most donations and donors, got less speaking time than Amy Kloubo and Beto O’Rourke, 3.5 less minutes than Biden, and 9.5 less than Warren. To put that in perspective Yang, Castro, Gabbard, and Steyer all got less than 9 mins each total! Warren (22:47) Biden (16:39), Amy (13:18) are top 3 for speaking time. Andrew Yang got 8:32 mins to speak (9th). He got less than 10 mins less time than Amy or Beto combined while he outfundraised them by 2x last quarter. By literally any metric Yang is a top 5 candidate yet the media has still yet to adjust.
Me screaming into the void knowing I have to keep watching CNN for months to come
The third Democratic debate was last night and if you chose to watch the delay in the Bucs-Panthers game you chose the more entertaining option. During the first couple minutes in the debate (held in Texas) Amy Kloubachar dropped a “Houston we have a problem” line and in hindsight I should’ve followed my gut reaction to the line which was to turn off my TV and Van Gogh myself. However, since I am a masochist,I watched the next 3 hours of the debate but instead of talking about the debate in terms of winners and losers like literally every single other outlet,I’m just gonna ramble off my thoughts in no particular order… otherwise known as the Joe Biden method.
Every comedian at home watching the debate must’ve been thrilled that people may now have a better understanding of how hard it is to write a funny joke
The entire political media world is asking the same question after the debate last night, “was Castro too mean to Joe Biden”. No that isn’t a typo, yes this is real life, and yes this is incredibly stupid but Castro has to be a winner because people will talk about him more now than the the rest of the campaign combined.
That overshadowed the fact that Joe Bidden answered a question about the legacy of slavery by somehow connecting redlining, his dead wife, record players, Venezuela, and social workers needing to teach poor parents how to raise kids.
Cory Booker is one of the most eloquent politicians and just listening to him everyone wonders why he doesn’t have more support. That is until you remember that he has a record of things he’s actually done.
Amy Kloubachar needs to drop out.
The moderators were shockingly pretty good. Besides barely talking about climate change and only talking about China & Venezuela for foreign policy, the moderators asked pretty tough questions for everyone. Grilling Kamala Harris on her background she touts all the time and Biden’s history of statements on race were both the best questions asked at any debate by far.
Despite being continually ignored by the media, Andrew Yang continues to impress by being the only one who is clearly *not* a politician.
Sanders and Warren held their own. If you already liked them you’ll still probably like them and vice versa.
Mayor Pete showed the composure and stature of someone who’s never held office higher than small town mayor.
Beto was strong on guns and race by showing passion and authenticity. Too bad he’s not running for an office he can actually win…
Kamala Harris continues to run on her platform of standing for nothing but attacking Trump. She also seems to spending too much time because all her one-liners were wayyy too corny.
Overall I don’t think this debate will do anything to the state of the race, Sanders and Warren are still the front-runners in my mind. Biden showed why I’ve believed for months he doesn’t have the capacity to win the nomination. And everyone else on the stage besides Yang, Beto, and maybe Castro did nothing to help themselves in a meaningful way. Only five more months of this to go til Iowa!
When actual voting doesn’t start for 5 more months
The first democratic debate is tonight and the undercard first night features a heavy lineup of contenders like Elizabeth Warren. With 10 people on the stage i’m sure each candidate will have a lot of time 60 seconds to describe their ideas and visions for the country. Comcast MSNBC is hosting which means there will be tough and thoughtful questions from radical leftists such as Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie. Chuck Todd will be there even though my sources still have not located a single person that gives a shit what he has to say. A person familiar with the situation even told us, on the condition of anonymity, that the Todd household mutes the TV when Chuck is speaking. Rachel Maddow will be joining the 2nd hour of the debate which is welcome news for insomniacs and people who still have #ImWithHer in their twitter bio.
Without further (freddy) adu, here is the official ranking of the candidates pre-debate:
Front Runners
Sanders and Warren are the darlings of the left’s base which tends to help in a primary. Sanders has the grassroots support and infrastructure from his 2016 race and can rightfully claim that most of the others candidates are riding the wave he started. Pocahontas Warren has risen by bukkake-ing the public with plans. She seems to have a plan for everything but the most important one, imo, is her plan to win.
Second Tier
The Second tier candidates all hope to be this year’s Ted Cruz. At one time or another these candidates were media darlings. Kamala Harris started strong but her main issue might be her prosecutor past. Will her decision to not prosecute moive villian/treasury secretary Munchkin hurt her? Did she lock up too many parents of truant children who might’ve voted for her? We will see. Beto and Mayor Pete are also looking to make some inroads but the biggest tests for them will be expanding their bases beyond horny middle aged women and priests looking for someone a little more “mature”.
Joe Biden
The democratic establishment and media have been working tirelessly to make Biden as strong as they can. Non-stop polls, referring to him as the most “electable”, and assuming he will be the nominee is what you get from cable news. The biggest challenges for Biden however, will be his record and any time he opens his mouth. My prediction is that Biden is this year’s Jeb Bush. Someone who ran on their name, got pumped up by establishment, media, big money but it won’t be enough.
District of Clowns 