I watched the debate last night. I could tell that both candidates were uncomfortable, as they are so accustomed to working a crowd. With tough contests coming up, Bernie needed a strong win to overcome Joe’s lead and momentum. Here are the opinions of a group pf panelists from The Guardian.
Jessa Crispin: ‘Sanders was too gentle on Biden’
Throughout this primary, I’ve heard supporters of other candidates complain about Bernie Sanders’ tendency to raise his voice. Where the hell was that yelling Bernie on Sunday night? His tendency to try to keep an undignified process dignified and his discomfort with going for Joe Biden’s throat were on clear display. If Biden wins the nomination, he’s going to have to debate the least classy man ever to appear in World Wrestling Entertainment. Bernie would have been doing us – and frankly, Joe as well – a favor by channeling gay rights king Stone Cold Steve Austin and pinning Biden on issues like how the 2008 bank bailout was disastrous for homeowners, or how his warmongering has stuck us in an endless war, or how the Violence Against Women Act that he loves to brag about did basically nothing to prevent violence in relationships…
Art Cullen: ‘The debate was a first step to bringing the Democratic party together’
Bernie Sanders did Joe Biden and the nation a great favor by serving as an amiable sparring partner on Sunday evening, exposing the former vice-president’s weaknesses as this race is about to turn to the general election. On healthcare, the Middle East and the power of corporate influence, Sanders tried to help Biden open himself up to the progressive wing – while at the same time showing Biden the areas where he may be vulnerable to the Trump assault…
Benjamin Dixon: ‘The coronavirus crisis was the question above all others’
Coronavirus weighed heavily on the entirety of the Democratic debate this evening. Both Biden and Sanders gave their best suggestions for fighting the pandemic. The approach of each candidate shows you why their campaigns are fundamentally different, even though both candidates are running under the banner of the Democratic party…
Jill Filipovic: ‘Americans deserve leadership. Instead they got an embarrassing squabble’
Well, that was possibly the worst debate of the entire Democratic primary.
The United States is experiencing an unprecedented crisis. We are facing down a pandemic that could kill more than a million Americans. A great many of us are self-isolating at home, made even more anxious by the fact that our current government has totally botched the coronavirus response, putting us all at tremendous and unnecessary risk. We don’t have the most basic faith that, despite living in one of the most prosperous societies in the history of the world, our leaders will keep us safe. We have a president who has failed us at every turn, and then throws up his hands and says he does not take responsibility…
Lloyd Green: ‘Sanders’ luster is gone. The Democrats must rally around Biden’
On Sunday, America caught a glimpse of the coming campaign: two septuagenarians battling each other without a live audience applauding and goading. The debate changed nothing, but at the end of the evening Joe Biden was sitting on the cusp of the Democratic nomination. Come Tuesday, the former vice-president is poised for lopsided wins in Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio…
I urge you to click through and read the rest, as there is so much more great material there.
My opinion was closest to Dixon’s and furthest from Filipovic’s. I thought the debate was dead even, until this happened.
Joe Biden commits to having woman as vice president
This is what won the debate for Joe. That’s a hard statement for me, because I want Bernie to win. Not only should Bernie have already committed to nominating a woman for VP, but worse, he appeared unprepared for Joe’s commitment.
Given Bernie’s failure to win this debate, Joe’s 21% lead in the polls, and Joe’s significant lead, barring a major unforeseen development, Joe is on track to win the nomination.
RESIST!!
