Everyone else didn’t really make an impression. Hickenlooper and Klobuchar seem to be especially struggling to justify their presence. Delaney and Ryan echoed Republican talking points about healthcare. I thought Bullock outshone every ‘moderate lane’ candidate we’ve seen so far. Can’t help but wish he and some of the more talented also rans ran for lower offices instead though.
Williamson actually landed some good points about Flint, systematic racism, reparations, and that wonkiness alone can’t beat the darkness that Trump unleashed. She said some nutty things about chemicals and personal energy to remind you why she’s not a serious candidate, but I appreciate her presence more than many of the other also rans.
sabutaisays
Mmm.
1A Warren (line of the night)
1B Sanders (this will likely depend on your feelings about those 2..call it a tie if you want)
2 Bullock (only moderate who didn’t sound like a toolbag)
3 O’Rourke
4 Williamson (I like 70% of what she says, and the other 30% is WILD)
5-8 (I think there were other people there)
9 Buttegieg (Sorry, Pete, all that money that’s being poured into by corporate types hedging their bets is a poor investment)
10 Klobuchar (She was my 3rd choice but her campaign seems to be “vote for me because in the past others have voted for me”)
SomervilleTomsays
For me, Elizabeth Warren was the star of the show last night. I award her “Best of Show”.
I thought Mr. Sanders was much improved last night over his performance in the first debate.
I thought Mr. Buttigieg did better for himself last night.
I found the rest at best disappointing. I don’t understand why anyone thinks that Mr. O’Rourke or Ms. Williamson are remotely qualified to be President.
I was, frankly, repelled by Mr. Bullock, Mr. Ryan, and Mr. Delaney.
The naivete (or ignorance) of Mr. Ryan is exemplified by his insistent push for a “Chief Manufacturing Officer”. This simply reeks of Vogon ideology. The premise that creating some job (no matter how grandiose the title) will make any difference whatsoever in our long-term competition with China for dominance of the world economy is laughably ignorant. I don’t doubt that this is an applause line in some audiences. It was embarrassing for Mr. Ryan on last night’s stage.
Mr. Delaney repeated, again, his distorted GOP/industry talking point that medicare for all would drive hospitals out of business. I don’t doubt that they told him that in response to a very carefully worded question. I am equally confident that he did NOT ask if their answer would be the same if ALL the overhead of insurance company and provider billing were lifted from them.
I strongly suspect that Americans — even union members — care far more about their health care providers than they care about the insurance company who pays them.
Mr. Bullock’s attempted cheapshot (“It used to be Republicans that wanted to repeal and replace, Now many Democrats do as well”) exemplifies outright lying for attempted personal gain. Espousing GOP and/or industry talking points is NOT “moderate”. I found Mr. Bullock offensive and insulting last night.
If the Republicans had spent the last ten years passionately striving to replace the ACA with universal single-payer government-sponsored health care (Medicare for All), then America should have and would have done exactly that before the end of Mr. Obama’s first term. Democrats would have signed up immediately, and we would not be having this discussion.
Mr. Bullock is lying when he asserts that the proponents of Medicare for All behave the same as the Republicans. I wish the mainstream media would more aggressively call out such lies.
The Republicans OPPOSE universal health care. The Democrats PROPOSE universal health care. The Republicans oppose the ACA because they claim it “goes too far”. The Democrats propose to replace the ACA because it does not go nearly far enough.
The Democrats want to expand health care coverage. The Republicans want to shrink health care coverage. The Democrats want health care coverage to cost less. The Republicans want health care coverage to cost more.
The Democrats want the wealth that America squanders on health care overhead today to be returned to the wallets of everyday Americans. The Republicans want that same wealth in the wallets of already wealthy industry executives and investors.
There is a HUGE difference between Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, the proponents of Medicare for All, and the GOP. I’m pretty sure that Mr. Bullock knows it.
His attempted zinger earns him a red-card from me. I want him out of these debates.
Christophersays
I’m glad they were so substantive and went on for several minutes on the same topic and that CNN largely eschewed horserace and fluff questions.
jconwaysays
Really? I thought CNN used a lot of right wing framing for their questions around health care that Sanders and Warren were right to call them out on. It’s intellectually dishonest to argue that switching to single payer will “throw people” off their insurance. The transition period in the single payer plans is such that Americans will have an opportunity to switch, there will not be disruption in coverage and it is dishonest for the centrist candidates and CNN moderators to imply that.
I think there is merit to the public option vs. single payer debate, but we can have it without repeating right wing lies about Obamacare and progressive health policy.
Christophersays
OK, but you’re arguing something I did not bring up. At least they stuck to contrasting positions rather than “You are currently polling at 1% – how do you plan to overcome that?” I’d much rather hear about health care than polling or the latest gaffe.
My informal debate performance ranking
1A Sanders
1B Warren
2A Williamson
2B Buttigieg
3 Bullock
Everyone else didn’t really make an impression. Hickenlooper and Klobuchar seem to be especially struggling to justify their presence. Delaney and Ryan echoed Republican talking points about healthcare. I thought Bullock outshone every ‘moderate lane’ candidate we’ve seen so far. Can’t help but wish he and some of the more talented also rans ran for lower offices instead though.
Williamson actually landed some good points about Flint, systematic racism, reparations, and that wonkiness alone can’t beat the darkness that Trump unleashed. She said some nutty things about chemicals and personal energy to remind you why she’s not a serious candidate, but I appreciate her presence more than many of the other also rans.
Mmm.
1A Warren (line of the night)
1B Sanders (this will likely depend on your feelings about those 2..call it a tie if you want)
2 Bullock (only moderate who didn’t sound like a toolbag)
3 O’Rourke
4 Williamson (I like 70% of what she says, and the other 30% is WILD)
5-8 (I think there were other people there)
9 Buttegieg (Sorry, Pete, all that money that’s being poured into by corporate types hedging their bets is a poor investment)
10 Klobuchar (She was my 3rd choice but her campaign seems to be “vote for me because in the past others have voted for me”)
For me, Elizabeth Warren was the star of the show last night. I award her “Best of Show”.
I thought Mr. Sanders was much improved last night over his performance in the first debate.
I thought Mr. Buttigieg did better for himself last night.
I found the rest at best disappointing. I don’t understand why anyone thinks that Mr. O’Rourke or Ms. Williamson are remotely qualified to be President.
I was, frankly, repelled by Mr. Bullock, Mr. Ryan, and Mr. Delaney.
The naivete (or ignorance) of Mr. Ryan is exemplified by his insistent push for a “Chief Manufacturing Officer”. This simply reeks of Vogon ideology. The premise that creating some job (no matter how grandiose the title) will make any difference whatsoever in our long-term competition with China for dominance of the world economy is laughably ignorant. I don’t doubt that this is an applause line in some audiences. It was embarrassing for Mr. Ryan on last night’s stage.
Mr. Delaney repeated, again, his distorted GOP/industry talking point that medicare for all would drive hospitals out of business. I don’t doubt that they told him that in response to a very carefully worded question. I am equally confident that he did NOT ask if their answer would be the same if ALL the overhead of insurance company and provider billing were lifted from them.
I strongly suspect that Americans — even union members — care far more about their health care providers than they care about the insurance company who pays them.
Mr. Bullock’s attempted cheapshot (“It used to be Republicans that wanted to repeal and replace, Now many Democrats do as well”) exemplifies outright lying for attempted personal gain. Espousing GOP and/or industry talking points is NOT “moderate”. I found Mr. Bullock offensive and insulting last night.
If the Republicans had spent the last ten years passionately striving to replace the ACA with universal single-payer government-sponsored health care (Medicare for All), then America should have and would have done exactly that before the end of Mr. Obama’s first term. Democrats would have signed up immediately, and we would not be having this discussion.
Mr. Bullock is lying when he asserts that the proponents of Medicare for All behave the same as the Republicans. I wish the mainstream media would more aggressively call out such lies.
The Republicans OPPOSE universal health care. The Democrats PROPOSE universal health care. The Republicans oppose the ACA because they claim it “goes too far”. The Democrats propose to replace the ACA because it does not go nearly far enough.
The Democrats want to expand health care coverage. The Republicans want to shrink health care coverage. The Democrats want health care coverage to cost less. The Republicans want health care coverage to cost more.
The Democrats want the wealth that America squanders on health care overhead today to be returned to the wallets of everyday Americans. The Republicans want that same wealth in the wallets of already wealthy industry executives and investors.
There is a HUGE difference between Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, the proponents of Medicare for All, and the GOP. I’m pretty sure that Mr. Bullock knows it.
His attempted zinger earns him a red-card from me. I want him out of these debates.
I’m glad they were so substantive and went on for several minutes on the same topic and that CNN largely eschewed horserace and fluff questions.
Really? I thought CNN used a lot of right wing framing for their questions around health care that Sanders and Warren were right to call them out on. It’s intellectually dishonest to argue that switching to single payer will “throw people” off their insurance. The transition period in the single payer plans is such that Americans will have an opportunity to switch, there will not be disruption in coverage and it is dishonest for the centrist candidates and CNN moderators to imply that.
I think there is merit to the public option vs. single payer debate, but we can have it without repeating right wing lies about Obamacare and progressive health policy.
OK, but you’re arguing something I did not bring up. At least they stuck to contrasting positions rather than “You are currently polling at 1% – how do you plan to overcome that?” I’d much rather hear about health care than polling or the latest gaffe.