Evaluating the Democratic Debate

Me and about six other people in America watched the Democratic Debate on Saturday night. I don't want to give credence to whining and complaining, but having a debate on a Saturday night in primetime is not a good idea. Some people just aren't home. Others are watching football or whatever else. Very few are sitting home and watching the debate. I would have much preferred it even be on a Sunday night.

So the debate itself lacked the sort of sideshow distractions that are common place in the GOP debate. There was no one hurling insults at the others, no one saying outrageously stupid comments, and no one like Carly Fiorina just hurling lies out there. It was a fairly fact-based debate, and given the time slot, I bet that didn't help ratings. Even so, the candidates turned in a good performance. Here's my thoughts on each-

• Hillary Clinton- She was her usual, solid self. She nailed her points on gun control, immigration, terrorism, and the economy. She did have her awkward "9/11 moment," but I knew what she meant. She did represent New York as Senator. Hillary's poll number will not be harmed by that.
• Bernie Sanders- I thought Bernie nailed his policy points, as usual, but came off at times in a more negative light. In particular, when he said Hillary's donors know what they will get for their donations, then wouldn't say what, I think he didn't come off well. I thought he probably lost no ground though. His highlight was clearly his line about being less socialist than Dwight Eisenhower.
• Martin O'Malley- Getting on stage with these two is a win for him, and gave him a chance to make his case. I thought he did a good job in this debate, but I also think he looked desperate at times when he was trying to get in on every question. I think he'll start seeing some improvement in his polls soon, it just might not be enough.

In all, I thought the debate was solid. There was some serious policy debated, and all three candidates showed themselves to be good progressive candidates. I think all three made a good case to their supporters. All in all, it was a good event.