Klobuchar spoke more than Warren, Biden or Buttigieg and yet you almost totally ignored her in your article. Why? Not enough controversy?
Klobuchar's answer on coronavirus was very strong and touching yet nary a mention! Ms Klobuchar surged to #3 in New Hampshire and all anyone could report is: Will Warren be able to climb back up in the polls? Will Biden get more votes?
Geesh. This is exactly why Trump won in 2016. He was so "amusing" and off-the-cuff that he was on the news every single night while all of the other Republicans running for president were ignored.
1
I was irritated this morning when I stupidly put on Morning Joe and had to listen to their drivel about communism when discussing last night’s debate. Eddie Glaude Jr was the only who showed he gets it (and Steve Ratner was willing to hear him out). I don’t understand why it’s a third rail to criticize the bad parts of American foreign policy, or praise a particular, targeted part of a social program undertaken by a regime you otherwise condemn (and while condemning them!). Why haven’t we moved past socialism=bad and capitalism=good? I blame the American history textbooks most of us probably grew up with... Obviously Morning Joe for the most part represents the exact mix of cluelessness and condescension that people hate about the establishment-wing of the media. I don’t know why they’d be any more redeeming on this particular day. And their praise for Pete, who memorizes his lines and practiced zingers, but completely lacks substance. Yuck. Ultimately, I appreciate that Sanders isn’t afraid to speak his mind, even when people who should be smart enough to follow what he’s saying feign outrage. He’s got my vote.
2
In 1972 George McGovern swept into the Democratic nomination on a wave of anti-Vietnam War optimism with a momentum that surprised the pundits. I too thought he was the real deal. Then what happened? He lost every state except one in a Nixon landslide. I see the same idealistic optimism among voters, especially the younger ones, for the romantic notions of a "political revolution" in Bernie Sanders. I fear that these dreamers will wake up on the day after the November election to a Trump re-election and a dystopian future. Beating Trump is the only thing. Biden is the only moderate left with the best chance to appeal to the moderate voters, blacks, Hispanics, other minorities and also including moderate Republicans who are disgusted with Trump and their party. This time around, no matter the Democratic nominee, forget about voting Independent, Peace and Freedom, Green or any other fringe bloc. We need all hands on deck to vote Democratic from the top of the ticket on down.
1
I am sure that Bernie expected the pile on. For a man who the other candidates say is unelectable he leads so far in the primaries and polls suggest that he is the strongest in a match up with trump. Go Bernie!
3
A tough fight is good selection for the big battle with the incumbent.
1
Forgive me, but the media is more interested in chaos, then finding out the positions of the candidates. Chaos gets "us" to read what they say, instead of motivating us to listen to what the candidates have to say. If it were the latter, the there would be more lengthy opening statements followed by questions that test the positions, all with the ability to shut off the mic. Absent that, it's a media circus that benefits no one.
3
I will vote for Sanders even if he isn't the Democratic nominee.
1
The deadly Corona virus that originated in China and spread in all continents and causing a PANDEMIC OF PANIC and STOCK MARKET CRASH did come up in the Democratic debate yesterday. In case some of you may have missed and no one had a better response in words, than the Trump administration already executing a plan at this time. The Trump administration is looking to further enhance its response as I understand from yahoo news that he is looking for a Corona Czar.
All the responses from the candidates were just critical of the response under way and very cheap shots. The worst response was from Biden. He said he would get China to allow American intrusive interference in China's internal affairs. Guess how China will respond to that absurd suggestion? China has done its best and has understood the reluctance to allow the entry of people from China in their country. Thank God that Biden is not our president. I don't think there is anyone in the world besides Biden who wants to start world war III.
2
I don’t need to watch the debates. I will vote for whomever is the Democratic nominee. Donald Trump is not representative of the good people of my country. People, get out and vote!
1
The SC Dem debate was most revealing for two reasons.
It was less about a candidate winning SC and more about Super Tuesday where failure abounds and the potential to rip to pieces American idealism portends for the anointed.
It was all ugly and stunningly anti American from the perspective of denying the essential American qualities of inalienable rights, liberty, and freedom. Finally, the masks came off showing not just their faces but the muscles and fat below.
These candidates are for bankrupting of entire the American economy, escalating class divisions whose logical end is mass violence, nullification of the 1st and 2nd amendments with implications that the rest of the Bill of Rights comes not from God but are sand, outright theft of wealth, erasure of American identity by tossing the borders wide open, barely suppressed support for near to far communist principles which history has repeatedly shown directly result in totalitarian regimes who end up executing and starving those they oppress.
This list is obviously incomplete. Still what they will unleash is an institutionalization of the end of American idealism and given the nature of such regimes, once power is seized it is never relinquished.
All the yelling at each other was a sideshow that distracted one's ears from what was really being said. It was a penultimate moment of truth that has been simmering beneath a lid of lies. The uncovered pot boiled over last night.
@K. Johnson: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" was among the first guaranteed liberties to be alienated.
2
@K. Johnson: Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. Liberty is the power to negotiate the gives and gets of one's contractual commitments equitably.
2
@K. Johnson
I think American Idealism ended with the trump swamp.
3
Have none of the candidates read the Thomas Friedman column of February 25, 2020. They should and everyone else should read it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/opinion/democratic-primary-candidates.html?referringSource=articleShare
This school yard debate debacles are playing right into Republican hands. You can't all be president, you have spent a ton of money that could be put to better use elsewhere. Give it up and support someone who can beat Trump. Sanders people, I felt like you in the 60's, he talks a good game, he might make a good president but you have to support whoever is nominated not run like silly children when your candidate doesn't get the nomination, like last time. I'm from California, I voted early mail in, I'm beginning to regret it. Clean up your acts.
2
@M. Salerno
I really don't think we can pin anything on the Sanders supporters, right now. It seems to me that it's more the other way around.
1
If the nominee is a green toad that animal will get my vote not Trump. Sagging markets and a pandemic will likely cause his supporters to turn on Trump - he won't look so good.
1
The moderators were terrible.
Warren became a disgrace. She is the single candidate most obsessed with slinging nasty innuendo around the rest of the field, and some of it rings hollow. I distinctly recall reading that her teaching job supervisor said she was NOT let go due to pregnancy, so is she spinning that untruth for points? And her attacks on Bloomberg are underhanded and lacking integrity, while her attacks on sanders amount to “but I’m better.”
Sanders seems frozen in an idea fixe, and he looked like he might explode at zing moment.
Pete is the only coherent intelligent person on the stage at this point. Along with Biden, except Pete speaks more to the future than to the past.
4
Mayor Pete doesn't know enough about the past - or the present - to have real ideas about the future. I find that really frightening.
2
Michael Bloomberg‘s control of his narrative was superior to any on stage. This is only hid second debate and I think it’s greatly improved.
Bernie and Ellizabeth frighten me. Their tirades resemble a middle school food fight in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Everybody’s slinging something and chaos reigns.
I’m headed to volunteer for Bloomberg today. He was a wonderful mayor in New York. I don’t believe that his debating skills are the best criteria for his competencies. I’m volunteering for him because of what he did for the kids in the NYC school system, all five boroughs, during his tenure. He appointed Joel Klein to run the schools. Mr. Klein was a successful businessman not an educator and the schools were greatly improved.

I’m a retired New Jersey educator and the state has had to take over several of the large city school systems in that state because they were poorly run. That never happened in New York
4
Most people are one major sickness away from poverty and having to choose between which medicines they can afford. The US is one of the only countries in the western world without universal health care. The United States does have state of the art health care facilities and sadly the most overpriced. The population is aging, this needs to be addressed and Sanders seems to be the only one that will address this issue.
6
Elizabeth Warren is so correct in stating that she shares many of Bernie's goals but would make a better president in achieving them. Otherwise, I found Buttigieg's attempts to talk over anyone very rude and when he did speak, it was still in platitudes. I thought Bernie made fair points about everything. I am voting for Warren but would have no issues if Sanders wins the nomination. I would have major problems if Biden or Buttigieg prevails; I do not think they are up to the task for different reasons. Of course every one of these people exceed Trump in being capable and honest. It takes a special deviance to spew over 17,000 blatant lies in 3 years while ostensibly representing the United States.
5
Why do these people attack the bold and new ideas of Sanders and Warren? If our Founding Fathers did not have such ideas, we would still be the happy subjects of Her Majesty. Unbold and old ideas represent the status quo, which have failed to solve the problems we have and want to solve today. If the people of the United States are afraid of new ideas and prefer to live with their current problems instead of seeking new ideas and approaches to solve them, they can continue supporting the status quo and vote against their interests and future.
10
Messy doesn't cover this embarrassing so-called debate. It was more like a shouting contest to see who could talk loudest over the haranguing and often vitriolic blathering from the participants.
Part of the blame can be assigned to the moderators who didn't begin to control the event and the audience which should have been warned not to applaud or react to statements made on the stage. Ultimately, as one candidate put it, "Trump won" and would win in November unless order could be maintained.
Lastly, seriously, too, based on last night's fiasco how could any of the also-rans look you in the eye and support someone with whom they've vehemently disagreed: Only one of those people will be the nominee, and in order to beat Trump, both in debate and in the election, there needs to be unanaminity although without a Congress to create the laws, nothing will get done.
3
Thank you Bernie for speaking the truth about America's foreign interventionist policies. We are not a benevolent nation. We willingly overthrow other soverign nation;s governments if it suits us or our corporate overlords. Just imagine yourselves on the receiving end of American foreign policy and you just might start to understand why so many of us support either Bernie or Tulsi.
14
Last night's debate was a showcase of a distressing lack of decency on the part of every democrat in the race who was on that stage. No issues, only shouting, and worse shouting over each other. The networks need to shut off the mic's when they begin to speak over the time allowed or begin shouting when another is speaking. How are they going to "get behind the nominee" after all those insults? I am so tired of the insults - why is it OK to insult someone because their of body, as in Bloomberg's height, as if it's something bad that he can fix? So it's OK to insult certain aspects of the human body that a person has no control over but other body images are off limits? I'm also tired of hearing about billionaires - I could care less if someone is wealthy. If they earned that money honestly, how does wealth make you a bad person? So all wealthy people are cheats and not good people, but the rest of the population is honorable? Really? I have not made up my mind yet, but based on last night I have eliminated one woman and two men. And, sadly the behavior on that stage last night was no better than the behavior of current president whom they are so desperately trying to defeat.
7
I like Bernie because he's so cranky. He's the only candidate who will drive his agenda with a fierceness we haven't seen before. He's not about to take wishy-washy steps to achieve his goals. He'll get 'er done. We need health care, we need real action on climate change, we need income equity. We'll end up trying to baby-step each one of these initiatives with any other candidate, and that process gets nothing substantive done. Bernie's just cranky enough not to settle for 2nd or 3rd best. He'll get single-payer health care done.
13
The attacks on Sanders were all ridiculous and show how completely the other Democratic contenders are simply hacks for the monopoly capitalist ruling class that currently controls the Democratic Party (but hopefully will begin to be dislodged this November). The main attacks were:1) Sanders was pro-Castro, etc. All he said was the literacy campaign was a good idea, the other candidates obviously think eliminating illiteracy is some sort of Communist plot. 2.) He can’t beat Trump: but all the recent polls say he can. 3.) His ideas are so extreme they are practically crazy: in reality they are just mainstream ideas found in all the other advanced industrial countries and had we already had them here we wouldn’t have a president that is practically crazy. 4. He has a bad foreign policy because he criticizes the over throwing of democratically elected governments (Iran, Chile) in favor of fascist replacements. The American people, basically the multiracial working class, youth, retired people and others on limited incomes (the majority) and genuine progressives want a candidate who offers a real changing revamping of our current system that favors a wealthy minority over the majority. None of the other candidates, including the saccharine watered down progressivism of Elizabeth (capitalism in my bones) Warren), offer the radically democratic people before profits change that Sanders is offering —his program is the one now on the agenda of history and can win in November.
12
@Dr. Scotch
Yup. We're gonna get another 4 years of Trump.
Not sure who else feels the same among Democratic voters, but Hillary was a better candidate than both Warren and Klobuchar.
3
Warren and Sanders live in a fantasy world.
No idea how to enact or pay for any of their ideas.
Warren’s personal attacks on Micheal Bloomberg were both based in lies and outrageous to say the least. This is the kind of person you want as president?
Warren is basically no better than trump - if that’s even possible - )
6
I don’t know about anyone else but I cringed when I saw the candidates pandering to black voters. Every last one of them on that stage last night made me cringe. I know politicians pander to voters but I forgot how bad it looks.
10
Go Bernie.
Sanders, Warren, Biden, Klobuchar, Buttegieg. Any of these would be better than the current Crime Boss. Heck, if either of the two million/billionaires were to win, they would be better than the corruption that is destroying the US government under the Corrupt GOP.
I can't wait for this to be over, and hopefully the elections won't be rigged. It's past time to get majority rule.
3
My husband and I tried to watch the debate last night. Between the poor TV reception and the candidates talking over each other, watching was a challenge.
Moderators need to give the candidates sufficient time to answer the questions in depth. Then why don't the moderators simply turn off the candidates' mikes when they exceed their allotted times?
We're still trying to decide who to vote for on Saturday. The 15% rule makes the selection even more challenging than usual.
7
It is time for the tail-enders to drop out (Steyer, Klobuchar and Buttigieg) so that we can see where the moderates coalesce. It is a waste of time and money to have so many candidates in the campaign and on the debate stage.
And, I might ask, why do we need five moderators for seven candidates (last week six)? The moderators take up valuable time that could be used to hear more from those who are competing.
5
Who was the producer of the debate ? It’s a CBS telecast but who was responsible for letting the candidates and the commentators run amok ? If it’s the format then it doesn’t work, in any event it needs to be addressed.
7
Must we always shoot ourselves in the foot? I am a lifelong Democrat and as is said "I don't belong to any organized political party" Stop it Dems. And someone please tell all those Republics that it is the DemocratIC party. When they call it the Democrat party they sound uneducated.
6
When will the Democratic party and the candidates realize that unless they band together and pool their money and resources to take back the Senate, the country will continue to fall apart? We are witnessing what happens to democracy when the Senate, the Executive branch, and the judiciary are controlled by McConnell, Trump, and Barr. While the unchecked candidate bickering is happening on the stage, Trump and his ilk are trashing laws that protect the citizenry on all levels including the very land itself. When will we all stand strong and begin again to listen instead of just watching? Enough with the debates where the Democratic candidates are beginning to behave more and more like Trump.
3
I have mentioned to several people that if the millions currently being spent by the candidates were rerouted to Senate campaigns something good might come from this disaster that we’re euphemistically calling a “primary process”. Trump is going to get re-elected. It’s unbearably sad but it’s true. Pick one of the candidates & let he or she lose. Focus on what we might be able to win - the Senate.
1
Whatever happened to “when they go low, we go high” ? None of them rose above the barbs to talk about any substantive issues:
For the Coronavirus, CDC is on it, but it is coming to a town near you! The current low unemployment rate that exists...how do we keep that going without bashing all big American business? The fact is that we have been safe from terrorist plots for awhile...how do we keep that going? That we need a COMPREHENSIVE Immigration bill! That we need a COMPREHENSIVE Energy bill? And how do we bring down our National debt, instead of just talking about a myriad of programs that will adding $Trillions to it? TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES, PEOPLE!
1
Bernie Sanders is incredibly unaware. Is that what his supporters love most about him? They like him because his is "not a politician." Which I guess means he says whatever he thinks, is totally inflexible, and assumes if he says it, it's gold. All the rest of us normal people shouldn't care if he defends left wing dictators, has no plan for funding his pie in the sky ideas, and his finger pointing red-faced antics. He is old man male cluelessness at its worst.
8
Vote blue no matter who BUT I can't stand Bernie anymore. The answer to every question is an angry anti-wealth diatribe. But don't worry folks, the money will materialize, Tio Bernie says so and Tio himself was largely unemployed for most of his life so he knows a thing or too about economics, he read up on it. That said, I will not pull a Bernie 2016 move. I will vote for him because I think he will only be a 1 term President and by then some better Dems will emerge (fingers crossed that we will not lose the House by then).
12
You could see the reason Sanders is leading on display clearly, even if many voters are skeptical of the scope of his proposals. The other candidates spent much of their time pandering to particular groups within the Democratic coalition, or to a few pre-revolutionary Cubans in South Florida. Sanders focused on the big issues affecting all Americans regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or ideological affiliation: healthcare, education, childcare and climate change.
The rest of the field spent time pandering specifically to black Americans, elderly Cubans, the #metoo movement, pro-Israel groups, union members. Most of the pitches and attacks were directly related to the specific primary or were distractions from the limited scope of their proposals on the big issues.
Love him, fear him or despise him, Sanders is addressing the big issues a federal government will have to deal with and voters are beginning to take him much more seriously. The rest of the field sounds like a bunch of mayors or poll-driven Congressmen.
23
If Sanders is the candidate I’ll vote for him. I won’t stay home like his supporters did 4 years ago.
1
Political debates are becoming political equivalent of Jerry Springer show or host of other daytime TV programs catering nothing but sleeze under the guise of talk shows. They confuse quantity (number of democratic debates are approaching a dozen) with quality.
They should have no more than 4 debates with strict rules about candidates presenting their proposed plans and not to attack others' proposals. Each debate should be followed by analysis by a neutral group validating the claims and feasibility of proposed plans.
11
The voting members of the party, like me, should have a chance to vote separately on individual items in the platform (e.g., which specific medicare-for-all plan with what kind of continuing additional private insurance) to define the platform and on the candidate best able to enact the party's platform.
2
The voting members of the party, like me, should have a chance to vote separately on individual items in the platform (e.g., which specific medicare-for-all plan with what kind of continuing additional private insurance) to define the platform and on the candidate best able to enact the party's platform.
It's obvious from reading today's comments on last night's debate that many in our nation are indifferent or too lazy to give politics the attention it deserves. Ergo trump.
The difference between the candidates last night was extreme, and required much scrutiny. Give it, instead of complaining.
Which candidate offered the greatest benefit to the people, to
those oppressed by huge medical bills; to college graduates burdened so early in life with huge debt; to those forced to get by on a minimum wage of $7.25; who overlook and are not concerned with the major cause of the '08 debacle -- the huge profit of the banks?
5
There is no Snow White, but were are seeing the Seven Dwarfs in action. Their avoidance of substantive issues and the focus on putting down a rival marks a low point in campaign intelligence. We mourn the loss of bipartisan politics, but this is intra-party incompatibility. They are making Mr. Trump the default winner.
6
There were only "new lows" in this debate. I think Warren was the winner. Her 'abortion advice hearsay' attack is pretty hard to beat for a televised event involving adults.
1
@carl bumba
I’m glad she had the guts to tell it like it is!
1
@carl bumba
Warren is running to be Sanders' vice president now.
But it is a little hypocritical to bring up the abortion issue when Warren is in favor of abortion being allowed at any point for any reason.
1
@Locke_
Telling an employee to "kill it" (in front of an eyewitness) is rather different from expressing a policy stance on abortion. I haven't heard Warren say she is in favor of abortion "at any point", either. That bit reminds me of deliberately spreading misinformation that decriminalizing border crossings is the equivalent of "open borders".
1
If a tea party fiscal Conservative like Joe Walsh can stomach voting for Sanders then so can centrist/moderates of the Democratic Party
10
Bloomberg did extremely well for his 2nd debate. He would be much further if this would have been his 10th. He gets the prize for the most improved. He is the only one that was top of command (last decision maker) in a big role and had plenty to show and talk about. Looking forward to CNN town hall tonight.
6
@Euxinus
He caught himself saying that he "bought" those congressional seats that the Democrats picked up in 2018... the ones with candidates running away (to somewhere) as fast as they can. What a debate....
10
I am a Democrat and I feel that the polls and news media has pushed this into being messy! Talk about bullying. Wow.
4
This was a wake up call for Democrats, will Sanders work with Democrats and voters and unite the party? Even if it means changing direction on health care and work with centrist to rebuild on Obama Care. This would allow Americans to keep there health care and assure a bill will get past, which will guarantee health coverage for all.
No ones going to back a trillion dollar health plan, no one.
3
Why is Klobuchar being marginalized by TV media?
She is clearly the one candidate who could beat Trump.
6
@delores
Because 1. she's doing lousy in polling and 2. she isn't very good on the stage. I would agree that policy wise she might be the best Democratic candidate, but people tend to vote on personality, not policy.
1
When will people get past cold-war era fear-mongering and Red-baiting? If this is what passes for passing the torch, in Pete's world, I'd rather stay in Bernie's world.
11
Readers, pundits, and this article are rightly pointing out to the chaos in this particular debate. Obviously the moderators were a disaster. However, nobody is talking about the horrible way in which Pete talked over Bernie during Bernie’s allocated time for answering Pete’s insults. It made me look at Pete in a different way. I would never vote for the guy for political/policies issues. But after his debate, after Pete’s obnoxious talking over, interruptions, and insults, I won’t vote for Pete for personal issues. He is a manipulative, arrogant mediocre candidate.
13
The entire debate reminded me of that denouncement of “the show” that debates have become by Larry Hagman’s character Gov. Picker in “Primary Colors.” Instead of hearing and seeing details such as the following-
https://berniesanders.com/issues/how-does-bernie-pay-his-major-plans/
we see a WWF wrestling match down in the mud. Having Dems play to the dumb crowd sure must bring in the ratings and revenue to the MSM!
1
I disagree with the NYT article on the debate.
Mike Bloomberg did extremely well. He far exceeded expectations after his dismal past performance. He was on the money for everything including the nit picking desperate attacks from Warren who is realizing that her days are numbered.
Pete was, as always, amazing. I would love to see either him or Mike in the WH. Both would be great presidents.
Biden did fine except that he lacked any breakout moments and from a profile view looked almost like the grim reaper.
Bernie got pounded. This has long been overdue. He is way too radical to win and would only give us four more years of Trump. He was shocked when he was booed for his my way or the highway statements. Get used to it. More to come. Your days are numbered.
Amy and Warren yelled and fought for more and more airtime. It really got irritating. Warren is really getting on my nerves with her refusal to just take her turn and not try to cut in and play by the rules of speaking when asked to speak.
Summary:
Mike was great and will make a fine president as would Pete.
100
@Simon Sez
Again, a Bloomberg or Pete presidency only takes into account white votes.
These two, along with Klobuchar, do not have a broad and diverse coalition of voters, but as usual, black voters and the rest will just have to fall in line, right?
No.
9
@Simon Sez
I hate to say it but my mind just drifted when Sen. Warren was speaking. Bernie was so repetitive, I only half listened to him and he was disappointing when asked a direct question-- instead tried to equivocate (on guns) and I don't get it-- he is as casual a liar as Bloomberg for exampler or.. as any politician. He has no special claim on integrity-- just mule-headed. I think Sen. Amy got some good questions and answered them well, she stayed on message and frequently asked to focus on Trump rather than wound each other. Gotcha Pete was verbally adroit, superfluous but reminded me of that thirsty millennial who thinks they deserve a promotion after working at the company for one year.
5
@Simon Sez ....... I lived in NYC during the Mayoralty of Bloomberg. He was horrible. He has always been a poor communicator but the debate stage illuminates two of his weaknesses which are his voice and his lack of presence.
11
Bloomberg was a winner - Bernie stumbled - Warren is pedantic and sounds as though she is still teaching grade school (and the selfie line is truly annoying) - Amy K starts cool then is quickly rattled. Joe - likable but past his due date.
30
@Barbara
Bloomberg is an oligarch and an autocrat. Nothing to win the working class like a billionaire who opposes unions and a higher minimum wage, and wants to take your guns and sodas.
6
@Barbara Also, according to Joe, one third of the U.S. population (150 million) apparently were killed with guns from 2007 to 2018.
8
Wow he has done so much for the Democratic Party. It’s a shame you can’t see that.
Bernie Sanders justifiably complimented the Cuban education system tonight and the other day, just as President Obama did so in 2016:
Obama said in 2016 that the Cuban government had "made great progress in educating young people" and praised its healthcare system.
"Every child in Cuba gets a basic education," Obama said. "Life expectancy of Cubans is equivalent to that in the United States because they have access to healthcare."
Cuba does in fact have a good education system and an excellent healthcare system; stating those facts is NOT a statement of support of authoritarianism.
The fact that Joe Biden denied that Obama complimented the Cuban education system in the debate while attacking Bernie Sanders shows that Joe Biden either has a faulty memory, has a problem with facts....or perhaps Biden is simply a liar.
The 'socialist' trope used against Sanders seems to destroy people's critical thinking and listening skills.
Feel The Bern
530
@Socrates
I don't think the problem is that Biden lies. I think it's that he's grasping at straws and impulsively contradicts everything the others say. His entire "platform" is that he was a Senator for 30 years, and was Obama's V.P. He keeps taking credit for every Democratic accomplishment of the last 40 years. Listening to him makes me sad.
84
@Socrates Obama did so in the middle of an attempt to re-engage relations with Cuba.
Bernie does it for no good reason. Out of all the healthcare and education systems he could pile praise on (Finland, Switzerland, heck even Spain or Singapore) he had to single out Cuba. I don't have a problem with the point, but for a candidate that wants to appeal to the general electorate it is naive at best.
Your opinion on Cuba omits grading it on a scale given their economic issues. Cuba's healthcare system does not produce world-leading outcomes, nor does their education produce world-leading research, and there is very little in their approach that can be emulated in America other than the believe that everyone deserves healthcare and education. And again, there are dozens of better countries to drive that point without heaping praise on a country like Cuba.
14
@Socrates I almost always agree with your comments, and what you say is basically true. However, although Cuba has a great, comprehensive educational system, most of its people live in poverty.
10
Well, I watched the entire show....I came away with my own conclusions and they no doubt differ from the "takes" others have.
1. Sanders: Has some good ideas but is an angry old man, probably unable to deal with a Cabinet and Congress.
2. Biden: Nice guy, but not as capable as he says he is. Too dependent on his role as VP to a very popular President.
3. Warren: Smart, but would be better as the head of a department, or continue as a capable Senator. A bit too aggressive with Bloomberg.
4. Buttigieg: Young, but very mature, gave good answers, showed some aggression in a good way, obviously the most intelligent of the group.
5. Klobuchar: Good Senator. Is not an appealing candidate. Would have difficulty with a Cabinet same as Bernie.
6. Steyer: Smart man. Probably would be an average President.
His money has kept him going.
7. Bloomberg: Did quite well. He's polished and sophisticated. Has to overcome trying to buy the office.
It will be interesting to see how the media rates the debate.
I'm still planning to vote for Buttigieg in the primary, but whoever wins the nomination I will support and vote for.
309
@Pat Boice
Buttigieg medicare for all who want it plan would leave millions uninsured and under insured. 70 thousand people die every year because of proper insurance. I have great health insurance and am still nervous to go to the hospital for surprise billing and because of deductibles and co-pays. The health insurance system is fundamentally broken and the only person that the country trusts to fix it is Bernard Sanders.
101
Agree with this completely.
15
@Pat Boice
Bloomberg "has to overcome trying to buy the office?" He IS trying to buy the office.
74
Sanders-misconception is that he is radical—his ideas exist all over the world. Excellent. Motto is Nelson Mandela “everything is impossible until it happens”—also Excellent since Mandela was Social Democrat champion.
472
@That's What She Said absolutely agree!
17
@That's What She Said
Sanders just sounds like a raving lunatic, repeating the same thing over and over like a broken record. Bloomberg has a fine mind and know—-really knows—-what he is talking about. I lived in NYC during Bloomberg I felt a lot better about things when he was mayor. He’d make a good president. Being a billionaire is irrelevant.
13
@Janet H NYC
Bloomberg is a decent person who makes several good points. However, being a billionaire IS relevant; he skipped the first half of the race and bought his way in.
Purchased political influence is antithetical to a democracy and is why Citizens United and McCutcheon Supreme Court decisions must be overturned.
8
Let's keep it simple!
The Dems' panicked barrage against Sanders is very similar to the GOP's against Trump four years ago. The main (only?) argument is the same: "This guy can't beat the opposition's official candidate." Which is probably as false now as it was in 2016.
Sanders has a clear, strongly progressive programme that makes a clear break with Reaganism and is much more convincing than the timid reforms of most of the others; it clearly appeals to lots of tax-payers and consumers.
His very moderate socialism has nothing to do with Stalinist or Maoist communism, and everything with Scandinavian, French and German social democracy, which was far from a disaster. It's far from evident that even a Trumpian strident campaign against it will have much traction.
6
I read the many interesting comments to take the pulse of public reaction. I'll share mine.I wish the Democratic National Committee required a higher level of performance: in-depth discussion of possible action on climate change and all the needed restoration of environmental rules, etc. I don't want to watch Elizabeth Warren and others trying to destroy each other. I agree with Sanders' goals, but not the way he thinks he can reach them. He was a spoiler in 2016; please not again.
Did everyone hear what Bloomberg said about his financial support the helped a number of Democrats win seats in the Senate? That's what this election will depend on whether we like it or not. Bloomberg is not the typical billionaire, no matter how his opponents try to slam him. He is the creator of a worldwide business without the taint of corruption. He has the intelligence to change policy or party to further his progressive values. He is qualified plus to be the kind of successful president we dream of.
5
This was a disappointing event. It seemed as if everyone except Bloomberg (not my first choice) was advised by their handlers to follow the Trump-Sanders approach of communicating by ranting or shouting. Warren, Klobuchar, Biden, and Buttigieg were sometimes able to strike a conversational tone, but only in passing. For the most part, the candidates seemed to miss that the debate was not a campaign rally and that most of the spectators were outside the hall. Those viewers, shaped by the cooler medium of television, were hoping for a conversation in which candidates would seem to speak to them rather than shout at each other.
1
I hope that Nora O'Donnell and Gayle King are sufficiently chastened this morning. Their performance as moderators was shameful, embarrassing. Incompetence, weakness, ineptness: not enough words to describe their MIA roles. In these debates the moderators should be chosen for their political expertise. At the moderators' table we need to have professional policy types, not pretty-boys and dolly-girls looking for ratings.
4
I watched the spectacle last night called a Democratic Debate and sadly, President Trump has won again. So far, President Trump's record in these Democratic debates is 12-0. C'mon Dems, get your act together!
3
@KathyS
You mean let’s attack our front runner the only chance Dems have of beating Trump?
2
@rebecca1048
Front runner. Yeah. I'm an independent, so I have no dog in this fight. But yesterday I did a quick and dirty, back of the envelope calculation. Bernie, in three contests, received about (all numbers rounded) about 155,000 votes total from registered Democrats. The Democratic Party has about 44 million registered voters. So, the Sanders voters so far represent about 0.35% of the Democratic Party. Is this any way to run a railroad? South Carolina's primary on Saturday is an open one, where Democratic results can be skewed by other party's voters participating, so it may not be a true indicator of Democratic preference.
1
"His plan only has that... My plan has everything..." "He's a billionaire, I'm a pauper..." And then, the "problem with Sanders is that he voted against gun laws 30 years ago..."
Although I admire most of the "candidates" they are betraying their constituents and their country, by continuing this farce. Business-as-usual, in the midst of an existential crisis. Get those deck-chair shuffled, the fish want a place to sit down.
1
This shouting match masquerading as a Democratic debate was started by Warren from the previous debate, when Bloomberg first stood behind the podium.
Warren losing her cool is very beautiful to behold, turning herself and the rest of the candidates into the 2020 version of Shrillary. Warren was singularly focused on tearing apart Bloomberg that she is totally detached on the fact that she is coming out as desperation personified. She might as well change her campaign line to — “Vote for me! I’m desperate!”
Only Bloomberg was calm the entire night — maybe because he knows that Trump only fears one person.
The real New York billionaire has a proven track record both in private enterprise and public service who can expose Trump for the fraud that he is.
4
@Opinioned!
Go Elizabeth- how else will the people know about the scoundrels!
2
I know everyone is in a snit. Did any of the candidates act worse than Trump on a good day?
2
How about no more debates? All it does is show us these candidates at their worst. I'm a lifelong Democrat, but I cannot bear to watch any of these trials by combat.
1
Our history books extol the social, cultural, scientific, literary, philosophical and even military achievements of monarchies, oligarchies, autocracies, theocracies... but when we look at those societies which currently share the globe with us, the only question becomes "Do they choose their leaders and manage their money the same way we (pretend to) do?" If not, no matter how they excel in other directions, they threaten us and we must hold them back and drag them down.
Bernie Sanders, bless him, is beyond such primitive blindness. He can distinguish real benefits to a people even under a system we consider inferior... and harm done to a people even under a system its top beneficiaries like to claim is not improvable. But he does present the choice to the voters. He is neither an oligarch nor an autocrat but a democrat.
4
As a "never trump" moderate conservative, I can say that Sanders really could be a deal breaker. Of all the people on the stage, he is the only one who would probably drive me to vote for an independent in the general election instead of Democrat. So data point of one, Sanders is a bad pick for nominee.
4
With his defense of Castro and his proposed ban on fracking, Sanders can kiss goodbye to Florida and Pennsylvania. He needs those states, and more, in order to win. If his ideology means more to him than ousting Trump, he's not our candidate.
5
It was a very annoying shout fest last night. Way too much shouting from Sanders and the interruptions and shouting over one and other among the candidates was ridiculous. Warren's strategy to go after Bloomberg about him allegedly saying something to an employee about getting an abortion really backfired on her. Not a good move. She had no way to prove that happened and it made her look bad. She also reminds me of a kid in a classroom who would instantly shoot her hand up and keep waving her arm just as another kid was called on by the teacher. Biden behaved well and did very well, even calling himself the only gentleman up there, and he was. But Pete also did well. It's hard to listen to Bernie scream when he's up against someone as articulate as Buttigeig. Bernie's voice and flailing arms are off-putting. And Norah and Gayle could have stopped stopped the shout fest a little better. Oh well, on to the next.
7
It was a messy very poorly moderated debate. But you have to appreciate the Times commentary “Bernie heard his name a lot”. I can’t wait for the next in depth analysis with such a flexible worldview, “Ads played during the commercial break” or maybe “Democrats like the color purple” . Who needs late night comedy when you have the News.
4
Many Americans seem to forget the reason for the Cuban revolution. The dictator Batista, supported by our government was ruling Cuba with an iron fist. He was murdering his people with impunity, and Fidel Castro raised a small army to overthrow him. Castro had the overwhelming support of the majority of people. as shown by his victory over the U.S. led invasion at the Bay of Pigs.
As with all revolutions ,there were mistakes made. But our understanding of what happens on the island continues to be written in Miami by the wealthy who lost their property to the new government when they fled. Over the last few years, as millions of Americans who took advantage of the loosening of the travel ban and the embargo against the Cuban people can tell you, the Cuban story we've been taught in this country is laced with propaganda. Criticism of the literacy campaign which allowed millions of the poor to receive an education and take part in the 20th century is disingenuous.
10
Talking over someone when that person has been asked by the moderator to answer a question is obnoxious and is not an impressive debating technique. I will not miss Pete Buttigieg when he drops out after March 3rd.
8
Although Trump is, far and away, the biggest insult EVER to the dignity of the office of the President of the United States, I'm coming to the conclusion the debates are moving into second place.
How is it we have made "debates" and "debating" (these slug fests are neither of those) an important presidential skill? It really isn't. Presidents don't debate.
As far as illuminating peoples' positions on the issues relative to others', there are better means. And, even if we think this method IS useful, perhaps "one-and-done" could suffice. Spare us from any more of these mud fights!!
And the "after action" droning on by pundits about who looked better or worse always seems to overlook an essential truth: nobody wins a mud fight.
3
Bernie Sanders quoted: “If you want to beat Trump, what you’re going to need is an unprecedented grass-roots movement of black and white and Latino, Native American and Asian, people who are standing up and fighting for justice.” Aye! If we could all agree on what justice means, what it takes to be a just society, and whether that path to "justice" is pure and uncontaminated by unjust fall outs, and, yes, by people's ignorance, selfishness and greed. Bernie Sanders is a shallow and dangerous ideologue because he papers over the most serious obstacles in his path: a racist society where the subtext of race has been used to defeat every progressive program. Read the histories about trying to pass universal health care in the United States. And this, before the age of Citizens United. Bernie Sanders's pipe dream of radical ideas supported by an "unprecedented turnout" seems to sell because each Bernie-believer thinks that others will march alongside them to victory. This is a narcissistic view of politics - an utter inability to see things from the other's viewpoint or learn from the lessons of history. Sanders was never questioned about his electoral college math. How does he plan to win Florida after singing the praises of Fidel Castro? After this last debate I don't just fear for the Democratic Party, I fear for democracy itself.
Really?! We’re worried about recognizing the few good things Castro did? Did you notice that Trump is giving full throated support to Prime Minister Modi’s support for religious suppression? Difference? Modi is alive and in power. Castro is dead.
7
@Andy Makar: Castro exiled the Cuban urban elite to the countryside to teach literacy to the rural indigent after the Revolution. It was forced labor.
1
@Andy Makar
Please do tell that to the Cuban fanatics in Florida. And while you are at it, please tell the people with private health insurance that they like that Sanders means them no harm. And then you can tell the rural white folks in the battleground states to join the groundswell of support for the great social democrat who wishes to be our leader....The point is not whether or not Modi is an autocratic thug who is alive and well. The point is whether it makes political sense to invoke his name if you want to win. Please do try and convince those folks who are turned off by Bernie Sanders and make them see the light of justice.
As I watched the "debate" (why don't the moderators have switches they can use to kill or make live the debaters' mics?), it occurred to me that Bernie Sanders is too doctrinaire to ever win election. He's an old man who seems to be in a rush to do everything at once -- a reflection of the fact he doesn't have a lot of time left to get things done? -- and what's with his praise of Castro? Any positive words for the late Cuban dictator are too nuanced to win votes. Sadly, Bernie is unelectable. My money is on Pete to be the compromise candidate. (Would love to see him as the Democratic nominees with Steyer as his running mate.) They coud and would beat Agent Orange and his lapdog Pence.
5
The first half hour of last night's debate was unwatchable. I was about to leave the room and bury myself in a book. Later on the moderators asserted a modicum of control, however, and the give-and-take improved, leaving a smidgen of space for the viewer to gain some insight into positions and personalities.
For my money, Mayor Pete and Senator Amy were the least intolerable "debaters." At the risk of being an ageist octagenarian, I don't support the prospect of my near-age peers in the Oval Office. I've scooted past my late 70s relatively intact. That's no age for the world's most stressful job.
I know, I know; any one of them could simply go AWOL in office, content to ball-wreck the White House and burn the furniture as the current incumbent is doing but beyond all the noise, Democrats on the stage last night are clearly committed to performing the hard task of governance, notwithstanding last night's infantile shouting match.
2
Bernie wins 70% of the vote in rural Vermont. That has to include rural Republicans and Independents. We have an electoral college problem with rural states getting too much power? Bernie knows how to talk to rural voters. Watch one of his Healthcare town Halls to see rural Republicans cheering for Bernie.
If you look at the map of Bernie's individual donors in "The Donors Powering the Campaign of Bernie Sanders" (NY Times 2/1/20) you will see he has the most individual donors (with Warren in second), and that they are the most spread out. Bernie has support in rural, suburban, and urban areas all over the country.
Bernie has a movement of intelligent, creative, motivated activists that the Democratic Party has been telling to sit down and shut up for decades. Bernie has by far the biggest and most energized Organization. Bernie is the only canidate other than Trump to fill stadiums.
Swing voters are independent because we don't like either party. We hate establishment Democrats MORE than we hate socialism. Republicans hate establishment Democrats more than socialism. (The fact that Clinton kept pushing Right-wing policies made him LESS popular with Republicans, not more. Stealing their issues doesn't bring compromise, but enacts bad policy.)
In fact, I welcome attacks on Bernie from the corporate establishment Democrats and pundits. It only enhances Bernie's appeal to wavering Trump voters. Hillary's attack yesterday probably won Bernie a million Trump defectors.
8
These people don't seem to realize how bad they are making the democrats look. Especially the OWG (Sanders) who yells and makes gestures with his body that portray a zealot or fanatic. Even and calm voices presentations in a studied manner would do more to convenience me of the metal of the candidates. Some were, Buttigieg and Gorbachar could actually be listened to for a view of their ability to communicate. Else, shout and pounding fists are enough for me to put the TV on hard mute. We watched Music and the Spoken Word from SLC afterwards to settle our brains after the spectacle.
3
Clumsy moderators-thats all of them- thus far do more damage than the clumsy commentators who follow the debates. MSNBC's Mathews' raging hatred of Sanders fulfills the corporate requirement and habit of making a fuss where none exists by shouting ignorant claims as a sign of historic "I was alive then when "x" happened!" Reminds me of Williams. Yuk!
3
Amidst Bloomberg's eye-rolling, Warren's stridency, Sanders' fury, Biden's desperation, and Steyer's head-bobbing, Buttigieg and Klobuchar stood out as calm and well-spoken.
6
@Will McCord It's funny how everyone just sees what they want to see, myself included. I only saw Buttigieg as annoying, constantly speaking over others when it was their time. But yeah, not a great night for Democrats. No one looked presidential.
7
150 million Americans have been killed by guns since 2007.
Joe Biden
Joe for Prez? Seriously?
5
I do have a question for the candidates who attack Sanders saying they cannot “get things done”. If that is true for them but not for him, why haven’t they out-raised him, built a bigger and more diverse following and have more delegates than he?
The proof of the pudding is not about what a great pudding you are going to make, but in making it. He has made it while they were talking about it.
He is in the lead and has the resources to run all the way. The rest just talk a good game.
7
@Saints Fan
Proof?
He won the fist 3, the first in the number of votes, the other two outright, by a huge margin.
1
@nora m Because even a full Democratic congress will not pass a Sanders agenda. No way. The risk we run with a Sanders candidacy, ie: a man who couldn't get his agenda passed anyway, is a second trump term, a Republican Congress, and two more conservative seats on the SC. You really willing to take that risk? Florida is already lost and in Trump's win column because of Sanders's doubling down on his praise of Castro.
5
@Saints Fan
And they’ll vote for Trump! And Dems will lose again. And Pete doesn’t understand this and neither does Amy. It’s time to support those who have been supporting you all of these years.
1
Once again I tried to watch the debate, I feel it is my civic duty to watch but once again I could not finish watching it. I will admit up front that I am very uncomfortable with confrontation so that, of course, makes it hard for me to watch all of the shouting & talking over one another. There needs to be a different format, I don't have a clue what that might be*, but I feel the only thing that these types of shouting sessions do is to gladden Putin & trump, as those are the 2 that come out as the big winners.
*Suggestion for a different format, maybe give each a chance to explain their positions on a selected number of topics only. And then after that perhaps the moderators could ask specific questions of each candidate. I really don't know what to suggest but something has to change so that people that do not delight in name calling & shouting can really get an idea of what the candidates stand for. And somehow or other there needs to be a section where the candidates can speak to deficiencies of their rivals. But no shouting & please refrain from 'zingers', they are great for soundbites but do not add to the solemnity of the decision that the voters must make.
10
Whether CBS, MSNBC or CNN, the debates are presented like wrestling matches, with glaring colors, intimidating sound effects, and a format designed to create conflict. In my opinion the debates should not be facilitated by a commercial institution, but rather by an academic one. Perhaps each debate could be hosted by a different State University. And no commercials. The leaders of the democratic party are doing no good by perpetuating this divisive format. The questions are often petty, loaded and designed to elicit rancor. They are interested in selling advertising, and they did very well. Bloomberg bought time in the middle of that debate. It's embarrassing to be a 'democrat' right now.
8
Absolutely. The only thing missing was the manufactured “drama noises” you hear on these reality shows.
4
This debate, like the last one, was pure torture to watch. Please don't have anymore debates like this one. Perhaps have the candidates on a special edition of Jeopardy in place of the next debate. The Categories can be things like, US History, World History, Capitals of the World, Economics, Science, US Geography, Education etc. I think Alex Trebek will do a much better job than the moderators from the network debates have done. I can't wait to see the Final Jeopardy question!
15
I'd like to understand when, in this country, it became a crime to become successful. I lived in NY and was NOT a fan of Mike Bloomberg when he first became mayor. I was a small landlord and the first thing he did, upon election, was raise real estate taxes, which was incredibly stressful for small landlords trying to earn a living. But over the many years of his service, I watched him slowly transform New York into a successful, liveable city and I became a supporter. I deeply resent all the talk amongst democrats these days, decrying billionaires. If billionaires do what Bloomberg did, and use their money to help America and the world be a healthier safer place, have on! All these candidates need to grow up and stop targeting billionaires as the enemy. Yes, we need to raise taxes on the wealthy so they pay their fair share. But people like Steyer and Bloomberg and Yang deserve our gratitude and respect.
15
@Sharon If billionaires had in fact paid their fair share of taxes, maybe we wouldn't need them to save us from ourselves.
For my part, I don't see why on earth I should be grateful to billionaires for "giving back" in the millions of dollars when they dodged paying taxes in the billions. And yes they did, b/c that's how the tax system is set up--and the Democrats have been almost as bad as the Republicans in making it happen. If we look at the economy only, there hasn't been a real Democratic president since LBJ.
Democrats once again are not considering the Electoral College. Only Pete Buttigieg seems to understand the math here and why Sanders is a disaster for the Democrats and the country. Sanders cannot win the EC, so we'll be right back to Dems and liberals complaining about the outdated EC and how it needs to go...while Trump has a second term, McConnell has both houses again because of Dems nominating a radical socialist, which then gives us a potential 7-2 Supreme Court. It's so bad, I feel like Sanders is and his base are actually working to ensure a Trump victory.
10
Poor format for these so called debates. Too many candidates and too many moderators have led to distraction politics on a level equal to Trump. This format is no more than a reality TV or game show. Poor form was shown by most of the participants and the public got precious little information about what and how policies would be implemented. The republicans must be pleased.
4
I'll still vote democrat no matter the outcome. However, some of these candidates are making it hard for me to want to vote for them. Mr. Sanders was not my initial first choice but I'm moving him up on my list of candidate preferences. Same for Bloomberg because he sometimes seems less shrill and crazy. Stop the attacks on other candidates and unless the party changes the format stop participating.
2
And then at the end, the Annoying Kid in the Class who always does his homework suddenly drills down and gets it right, busting out with "Servant Leadership". It's a transformational concept. Well done.
1
I read with great glee all the comments that that reek of desperation and fear. One thing I did not read was that the Democrats have blown a golden opportunity to re - make their badly fractured party. Instead of brainstorming these past 3+ years in formulating new and attractive policies, their sole mission was to try and bring Trump down by the Russia hoax, the Ukraine hoax, Stormy Daniels, and a host of other non starters. Their lack of vision is going to make Trump's job simple in getting a second term. Job well done to Pelosi. Schiff, Nadler, and the rest of the gaggle.
5
@August Braun Okay, Dems, THIS is the ignorance we are up against, which is why focusing on the usual Dem issues is an utter waste of time. Dems will get the coastal states..but we need the EC in order to defeat Trump and rid this country of this kind of dangerous and willful dishonesty and corruption in service to a cult leader, not a US president. Pay attention to August's comment here. This is the danger we are really facing.
4
I become steadily more annoyed by the distortions some of these candidates use in argument. A prime example last night was Biden's attack on Sanders: he said that Sanders had praised the Castro regime in Cuba; Sanders replied that he strongly disliked that regime and had merely acknowledged that it had made notable improvements in education and health care (undeniably true), which is no more than President Obama has also said. Biden then declared that Obama "has never embraced an authoritarian regime," as if Sanders's acknowledgement of a known fact were an "embrace" of the regime. Now if Sanders is the nominee, Trump will quote Biden (endlessly) as having said that Sanders is a Communist!
8
@Thomas Right! He will! So will Trump! Americans do not do nuance and clarity, which is why the Castro stuff will sink Sanders. Wake up to that fact.
3
@Virginia Nothing will sink Sanders, least of all his comments about Castro. The days of death squad apologists in the Reagan mold are over.
Senator Sanders is right- being honest about the role the United States has played in supporting brutal regimes and overthrowing democratically elected governments is long overdue.
I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador in late sixties, before the disastrous civil war. Oligarchs, the "Fourteen Families" and generals controlled the wealth and government, keeping peasants illiterate and impoverished. I saw first-hand the conditions of extreme poverty in which ordinary people lived - tiny coffins behind the hospital, a woman passing our house one night, desperately trying to sell a few pineapples before they spoiled so that she could pay back the money lender and have enough left to feed her children. I saw the children with distended bellies from parasites, and the beggars on the streets of San Salvador. And my students whispered about the death squads, the Mano Blanco. In 1980, the Archbishop was assassinated while he was saying mass.
During the Reagan years, the U.S. poured billions of dollars into El Salvador to support the brutal military regime. 75,000 died in the war, most victims of the army and the death squads. In one of the worst atrocities, the Salvadoran Army massacred the entire village of El Mozote, 1,200 people, including women and 100 children whose average was 6.
Are Americans aware of the large role we played in training and arming this murderous regime?
5
@Edie Clark Thank you for making this point. What Reagan supported in South America was unforgivable. So many times, the U.S. has been on the side of military dictators.
This was the first debate where McConnell and the republican senate were called out for obstruction. Finally!
Every day, hour, minute these candidates must lay the blame on republicans - all day everyday as republicans have failed to do their jobs, protect the American people and have enabled Trump to dismantle our agencies and ability to respond to a crisis. All for greed.
Remember who you are fighting for and take the fight to those who have failed the American people.
4
I have never been more embarrassed to be a Democrat than last night. This debate looked out of control and very messy. There are other commenters here that say they do not care about the details and they only want to hear how bad Trump is. That is a losing strategy and one that quite frankly the general public is tired of. I want details on how to pay for the proposed programs. If all the candidates want to do is bash Trump then this shows that they too have succumb to Trump Derangement Syndrome. After watching the last 2 debates I might cast my vote for someone who is actually looking out for their constituents....Trump!
3
Too little too late. Serious questions about Sanders should have been raised and discussed a long time ago not just by the candidates but by the media. What a mess. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin must be smiling thus morning. 2016 redux.
2
They'll have another think coming.
Is it remotely possible that the media "pundits" and "analysts" -- therefore the public -- will ever stop deciding that he/she who punches hardest is a winner? And vice versa re loser? I turned it off after it became apparent this was going to be a repeat fist-fest from Nevada ( I gave it an hour last time) where nothing is learned whatsoever other than who has rehearsed "scolding" and "attacking" and performs those "skills" best on stage.
Let's consider Friedman's ideas of a coalition -- change all the rules and expectations and make it a symphony against Trump - with a lot of effective virtuosos in the roles they are well suited for versus a one:one gladiator fight/blood bath. No matter how good a fighter they are on the Dem stage, no one can win against a cheat, someone who makes his own rules and who is already the supreme master of this game that he has established.
2
Is that the last debate — I hope.
3
The moderators in all of the debates, for the most part, with only a couple of exceptions, have been terrible. Treating the debates like a sporting event is so counterproductive.
I’ll say it again, Bernie had better come up with a different phrase that democratic socialism, perhaps reformed capitalism, or shared capitalism, or the trump jackals will make hay out of it.
The candidates should bring every question back to trump and his despicable behavior and cheating and policies. They should remind viewers that during Obama’s last 89 weeks in office, I believe, we had greater than 3% economic growth. So trump cannot take credit for “fixing” the economy.
There are lots of missed opportunities. But yeah, politics is ridiculous.
The takeaways from yet ANOTHER Democratic gift to the Republican Party were? 1) Bloomberg has the best ads ever but is invisible on the debate stage, and that's the kindest thing I can say about his performances. 2) Warren has plans plans and more PLANS. I now know that she has MORE plans in the works. Even if some of her plans made sense, the message might be OK but I really have a visceral dislike for the messenger. 3) Yes, Joe, you worked for 8 years with President Obama. You're a nice guy but the fact that you continue to look more dead than alive just isn't gonna get you behind the desk in the Oval Office. As with most people, I like you but your time has passed. 4) Klobuchar keeps saying she "gets things done". Yes, Amy, you've gotten some things done but then again you're PAID to get things done. You might be sensible but you don't exude the aura of a leader, you exude the aura of a "boss" and it's quite a different thing. 5) Buttigieg is smart and eloquent and sensible which means he'll continue to be underappreciated by the general American population. 6) Steyer....WHO? 7) Sanders confirmed beyond doubt that he is NOT someone to bring people together, will alienate as many if not more than he inspires and it is my belief that he has zero chance of beating Trump in November. He doesn't understand the word "compromise" at all and, sorry Bros, ya can't win as a Democrat without compromising. Wait, he's not a Democrat anyway, is he? Tonight's winner? TRUMP
11
Wow, I’d be interested to hear your observations when Trump debated.
Well to fair Sen. Warren started this bloodbath by kicking Mayor Bloomberg in the teeth last week. This week was just a continuation with more bells and whistles.
5
Who is advising these democratic candidates? Or better yet don’t they read the post debate reviews of their ridiculous performances? Instead of bickering amongst themselves why don’t they point to the most egregious things the Trump administration is doing.
The EPA damaging water and air quality, no investments in education, infrastructure and destruction of federal lands. Relaxed methane rules, pardoning people who have been convicted of obvious crimes, a rogue justice department leadership. Appointments of unqualified people to do the work of the people of this country. Not to mention the thousands of lies by Trump.
I get they have to distinguish themselves from the other candidates but these ridiculous debates are not informing the general public of the most serious issues of our time. They are pathetic and need lessons in communication and sales skills that inform, educate and move people in a direction that will defeat Trump.
6
Combative and messy, yes.
But, we are a week before Super Tuesday with 6 (or is it 7?) candidates remaining. With at least 6 viable candidates remaining, we must bear the feeding frenzy for a little longer.
Unfortunately, the struggle to get face time during these debates is the nature of the beast for all candidates. Hopefully, after next Tuesday, things will shake out a little more and we'll be down to say three or four candidates.
Til then, it is what it is.
Only one question for Bolshie Bernie and his supporters why can’t he support and promote an evolutionary approach to Health Care.
First reduce Prescription Drug prices to European levels ( HR3 plus) , use part of the savings to subsidize for low income earners a Public option using Medicare infrastructure.
The benefits are clear reducing prescription drug prices will help all Americans and has enormous support.
A public option will be a home for the uninsured, those who have shady insurance plans. As such it will provide a great alternative to Insurance Companies and keep overall premiums down
It will also prove the Federal Government can manage an extended Medicare program effectively.
Most importantly it will win votes in the November general , subsequently the House and Senate.
4
@Robert M. Koretsky just read the first point financing cancellation of student debt.
It is not a tax on Wall Street it is a tax on me, I have scrimped , saved put my kids through College , invested in Stock exchange to get me through my retirement , no point in savings as essentially a negative interest rate .
So tell me why I should pay for someone else’s kid and reduce my retirement nest egg.
What about all those kids who have repaid some or all their loans by dint of hard work.
His proposals on paying for health Care are also debunked.
Anyway all this is academic even if Bolshie wins not a chance any thing will get through Congress and the Economy and Country will be beset by uncertainty
2
I watch these debates with my children, and before hand i take away all their media devices, after the debate we talk about what we just witnessed, and i question them about what they think of the candidates. My youngest likes Biden because he thinks he is the most experienced These debate are pure democracy in action.
1
Mayor Pete is by far the best of this crew. Would the country elect him? He'd have my vote and I could care less what his orientation is.
3
@J No one cares about his orientation. A lot of us just don't want a center-right politician at the top of the ticket.
The field of candidates remains weak. As much as I believe Americans want progress, I do not believe they want the country turned upside down on its head. As just one example, there are millions employed in the field of health care insurance, in good well paying jobs with benefits including health care coverage. Will they just be out of jobs if Bernie is elected? According to Kaiser 49% of Americans get their health care through their employer. Why would we want employers to stop covering almost half the country? And 23 million green jobs (Sanders)? LOL. Where? Smart growth is what I am looking for. Not abolishing America as we know it, but making incremental changes that improve life for all.
3
@ladyluck Prior to 1973, it was illegal to profit from healthcare. It is pretty interesting you quote Kaiser, the company that started the horrible healthcare system we now have.
Bloomberg came out fighting. Sanders sympathies for the Castro regime were revealing. Maybe Biden can pull it off after all, but is he enough of a fighter to go after Trump?
1
I am so weary of these debates. The formats reward rude behavior. For example why report how much time each person took? If the moderators were doing their job, each person would get equal time to address an issue and make their point. And by the way,the debates should be focused on issues and personal attacks sbould be ruled out. Not a single debate has provided any useful information for voters. Standing on a stage and being the loudest, the rudest, the snarkiest tells me nothing about leadership and high level management skills, about policies and values. These debates , as formatted have done a huge disservice to those of us trying to choose a candidate. All of these accomplished intelligent people reduced to behaving like candidates on a reality tv show. Friedman said it all, "standing in a circle shooting at one another", scoring points playing "gotcha".
2
Let’s make a few assumptions, throw in a few facts, and see what is unlikely to happen if Sander wins the nomination and the White House :
If Sanders did something similar to Trump’s Ukrainian phone call (which is unlikely in itself), it unlikely that Speaker Pelosi would declare she will be working closely with the White House on his defense.
It is unlikely that Sanders’ version of Medicare for All will pass through Congress without significant modification.
It is unlikely that Sanders will invite the Russian Ambassador into the Oval Office and share extremely sensitive intelligence from an ally with him.
It is unlikely that Sanders will appoint people antithetical to the Departments they would run or with little to no experience in the area. (No Grenell, Tom Price, Scott Pruitt, Flynn, DeVos, Rick Perry, etc.).
It is unlikely that the rate of income inequality will increase significantly.
It is unlikely that three years into his administration the Washington Post will have tallied over 16,000 untruths, after his inauguration, from him.
And, speaking of inaugurations, it is unlikely that more will be spent on his inauguration than any other in history.
Sanders is not “a Trump on the Left” as some have claimed.
(Disclaimer: I do not intend to vote for Sanders in the primary in less than a week, but, should he win the nomination, I will support him over the current train wreck occupying the White House.
8
Yeah. The Democrats are fighting Bernie, the front runner. They are committed to ensuring that Big Insurance and Big Pharma keep on raking in $50 billion in profit each year. So our friends and family and neighbors will continue to spend down their savings , go bankrupt and start GoFundMe and beg for money that their expensive for profit health care (the most expensive health care on earth) won’t pay.
8
Terrible debate due primarily to the moderators. Pete purposefully talking throughout Bernie's time bad form. Bloomberg did a lot better by comparison but was still mediocre. It seems like the audience clapped for him or booed against his criticism in a way that appeared more paid than organic....what was the composition of the audience. Also, the biggest criticism of Bernie was that he said something positive and true about literacy in Cuba.
It is cartoonish to be so reductive about anything as to lack sufficient nuance to see the good and the bad in a thing. Overall, the candidates mostly held ground which, given the advanced date in the calendar favors the frontrunner and begins to disqualify the laggards, particularly the bottom 3 or 4....
5
1. The town halls are more informative than the debates. While last night's so called moderators asked better questions than the last group, they still let some candidates butt in and talk over others, and fomented controversy in sound bites. When candidates did not go on the attack or were not attacked, they got less time to speak.
2. Thus far, the centrist (not moderate) candidates as a group--Biden, Buttigieg and Klobuchar--have garnered more votes than Sanders. So to refer to him as the front runner is misleading. Yes, our country is way behind the civilized world in terms of health care and education, but it took a lot of work to pass a watered down ACA. Medicare for all won't pass any time soon.
3. At age 59 with a record of winning in red districts and writing bipartisan legislation that passed, Klobuchar could be in that sweet spot among the non-billionaire centrists. Younger than Biden, older and wiser than Buttigieg, she would be a relief as president. None of the candidates are perfect, but I would sleep better if she were the nominee. The down ballot candidates would benefit as well.
4. But it's hard to compete against Bloomberg's self funded campaign, with ads during the commercial breaks. Shame on CBS for that.
2
Bernie got more votes in Nevada than Biden, Pete and Amy combined, so time to retire that old chestnut.
4
All the pundits have performance scores for the candidates, but CBS scored the biggest negative. The moderators blew it. I ended up watching "Andy Griffith" reruns. Had a great evening. Still whistling the theme song this morning. Call me when sanity and civility returns to the debate stage.
3
Sanders hurting the Democratic Party? The Democratic Party can do that by themselves. When they see the writing on the wall, what is more and more clearly indicated by the people, they will realize that voters want a new person, new leadership. And that person was not Hillary Clinton, nor is it Warren, Buttigieg, Bloomberg or Biden. The voters seem to want Sanders. Live with it.
9
@Julie N. especially after the people see this-
https://berniesanders.com/issues/how-does-bernie-pay-his-major-plans/
2
Last night’s debate was very similar to a Mets game: unpleasant to watch and ultimately not very satisfying. In fact, it served primarily to demonstrate that, as difficult as it is to admit it, Bernie Sanders was the only one of those on stage who can face Trump down and possibly (or impossibly) win the election. The others all appeared shrill, self-absorbed, and almost desperate for attention. It was not a pretty sight. With their present cast of characters, the Democrats must look first to trying to gain control of the Senate and keep control of the House. This will keep Trump in check. There would be a problem if Sanders does win the election but with a Republican-controlled Senate still in place. The fact is, though, that any government without Trump is a far better one than with him in the White House. So, the takeaway here is that we have to hope that the Democratic David brings more than a slingshot to the faceoff with the Republican Goliath. And it has to begin with the Democrats deciding to stop arguing and mudslinging and start acting with some semblance of unity and purpose. We already have a self-serving, egotistical, loud mouthed president. Heaven knows neither we nor the rest of the world needs another.
5
@Unaffiliated great metaphor for Bernie- The Democratic David! I love it.
My tinnitus did flare up last night during and after the debate. The moderators were equally bad to NBC’s and the last question about the candidates motto and misconception should have been shelved in lieu for more time to have everyone answer the very important question about what and how to face the Russians in Syria and the do the American thing that is the whole mark of who we are as a people. We don’t sit idle watching fellow human being slaughtered. It is what makes us proud and gave us the good karma. Pete and Warren answers were awful and they lost me. A deserving presidential candidate would have said- it is unacceptable to let the Russians slaughter the Syrians in their homes. I am calling on our NATO allies to join us to push back against the Russians by all means.
2
I want information not accusations. Dump the "debate" format.
Have each candidate submit a 15 minute video (later available online) where they explain how they would address the nations issues. [give details, show your work.]
No mention any of the other candidates or prez allowed. No teleprompter.
Everyone the same. In a studio same lighting, sound, etc. No glitzy advertising gimmicks.
Just tell the voters straight up what you plan to do to as president; and how you plan to boost the rest of the D ticket.
6
Lord, we're in trouble. We'd better flip the Senate and hold the House, because we're likely to have Trump in the White House again.
4
I’m with you. If these people don’t unite against Trump and stop cannibalizing each other, we’re doomed to four more years of the most horrible man on earth. I’m doing all I can to make sure that both of our Republican reps in Georgia are sent home. That could be our only hope.
It’s beautiful to watch the hubris of the Democratic establishment unravel around Bernie’s persistent truth.
Education is the antidote for ignorance, fear and hatred.
When Bernie educated everyone about the U.S. government’s dark history of toppling LATAM Democracies for corporate exploitation of their resources and labor we reached a pivotal moment in this campaign and American history.
Biden tried to deny it but Obama ended the embargo with Cuba. More than 50 years of putting the CIA to work for the mafia certainly didn’t help get rid of Castro did it?
More importantly, Bernie firmly distinguished the words “dictatorship = bad” and “Democratic Socialism = good.”
That’s the switchlight that people watching cable “news” propaganda needed to hear and see.
6
According to Mr. Buttigieg, Americans should never recognize anything good from an authoritarian regime. Including Trump's regime?
2
Cuba has a longer life expectancy than the US.
Cuba has a higher education rate than the US.
Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate than the US.
In fact, across almost all measures of population health, Cuba beats the US. Now I am not espousing authoritative regimes and do not support the human rights abuses of the Castro regime. But one cannot truthfully deny the successes.
Moreover, those Americans who fear and detest authoritarianism should take a hard look in the mirror in examining the path of the current administration.
5
Might we consider that the greatest failure last night was the amateurish attempt at ‘moderation’. It’s too important for those of us watching to have to bear the significant weakness of the ‘news readers’ (as the British would call them) who ranged from high school debate team coaches who kept ‘time’, to local morning talk show talk hosts who like ‘human interests’. They were frivolous, weak and at times insulting to these fine people. They failed miserably to treat the session with the respect it and they deserved.
Please find the time to ‘grade’ the moderators. This mess was only second to Matt Lauer’s willingness to let Trump troll Hillary on-stage. Maybe CBS should drop out of the race at this point. We deserve better.
5
Moderation for this debate was the worst I have seen. Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell were incompetent, unable to control the candidates going far over their allotted time, and allowed too many extended back-and-forth exchanges that digressed far from the questions being asked just for the sake of drama.
The questions were all over the place, several had to do specifically with Mike Bloomberg (what candidate wants to spend time talking about another candidate who isn't even the frontrunner???) and the rest were a mix of topical questions and softballs. The final question about a misconception and motto was an insipid waste of time. Running one more commercial after the debate ended was a total gaffe. CBS News should be ashamed of the job they did.
4
There's no real candidate on either party side. While the argument can be made that Trump is good for the economy he's one of the worst statesmen we have ever had in the US. Unfortunately, I didn't see a statesmen or stateswomen on the stage during last night's debate either. There's no clear policy coming from any of the candidates and tall of their platforms are nebulous. The ridiculous questions posed bring ridiculous answers.
Moderator: "If elected, how would your foreign policy differ from current administration?"
Candidates: "Well, we need to be more proactive in foreign policy, but I want to say that Bernie Sanders is a socialist and Mr. Bloomberg can't get world leaders to sign non disclosures, and so and so is not qualified because blah, blah, blah.....Now, I'll just stand here and wave my arms, make faces and look more unqualified for the job just like Trump"
Every candidate should heed the advice it's better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
The deeper issue is that candidates on both sides have deep self interests but must appeal to vast numbers of people that are now more aggressive, divided, angry and misinformed than ever.
Today's candidates would have a hard time debating a high school debate team because they can't stay away from the negativity and focused on real solutions. These candidates can only focus on put downs, slights and empty promises.
2
The current President’s chance of winning is increasing with last night’s performance by the contenders.
2
@Isle To be fair, I would have suggested the same thing about HRC's chances of winning in 2016 after watching Trump and Rubio debate over 'small hands.' This debate will be forgotten by election day.
Lots of judgements and call outs on the "bad behavior" and poor representation of Democrats during the debates as they fight one another. Some of you are actually saying that this is going to be a win for Trump and he's being handed 2020 on a silver platter due to this behavior. Please get a hold of yourselves - you think any of this even remotely begins to compare to the horrifyingly despicable Trump show we've all been forced to watch for the past 3 years? Let's make sure we don't allow these acts (which are so minor in comparison to Trump and the GOP that they practically shouldn't even register) to change the ugly and accurate light in which Trump is viewed. Bad debates and some bad behavior (and atrocious moderators) may all be true; but to suggest, contemplate, or see any of this as "worse than Trump" is a truly dangerous act of revisionist reality.
6
Why no mention of Mayor Pete’s barrage childish tantrum-like interruptions of Bernie the entire time Bernie was given the spotlight to make his comment and rebuttal? Why didn’t the moderator stop him - or Cut His Mike?!
6
You would think from watching these debates that Joe Biden single-handily was in charge of every single accomplishment during the eight years of the Obama administration.
6
Running political ads during the debates? “The Democratic National Debates, sponsored by Michael Bloomberg.” How is that okay?
6
"Mr. Sanders, in his first debate since a smashing victory in the Nevada caucuses last weekend,".....People keep repeating this, but Nevada is a caucus state. Only 15% of registered Democrats participated, and even though Sanders received nearly 50% of the votes it amounted to less than 3% of all registered Nevada voters. Bottom line is that passion wins caucuses; it takes numbers to win elections. We will see.
3
My takeaway from the debate:
Warren is running to be Bernie’s VP.
She spent her time going after the moderates and left Bernie alone.
2
I’m done watching these debates they should be on NPR or C-Span. The commercial networks treat them as entertainment and do not give them the respect they deserve. It seems to me they prefer to treat them as some sort of political prize fight. And please get rid of the audience.
8
Weak moderators. Obnoxious audience. But good graphics and music from CBS.
3
I know they are desperate, but Buttigieg, Steyer and Klobuchar need to lose some of the obnoxiousness, if they want to survive to run another day. Asking someone a question and then talking over them and refusing to shut up when they are trying to answer is very Hannity-like.
7
Covid 19 will determine the election.
3
Everything is on the line-- in an America uniquely unprepared for an incipient pandemic: it's time for Democrats to win now the field to those have a real path to winning the national election.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/02/donald-trump-second-term-predictions.html
The other candidates will hopefully, do what they said they would throw their support to the eventual winner, to prevent a unitd front against the worst assault on democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law this country has ever seen.
1
So Bloomberg was challenged on "search and frisk" and Mayor Pete was challenged with racial tension issues. Why does nobody go after Sanders for having anti-semites on his campaign payroll today?
6
Sanders = Corbyn.
4
The American people will never have what citizens of every other first world nation have had for decades! Never! Say the Democrats.
Sorry, grandma , you’ll just have to continue rationing your meds. And let your small estate be decimated by medical bills.
4
The way to limit speaking time is to slowly turn down the microphone until it’s off. No one wants to be seen with their lips soundlessly flapping.
1
Bernie will win the nomination and likely lose to Trump, at least partly because the Democratic “establishment” despises him. By attacking Bernie, Democrats are helping Trump get re-elected.
I don’t see how this ends well. How is Pete Buttigieg, for example,going to be taken seriously saying he supports Bernie after telling the world what a terrible choice he is?
4
They do it all the time. Look how Cruz and Rubio suddenly became defenders of the most horrible man on earth after he demeaned them and insulted them for months. It’s disgusting and it’s the reason I don’t trust any of them.
3
When are we going to hear from these candidates about things that matter? People are scared not only for the future but for today...the Coronavirus, the stock market drop, the poor response of the DJT administration and what citizens can really expect. We need to be told the truth.
Do we really need to hear about things that happened decades ago...another time and age? It’s doubtful many want to hear the candidates quibbling about such trivialities.
Let’s hear about uniting around a common agenda. Let’s hear about realistic and affordable plans going forward. Let’s lower our voices and put down our fists.
We need to win the election, as my daughter pointedly points out, on the future she and her generation will inherit not rehashing the past that these candidates continue to regurgitate.
87
@It’s About Time The present means nothing without the past, sometimes this problems aren't new like the virus and I understand you on that point, but there are issues that have dragged along for way too long that need to be brought up into the public eye.
7
@It’s About Time
They discussed coronavirus last night. It was one of the more intelligent and thoughtful moments in the debate.
7
@It’s About Time
You have a point, but our problems are so huge that thinking small and triangulating just won't cut it.
We don't need a Clinton Democrat, or even an Obama Democrat.
We need an FDR Democrat.
We need Bernie!
7
The debates behave as if all is well and normal. Things are not normal. This should all be about how we defeat Trump.
Wonky stuff about details like how we are going to fix healthcare are a waste of time and a big fat gift to Trump with a bow on top.
Instead, this should ALL be about how bad Trump is and how to defeat him.
I want more questions about how the candidates plan to defeat Trump and more questions about what candidates would do differently to fix all the things that Trump broke.
Why is the DNC and the media acting as if this were a normal presidency or a normal election? We have a would be despot and a fascist white supremacist in the Oval, and the debates could and should be used SOLELY to oust him and his terrible and terrifying policies.
Stop the infighting. It is a waste of time and a gift to Trump with a bow on top.
Work TOGETHER for our America, a blue America. A Blue Tsunami.
Personally, I do not care if it is Bernie or Bloomberg or who the candidate is. I am anxious to VOTE OUT TRUMP and the GOP.
Please, I beg you. Stop the infighting!
All efforts should be on the goal of defeating Trump.
The candidates all have similar values.
They need to work together in the name of America, and the Constitution of the United States.
The right puts aside their considerable differences so they can win with their monstrous candidate:Trump.
Why can't the left work together to put aside differences, choose a candidate and support that candidate?
Do it!
6
I just want to know who can BEAT Trump!
Please tell me who has the best odds!!
4
Yes, all very presidential....... As a Democrat, I'm ashamed and embarrassed...
4
Most criticism thrown Senator Sanders's way was about MFA. What was on display was an ignorance about the pitfalls of public options, favored by 5/7 candidates on the stage.
What is a Public Option? It is just another insurance plan put into the mix that already exists.
Where are the savings? Will efficiency be improved or made more complicated? Answers are none to the first and more complicated to the second.
Will private insurers underwrite these plans so subscribers with costly health needs be shifted to a PO? The OMB has estimated 6% will switch or use this plan. This will defeat an insurance principle of a large risk pool plus added expense from a sick people surfeit.
It already is happening. Medicare Advantage Plans, privately administered with taxpayer funds, have added copayments, deductibles, and co-insurance. Out of pocket expenses become so burdensome, sicker patients switch to regular Medicare with a supplement and Part D plan.
Under POs provider choice will be limited, since it will operate like an HMO. Lastly the government does not sell insurance, and this will probably fall to private insurers. No one on last night's state said a word about this less than ideal possibility.
In short POs aren't even a temporary solution. Everything Americans abhor about health insurance will continue and get worse.
8
I missed last night's debate to attend a DFL caucus. With the first Minnesota Presidential Primary since 1992 to be held next Tuesday and the conflict with the debate, many Democrats were conflicted.
Apparently, we had another sound-bite food fight. Although I do support Bernie, I do hope that he works on his stage presence. Even a candidate as authentic as Bernie appears more authentic by remaining calm and determined while under attack. President Obama excelled at maintaining his dignity while under attack. Bernie will never achieve Obama's stage presence even though he is the more authentic candidate.
The distortion and misinformation at the Time continues, writing a report as if Tom Steyer was not part of the debate and not having the guts to say anything at all about his stance on reparations. Shame, shame, shame.
I was surprised by NYT’s tepid characterization of “what [Sanders] called malign intervention in Chile and Iran.” What do you call violent overthrow of legitimately elected governments and assassination of foreign leaders? Does anyone at the New York Times remember Charles Horman? He was an NYT reporter in Chile who knew too much, and he was murdered by Pinochet’s junta, with the prior knowledge and perhaps direct involvement of Henry Kissinger. Check out “Missing”, Costa-Gavras’ Academy Award nominated film on the subject. Unlike today’s wildly speculative “based on a true story” docudramas, it is completely accurate in every detail according to Charlie’s widow, who is a personal friend of mine. Oh, I forgot. It’s not available anywhere. I wonder why . . . Another type of “malign intervention”?
12
Amy got it right... the cost of the Bernie plan will cost more than our entire economy. OK. But what then?
Trump is re-elected? But what then?
Joe has the Obama health plan--- and can move forward from there. But what then?
To put it all in place what about the coronavirus? But what then?
Trump has NO plan or for that matter interest in it.
Biden would put back in place the plan we had for pandemics.
What would Bernie do? Not clear.
Amy brought up the issue--- good comment.
South Carolina? Biden must win and frankly he should.
We are now learning a great deal about Bernie and we should.
3
Instead of debating one another, which feels counterproductive, issues should be presented and ideas and concrete plans to solve problems should be released to inspire the people, so we can all work together toward advancing civilization. Managing this idea bank is where a true leader will emerge by harnessing our collective strengths while honoring diversity. We are one world and instead of working against one another, we should unify our diverse thoughts into action.
10
The Boston Globe just endorsed Elizabeth Warren.
Go Elizabeth go!
6
Buttigieg decried Bernie’s “1960’s radicalism.” Like a pesky 1969 riot at a bar called Stonewall? Or perhaps that bothersome 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom? Or is he referencing all those darn hippies who protested the war in Vietnam? When this is the line of attack against Trump (as every Democrat's campaign should be), God help us all.
16
Right on brother!
4
@Gabe ...Have you seen his comments about Castro and Cuba? If he is the nominee you are going to see them ad nauseum. As a result he has no hope of winning in Florida, a key battleground state, and a Socialist will not play well in fly over country. Dead candidate talking.
2
And the winner is...
Donald Trump
These debates are brutal to watch.
11
Another circular firing squad that does nothing but help trump A message to the candidates should be, drop out. Drop out, Steyer. Drop out Klobuchar. Drop out Warren. Watching Warren not engage with Bernie makes me certain that she's applying to Bernie for the VP slot. Do they collectively have the best interests of the country at heart? It sure doesn't look like it. Socialism or bust is not going to work. Watching them raise their hands and almost snap their fingers for attention makes it look like a 9th grade advance civics class. "Hey look at me, over here - I'm the best, I have a great quip to spout off." Shameful, egotistical and narcissistic. Much like the fraud sitting in the white house now.
11
We learned that Bloomberg is proud of buying 50 members of Congress for $100 million.
The Congress members are upset because the $100 million, or $2 million a pop, was a volume discount price and they don’t want others to think they can be bought so cheap.
Lizzie retold her being fired for being pregnant lie. very touching.
Gave me a headache.
6
Weak, ineffectual moderators are responsible for much of the mayhem we see on the stage at these debates. People need ample time to answer the questions before hand-waving, interruption is allowed. Think back a few decades to a time of civil discourse.
10
So, Sanders paid a few compliments to Castro--Trump showers praise on every dictator in the world---big deal. So, Sanders won't tell us how he will pay for his free safety-net programs--Trump won't tell us how he is paying for his huge deficits---Trump and Sanders are perfect for this election cycle---to old men on ideological joyrides---with a fan base loving every minute of the downhill ride.
7
Your political system is akin to a stage 4 cancer. No matter how much makeup you are willing to plaster over it... the cancer will defeat you. Denial helps for a time but in the end... well... you know how it ends. Sorry.
2
"[H]is nomination would hurt moderate House and Senate candidates in the November election."
True, but it should certainly help the few progressive Congressional candidates who managed to survive the Democratic party attempt to purge them all. The voters who approve of Sanders still have some candidates whom they can approve to support him in House and Senate.
4
@Ted Reynolds ...So they elect some progressives in already solid Democratic districts and lose the House. That will help a lot.
1
Joe Biden had an excellent night.
EVERYONE not named Biden or Sanders need to drop out!
4
What an embarrassment. I couldn't watch the chaos and pandering past the first few minutes. Is this really the best the Democratic Party can offer against a second Trump term - a cafeteria food fight to beat out an egomaniacal bully? This is a dead serious moment for our country, and I wish I knew there was an adult in the room.
7
Horrible debate. Handled so poorly by moderators. Most of the candidates were just nasty.
Steyer and Bloomberg were the sanest of the bunch. I'll still vote dem no matter what, but this thing was just painful to watch.
11
Speaking as a proud Democrat, we are doomed!
5
Biden claimed there were 150,000 million gun deaths in America since 2007. Is he insane?
6
@Zareen ...No he meant to say thousand. Big deal. And it is the gun lobby who is insane.
2
Trump is a cancer on the body politic of America. The GOP is the immune system that has been hijacked to protect the cancer, not the body.
When your life is being threatened by metastatic cancer, you need to focus completely on attacking the cancer. It is pointless to argue about which new clothes to buy.
The Democrats should focus all their efforts on creating a broad, unified front against Trump and the GOP.
The survival of American Democracy is at stake.
Vote Blue, no matter who!
7
This came off as feeding time in a kennel full of rabid dogs. Can't stomach any of them. Can't stomach Trump so I may simply leave it blank.
4
@davidd
I would not consider not voting just because a made for tv -and for ratings- event came across as combative and out of control. It was designed for pop and hiss. Trump does this everyday on the world stage when the exact opposite is asked for. Clearly leaving the presidential slot vacant is a recipe for the end of our democracy.
2
Medicare for all. Its time for our tax dollars to pay for something I need instead of a 300k bomb being dropped on a 1998 Toyota pickup with two 3rd grade educated bad guys in it somewhere in the middle east.
16
Only in today's Rightist America are most of Sander's ideas radical for Any Advanced Nation.
It's Stubbornly Stupid, Beyond Belief, here in center-right, America for a candidate to shoot his campaign in the foot saying he's a democratic socialist and pushing for felons voting.
Bernie can Trump Rump in a general election by gaining a much bigger base ... and bringing out many more voters - we'll know in a month or two, will we?
4
@Dart ...Do you know why the Russians are helping Sanders? And they are. Because he is the most divisive Democratic candidate and the one that Trump will defeat most easily.
1
@W.A. Spitzer Can you actually quantify the "help" Bernie has had from the Russians? Didn't think so.
Anybody discussing the bought 'n paid audience?
https://www.live5news.com/2020/02/06/charleston-voters-express-confusion-frustration-over-presidential-debate-accessibility/
Voters hoping to attend the Democratic presidential debate in Charleston this month will be hard-pressed to find guaranteed tickets unless they pay thousands of dollars as a sponsor.
Apparently the going price for ticket ranged from $1,750 to $3,200.
That's because tickets aren't readily available. The Charleston County Democratic Party website says "The only guaranteed way to get a ticket is to become a sponsor of the debate."
Some were given away to each campaign. Guess who bought and were given huge blocks of them.
It certainly wasn't the locals.
This is your Republic, if you can keep it.
Selling out to the highest bidder is a surefire way to lose it.
https://heavy.com/news/2020/02/debate-audience-crowd-south-carolina/
15
Those flailing raised hands and wagging fingers reminded me of my Catholic grammer school days. Embarrassing if you ask me.
5
Why is nobody talking about the two Jewish candidates singled out to be asked "the Jewish question" about Israel? The subtext was really a question about whose interests they support; the USA or Israel. It was appalling.
BTW, Jewish Americans are approximately 2% of our population, and that's including Jewish children. It's not like it's going to swing the election. And, Jewish Americans aren't a uniform voting block any more than Christian Americans, or women, or African Americans, or Asian Americans, or any other group.
6
In what world do you people think Bloomberg who is literally putting a ridiculous amount of money to get himself up, the person that has made sexist and especially racist comments is suitable to run the country?? How naive can people be?
3
@someone ....Anyone of the candidates is better than Trump (though Sanders is the most divisive). The most important thing, the only thing, when you have cancer is do whatever it takes to get rid of it.
1
With the exception of Steyer the other candidates were trying to insult and demean everybody else. The moderators allow them all, minus Steyer and Biden to go blah blah after their time, specially Klobuchar. Moderators got an F in my opinion. The worst so far.
8
Don’t these people get it? They clearly act like White people can say anything, do anything, behave in any manner. They will never ever attract Black voters this way. Superiority and callous demeanors. Shame on them.
It was so embarrassing, 20 minutes is all I could endure.
Then TV - off.
There’s no way I am volunteering at the Dem Convention in Milwaukee this summer - and it’s my home town!
4
Yeah, that was a mess. Hopefully the next one will be down to 2 or 3 candidates. The game show/Maury show shouting match format isn't helpful.
6
Sometimes Sanders is his worst enemy. Why some people are trying to warm up to his Socialist like agenda assuming that he may be the candidate, he shoots himself in the foot by defending his remarks about Castro. I understand what he was trying to say initially, but once he understood how it was perceived he should have backed away from it apologized for the misconception and move on. It was like saying well Mussolini got the trains working on time in WW2. No one really wants to hear anything good about the dictator Castro if you are trying to give examples on how Socialism helps people. There are many other example such as Canada or even Denmark.
As long as Sanders stays combative within his own party he's going to make it very difficult to form a strong coalition is he indeed becomes the candidate.
6
Today we are witnessing the emergence of a new abolitionist movement: the abolition of a deceitful racket called "for-profit health insurance". Under the for-profit health insurance system, private providers are allowed by law to offer lower premiums to lower risk, pre-screened health populations such as corporations, and discard the others, leaving the others either uninsured or under insured. After years of abusive practices, the "discarded" populations are catching on and have organized. The genie is out of the bottle. None of the Democratic candidates except Bernie and Elizabeth Warren have taken up the cause. Listening to the industry friendly ideologues rationalize their system is like listening to John C Calhoun defending slavery. We know what happened in the latter case.
3
No one asked Bernie to explain how VT Senator and ex-Mayor of Burlington's wife, with an on-line degree, becomes the $160,000 a year head of the tiniest college in VT (100 students at closing), quickly burying it in $10,000,000 debt. It seems weirdly at odds with the laudable notion higher ed should be affordable.
Affirms that he's not a socialist!
8
I won't even watch the debates anymore. I don't want to hear insults, fighting and mudslinging. Face facts. They are all politicians, not one of them is lily white. So instead of sinking to new lows, why not focus on what you are going to do for this country and the people that live in it? How are you going to accomplish this? That's what I want to hear. So, until you have something relevant to say I, for one, won't be listening. By the way, I was raised that if you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing.
7
The debate was, first of all, very badly moderated. That is, not moderated at all. The candidates were allowed to scream, interrupt, and wave their hands for attention. If this continues, Trump will sail unimpeded to a second term, which will be disastrous. I saw no clear winner, but several losers. Only Buttgieg and Klobuchar managed to keep their cool. Sanders should wear a muzzle, Bloomberg should drop out, and Steyer, who often made sense, has really no chance at all.
4
Muzzle who?! Did you even watch the debate last night? Here’s an example of your rude little boy who should have been grabbed by the elbow and put in time out. Transcript from CBS News:
BRENNAN: Senator Sanders, your response.
SANDERS: Let us be clear, do we think health care for all, Pete, is some kind of radical communist idea?
(CROSSTALK)
BUTTIGIEG: Well, you brought this up, let's talk about that.
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: Do we think raising the minimum wage to a living wage...
(CROSSTALK)
BUTTIGIEG: I'm happy to respond to the question because this is really important...
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: ... do we think building the millions of units of affordable housing that we need...
(CROSSTALK)
BUTTIGIEG: If you're going to ask that rhetorical question, let's...
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: ... do we think raising taxes on billionaires is a radical idea?
(CROSSTALK)
BUTTIGIEG: Let's talk about this. Let's talk about what's radical about that plan.
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: Do you think criminal justice reform is a radical idea?
(CROSSTALK)
BUTTIGIEG: The things you just named are things...
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: Do you think immigration reform? The truth is, Pete...
(CROSSTALK)
BRENNAN: One at a time.
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: ... the American people support my agenda.
(CROSSTALK)
BUTTIGIEG: The way you're talking about doing it is radical by...
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: That is why I am beating Trump in virtually every poll that is done, and why I will defeat him.
(CROSSTALK)
...
2
The hindsight tag line for this election is not going to be “but but but her emails.”
Instead it will be “but but but those debates”
3
I saw 6 desperate candidates who aren’t getting enough votes attacking each other and especially Bernie Sanders, for policies FDR would have (and did) embrace. FDR tried but failed to enact universal health care.
The reason we don’t even have a public option today is because Joe Lieberman wouldn’t have voted for the ACA in that form in order to protect the insurance industry based in Connecticut. And then the whole bill would have died. Let’s get real.
What probably shouldn’t surprise anyone is that very wealthy people in the US want to protect their profits and privilege. This is what is at stake here not some “crazy Socialist” agenda. I’m frankly angry at these 6 Democrats doing the Republican’s dirty work for them.
8
About time
No one gets a pass
esp a deemed ‘leader in the race’
1
Read Friedman's column in yesterday's NYT. These candidates would appear more democratic--intent on supporting our democracy--and offer an electable path forward by focusing on each other's strengths, patting Sanders on the back for being ahead of his time but acknowledging that he is not yet electable, and throw their collective unified support behind Bloomberg. Their #Mememe! so-called "debate" was an embarrassment.
4
It is just as I suspected. The establishment Dems are still chasing the mythical "swing voter." They need to stop campaigning like it is 1992. There are far more Dems than Republicans in this country, and the Republicans are demographically doomed. They need to stop chasing the swing voter unicorn and get behind whoever can get out the vote. So far, that looks like Bernie Sanders.
12
A president must stand up for the United States. Trump's popularity stems in part from his unequivocal support for America. MAGA sounds silly to many but it strikes a chord with many others. Sanders is too busy telling us what's wrong with our country; whatever he admires about it gets lost. What does he admire? The most clear admiration he's expressed is for Fidel Castro's success with Cuban literacy. Yes, candidates are under stress. But there's nothing presidential about yelling at each other when under stress. Could they keep their cool in a major crisis? Michael Bloomberg didn't yell. True, he's not made for TV like Sanders but his demeanor was appealing nonetheless.
These debates have gone on too long. Moderators are second rate. Format caters to those with very short attention spans. If you are a voter looking for substance, you won't find it. The debates are a form of amusement, a sport and a thoughtless one.
7
The moderators lost control and never regained it from the start. The whole thing looked like a substitute teacher in a junior high math class. Sorry, but Gayle King is not a serious journalist, and one must ask if she did not have her best friend, Oprah, on her side, would she be at the table?
Please stop these debates until there are fewer candidates left standing and we can really hear their ideas and proposals.
12
Calling these events a debate is a bit of a stretch, its more like a battle royale, a brawl that is won with the best barbs, zingers, and mischaracterizations. I don't entirely blame the candidates, in a desire to entertain their audience the media is giving us what we want, not what we need.
10
In Flegenheimer and Embers’s piece today, they wrote, “In race after race during his decades in politics, he has often proved an elusive target, brushing off political vulnerabilities and shrugging through adversity. Those who know him attribute his durability to his consistency and the loyalty of his base, which is more likely to rally around him after an obvious attack than desert him because of it.”
That sounds like Trump, but was written about Bernie. And that is why he will not get my vote in the primary.
8
@La Resistance So you're voting for Trump?
I agree that Bernie Sanders, while I like many of his programs, will not win the national election. I agree that Joe Biden has run a lackluster campaign. I agree that Michael Bloomberg, whom I respect despite his flaws, has proven to be too easy to target in these debates. I agree that Elizabeth Warren has played dirty in recent debates and would be a very weak candidate in the battleground states. I agree that Amy Klobuchar and Peter check will not win the nomination.
Nonetheless, after Tuesday, every single one of the candidates who is not a front runner needs to drop out, even if that means Bernie is the nominee.
Our judicial system is under attack. We are facing a pandemic for which we are ill prepared. Congress is in the pocket of a corrupt president. The economy is facing a crisis due to the pandemic.
It is time to stop fighting and unite. It is almost too late.
10
@RMC ...Th Russians are backing Sanders because he is easily the most divisive - no way he can unite the country even if he would somehow miraculously beat Trump.
1
I must be one of the few that think the candidates have adequate time to answer the questions asked. The problem is that they don't respond directly to the question. Instead, they want to dance around the question, try to put their spin on it, backtrack on a previous question, go in a completely different direction, etc.
Except for Margaret Brennan, the moderators did a horrible job controlling the debate. It was a circus.
9
And yet again, global warming is not one of the official debate topics...and the coronavirus topic is barely covered. Health coverage, free college, job security, foreign policy are all important - but if there isn’t a world to left to live on, what is the point?
9
Bernie was absolutely correct about Cuba. Everything else aside (all the catastrophic mistakes that Castro made about adopting Communism because WE would not back him), Cuba is probably more literate than this country. I have visited and spoken with resident Cubans from Havana to Cienfuego and have found them not only literate but educated, motivated and extremely creative. They survive with nothing in the midst of a devastating US embargo and THEY are not at all happy with their government.
It is WE that are causing this. WE supported that Mafia criminal Batista and his Trumpian suppression of the Cuban people. If WE had removed the inhuman embargo that we have imposed, and approached Cuba on an HONEST basis, they might have been our 51st State by now - and we would have been better for it. Obama was making progress but Trump, with his hammer (the only tool he understands), has just made things worse and kept Communism alive 90 miles off our shores.
Don't pick on Bernie for stating truth.
11
@RealTRUTH Literacy rate for young adults in Mexico is high 90's. Ditto most Latin America and Caribbean. Cuba too. But censorship and state run press in Cuba mean those highly literate adults are sharing limited approved material. Medical care is a priority, because w/ so little freedom, the gov't has to defend one benefit.
4
@winchestereast
The term "literacy" can mean many things. Cubans happen to be far more literate that most of Latin America. Even in the cigar factories, "readers" used to read many daily papers to the workers, and play classical music.
1
After last night's debate, my vote is for Bloomberg. I am sick and tired of Sanders starting every sentence with "let me be clear" and then just going off and repeating the same stuff over and over again. Warren sounded very desperate picking on Bloomberg on everything. Biden wanted to sound and look aggressive but ended up looking frustrated and juvenile at times. As a parent, I am thankful to Mr. Bloomberg for funding Moms Demand Action Against Gun Violence initiative, his initiative on capping sugary drinks. I would rather see a candidate talk less and do more than talk more and do absolutely nothing.
9
@ALN
Consider that he wouldn't have to be saying it so often if people like you would bother to listen for once.
2
Why was Bernie Sanders not asked to clarify what date he first learned that Russia might be tampering with his race (reportedly weeks before the rest of us learned) and why did he not immediately relay that to his base and the rest of us? Results out of the caucuses surprised me.
6
The sheer rudeness, with the aggressive, frequent interrupting during the debate last night, left me, a loyal Democrat, sitting in my home, thinking, “ this is us?”. I hung in, hoping for less turbulence. After 9 PM, I gave up, switched to NBC, and literally watched, “ This Is Us” instead.
8
@Ceil
Me too. Good episode.
2
Last night was more of the same:
Poor moderators
Rude candidates
Insufficient response time
Most important: the Democratic Party looks more pitiful and discombobulated than ever.
All these debates seem to do accomplish is favor the Republican vote for Trump.
6
@Marge Keller No candidate stalked another like Donald did Hillary. Loomed and physically threatened. No one.
3
What a poor show !! Are all candidates going to fully support the eventual primaries winner ? How are they going to convince their own supporters to vote for the winner after having so harshly critiziced all the others competitors ? They have rendered a great service to the Trump campaign , they seemed like a bunch of hungry dogs fighting for the same bone .
5
It’s like watching a bad beauty pageant, “ ... and world peace”.
3
In another article on the front page your editors lament that Sanders change his pitch to be what your editors deem as "more electable". Don't they understand that changing your pitch is a fraud, it's called pandering, and to whom? Sanders voters are voting for his pitch, not some watered down "more electable" version.
10
Couldn't agree more. Sanders is leading because many American voters like his pitch. Maybe the moderates should should take his lead.
Sorry, not sorry if this makes journos who rep the elite uncomfortable.
3
This is the most important election in our lifetime and for future generations. The debate was conducted so unprofessionally by the two moderators. It was just out of control. I don't watch commercial television. This debate reinforced my belief that commerical television is a "vast wasteland". I expected much more from the moderators. There is a desperate need for more professional, experienced moderators, such as those who are credible journalists on PBS. As I watched the debate I had the feeling there should have been a "referee", someone who knows the rules and procedures who could have better controlled this important debate.
12
Had to turn it off after twenty minutes. Everyone shouting over each other, misrepresenting all their opponents' positions, and never allowing anyone the courtesy of finishing their statements. Republicans must be laughing like crazy.
11
The incompetence of the moderators made hard to watch the debate, Steyer should be disqualified for his investment in private prisons, mayor Pete trying new style by bullying and talking over Sanders was really annoying and silly, the desperation of Klobuchar made me edgy, the constant attack on Bloomberg by Warren is getting dumb, uncle Joe make me a little sad , he cannot really struck a sentence without studding ,I guess the adult in the room was Bloomberg, since I am not voting to chose a friend , Bloomberg is looking presidential material.
12
"Mr. Bloomberg, clearly seeking to recover from his lackluster debate performance, offered a series of well-rehearsed lines to try to demonstrate more aptitude for the medium."
Right. Bloomberg was the only candidate onstage with "well-rehearsed lines."
You "journalists" are shameless.
Bernie, tonight as always, could've been represented by a Bernie doll with a pull cord in its back playing his "greatest hits" lines: "Millionaires and billionaires!" "Healthcare is a right!" "We need a grassroots movement!"
Likewise Sen. Warren.
But Mike's the only one who prepped for the debate.
Disgusting.
7
Sanders is a man of integrity. The complete opposite of Pete Buttgieg who has no core values whatsoever...a complete empty suit.
Sanders is absolutely right to point out the disastrous American interventions in South America and Iran.
The debate moderators were a disgrace.
13
@CDP who will beat trump? who has the pathway to 270?
anyone listening to the questrions that actually matter?
1
@adam stoler Sanders is beating Trump in the polls nationally and in MI, PA, WI as well as or better than every other Dem candidate.
As of right now Sanders is the most "electable" according to the polls.
This is like watching rats climbing over each other to escape rising water in a swamp during a heavy rainstorm. As soon as one rat gets near the top, the others pull him back down into the morass. My fear is that none of them will emerge from the swamp and they will all drown, exhausted and diminished by the rising waters of their mutual insults and fighting, while Donald Trump laughs at them from higher, drier ground.
12
@Jack Sonville: Well said. Emigration seems to be the best alternative at this point - I'm voting with my feet.
I can’t - and don’t - watch these so-called debates. From what I read, they’re just shooting and shouting matches. It dismays me greatly that the Democrats are doing the GOP’s work - discrediting and maligning each other. They’re simply handing Trump another term. That’s disgusting. Stop it - all of you are embarrassing yourselves, shredding what remains of our country’s political integrity, and further polarizing the electorate.
8
To me, the word "democratic" is marketing for "lipstick on the pig" in Bernie's case of socialism. Democrats need a reboot.
2
Socialism is the democratization of economics. We are advocating a more democratic society than what can exist within capitalism.
2
your guys can't be serious to think that any of these candidates has a shot at beating Trump in a general election - this whole group was embarrassing - the real winner was Trump by a landslide, which will be the case in November! Get your Canada passports ready!
5
@Tino ....you have no idea how popular Sanders is...I am a 60 year old ny wall streeter...many in my office agree people want change....weve tried the Republican way and it goes nowhere..
3
It was disconcerting to see 7 white candidates discussing racial justice.
2
The big picture, in my daughter's words ,is that it " was a hot mess". No one looked good. Sander's campaign to secure the nomination before the convention hit a road block. Bloomberg recovered and his ads will keep him in. A number of the others have no path to the nomination before or during the convention and should drop out after Saturday. They won't ( Klobuchar, Steyer, Warren). This will end up as a brokered convention and Sanders, if they decide they cannot refuse him, will lose for sure.and keeps adding reasons for his certain defeat because he cannot help it: Defending Castro. Good idea in Cuba, not here. Biden or Pete should reassess after Saturday but won't. A House divided.....
4
Why doesn’t anyone ask Bernie what he is going to do when all his plans fail to make it through Congress? There will have to be major compromises. What goes first? Or what will happen will all the revenue sources needed to pay for these incredibly expensive programs dry up because of the economic cost they will extract from our economy?
9
@Frank ...no one ever asks Republican s how were going to pay for wars or tax cuts..
7
@Frank
Then he compromises. Easy. But he has set his line in the sand. Moderates in the Senate like Klobuchar can work with Warren to figure it out.
It's Bernie and a standing republic or it's Trump, and a continued break down into authoritarianism and disaster. Quit worrying about the small stuff.
2
@joes1960 It is at least part of the discussion. The argument goes something like; 'Economic growth will increase tax revenue.'
So many of Bernie's plans are like Trumps border wall. I hate to call it a con job but that's kind of what it is. He is promising things he cannot delivery. Maybe if he would just pick one.
If Bernie were to get elected he would probably end up like Donald towing the party line on most issues we like all while spouting off about his pie in the sky plans the excite his base. That's fine I guess because I am down with the democratic party, but lets get real about what he can and can't do. Free college, free childcare and housing for all, green new deal, free stuff for everyone, not going to happen. These are not actionable policies.
2
If I'd been running the sound board, I'd have killed everybody's mike but the one who was asked the question.
16
@Julie
Agreed.
Most of the time, it reminds me of a fish bowl at meal time - frenzy on steroids - everyone talking over everyone else.
It is embarrassing, to say the least.
5
Ugh, this was a horrible debate, with everyone talking over each other. The moderators had to assert control. Why wouldn't the microphones get silenced automatically if they're talking too much beyond their allotted time?
4
Why are we not paying attention to the only sane, well spoken, experienced Amy Klobuchar?
Why?
Because other than she and Pete, and ok I guess Biden/Warren the rest of the field? Train wreck!
Reparations? Cuba and China? Anger management? Banning soda? Stop and frisk?
I could easily get behind Klobuchar, Buttigieg and lesser so behind Warren or Biden but I’d still easily vote blue.
However, I would have significant issues pulling lever for Sanders, who is a different version of Trump and let’s not kid ourselves on that. Rabid unreasonable fan base? Check. Populist sugar dreams? Check. Slightly unhinged? Check. Beloved by Putin? Check.
Ask anyone living in a country like Venezuela or Cuba how well their populist communist worked out. Sanders is dangerous.
Ok, maybe not as dangerous. It’s a bit like quitting your heroin habit and replacing it with whiskey but I guess “whiskey” won’t take away your reproductive rights by destroying what’s left of the Supreme Court. I guess “whiskey” won’t destroy democracy as quickly. But “whiskey” will still make us erratic and drunk and potentially help the return of our heroin habit because it will be another four years of crazy at the helm.
Putting it another way, a real life embodiment of all of the Dems worst qualities is not going to thoroughly destroy the Trump movement. Only a real statesman or woman will do that and from where I sit that’s Klobuchar and Buttigieg.
Scary times.
4
@GWE
I beg to differ. Bernie is no drug. He's the recovery. I guess you can consider Warren the 12 Step program, because she has a plan for that.
Demcratic Socialism bears little resemblance to Cuba or Venezuela. Why is it when Bernie talks about Canada, Scandinavia, and much of Europe, you automatically hear the two places that are completely different from what he is saying?
Why can Obama point out Cuba's successes in education system and healthcare, but when Bernie does it you immediately begin to shake and have fever dreams of gulags? Because he went to the USSR in 1988 when they were opening to the world? I'll have you know, Reagan told me this, his appeal was so great, the Soviet Union collapsed not long after his visit, knowing they could never compete with a country that produced such a man.
3
It’s a shame that the DNC opted to eliminate the only adult moderators in tv land: Bret Baier. Martha mccallum and Chris Wallace. They would never have allowed the circuses that have defined every democrat debate so far.
13
@Pvbeachbum It may the only think I agree with the DNC on, NO debates on FOX News. I do think you selected some of the better voices on that station, Bret and Chris.
A true journalist like Judy Woodruff and the League of Women voters should be the moderators. They were so much better before these celebrity "journalists" became the moderators and took over the debates. Like another commenter said, Gayle King would be a nobody if not for her friendship with Oprah. She was terrible. I thought the NBC debate moderators were poor, especially Chuck Todd, but CBS was even worse.
1
It’s Bernie’s race to lose. All he need do is stay the course. The GOP must be howling in laughter at the show. It’s not a debate but a group therapy session with each participant trying to demean the other and show their true feelings. Are these truly the individuals you want to govern this nation?
4
@George
mike is. everyone else doesn';t have their eyes on the 270 prize
period.
1
Bernie had the best debate by far. Everyone came out against him and he stood above them all with clear moral authority without stooping to take cheap shots.
Warren also showed her true colors as super smart, caring, and prepared for the presidency.
The "Moderates" rained down insults that are truly disgusting, the worst of which was Biden's blaming Bernie for the South Carolina church shooting. Shameful! Someone put Sleepy Joe to bed.
Klobuchar and Buttigieg don't want to inspire anyone. We don't know why.... they just don't.
...and the billionaires just keep spending along.
4
Bernie deflected mostly by going into his
stump speech and Biden said he was not saying Sanders was responsible for that shooting though I thought it was quite pandering of him to bring up that particular incident
3
@Splinter
Bernie is the only one in the room with any genuine social or political convictions--the rest are just performers.
2
This comment section can be summed up like this:
The candidate(s) I like did were great. The candidate(s) I don't like were terrible.
Pretty much sums up the fandom in this comment section.
9
Free healthcare for illegals, open borders, a regime of constant identity politics. How does that sell to Americans?
8
I can’t read the comments here anymore. Too many trolls. Paid posters for Bloomberg and aggrieved Bernie Bros who say they speak for “the people.” This place has really gone downhill recently. Trump will win. Smart people will leave. The dumbing down of America will kick into a new and higher gear. Good luck to all of us.
9
Did I hear right that Bloomberg helped fund Lindsey Graham’s Senate campaign?!? How are Dems falling for this guy??
10
The race is between Bernie and Biden. The rest should drop out and stop wasting everyone's time.
The DNC knows they are going to lose but at this point is just deciding which of these dim bulbs will cause the least negative impact to down ballot candidates.
3
One has to ask, why are these supposedly civilized, well educated, upper class people so willing to diminish themselves by acting so horrifically inhuman and uncivilized for the presidency?
6
Pete’s declaration to billionaires: ‘I will raise your taxes’. Thumbs up.
2
Hard to believe they accept a forum like this.
Trump waltzing around the stage, world. Dems pack into an advertisment for CBS News.
Looks lame. Sounds even worse.
2
The Times head line has been changed several times to try to turn a sad performance of Sanders into a victory. It is clear that the editor wants. A war between race and class would tear this country apart but it would sell papers. This is appalling and after 35 years I will be ending my subscription. I want to read a paper that reports the news, not one that manipulates it for commercial advantage.
3
Prepare NOW for a second DJT term, GOP Senate, and GOP House.
Sigh.....the late, once great, United States of America. Thanks, it was awesome.
1
With each debate the tone of the candidates becomes increasingly petty and nasty. The debate stage seems to be turning what I thought were good people into drones that are behaving more like Donald Trump. Behaving like Donald Trump is not the way to beat Donald Trump.
4
When they get finished putting down their own fellows, I'd be interested in what they have to say about the other team.
2
@js I would find a Bloomberg/Klobuchar ticket repulsive. But I’d vote for it. Anything but Trump!
1
I'm very surprised that the NYT debate coverage and fact check didn't touch on Biden's claim that 150 million people (about half the US population) have died of gun violence since 2007. I believe the correct number is closer to half a million based on research from the Giffords law center: https://lawcenter.giffords.org/facts/gun-violence-statistics/#totals
That is an unforgivable gaffe in my opinion! Since the NYT covered Klobuchar's gaffe on the president of Mexico from the last debate (www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/us/politics/amy-klobuchar-debate.amp.html), it seems fair to hold Biden to the same standard and report on this absurdly wrong statement.
5
Sinking ships have nothing to lose by firing all their guns.
5
Bloomberg was excellent.
2
Sanders said that one of the reason Cubans didn’t rise up and help the Americans help overthrow Castro is because of his social welfare programs, like the literacy program that he mentioned specifically. This is an opinion that is not controversial at all among historians and the fact that the other candidates are claiming otherwise feels insincere. This paper given at LASA gives a good summary if anyone is interested in the details. http://lasa.international.pitt.edu/LASA98/Supko.pdf . You don’t have to read the whole paper, the first two paragraphs provide a good summary. It’s just frustrating because you can make anyone seem radical when you take things out of context. The US propped up so many brutal dictators during this same time period, particularly in Latin America, so it's safe to say this hypocrisy is fueled by Cold War propaganda and self-interest. Sanders gave the examples of Chile, Guatemala, and Iran. In each of these countries, the US replaced left-leaning leaders with brutal dictators when resources the US had a major stake in were about to be nationalized. This comes straight out of the textbook I used to teach World History Since 1945 at UNC Chapel Hill.
8
Biden says that “150 million Americans died from guns” in the past few years.
That’s 50% of America.
Who knew 1 of 2 Americans were killed by guns?
6
So Pete, Bernie and Liz get booed, but NOT Bloomberg? Sounds fishy to me.
7
@Dogwood
sounds real to me. I'm voting for a guy i don;t personally like, because he's calm rational and an antoidote to the craziness. with a record of getting things done.
is he perfect?
are you?
2
Bernie, Warren, Amy, Pete, Biden, Steyer are not perfect. Each has flaws. I’d vote for any of them at the end of the day.
Bloomberg’s authoritarianism is an integral part of him. I am not going to vote for some who thinks it’s ok to violate people’s civil rights. Who would like to change the constitution to enable a police surveillance state. There are actually times when I think that incompetent tweeting authoritarianism is preferable to coldly competent authoritarianism. Then I remember the Supreme Court.
Still if I’m having this much trouble contemplating a vote for Bloomberg there is no doubt in my mind that he will suppress voter turnout and necessary enthusiasm for the Democratic candidate, leading to a Trump victory.
The amount of people saying Bloomberg did well is concerning. The fact is he shows absolutely no leadership. He was one of the worst mayors that NYC saw. This guy’s approach to winning the election degrades and damages our democracy. Who would support such an oligarch knowing all this? What a shame.
4
Biden just seems more presidential. I mean he's got the experience, the education and the drive. He can read and write. He doesn't dominate the twittershpere. I like Joe...and so will the country. Sure it won't be as dramatic as Bernie ( who I also like) but I've had enough of Donald's Rocky Horror Picture Show...and we need a break. Catch our breath, mend fences, shore up programs....get back to the basics like truth, honor, the law ...stuff like that.
3
He may be able to read and write but he cannot seem to speak intelligently or get his facts correct. Perhaps if given a set reasonable time to respond he would do better
2
I suppose another entertaining development in Bloomberg’s race to the bottom is that through proxies he’s now disparaging debates themselves.
Of course, this is because in addition to performing so abysmally in them, he desperately needs to avoid scrutiny of any sort!
He wants no one looking at his record, no one looking beneath the NDAs, no one examining his full tax returns…
…and especially no one thinking about how he’s a Republican multi-billionaire leveraging fear of Trump to get Democrats to stand down this fall and let Bloomberg potentially slither into office instead.
So he runs late, for a year avoids the tough scrutiny presidential candidates receive, puts his bread into commercial circuses, swats down any examination of his record by claiming scrutinizing him only aids (his friend) Trump…
…and now, since debates tend to bring up Bloomberg’s record of supporting racist policing and misogynistic workplaces and Islamophobic surveillance and financing turning Congress Republican during Obama’s first term and his own inability to articulate much besides arrogant plutocratic hauteur…
…he’s got his stand-ins working overtime telling everyone it’s okay to discount debates!
Pathetic.
7
" ... they continued to batter Michael R. Bloomberg for his extreme wealth, his record on policing and his behavior toward women."
Yes, of course this is in the lead paragraph and featured prominently on the front page.
We know your Editorial Board endorsed Warren and Klobuchar, but couldn't you be a little less obvious about your determination to keep Bloomberg out of the White House?
I do wish Mike had responded more effectively to Warren's memorized talking point about his Republican Party membership (which New Yorkers know was an expedient to get on the ballot and was already over when he ran for his third term as an Independent).
He should have said something like this:
"I was a Democrat until 2001 and I'm a registered Democrat now whose support for Democrats in 2018 was instrumental in flipping the House. You, Sen. Warren, were a registered Republican until 1996 at least. Did you vote for Ronald Reagan or George Bush? [and then he should've waited for her answer] And Bernie has never registered as a Democrat in his entire life. Why aren't you concerned about that?"
1
I would rather be under attack for being the front runner than for being a billionaire (of course, I would rather be a billionaire!).
The two best arguments for Sanders's and Warren's wealth tax are Bloomberg and Steyer, both of whom are trying to buy the nomination...Bloomberg through a massive investment in the mechanics of campaigning and Steyer through more direct cash payments that border on bribery in my opinion.
5
As an American citizen, taxpayer, and
voter, I need 2 questions answered that would decide my vote this November:
1—Why is Trump desperately campaigning that he should face Bernie in the final ballot?
2—Why, of all the Democratic candidates still standing, Trump is fearful of only one person, Bloomberg?
2
There is no need to describe U.S. intervention in Chile and Iran as merely having been characterized by Sanders as "malign." The public record shows that such intervention -- in particular, the CIA's gross complicity in the 1973 overthrow of the democratically elected Salvador Allende in Chile -- was indeed malign.
6
If you want to experience a debate one should read the transcripts of the Lincoln Douglas debates. I skipped last night’s so-called debate in favor of a different form of entertainment. I read a book.
3
Very obvious the network was staging this debate as entertainment with the dramatic loud music soundtrack introduction. Downhill from there. One moderator could handle it better than a clutch of disunited competitors. CBS must redeem itself by giving each candidate 20 minutes w/o commercial break for an interview of self presentation. Attacking each other on stage for battle theater imparted no new info. Nothing new was said or shouted. A hair-pulling distasteful schoolyard fight. Undermined dignity of the process and Democratic party.
7
For the most part, the moderators had no control over the debate. I felt some of the questions were meant to embarrass and not inform.
11
Clearly, the moderators were awful and primarily responsible for the chaotic free-for-all that occurred last night. They did not explain the "rules" before the debate began. Their questions were pointedly designed to foment argument among the candidates.
On the other hand, the shouting, constant interruptions, and talking over each other was infuriating. Notably, it was mainly the men on the stage that did so. Mayor Pete, in particular, was the least courteous voice and talked over others on numerous occasions. He lost my vote last night.
There was no clear "winner" because of the lack of respect and civility. Bloomberg once again displayed his bombastic dismissive self. Sanders repeated his main talking points over and over again and in many instances did not clearly respond to the questions. Biden pointedly fell back on his popularity among the African-American community, but offered no vision for the future. Steyer and Klobuchar added nothing to what they have repeated in past debates. Warren again seemed the best prepared and most articulate, and did not interrupt others who were speaking even when she herself was being interrupted.
Although my mind was almost made up before the debacle of a debate last night, the tone and tenor of the candidates made it clear that our country needs someone who has the intellect, integrity, and decorum that befits the leader of our country. Warren proved that she possesses all of those qualities last night.
3
The answer to Mayor Pete's question as to why single payer countries haven't eliminated private insurance is because they don't cover everything. They've taken Medicare, which covers about 80%, and left the rest to private insurers.
If Bernie eliminates private insurance then the gov will have to cover everything. Including cosmetic, elective, dental, vision... everything. Which is ridiculous.
If Sanders hasn't thought it thru that far, then it's more of a dream than realistic thinking.
4
That is what Bernie means when he is talking about M4all and it is his main argument as to why it will save money though cosmetic surgery will not be covered as it isn’t covered by insurance anyway
This is the bet Sanders supporters must ask themselves they are willing to make: Am I willing to risk a second term of Donald Trump, a return to a full Republican Congress, and two more conservative seats on the Supreme Court for a candidate who would not even be able to get any of his stated agenda passed anyway and who has not yet told us the price tag and who has defended Castro, Socialism (knowing how Americans react to that, whether rightly or wrongly), and who has a wicked record defending even concealed gun carry? I would NOT take that bet. Might as well risk your life savings to that Nigerian prince who is promising you a million dollars if you will just give him an initial up front amount of your entire savings account.
2
The candidates' hyperbolic frothing about the possibility of a Sanders nomination only shows their willingness to throw their Democratic constituents under the bus and hand the presidency back to Trump in order to say--with ego fully inflated--"I told you so." Shame on them. Buttigieg, Biden and Bloomberg in particular handed Republicans sound bites with their disingenuous, half-truth criticisms. It is a fact that Castro raised literacy rates and expanded health care for the citizens of Cuba. That doesn't make Castro a god or a good leader--but there was a reason for the revolution and it had a lot to do with the uber-wealthy in Cuba and the wealthy from the US exploiting the poor. A little intellectual honesty from the supposed "smart guys" would be nice. We are all in this together.
7
The design of the debate continues to be flawed. THe candidates have limited time to answer and the questions often seem petty (although much better than the Nevada debate). Here's my impression:
Warren - she came across as petty, despite being intelligent and so I wonder, will she endorse Bernie despite him calling her a liar?
Pete - smart, intelligent, and way to young and inexperienced.
Biden - cool, funny, I see why swing voters will definitely flock to him.
Steyer - why is he still there???
Amy -she is strong, intelligent, but can't win. Maybe VP or AG?
Bloomberg -he did exactly what he needed to do. Appear reasonable and experienced. This debate will help him.
Sanders - his plans don't work and he keeps citing ONE - really, just one, plan that many economists have attacked.
I pray that the people of SC will vote for Biden so we have a chance of nominating someone (almost anyone) that isn't Sanders.
2
Neither Warren nor Sanders have policies that would raise an eyebrow in many countries - particularly in Europe. The US is still a young and unstable democracy with a fear of European style ‘socialism’. The sad reality is that Europe is gradually moving towards the US model of selfishness rather than the US moving towards caring social awareness.
The US has often been thought of as anti-civilisation (except for their own narrow definition of what civilisation means). Electing Trump is a reflection of the US. It gives a whole new meaning to “this land is your land”. Your land is Trumpland.
6
@E Disease is the same in America and Europe. American companies make money out of European disease using cash from the US government.
Anybody else reminded of a reality show with all these candidates and debates? “Down to the last contestant” mentality. We already have a reality star in the White House, this season we will have the showdown! What’s at stake? Oh.. just, all your liberties and our political system.
2
"Messy" is putting it charitably. This debate was one of the top five worst managed in modern memory, and that's saying something. The candidates are partly responsible for the mess, to be sure. But so is CBS, for pairing Nora O'Donnell, a legitimate journalist with Gayle King, a celebrity gossip, and setting an unprofessional tone from get go. Everyone lost out last night in bargain. Downright embarrassing for a democracy.
5
@Blue Heron
Gayle King is a bright, seasoned journalist also, and her vitae and her continuing excellence on air is proof. Angry at her about something else?
2
@HotGumption I'm sure King is a bright, nice woman but she's no legitimate journalist, not by long shot. And if you watched The View on ABC this morning,the ladies around the table said pretty much same thing.
1
The clear winner was Bernie Sanders.
The no nonsense response to every question, in spite of the efforts of Buttigieg, Biden, and Klobuchar to be loud, disrespectful, and talk over him, was exemplary.
And that simple word, "exemplary", says it all about Bernie Sanders, everyone on that stage wishes they could have even a smidgen of the depth of character and genuineness that literally are his aura.
When I say, as I have repeatedly said, dozens of times in comments in this newspaper, "Bernie Sanders is our modern-day FDR, the true blue gentleman from Vermont by way of Brooklyn, unapologetic, ready, willing, and able to lead our Democratic Republic, which Trump and his Republican partners have tried to destroy, into a bright new sustainable future, a future where our nation works for all of the people all of the time, it is a truth that is crystal clear to all, especially so for the too long ignored and disenfranchised poor and middle-class.
Tonight Bernie Sanders again got his message across, and The People heard him, and will react by winning him South Carolina on Saturday, and delivering a resounding win one week from today, on Super Tuesday.
4
I just don't believe Sanders can win the general election. His base is obviously hardcore, but the majority of people in this country don't want someone in the office yelling at them all the time. All the other candidates seem pretty weak but in the end I think Bloomberg would be the best positioned to eliminate trump, which is the top priority as far as I'm concerned. He'd probably be a competent president as well.
1
I thought the form of this debate was awful. We can't expect good responses about ideas in only 1.25 minutes. And, some of the questions were just ludicrous. They asked Bloomberg about a nationwide soda tax. Do they not understand that the federal government has no role in implementing a soda tax which is essentially a local sales tax? I'm glad he called them out on it. And what normal person has a "personal motto."
3
The democratic leadership should be ashamed for implementing this series of debates which are designed to provoke on screen fights aimed at increasing ratings for the benefit of the networks and their advertisers. On the NY Times page I turned off the repulsive debate on the left and read the commentary on the right. While I will vote for the democratic nominee, any contributions I make will be for individuals and not the party. I wish the democrats would stop wasting paper with their endless solicitation of contributions and spend more time figuring out how to run a civil and engaging primary campaign.
2
Here is the funniest thing…
If Bernie is the nominee, the Democrats themselves will have perfectly set him up for failure.
By inflaming Russian hysteria for the past three years, Democrats have pre-conditioned Americans to believe that any contact with Russia is nefarious.
And then along comes their own candidate, who honeymooned in the USSR and lavished it with praise.
The commercials will write themselves.
4
I'm infuriated that there are now 2, two, TWO billionaires who are late and think their money buys them in.
To you all there, wanna say something that will make you stand out from Trump? Tell us what to do about the coronavirus to prepare. Even the Times hasn't said anything but to build worry but not what to do. The only CDC advice I found was for doctors and hospitals.
To have current, accurate advice on how to prepare would make Trump look like Bush when the 9/11 towers were hit and like the candidate look like Obama whose campaign response to the Great Recession swept him into the White House.
This is going to be bad for most Americans who are challenged getting access to health care given the barriers even with private insurance to affordable, predictable care courtesy of Trump and friends.
3
The CBS Network moderators had zero control of the candidates, letting this become a free for all of total ineptness by everyone on the stage. I've seen more decorum in the corner bar where fellow inebriates argue over a ball game.
This was a perfect example of the media being a part of our sad and uncivil American political system, all in Prime Time for all the world to see.
4
Is this the way we run a country? Since we have decided the way to pick a candidate is to rotate the game show moderators network to network why not just give this a to a game show professional? Alex Trebek would do a better job at this. Last one to give the right question gets the nomination, game over.
2
The debate format, while entertaining, is ineffective. It felt like a brawl would break out at any moment, a reality tv style shouting match, surprised someone didn't flip their podium, and challenge the others to a wrastle.
Too much is at stake, we need to get serious. This debate was unprofessional, the only one showing maturity and restraint was Biden, but in this format it makes him look weak.
PBS should run the debates, commercial free, with stronger moderators. Each candidate should have 3 minutes to answer each question, round robin, and if you interrupt or talk too long you lose your next turn. You know, kind of like in gradeschool. We need a very stern school marm in charge who isn't worried about her makeup or seeming too harsh. Democrats need to get more serious and not more aggressive. This is about saving Democracy, not about saving any given candidacy. A more serious, strict debate format could help facilitate a more serious, civil debate.
1
Quite a few should stop wasting money and drop out. Biden looks like he should retire as he keeps losing his train of thought. Yelling only highlights his frequent brain fades. Buttigieg is going nowhere. Its incredible he has so much Wall St support--they need to travel outside NYC and see the Christian middle of the country. America is not ready to put a gay couple in the White House in 2020, so its a waste of money. Warren is an effective attack dog on Bloomberg, but her race was over after Nevada. Amy could be a vice president.
It will probably be Sanders vs Bloomberg in the end with a nasty backroom fight in the convention that will damage the DNC brand further. Bloomberg, a Republican pretending to be a Democrat, looks a bit like a short man syndrome tyrant, -- defending the dictator of China!!! - he must be making money there. He is not used to being questioned by ordinary people, but holds his tongue in public with difficulty. Warren may find her donations for being re elected cut next time if Bloomberg has anything to do with it. Sanders is stuck in a 1960s rut but delivers his message the best and has a presence on the stage. I am amazed he defends Cuba, the CCP and other dictatorships for any reason. He is wrong to do that. Trump will probably win be default as none of the Democrats look like an inspiring American President.
3
The night was a mess! The moderators failed in their job. But it certainly was funny.
3
...as Trump just smoothly and giddily transitions into his second term.
Not an ounce of dignity in the joint--all of the nominal "liberals" and "democrats" are just clowning themselves at this point.
Love,
The True Left
1
Messy again, not as bad as last one on NBC...
Democrats not doing themselves any favors , they need stronger debate rules
No interruptions
No hand raising
Strict time limits
All with time to speak losing penalties
With moderators in firm control
1
We are electing someone to be President, to lead the country. Not a debate champion. In my view the two best candidates remain Bloomberg and Any K. And I am sure I missed it but I do not recall a question about climate change. Maybe they asked it when I was walking the dog. Good it’s really not that important an issue since it appears to be not an important topic in any debate. And Democrats wonder why republicans think the issue is not true. If you are not willing to discuss it it really can’t be that important an issue.
2
Senators think they can be president. Heck, Obama was a wicked smart guy, who communicated well and was a decent fellow, but had no public elective executive experience.
Mayor Pete has elective executive experience AND the other Obama stuff. PLUS Mayor Pete volunteered to go first to defend his country; none of the others did.
I don’t give much weight to a bunch of senators. They are not executive leaders. Even the former NYC mayor would be better than Trump, not an aspirational criterion. And those guys didn’t lay a glove in Mayor Mike by talking about decades old stuff.
Heck, one senator sounds like a talk show host who says, “you get a car, and you get a car...” The difference is the talk show host can write the check. The senator can only force me to write my check.
The boomers and Pre-boomers need to man-up, get out of the way and support the future.
3
Terribly bad debate. The sub par moderators only made it worse.
Why was Gayle King there? No doubt a lovely person, but she is a morning person with morning chat show questions. She is not an evening person. She needs to go on another road trip with her friend.
14
Charleston and the South Carolina coast flooded a record 89 times last year.
https://www.postandcourier.com/news/charleston-and-the-south-carolina-coast-flooded-record-times-in/article_7c18ee5e-2e3b-11ea-8784-23ddbc8d4e0c.html
And not a single question about climate change. Disgraceful.
19
You know you’re misguiding people with this, because he vehemently commented that he opposes all authoritarian regimes. And said nothing about denouncing American foreign policy. Stop being toxic NY Times.
“In one striking exchange, Mr. Sanders addressed his record of praising some accomplishments of the Castro government in Cuba by intensifying his denunciations of past American foreign policy, invoking what he called malign intervention in countries like Chile and Iran.
8
Biden's breathtaking promise that he would appoint a black woman to the Supreme Court was blatant pandering and even worse policy than basing such an appointment on a litmus test issue like abortion. We do not need affirmative action on the Supreme Court. It's just another example of how Biden is tied to the formulas and solutions of the past.
10
I didn't know suicide was a team sport. But it was certainly exhibited tonight on CBS. This ill-mannered, amateurish gang from my party committed it. And I'm sure our demented President loved every contentious minute.
9
What a wonderful collection of second-rate demagogues promising to anyone who'll listen that they'll "do something about guns".
Here's the truth - and you may not like reading it: there is nothing a president can do about gun rights in this country. Obama may have demagogued his way into convincing some of you that he did something about it. He didn't, because he couldn't.
For starters, there's the Second Amendment. To boot, there's District of Columbia v. Heller (2008):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_v._Heller
So: any honest politician would tell you that there's two, and only two, ways of curtailing gun violence in the US:
- Either SCOTUS reverts itself and rescinds District of Columbia v. Heller, or
- The Second Amendment is removed from the US Constitution.
Neither of these options have the slightest chance of becoming reality anytime soon.
Barring that, any other story about "doing something about guns" is just hot air designed to fool the gullible into giving their vote to an unwinnable cause peddled by a demagogue.
But, hey, keep blaming Bernie for being honest and not demagoguing himself into promising something he knows he cannot possibly deliver.
2
The Japanese Kamikaze pilots of World War II and the Japanese soldiers who camped out on deserted islands after the war was over were heroic zealots who were devoted to the Emperor, but what in the end did that get them?
Beating Trump in November is the only way left to save the country.
Vote Any Democrat except Bernie.
3
@A. Stanton
Beating Trump is the only way left to save the country.
Vote any Democrat...except the one clear Front runner in the race with the most diverse coalition, the only one filling arenas and who polls far and away above the other candidates whether Nationally, in CA, TX, the three swing states MI, WI, and PA and most other states....and in head to head match ups against Trump.
Yup. Just not that guy.
2
I thought I was watching a rerun of the Jerry Springer show when I first turned on the TV. They all seemed to simmer down a bit after the first commercial break. Did Gayle remind them to try to act remotely presidential? Oh wait, maybe they were given the current office holder.
1
The Dems can't even get a scrum right at this point.
There is something really wrong with this process.
3
Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, conservative media is touting Trumps accomplishments like the greatest economy ever, a big beautiful wall, and his flushing away the liberal deep state that is forcing us into gay marriages, and paying for medical care for anchor babies who will eventually take your job.
3
Who cares about the country that can’t even guarantee free healthcare to its citizens.
5
Bloomberg is the only one who doesn’t seem desperate. That’s very appealing.
6
Um, have you seen how much money he has? How much he is putting into this election? Look it up. He thinks he can buy the election. That’s why he isn’t stressed. Likely he has bought anything he has wanted in life. Our democracy is for sale. Not appealing.
4
Not one question on climate change was asked.
13
The American democracy died last night.
It won't be official, of course, until Election Day in November, but on the very same day that this newspaper carries stories about Tyrant Trump finalizing his takeover of our government by attacking the Supreme Court and Thomas Friedman offering his brilliant essay on the need to for Democrats to coalesce in their resistant to him, what did we get?
Two hours of petty bickering, shouting and name calling that served only to diminish each and every candidate offering themselves as an alternative to our king.
5
The Odd Crowd
One of the biggest questions about tonight’s Democratic debate in South Carolina is just who is in the audience. Viewers are commenting on Twitter about the applause that Mike Bloomberg is getting, for example, in comparison to other candidates. It turns out that the audience members paid a lot of money to watch the debate tonight.
The Charleston County Democratic Party’s website once noted that guaranteed tickets were only available to sponsors of the debate, Live 5 News reported. Sponsorship, guaranteeing seating at some “First in the South” events, cost 1,750 to $3,200.
https://heavy.com/news/2020/02/debate-audience-crowd-south-carolina/
10
The first half was as bad as an episode of the Apprentice. I actually hate all of these people now with the exception perhaps Biden.
Klobuchar, Buttegieg and Warren came of as obnoxious and vicious, while Steyer’s screechy defensiveness looked a bit unhinged.
Its as if the rea were trying to prove that they could out-Trump Trump. When in truth, no one can out-Trump Trump.
3
I think it's healthy to have debates. Let them "get ugly" and have the candidates "devour themselves". Who cares? We will get to a nominee and rally around that person.
What's the other side doing? Oh yeah...playing with fidget spinners. We will always fight the good fight against the lawlessness and wannabe kings.
We got this.
2
Elizabeth Warren was a continuing disgrace. Her attacks on Bloomberg, while avoiding Sanders, suggests that she has probably been promised the Vice Presidential slot if Bernie Sanders.
Her continuous attempts to portray Bloomberg as a racist and misogynist tells us how low she is willing to go. We all know that she is not immune to using minorities to move ahead, as evidenced by her claims of being an American Indian until she was called out. And you know what? 1/10,000 American Indian doesn't count. Bloomberg should have mentioned that.
If it's a Sanders-Warren ticket, I think Trump will win re-election.
8
Oooohhhh for the days of our beloved Jim Lehrer! Now he was a man who understood debates! He was a class act. He was a gentleman whose very presence commanded respect. His questions were well informed and reasoned. He never tolerated nonsense because he was so self assured. We love you Jim and we’ll never forget you.
18
I’m glad to see Warren finally attacking hard. I think she should go full speed at every single one of her opponents, Trump or democrat.
It’s not stooping to Trump’s level when you’re intelligent, experienced, you’re not narcissistic, not racist, and not misogynistic.
It’s an emotional election for everyone, don’t back away from that now. Be thoughtful and precise, but attack. It’s what people want right now.
4
The takeaways from yet ANOTHER Democratic gift to the Republican Party were? 1) Bloomberg has the best ads ever but is invisible on the debate stage, and that's the kindest thing I can say about his performances. 2) Warren has plans plans and more PLANS. I now know that she has MORE plans in the works. Even if some of her plans made sense, the message might be OK but I really have a visceral dislike for the messenger. 3) Yes, Joe, you worked for 8 years with President Obama. You're a nice guy but the fact that you continue to look more dead than alive just isn't gonna get you behind the desk in the Oval Office. As with most people, I like you but your time has passed. 4) Klobuchar keeps saying she "gets things done". Yes, Amy, you've gotten some things done but then again you're PAID to get things done. You might be sensible but you don't exude the aura of a leader, you exude the aura of a "boss" and it's quite a different thing. 5) Buttigieg is smart and eloquent and sensible which means he'll continue to be underappreciated by the general American population. 6) Steyer....WHO? 7) Sanders confirmed beyond doubt that he is NOT someone to bring people together, will alienate as many if not more than he inspires and it is my belief that he has zero chance of beating Trump in November. He doesn't understand the word "compromise" at all and, sorry Bros, ya can't win as a Democrat without compromising. Wait, he's not a Democrat anyway, right? Tonight’s winner? Trump
3
@ManhattanWilliam
Come on, now. He has compromised his entire career to help a Democratic party that has drifted further into the arms of corporations, Wall Street, and media elites.
It's past time they come to meet their party's front runner at the negotiating table, in good faith.
As a show of goodwill I'm certain he will reintroduce them to us, the American people. Then we break bread and talks can begin in earnest.
1
The NYTs doesn't like Sanders. He is most assuredly is not a corporatist neo con. He's winning the Democratic nomination without caring a whit about the NYTs opinion. Besides the constant harping about his socialism and comments about Castro raising literacy in Cuba. The hammer drops all around banging the drum Sanders is a communist, the Russians are interfering in his campaign etc. etc. Sanders has struck a chord with his grass roots mov't. that despite the criticisms is growing. He brings the hope of democracy working to improve the lives of middle class and poor Americans. Trump is the opposite, a plutocracy that works to thwart democracy. Using demagogic white nationalist bigotry as a screen to hide his greed and corruption. Trump surprised the electorate last time taking advantage of Clinton's top down low energy campaign. Trump won on a fluke that managed to get him narrow victories in WI, MI, and PA. which allowed him to claim the electoral college despite losing the national popular vote by 2.8 million. Sanders' campaign is organized and mobilizing effectively. He will not be caught flat footed like Clinton.
7
I hate to ask this question so late (this morning). Could someone please explain why additional moderators were added after the debate was started? I felt for Norah O'Donnell and Gayle King. The fact that the candidates spoke over one another to get time and their ideas across made them seem like "contestants ." When the additional moderators were added; Margaret Brennan, Major Garrett, and Bill Whitaker, the timing made it seem as though CBS had to send additional moderating fire power onto the debate stage to regain control. I realize the larger moderating group was announced yesterday morning, however, the timing was odd.
2
Sanders showed himself for the non-Democrat far left socialist ideologue he is at heart. Cannot take being booed, his way is the right way no matter what. A narcissistic grandpa yelling at kids to get off his lawn. His record on guns is horrible and he is as in love with totalitarian regimes that have borrowed the socialist label. Reminds me so much of Donald Trump in attitude and approach it is sickening.
Biden has his best debate but looked old and flummoxed. Warren on the attack did not play as well this time around. Pete and Amy were blah as usual. Bloomberg was much better but not great.
An incredible mess indeed. Bloomberg at least answered the questions that were asked instead of going off on some bloviated unrealistic not even related political side track.
Moderators were horrible. Did not enforce the rules all night and Biden and Bloomberg were the only candidates that bothered to follow them, be adults, and not yell and scream and raise their hand and waive it like kindergarteners.
If it’s a choice between Bernie and Trump we all lose no matter who “wins”. And electability is a problem for Bernie - Fidel comments mean no FL and fracking ban means no PA. Without those two states he’s not winning the electoral college against Trump.
3
@Tex Murphy
Man, you're hate is really strong. Who were all those people cheering Bloomberg and booing Bernie btw? The people who could afford $3000 seats. Who might those people be.
I want a president that will speak truth to power. I don't want a party that boos their front runner for telling the truth. The onus is on them to self reflect here, not Bernie.
3
Seven grownups in a Second Graders' Food Fight.
Go see a high school debate team to know what a "debate"
is actually supposed to look like.
1
Bernie is such a bad choice for our country and Russia knows it. He is as polarizing as Trump. Seriously, he is to the left as what Trump is to the right. His fair weather party affiliation is not only annoying but really shows that he is ready to change sides when it benefits him with his hand opened for handouts. He’s an opportunist and is giving people false hope with his empty promises. He’s going to cause a lot of gridlock if elected and democrats can kiss the house and senate goodbye for a long time after after this “democrat” takes office. I’m so over him, his finger wagging, dismissiveness and smugness. He’s not the smartest guy in the room and he knows it!
3
@Jane Larkiss
Jane why have Mark Kelly and Susan Collin's opponent opened leads in their Senate races even as Bernie surges, if he is so dire. And we'll get Colorado too, Bernie is solid there. That's three.
He's not polarizing in anyway like Trump. He's worked and compromised with a Democratic party that was drifting farther to the right for decades until Obama came along. He was against the Iraq war before Obama was out of Chicago. He worked with McCain on massive VA bill, which is partly why he has more military donors than Trump, Biden, and Buttigieg combined.
If YOU are so concerned about the House races then donate to the most vulnerable and volunteer your time. Hold the line. Move forward. Or just make up stuff and complain on the internet. Up to you.
1
No matter who the nominee is Republicans will say they are a Socialist or Communist with far left ideas to destroy all that is good about their (Republican ) version of the country
So utterly discouraging. Not just that the Dems lack a really good candidate, they have half a dozen deeply flawed ones that spend all their time bitterly sniping at each other. Trump doesnt actually have to do anything to beat them. It's a death wish.
1
Well Bernie is the sanest of the bunch and his policies are considered "moderate" over the pond. He is a 'people" person and I can understand his thoughts about Castro' policies which helped the poor and uneducated although he should think more wisely when voicing such things as this mob of losers will try anything to smear him. He is the shining Knight amongs't the crows.
7
Biden biggest problem is his son Hunter and for that he cannot possibly win.
All this piling onto the concept Sanders can't win because of his policies on universal health care can't work, all I can say has it been tried here yet? The answer is that it has never been tried so do they know it won't.
Same true to Elizabeth Warren's position on healthcare is the same.
4
Remember the movie "Enemy of the State"? with Will Smith and Gene Hackman. There was a scene at the end where the corrupt government folks and mobsters get into a shootout and kill each other. Will Smith crawls out from under a stainless steel table, unscathed. That's my take on the debate. Everyone took everyone down a peg or two and Sanders crawled out from under the table.
The Democrats have their work cut out for them figuring out how to derail his ascendancy. Should be entertaining.
5
@Kurfco,
Bernie never answered the question as to the mathematics of how he will fund his socialist programs. He also insulted the audience—every one of them, a voter. Looks like Bernie crawled out. To his own grave.
1
@Opinioned!
You are under the mistaken impression that Bernie's fervent supporters care whether he told them how he would pay for his programs.
1
We know everything we need to know. It’s time to have the election—and I’m talking about the Presidential election.
Anyone or anything but Trump.
9
Microphones should be disabled for those who are not called on to speak.
17
Watching Fox News after the last debate at a conservative friend's house, they said something that has stuck in my head. The Democratic debates are like a circular firing squad. I truly hope for our nation that the Fox news anchors were wrong...
5
@Catwhisperer,
Very, very rarely, Fox gets it right.
Calling the debate a circular firing squad is correct — as correct as when Fox showed a photo of Tucker Carlson right in his show with the chyron, “This is the face of racism.”
So disappointing to see Elizabeth Warren waste precious minutes continuing to what became beating a dead horse on the issue of NDAs and the treatment of women with respect to Bloomberg. Wouldn’t we be better served if Warren had taken on Trump for his delusions regarding Coronavirus, the denial of science and cutting the budget for the CDC and dealt with the number #1 issue in the world.
9
I was put off by that also. She did go after Sanders electability and the difference between them
1
".. And the debate underscored vulnerabilities that are likely to shadow him for as long as the race lasts, and perhaps into a general election against President Trump. "
Yes and Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns know this because??
2
This was probably one of the worst debates I've ever tried to watch. The moderator's didn't moderate and the candidates were as rude and uncivil as the person they're trying to replace. You had the so called front-runner, waving his arms erratically like a school boy, saying pick me, pick me and then interrupting everyone else when they tried to say something. I kept thinking, is this whom I want to be my President and represent me with foreign leaders? And how would he ever get Congress to pass any of his socialistic programs? By waving his arms and jumping up and down??? I didn't even know Amy K. was there as no one called on her. Of the little I watched, Mayor Pete and VP Joe seemed the most Presidential. After 20 minutes of watching this dysfunction, I turned the Debate off.
10
Well you missed most of the other candidates do the same thing especially Klobucher It really was chaos and the moderators lost control of the narrative early
I stopped watching after an hour because it was beginning to sound like a broken record
1
@Sandy
Good, it wasn't worth watching. But yours is just one more attack against Bernie that lacks no merit. The man was attacked repeatedly from every other candidate, and sometimes for the audacity of telling the truth. In no sane world does it makes sense that anyone should have to pair down complex questions into 60 second soundbite answers. But you know what, Bernie tried to do so, and your "Presidential" Pete among others kept interrupting, Pete spoke over Bernie the entire time he was trying to explain himself. He acted like a little brat.
3
Bloomberg was fine...he's just stiff. Biden was just loud. Warren was way off and I found her attack on Bloomberg ("kill it") disgusting. Accusing Bloomberg of telling an employee to have an abortion ---she is so desperate. Steyer? Why is he even around? Pete is a sound bite. Bernie stood his ground. Amy tried but her voice always comes across as frustrated. Only Biden and perhaps Pete have a grasp on foreign policy.
So glad real topics were discussed tonight...enough with immigration and pandering to illegals. It would be nice if the topic of age discrimination and the fact that Americans over 45 are not finding jobs in this economy would be discussed. It is more important than permitting illegals into the country. If the Democrats want to reach Americans who have been left out, they need to start focusing on the Americans who have been left out.
Bloomberg/Booker ticket will beat Trump.
6
An alien who had just landed on earth and had watched this debate without knowing what this was all about would never ever believe that all these debaters are politicians of one party just competing who should be allowed to challenge the leader of the opponent political party.
He would take them for hostile leaders of different also hostile political parties in an "everyone against everyone" battle against political enemies just to conquer the highest office already.
Maybe this alien will hurriedly fly home in a scramble after realizing what this event was scheduled for by such strange earthlings...
4
Moderators were terrible. The so called “moderates” need to come to grips that people don’t find Bernie radical. Since obviously he has got more votes than any of the rest.
13
He has like forty five percent of the votes. His competitors, combined, have more but we can still way Sanders is wildly popular.
Overall he has support from about twenty percent of the electorate. Landslide!
In what world does Warren think her pedantic, hectoring-school marm, in-your-face style work?! All but the NYC mayor seemed to think there's some redeeming value in spewing out an endless, stream of consciousness, word salad. Sanders and Bloomberg appeared to be the only ones with sufficient gravitas to handle Trump. Warren promises everything except to make your clothes whiter on wash day and Biden seems to believe a promise of a black woman supreme court judge is somehow relevant. With an hour left I got my wife to surrender and watch an episode of The Wire on Netflix. Watching the "debate" was like rubbernecking a car crash on the Kennedy Expressway. Beyond sad...
8
political dialogue devolves in to a gameshow verbal wrestling match.
Do we want the best cheap shot debater as our next President?
Or, do we want the most competent, clear thinking, ethical candidate with a history of successful accomplishment? Bloomberg is dry, uninspiring. Yet, a very clear candidate in his policies, his track record and his balanced approach.
Down with clowns. Up with successful track record.
6
Norah O’Donnell is a lightweight and that was demonstrated by her incompetence in moderating.
These people earn millions a year, occupy the anchor chair that Walter Cronkite held and moderate an important debate like children egging on other children to fight on the school playground.
Wearing all white is not enough, Norah.
Pathetic, but a sign of our times.
17
The debates have turned from promoting one’s own proposals to advance oneself, to trying to tear down the competition in an effort to lift oneself. Warren was particularly guilty here. It’s a strategy that always fails. There was not one presidential candidate on the stage last night.
4
This debate came across more as a free for all, and unfortunately they turned their guns more on each other rather than Trump and the corrupt actions by his administration. I'm also tired of the same debate questions being asked over and over again. Enough on healthcare! What about more on surveillance technology being used in unregulated fashion to mine our data – even biologic data- without honest consent. What about the use of unregulated facial recognition technology being implemented on university campuses to track students or even at a Lowes's self-checkout. This stuff is affecting a person's quality of life: what grant or job they can get, how much their insurance costs, how credit agencies rate them. Amazon has opened the first full self-checkout grocery with no human contact in Seattle. The richest man in the world working overtime to eliminate jobs for human beings in favor of AI technology. What about questions like that that relate to wealth inequality? What about more on affordable housing? And more on the corruption spewing out of Washington! Trump feels so unleashed he is directly assaulting a federal judge on twitter (Berman Jackson); intimidating a jurist for doing her civic duty placing her life at risk. He's taken to bullying female Supreme Court Justices who dare to question troubling patterns of bias by their conservative colleagues. How about questions pertaining to all of that?
5
What pleased me more than anything was a CNN post-debate interview with 12 locals who argued strongly in favour of their preferred candidates. When asked how they would vote if their candidate lost, they all voiced full support for the eventual nominee, no matter who he/she was. This show of unison was encouraging, and demonstrates the level of disgust with Trump among Democrats. I believe the voter turnout will be unprecedented, and Trumo unpresidented.
3
Does it really matter what any candidate said last night as
the debate was a complete Sham it should be labeled as the established medias desperate effort to take down Bernie Sanders.
I say that for three reasons... which I hope was clear to other viewers.
1. How does CBS run a Bloomberg TV Ad during a live debate?
2. Was the live audience seemed to be stacked with Bloomberg and Biden supporters?
3. Why did the moderators not control the audience?
I can only hope a serious reporter address the above points
6
Very well-written article! Loved it!
Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers certainly had a fun time with it.
I do not like people yelling and interrupting one another, so I generally avoid this kind of pandemonium.
2
Warren and Sanders don't understand that corporate executives and their top level aides view themselves as fullthroated Americans, too. They are not at all enthralled with Sanders and Warren attacking them as the enemy of our country. Warren and Sanders will be resisted at every step by Bloomberg and his colleagues.
We are a capitalist nation that embraces some degree of regulation.
Most Americans earn their livelihoods in our capitalistic system and don't want it threatened. Sanders and Warren are repugnant to them.
6
What a mess of a debate.
The moderators seemed to facilitate sound-bite-ready attacks instead of keeping candidates focused on policy differences among them.
They also seemed to randomly enforce time limits, cutting people off when they were making good points and letting them run on with vapid stump speechifying when they weren’t.
As a consequence, I don’t think anybody’s performance likely changed minds.
8
I am very unhappy with this "debate" process, which is not a debate at all. Candidates are not given the time to discuss any topic and must resort to sound bites and argument. Plus, CBS did the worst job of moderating this format of any debate I've seen. Talk about shooting themselves in the foot -- Democrats look bad in this setup and we voters learn nothing of any value. Bring back PBS!
9
I'm still waiting for a civil exchange of thoughts regarding the multitude of issues our country is facing; climate change, health care, education disparity, drug abuse, gun control, on and on. This debate was an emotional mess.
CBS, I don't' know who picked your moderators, but next time on-the-job training would be a good idea for they failed miserably.
8
These debates have devolved to the likes of yelling school children. They’re basically just throwing tantrums. Not a leader among them.
2
So Sanders touched a nerve with his recitation of America's dark past? Maybe it's high time our country faced up to its past sins and apologized for interfering with foreign governments in reckless and cruel fashion. To condemn Sanders for noting the positive achievements of Cuba is to be blind to our own history, and deaf to what other nations can offer us.
6
Bernie, a man of integrity & conviction, warding off the attacks of competitors jealous of his legions of support, no answer to his social & political remedies & finally realizing they have nothing to offer other than platitudes & perpetuating the status quo. Bernie 2020
3
"Mr. Sanders, in his first debate since a smashing victory in the Nevada caucuses last weekend, cut a combative but perhaps not a commanding figure... ."
I absolutely love this sentence.
1
Another debate? What can be said that we haven't already heard?
1
Sanders has unrealistic goals? Like moats with alligators or shooting border crossers in the leg? Doesnt pass the laugh test. If anyone still believes there is correlation between being grounded in reality and being president, then look no further than the White House today.
3
I think, it is time, for democratic candidates, to put their head together, realize that not all of them are going to be nominated, and instead of tearing into each other, put their forces behind the most viable candidate, and defeat Donald in November.
3
@BB - yesterday's piece by Thomas Friedman about building a "Team of Rivals" beautiful framed such an option.
Been there, done that...we, the public, seem to have the same complaints as 4 years ago when Megan Kelly asked trump her famous question. The debate moderators were terrible then and they are terrible now. Last week, the lead question to Bloomberg set forth a combative tone and the week, Norah O’Connell and Gayle King lost control immediately. The questions were inane and stupid, and set up to have the candidates (or contestants as Bloomberg put it) bait each other. I was insulted for Sanders and Bloomberg for the ‘Jewish’ question. I thought we put that question to rest with Jack Kennedy. No one asked Biden if his allegiance was to the Pope or country. Even before the debate got under way, I felt like I was watching the Miss America Pagent.
Reading through the other commenters, I’m not alone in my thinking. The obvious goal is to beat trump and make him a one term president; yet watching the candidates talk and yell over each other made them look as non-presidential as trump. I want my president to have dignity and decorum. The scenario these debates create are like barroom brawls. (I felt the same way watching the Rep debates in the last election).
The media and the public complain that one election runs into each other. As soon as one election is over, a new campaign season starts. There seems to be no time to be a Senator, Representative or governor because the cycle begins again. There are too many town halls and too many debates. Time to give everyone a rest.
3
Stop fighting each other and make your case to Americans why you (or almost any American) is a better choice than Trump. For instance when Michael Bloomberg was asked if he would use Chinese companies for infrastructure projects. This might be a good time to point out how sad it is that we would use a non American company for infrastructure project since Trump ran on MAGA. He also said he would bring steel back to the US. Where is it? Doesn't sound very MAGA to me. Focus on the prize people!
3
Democrats are on their way to opposing Trump with a 78-year-old socialist who recently suffered a heart attack, who has had nice things to say about nasty regimes around the word, and who has a $60 trillion spending plan without the means to pay for it.
5
Looks like Warren is running to be Sanders' VP and not the nominee.
4
These debates are awesome.
Definitely a useful tool to ensure the reelection of our President.
Thank you!
4
There isn't any candidate who has impressed me sufficient to get my vote so far and I'm becoming deeply concerned Trump will get re-elected.
I hope there's someone we haven't seen yet who can jump in at the Democratic Convention and become the nominee but I realize that's highly unlikely.
A Sanders/Trump battle will end badly for the Dems who know he can't win but will likely run him anyway.
Pete's the only candidate who could put up a respectable election fight. He's smart, a veteran, and won't be bullied by Trump.
With the exception of Pete the rest of the candidates are yesterday's newspaper, past their prime and old news.
5
Giant egos are getting in the way of getting Trump out of office. Democrats can't seem to focus on what is really important.
4
Next time, let the candidates play a game of Jeopardy with categories pertaining to the Office of President.
Would learn more and Alex Trebek handles competitors so much better!!!
7
What happened? I thought the last debate was distasteful, but this descended to some bizarre level nastiness (and rudeness) so surreal that you'd need Salvador Dali to paint it.
It is common to do post-debate analysis to try to determine who "won", but last night? They all lost. This was just a disgraceful performance.
Who do I really blame? THE MODERATORS. The Nevada debate was bad, but this one was positively abysmal. One of the most poorly run debates in the last couple of decades. And by basically giving up all control the moderators did the Democratic party a huge disservice - they created a scenario that brought out the absolute worst of the candidates.
A scene continually full of people wildly raising their hands like school children? Shouting over each other? Interrupting each other? Taking really cheap, petty shots.
Problem is, the primary goal of debates (for news organizations) is ratings. They are for-profit organizations. And I'm sure this debate had far higher viewership than some of the earlier ones last year where people were actually talking about the details of what they would do if elected, and acting with some level of decorum.
CBS permitted this nightmare to unfold. Whether it was because of incompetence, or (for the more cynical) for ratings, I don't know.
I do know that if the Trump campaign was asked to design and run a debate that would do the greatest possible damage to the Democratic party, it could not have done better than this.
6
Only one candidate looked calm, collected and presidential, Bloomberg. And his answers came from his mind and experience, not from groups of scriptwriters, as all the others sounded like.
8
I love the sound of Democrats yelling angrily at each other; it sounds like *victory* (for Trump).
4
Interesting how everything rides on an oddball senator from an oddball state. He won’t pull enough independent votes to win, and his supporters won’t vote for anyone else, allowing Trump another 4 years to drive our country into the grave.
8
I thought Bloomberg could defeat Trump/ now I am not so sure/ if this country wasn’t so sexist, a Warren-Amy ticket could be very strong/ Sanders has no shot and would be way too polarizing/ the CoronaVirus might be Trump’s most powerful opponent by dragging down the economy and stock market big time.
2
Politics can be rough and tumble, as illustrated last night. I wish they would turn off the microphones after the allotted time to speak to keep everyone on point and sadly nearly all of the moderators in the debates are poor. Bernie, day one giving black youth an opportunity to sell legal marijuana, encouraging small,business entrepreneurship? Day one? Lol
But my biggest take away from last night was the fact that the Bloomberg ads dominated the commercial space in such a way that they appeared to be part of the coverage.
6
Unfortunately the more Biden talks the worse he sounds as he gropes for words, at least in these debates. He often looks flummoxed and and even a bit frail. You're a good man, Charley Brown, but you really should get out of the race.
7
Yes it was a little messy but it doesn't bother me as much as some people, I guess. The thing is, they get mad, they make their point, and they get over it. I think they set a good example for leadership. We're fooling ourselves if we think no one should ever get mad or be critical of others. The thing is how do they do it and do they get over it? They are not at all like our president, who picks on people for things that are superficial such as what they look like and calls people names like a first grader. There is a huge difference here--I hope people can see that!
3
Mr. Steyer "sold his stock in private prisons"? Really? The fact that he EVER held stock in private prisons tells me he is not a Democrat, and certainly not not a person of morals.
3
We like to discuss winners and losers but there’s only 2 losers: moderators and Americans.
Never have I seen a group of moderators - were there 5? - have absolutely no control and as useless as those were. Warren and Bernie and Pete ran right over them, the VP stopped midthought then reprimanded the mods (weirder?), and Amy sort of blended the two.
The mods acted like substitute teachers hired by the DNC as to not alienate anyone. Instead, they alienated us all. That helped no one learn anymore about any candidate.
9
New debate rules: No hand raising. Each candidate gets 1 min to answer their question. Each time a candidate is attacked by someone else’s answer, they get an additional 30 seconds added for each attack when it’s their turn to answer a question. This will limit attacks and provide needed order to these chaotic “debates”.
5
I thought Bloomberg did fine. I am in favor of Bloomberg. The real sanders came out. He is inflexible and his goals are not realistic.
6
Too much time is spent on the presidential race when having a veto-proof Democratic Senate and House will get us where we need to be.
3
it is absurd that the moderate candidates are not being challenged more on their disingenuous critiques of Medicare For All. We have a great deal of specifics about what Sanders' plan entails and, frankly, most Americans can do the kitchen table math for themselves: the program we have is enormously wasteful and more expensive than anywhere else in the world. Medicare For All would save all but the wealthiest American families money every year while providing better access and better care. It would be a saving grace for small businesses that are struggling to provide benefits for their employees. The numbers are settled. It's time for all Dems to get on board with a good idea that can win them the White House and downballot elections.
3
The “debate” itself lost. Let people compare them without the spectacle. The prefabricated show is just a simulacrum of something more serious. Anyway those people are trying to articulate the social conflict, which itself has intensified since 2008. Now we are the verge of another redistribution of wealth upwards despite what anybody on the stage intends to do.
3
Who on that stage last evening would get the vote of suburban women in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan? Despite what most people want to admit, in the end these are the voters who will elect Donald Trump or the Democrats’ nominee. IMHO, if Sanders is the nominee, they will hold their nose and vote for Donald Trump. All of the other candidates have a fighting chance.
5
I've heard enough of these debates. At this point in time, any one of us can articulate the same responses that any of the candidates can. Perhaps even better!
If Sanders is nominated Trump will be elected with Russian and right wing help.
I think that Warren has the most viable policy renovations, especially her "reasonable wealth tax", but not for her Medicare for All which will not succeed.
Finally, regardless of the nominee, I hope that Bloomberg follows through with his promised financing of the successful candidate to take on the Trump billions and his acolytes.
2
Bernie Sanders continually scores highest on favorability ratings and has now surpassed Biden in polls that match the Democratic candidates against Trump. In fact, it is clear that no candidate has a better chance of defeating Trump in November, but CBS and the other Democratic candidates seemed more afraid of Sanders last night than they are afraid of a second Trump presidency.
It will be interesting to see if the revival of Cold War McCarthyism in the debate last night actually hurts Sanders.
If it does, then we can be sure that Trump will play the same card against whoever granted the nomination by the super-delegates in their Democratic convention. For this reason, Trump's candidacy was enhanced last night.
Sanders is an honest man. It was a disappointment to me that none of the other Democratic candidates rose to that standard in the debate last night.
7
@Robert Scull
"In fact, it is clear that no candidate has a better chance of defeating Trump in November, but CBS and the other Democratic candidates seemed more afraid of Sanders last night than they are afraid of a second Trump presidency"
It's "clear"? Really? "Clear" to exactly one person. You.
And yes, people are more fearful of Sander's socialistic agenda which will damage our Nation more than any of Trump's rhetoric.
Which is EXACTLY why our President will win reelection in November.
But hey, you know this already.
2
@DB
Wikipedia gives the most helpful polling data, because it also provides the size of the sample that has been polled. Here is the evidence:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationwide_opinion_polling_for_the_2020_United_States_presidential_election
The statewide polling takes more time to sort out, but if you check the swing states you will see that Sanders is also doing very well there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statewide_opinion_polling_for_the_2020_United_States_presidential_election
If Sanders gets the nomination, Trump will lose, This is because he broke many of the promises he made to working class people after he was elected and Sanders is best positioned to exploit those weakenesses.
1
Bloomberg made an important point.
Who ever is elected will likely have to work with a republicans . in order to achieve his or her goals.
No one is poised to achieve that objective better than Bloomberg.
13
who is advising warren ?!!! really, she needs other advisors who dont turn her against opposites the way they are doing now. she is breaking down her image. i dont understand it. its cheap to say " i like his ideas but i would be a better president ", it sounds like school for kids. i dont understand this behaviour. she was fine before she started these attacks.
7
This wasn't a good night for Joe Biden. He sees this as a do or die, but he spent the night shrill and desperate, screaming, about all he's done, even if some of it wasn't entirely accurate. At times I wasn't sure who he was addressing, like a desperate man trying to remind black voters he's the man. Everyone expected the pile on to Sanders, but each time Buttigieg opens his mouth, I want to scream. He comes across as a cranky brat. I got very little of substance out of him, he seems so angry that Sanders has been in the lead. Bloomberg when he does talk comes across as informed, if not a bit dull, but his having spent so much on many GOP and everything else in his background is going to hurt. Overall, I don't see where this debate helped voters, and it seemed to hurt all of them. someone send Tom Steyers home.
11
@GMT
Bernie is only a Democrat when he is running for president so why should that hurt Bloomberg?
1
I'm Swedish and a self-employed business owner.
Bernie Sanders says a lot of things that touches your hearts, I know that, and I sincerely hope you're able to build a Nordic model welfare system like our's, someday in the future. However, to preserve world peace I need to teach you a few things about socialism. My post is very long, so I need to split it over six replies, if you can bear with me.
The elephant in the room is something that Sanders hides at the bottom of his list of "Issues" on his website, under "Corporate Accountability and Democracy". What Sanders proposes there is for the USA to implement what's known in socialist circles as the "Meidner Plan" (not to be confused with the Rehn-Meidner model).
The "Meidner Plan" was developed by the Swedish economist Rudolf Meidner in the 1970s. It's an alternative model to the current society of individualism and private ownership, where the means of production (companies) are shifted from being owned by citizens, to being owned by the state. Ownership in publically traded and family-owned businesses are partly confiscated and put into state-controlled socialist funds, under the pretence of being "owned by the working class".
This is NOT the Swedish model. The Meidner Plan is widely known in Sweden as "Employee Funds", and was a horrifying totalitarian socialist experiment that took place in Sweden in the 1980s, that came close to ruining our economy...
13
I apologise for the duplicate post. I've posted the extended version in a previous comment.
How do the Democrats think they can win with this spaghetti mess? The reaction among many who don't particularly like Trump and might have voted Democratic:
"We don't want these people running anything. How can they get along with others if they can't get along among themselves? There won't be any failed moderators to play traffic cop with them--so how will they behave once elected? Yelling and pointing and interrupting isn't the same as leading--so where's the leader?
8
This debate was borderline unwatchable. The moderators and some of the candidates were both to blame for that. Warren and Pete were particularly irritating with their complete disregard for speaking times. With the technology available in this day and age, you would think that when a moderator directs a question to one person, then the only hot microphone on the stage should be that person receiving the question. All others should be OFF. Talking over each other is not debating.
Bloomberg did better and made an effort to respect the clock. Biden was strong. I can only listen to Warren and Pete speak for about 15 seconds before my head starts to hurt. Bernie will not win a national election. Steyer needs to drop out yesterday. Klobuchar is still my favorite.
12
These aren’t debates, they get so out of hand. It amazes me that they don’t have switches that turn off their microphones when it isn’t their turn.
16
After the last debate, I did not watch this one. They beat each other up, and no one really wows me. I thought it was ugly. I am a loyal Democrat, and will vote for whomever gets the nomination, but we need someone whom Independents will vote for. I don’t see that in Sanders. We HAVE to beat Donald Trump! Where is our next Obama??
7
The only two celebrating are Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin - they are probably helping fund his run such is the sad fact that a Sanders candidacy means another four years of Trump! Indeed just about any of the candidates will fail such is the sad and sorry state of the party - Amy Klobuchar is by far the most electable - but for some odd reason the party seems to be ignorant of that obvious fact.
6
@Richard
your view from down-under.
Another one from me - Go Bernie!!
The time for wishy-washy putty-fotty politics is over.
The train has left the station, and to stop it and turn it around is just a crazy idea.
The biggest take away of the night is that if Sanders does obtain the nomination, he should offer Warren a prominent place in his future administration, preferably as VP. She is potentially one of his greatest intellectual and political assets and stylistically, an effective complement. She should be present at all decisionmaking of consequence. Moreover, if Sanders does not survive his first term, she has the vision, courage and integrity to fight for his agenda.
Buttigieg is an empty suit and it always seems to be the same empty suit. His complete lack of civility tonight, including speaking over Sanders without pause or compunction, should immediately disqualify his candidacy. Furthermore, while his milquetoast insincerity may win over a white audience, it will never fly before black and Latino audiences. We have historically ingrained radar for detecting phony white people. The same assessment holds for Klobuchar, especially given her "high marks" from Senate Republicans for her "pragmatic approach" (as reported by the Washington Post) and her consistent effort in pushing through Trump's very conservative federal judges (as reported by the New York Times).
I'm a big believer that the little things about people tell you a great deal. For instance, Steyer poses as the populist billionaire savior, but who can take him seriously or trust his judgment, when he insists upon wearing that horrible tie at every debate? If it's his lucky charm, he should keep it in his pocket.
13
The only candidates I want to see or hear from are Bernie, Warren, and Biden. The rest should get off the debate stage.
4
Sanders' ideas are extreme, also in liberal, social-democratic (not socialist!) countries like Sweden and Finland.
These countries have gone through major, hard restructuring to keep their welfare state affordable. The "healthcare for all" has grown over decades in the Nordics, not overnight, and what is covered has become more bare-boned (no free physio, dental care etc.)
"Free College" is free as in "you don't have to pay (high) tuition fees". Books and housing (easily > 600+€ in Helsinki), student clubs etc. are all excluded. Student do have state-guaranteed bank loans that has to be repaid as any loan.
The welfare state does imply "high" taxes: 25% for median, 35% for twice medium income. Also in cohesive countries like the Nordics the "1%" does apply tax avoidance schemes; thee bulk of the cost are carried by middle-income families
Sanders would do good by studying the Nordic situation. His current description shows ignorance
14
A detail not included in the story: Sanders was booed last night. Why? Because, according to local news station WCSC-TV, tickets for the debate ranged between $1750 and $3200. “The only guaranteed way to get a ticket is to become a sponsor of the debate,” the Charleston County Democratic party website said.
So he was dealing not just with six opponents desperate to attack the front-runner, but with a hostile audience, as well.
17
@Bunk McNulty
Good practice for the candidate who has been treated with kid gloves. If he is the nominee he is going to face more than booing on the campaign trail.
3
Russians and Republicans hoping Bernie wins because Trump will beat him better be careful what they wish for. I remember Liberals who were scared of Ted Cruz and cheered when Trump won the nomination in 2016.
5
The establishment and the billionaires know for a fact if the American people get Medicare for all and the young people are released from their insanely high college debt its over. The American people will figure out just how badly they have been ripped off. The rich have been extracting the middle classes wealth for fourty years.
They will look at these people as enemies of humanity.They will and should be shunned forever.
9
The most telling moment of the debate for me was the way the moderators allowed Bloomberg to completely duck Warren's entirely valid point that he'd actually endorsed Lindsey Graham's and Scott Brown's Senate campaigns----the latter against Warren herself! All we got out of Bloomberg in reply was a non-responsive change of subject, and the moderators let it slide.
Warren had it 100% right when she later said that the Democratic base will never accept a candidate like that as a nominee of the DEMOCRATIC party. Even the other moderates know that in their hearts. Bloomberg would've been a splendid choice for the REPUBLICAN nomination back around 1996 or 2000, but the thought of his running as a Democrat in 2020 simply doesn't pass the smell test.
12
The more I watch these, the more I realize I just don't like Biden or Warren. Her going on with attacks (taxes, NDAs) and various other below the belt tactics were too much. I really like Bernie, he's utterly incorruptible and he was 100% right about Cuba. However I agree with BB that I can't see independents and moderate Republican voters crossing over. I'm not sure that the surge in turnout is happening. If so wouldn't it show in the primaries? Because if he's talking about young or minority voters who are independents, odds are they tend to agree with Bloomberg more than Bernie. Bernie talks about a type of capitalism where small business is fine but as soon as it gets big enough he lumps it in with the concept of "evil" or "greed" rather than proof of successfully meeting a societal need or want. He thinks there should be no billionaires and many minority independents wouldn't mind a shot at becoming one, or at least fairly rich. First they come for the billionaires, then the centimillionaires, then the decamillionaires... Then they come for you Bernie.
5
Instead of calling it a debate, let's call it a television show. These "debates" are televised gladiatorial contests in which the stars are provoked to spew "zingers" to score points, a skill hardly related to the job they're trying out for. I want to know how a candidate's mind works, but I can see that in a regular televised interview. As for what they'd DO as president, I can read that on their website (not that any candidate's plans will be enacted in the form she or he sets forth).
12
Frankly that debate was like watching 5 yr olds arguing over crayons. Mayor Pete showed how rude he could be. I wanted to scream at him to shut up and be respectful. Zero points in my book. Sanders explanations were highly credible and on target. Shame on you Democrats for creating fodder for Trump. The only one to give a consistent credible responses was Sanders. Styer was good, but has zero chance.
Yes there is money for universal health care. Stop subsidizing big oil, insurance companies, hospital chains and close millionaires and billionaires tax loopholes and make them pay their fair share. Will taxes go up. Yes, but people will not be paying $10,000 a year for insurance with $10,000 deductibles and insurance companies won’t be dictating medical care.
18
Pie in the sky. Good luck with that.
1
Malcolm X has big smile on his face. The dixiecrats doing their best to fight the inevitable.
1
Bernie Sanders is divisive? Damaging to the Democratic Party? He owes the party nothing. He could have been our candidate in 2016 if the party had not prematurely anointed Hillary "It's My Turn" Clinton, choosing a capable but deeply unpopular candidate over one with a surge of grassroots support.
17
@mdieri
Please stop with this. That "deeply unpopular" candidate was supported by millions and millions of Americans despite the clever efforts of Russia. The irony of your comment is that somehow Bernie is now "owed" the nomination. He is divisive. Those of us who live in Boston need to remember that we are not the rest of the country. And he has already damaged the Democratic party.. which he is a member of, I note, only when he is running for president.
1
So now “My Turn Bernie” is it? We real Dems need to prepare for a long winter if Bernie wins.
1
It is a pity that the process for selecting a President is designed to favor candidates who are great showmen and can whip up crowds (like Trump and Sanders) rather than those who have the experience and temperament to be effective leaders. Joe Biden is, unfortunately, not a great debater or campaigner but I think he has the experience and decency that we desperately need to get America back on track, restore civility and reestablish strong alliances with our traditional allies. I have confidence that he will pick an honest and capable cabinet and restore our State Department, the DOJ and the EPA. We need someone like him to help undo the untold damage caused by this corrupt and inept administration and who could help regain control of the Senate and maintain control of the House. We need the other moderate candidates to check their egos, drop out and get behind him fast, or we are surely headed to disaster.
6
Bernie's proposed tax increases alone should scare the ever living you-know-what out of every taxpayer earning 30K and above. His seeming hatred of free markets, corporations and in short the engines of our economy will actually, absolutely wreck our economy. Who in their right mind could support this?
13
Buttigieg talking over Sanders was a premeditated tactic employed by someone who wants to win at all costs. It was an act of desperation. That guy knows limits.
6
Nope. Sanders constantly over talks and says the same thing over when he should be told to shut up. There is no disrespect as Sanders is distracting everyone else. No one will vote for these pie in the sky ideas.
I join those who think this was the worst debate and painful to watch. Airing Bloomberg ads during the debate is outrageous. PBS should run the debates as a public service. How could the moderators allow Pete to talk over others like he did? His know-it-all smirk was hard to take. Amy was busy patting herself on the back as usual. Bernie was never allowed to answer the attacks that were made directly on him. Biden said that Obama never said what Bernie said about Cuba and then proceeded to quote Obama as saying exactly what Bernie said. The moderators had no control. I learned nothing except that Bloomberg may have flippantly told an employee to get an abortion rather than take family leave.
14
What a horrifying display of discord.
Please tell me what I’m missing with Sanders. Regardless of the question, his response is something like, what part of universal healthcare do you not like? He never wavers from his prepared talking points. After 10 (?) debates, I still don’t know how he plans to do whatever it is he thinks he’s going to do.
Warren was absolutely appalling. Full stop.
Like Buttigieg, I’m concerned about the down-ballot candidates. We didn’t see a Blue Wave in 2018 because of a “political revolution,” Bernie. We need people who can bring more people together.
Rather than focus on how the incumbent has lied (e.g., promised to protect pre-existing conditions, then tried to remove that coverage); was impeached, acquitted by a complacent Senate, then went back to his old tricks; and is purging the WH of anyone “disloyal,” they showed how fragmented the party really is.
I’m pretty tuned in to all of this, I will be voting for whoever is left standing in June and then November, and I’m wide open to whatever messages they’re trying to peddle. With the exception of Buttigieg’s aforementioned remarks, not once did I feel that any one of them connected with me at all.
If they can’t get a true blue Democrat excited, how will any of them bring out the independents and Republicans who don’t want another four years of Trump?
6
@Charlemagne
There is still a lot of bias in this world. If we are going to let fear determine our candidate, what do you think the effect of having a gay person at the top of the ticket will be on the down ticket candidates?
Pete has little support in the black community. What will the effect of Pete at the top of the ticket will be on Afro-Americans, particularly conservative church going Afro-Americans who normally have a high voter turnout?
@RM
Pete is not the answer, either, no matter how rational he sounds. He made a valid point. Another candidate could have leveraged comments similar to yours towards him - equally valid.
Fear, however, should light a fire under the feet of every voter who cares about this country, and be a motivator to vote for one of these candidates - in the primaries, and in November.
Well the attack dogs were out today, all focused on Bernie but I don’t think he lost even a little bit. Stayed true to what he believes. I like that he does not see things in black and white like Cuba bad, XYZ good. A sign of maturity to concede that improving literacy and healthcare are wins for people, and yes, authoritarianism is bad. He made a great point that none of his ideas are radical. Really the only reason they are “radical” is because no one else wants to fight that fight in this country.
I was not impressed with Pete talking over Bernie, ugh. Bloomberg was better this time but he lost me on the Israel issue. Wish he would go back to financing Democrats instead of running himself. More respect for Bernie there. Warren was helpful attacking Bloomberg. Klobuchar, Steyer, Biden, please drop out.
8
No respect for Bernie. Still an angry man and he should talked over. Pie in the sky and screaming about what cannot happen will not get him elected. He is a pied piper leading young folks to nowhere.
3
A pointless display. It should be noted that Donald Trump was "electable" -- so it follows that anyone else could be too. The bar is lower than low. Also noted that whoever is the supposed front runner (electable or not) is automatically in trouble b/c the other candidates spend 2 hours trying to take them down. Sanders speaks for what he believes, and he doesn't alter his beliefs to please the arbiters of taste, a/k/a political pundits. The idea is that regular people -- even those who are partially disenfranchised by living in a major city -- get to decide who's electable by voting for them.
3
The moderates are the majority but not a single one of the candidates has run away with it. They’re splitting the vote and paving the way for someone who has little chance in the general. I’d say consolidate, but around who? It doesn’t seem like any one of them can win and I don’t think Bernie can win. After watching these debates I fear we’re witnessing the left’s unwitting plan to dysfunction their way to a Trump re-election.
6
I agree. Unfortunately I am coming around to Bloomberg since Amy isn’t getting any traction.
4
Bloomberg is gaining strength because he is the best option, not because he has spent a lot on television ads. Among my friends who lean Republican, he is a favorite. The same with those who lean Democrat.
He will pursue a common sense domestic agenda and a practical international agenda.
With Harris or Pete on the ticket he will attract a strong coalition of voters. Bernie needs to stay in the Senate and promote his vision of a domestic agenda. Amy has a great future, but not in 2020. Biden and Steyer need to just go away.
18
Too much shouting tonight. Everyone would be a loser, including the ABS (anyone-but-Bernie-the-socialist) candidates, the Democratic Party, and the country as a whole, if the energetic supporters of the current front-runner are turned off by the ABS rhetoric. The most meaningful contrast was Liz Warren artfully challenging Bernie without alienating his base. Many of their proposals to save the American experiment are similar; but she, unlike her fellow progressive, can get them done. This is how I heard her through the din: “I neither embrace nor reject socialism, but I’m committed to “REBOOT capitalism” by taking on the embedded corruption in our governing institutions. I will do this by restoring TRUST in our system.” Rebooting capitalism and restoring trust. That’s good enough for me. All the rest is just political verbiage.
5
Enough with the debates.The moderators are are trying to steal and shape the story line. The debates only benefit Trump, his republicans and his rabid supporters. The Democrats should quickly retire to some safe house and reevaluate the party's approach. The media must quit disparaging Sanders. He is obviously popular with a wide cross section of voters who are far more progressive than all of the frightened pundits. Let the people speak. Remember how far off track all pundits were in 2016election.
8
To quote Gail " a minute and fifteen seconds is a long time". Probably correct from the perspective of a 3 year put in timeout. News anchor and debate moderator require vastly different skill sets which was clearly evident last night.
Presidential debates for profit.... I'm embarrassed for the candidates.
7
Many of the Bernie commentators here are ignoring reality. He doesn't play well in Florida or Wisconsin because of his positive comments about Cuba and socialism. Bernie is just a lefty version of Trump - narcissistic and really only out to advance himself. If Trump seems frozen in a 1980s world view, Bernie seems frozen in a 1960s radical world view. Neither correspond to reality.
If Bernie is the nominee, Trump will win reelection and the Democrats will lose the chance to regain the Senate and might lose the House. If the Democrats lose the House, Trump will truly be unfettered. I'm not sure our fragile democracy can survive if Trump has no check on his power.
In addition, Trump is already well on his way to remaking the judiciary into a conservative, Republican bastion that will last for a generation or more given how young many of his judges are. If Trump is reelected, he will get to place another justice on the Supreme Court because Ginsburg probably isn't going to make it for another four years given her health issues. That will seal a conservative majority on the Supreme Court for another generation.
However, if a Democrat wins the White House in 2020 and in 2024, there is chance to flip the Supreme Court to a liberal majority because Justice Thomas would likely leave the court in the next 8 years.
Bernie won't win in 2020 and has never lifted a finger to help build the Democratic Party win long term. He would be a disaster as the nominee.
14
Buttigieg was articulate and disciplined as usual. He was also the one to point out that the Presidency is not the only race that matters in this election. He was the only one who sounded like a commander in chief.
6
There were at least two things very clear from the Democratic debate last night.
1. None of those debating should be in charge of negotiating with China, Russia or NOKO. They couldn't negotiate with a U.S. Company, CBS, to provide a reasonable forum for them to convince us of their capability to lead the country.
2. The demonstrated petulance and bickering isn't what we need in someone running our country or working with our allies.
We all lost last night - but mostly the Democrats lost.
5
It was a poorly moderated debate. The moderators repeatedly allowed the candidates to go on and on, way past their allotted time. They did not push Sanders to answer the question of how he was going to pay for his medicare for all program. Finally, Elizabeth Warren came off like a desperate and shrill school teacher. I used to support her--no more!
7
I find the attacks on Senator Saunders to be no more than cheap shots from competitors using sound bytes to attack a candidate who represents a majority. Mrs. Warren should agree to be his vice president, and the rest of the gnats should fly off and support their nominee.
5
Excuse me but since when did being a billionaire become a crime? For all of their holier-than-thou blustering Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders aren't exactly paupers. Mike Bloomberg has the right to spend his money any way he chooses to see fit. At least Bloomberg managed to redeem himself and had a much better debate this time around.
Debates have become a pointless exercise in futility as past actions of candidates like Bloomberg are rehashed over and over again. Aren't the candidates supposed to be trying to convince voters that Trump has to go and how they'll make the lives of ordinary Americans better? I have yet to see that happen.
13
@sharon5101
We would all be better off if Bloomberg quit politics and instead purchased the Mets, Jets, and Knicks.
Too bad the candidates did not read the recent Times article showing Sander’s idea that he will bring in a wave of voters is a FANTASY just like the odds his plans will get enacted. The turnout at the primaries has not gone up much with him the front runner.
We need someone to get independents looking for a reason not to vote for Trump and he is not that person
6
The Times writes that "Mr. Sanders said little that seemed intended to ease the concerns of Democrats who do not share his views or who worry that such stances could be politically damaging to the party."
It's funny - I feel the same way about the other candidates. Moderates like Buttigieg and centrist Republicans like Bloomberg did little to ease my worries about their policies or what their nomination might mean for the future of the party. Nor does the DNC seem to have learned any lessons from 2016.
8
Well this went from the worst debate to the best debate. When the other moderators were brought in the questions were much better, esp the foreign policy. The two woman alone in the first part were terrible.
Bloomberg is too conservative. Biden displays the wrong emotion for the setting and his politics are ancient. It's true he has knowledge of many situations, but it is not happening. Warren was doing Bernie's work going after Bloomberg for awhile. They were all pretty good at different times. .. Bernie is still the best ... He is right about almost everything he says. All they can do is twist things he said around, like the whole praising Cuba's educational system. By the way, the Cuban's have some of the best doctors in the world on the emergency response teams. The worked with us stopping the Ebola outbreak. It's awful hard to make an argument with Sanders when all the candidates say say they want almost everything he has proposed. They just wouldn't do them now or do them differently.
13
This wasn’t a debate, it was another prime time glitz show. The networks set these debates up like a combination quiz show and an MMA tournament. I learned nothing new and abandoned it, discouraged. The moderators lost control of the debate from the get go.
Personally, I don’t need any more debates. If someone wants to organize a thoughtful town meeting approach in which candidates are asked questions and everyone has to wait their turn, fine. Otherwise, I’m done with watching them share the stage. They are all better than these forums make them out to be.
12
CNN had town halls for all of them last week and this week.
1
I thought Bloomberg bought half the audience until I found out those people paid a lot of money to be there. Audience reactions were very, very odd in comparison to previous debates.
6
"In one striking exchange, Mr. Sanders addressed his record of praising some accomplishments of the Castro government in Cuba by intensifying his denunciations of past American foreign policy, invoking what he called malign intervention in countries like Chile and Iran."
I would add:
Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya to that list of countries where the US has had "malign intervention".
Good Grief! Sanders is right!
The US has spent 70 years with a foreign policy primarily as malign intervention.
Who cannot see that?
26
I find all theses debates incredibly unedifying, this kind of adversarial format cheapens the process and devolves politics to the level of a game show, with the "prize" being the position of Democratic candidate for president.
One of the biggest problems I see is that while they bicker and try to one up each other, their real adversary, Donald Trump. He sits back and gathers more and more ammunition to use against the eventual winner, and he will not be beneath flinging all of the dirt that's been dug up into the face of his eventual opponent.
12
One word describes the debate for me
comeuppance
Wherever it seemed deserved it was delivered and all seemed to fall into their rightful place in this one.
Quite revealing.
3
Are these debates designed to induce panic attacks? Trump already does that enough with his reality tv presidency. We have the coronavirus. We don't need reality tv primary debates for the Democrats, too. Next time I want my blood pressure to rise, I'll just drink a lot of caffeine and get on a treadmill.
Please, give us the dulcet tones of someone like Jim Leher and PBS. Help panic subside. Even if we don't have M4A, this would be a public health service.
12
Miss Warren.... a street fighter. As a Democrat, I used to like her a lot but now? I’m not sure. Now... I would think Trump fears the most is Bernie and Bloomberg.
7
@CTBlue You call her street fighter like it's a bad thing!
1
@CTBlue This is what you don’t seem to understand: Trump doesn’t “fear.”
Only Chile and Iran, Bernard ? Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan...
In one striking exchange, Mr. Sanders addressed his record of praising some accomplishments of the Castro government in Cuba by intensifying his denunciations of past American foreign policy, invoking what he called malign intervention in countries like Chile and Iran
1
Instead of concentrating on how the candidates were going at each other, why not concentrate on Amy Klobuchar's reasonable statements about moving forward rather than staying in the past and not going at each other?
3
Knowing there would be vicious attacks on Sanders, I decided to miss the upset of the debate. Hearing that the debate degenerated into attacks was disappointing. Democrats, we are all in this together; stop attacking each other. If you really believe this is a vital election for our country, bring up relevant issues, don't just take cheap shots at the guy in the lead.
12
Bloomberg should fire his debate prep team. This is not a practice run, this is the big show and he's not getting his punches in. This is where his late entry is a major disadvantage. The other candidates have had plenty of time to sharpen their skills and it shows. He needs to play catch-up -- and fast. Debates don't mean everything but they're still significant.
1
Why Warren spent so much of her time attacking Bloomberg was unclear.But the election will ultimately be a no holds barred contest so fighting with each other in this debate was healthy since it gave the ultimate democratic nominee some match practice. Affordable health care, the social safety net, democracy, the rule of law, and immigrants are all facing an existential threat. Trump and the GOP have also never stopped trying to dismantle obamacare and Trump has signalled that he will slash the safety net. The conservatives are trying to undo roe vs wade. The black,hispanic and asian vote are all going to be crucial for the democrats in november. the economy is shaky at the moment because of a global economic slowdown with germany and japan at the brink of recession, and coronavirus completely out of control.trump has slashed the cdc and nih leaving america vulnerable to a pandemic.
5
@observer
Bloomberg is an easy target and after the last debate, she had about $9 million reasons to thank Bloomberg for appearing.
It worked last time in terms of raising money, but it remains to be seen if it helps her at the polls.
I am not getting the positive feedback about Bloomberg. Although he was better than last time (my cat would have done better), he clearly lacks empathy for ordinary people (also like my cat). And as far as Warren is concerned, I appreciate her bringing up his financial support of Lindsey Graham and Scott Brown. Who is this guy anyway? A billionaire who doesn’t want his money taken away by the likes of Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.
20
Bernie was the only one who seemed to know why he was running. The rest just think it's their turn to talk.
15
I am trying to sway my son towards left-leaning politics, he is very active in the conservative political group at his college in Pennsylvania, and tonight's mess just pushed him further to the right. I don't know why the party of my people, the Democrats, can't seem to pull it together. My son is not a Trump supporter, but he can't get on board with some of the far left viewpoints. I am trying to convince him to vote "against Trump" vs. for a specific Democratic candidate, as many voted against Hilary in the last election, thus leaving us with Trump. My argument is getting weaker after every debate. Pull it together Democratic candidates!
4
Another Biden gaffe, he claimed 150 million have died in gun violence since 2007. I don't know the actual number, but 150 million is almost half the current US population.
Biden seems to often confuse trillions, billions, millions, and thousands.
Klobacher also played hard and fast with numbers, taking a ten year cost of Medicare for All, and saying it was three times as large as the American economy. In doing so, she was comparing ten years of cost to one year of the economy. The reality is that under the present system, 20 percent of GDP goes to health care, an excessive number. Medicare for all should, at the least, reduce administrative costs.
The fact is, we have many qualified potential doctors who cannot get into a USA medical school. We need to expand medical education, and encourage those new doctors to serve presently underserved areas through financial incentives.
9
What, no mention of Biden encouraging votes for his "run for the Senate?" I feel sorry for Biden making such a mistake, not being a youngster myself, but if he can so easily forget what office he is running for, do we really want him handling military affairs or foreign policy? People worry about Trump's finger on the button, but at least Trump knows what office he is running for.
7
A good number of moderate Republicans and Independents who might vote to Democratic candidates in November watch the debate. Thus it should be a showcase indicating their superiority outside their own party. I'm not sure if it was.
2
Bloomberg said the truest thing in the debate: that only he can get the votes of Republican moderates (who have temporarily withdrawn from the GOP while Trump is president) and the Independents needed to beat Trump. If a Democrat is to win, he or she has to be somewhat politically incorrect. Warren is rigidly PC and Bernie is stubbornly holding onto his ideology. The main reason Trump is president is the political correctness on the Left.
Bloomberg was the only one who showed discipline during the debate and stuck to the time limit for his comments. And he has done more for progressive causes in the real world than all of the other candidates put together. Super Tuesday may determine whether our democracy can be saved. Bernie, who stubbornly defends Castro, is not the one to do that.
26
@David
Seriously. What evidence do you have that Republicans (“moderate” or otherwise ) will ever vote for a Democrat? Where is your evidence for this assertion?
2
@David
"The main reason Trump is president is the political correctness on the Left."
The MAIN reason? A little over the top, don't ya think? Seems to me Trump spent more time decrying Mexican and Muslims than he did unisex bathrooms.
1
@Daniel In Trump districts in the mid-terms, some Republicans voted for the Democrat who replaced the Republican.
Hard to watch and harder still to imagine this bunch being able to unseat trump. Sanders who is still unapologetic for stealing votes away from Clinton in 2016 and then refusing to endorse her candidacy with any kind of support now thinks again like a megalomaniac. I am the smartest guy in the room. My way or the highway. He is not even a member of the Democratic Party but an independent. So why is he on that stage. Same with Bloomberg. Shows what a weak hand the Democratic Party is holding. Perhaps a brokered convention is inevitable and welcomed.
24
@TruthingT You're speaking in hyperbolic falsehoods. Sanders wholeheartedly supported Clinton in 2016 after she got the nomination. The same can't be said for Clinton supporting Obama after she lost to him. You sound like moderate (read: left of center republican).
2
Fact check: Bernie endorsed Hillary in 2016 and campaigned for her on numerous occasions.
4
In my opinion Clinton stole the nomination from Sanders! I’m looking forward for a chance to vote for bernie -he’s earned it!
1
You can ignore Amy Klobuchar all you want. She is my pick. If Bernie (I can’t be bothered to actually join the party I want to represent) is the nominee...I guess I am done
19
@Lisa Parker
Klobuchar appears to be going nowhere fast. Time spent daydreaming on weak candidates is time wasted when we should be coalescing a strategy to win against Trump. So who's afraid of the big bad Bernie? Using his lack of strong party affiliation against him is simply judging a book by its cover. Evidently you haven't bothered to comprehend his message nor listen to any of his ideas for the country enough to be able to comment on them.
4
@Lisa Parker You do realize this is not about just you, right? If you, or any of the others complaining here, throw a tantrum that you did not get the candidate you wanted, you will still get the candidate you absolutely do not want, Donald J Trump. So vent all you want folks, but this is about restoring our democracy and honesty in our government. The 7 or 8 people on the stage today, each and everyone of them is capable of delivering that if people stop being ninnies and actually vote responsibly.
I think Sanders is too old and crochety, Warren was promising but cannot seem to get out of her own way, Bloomberg is competent, but arrogant, Buttigieg is decent, but too inexperienced, and Biden too old and past his prime long ago, Klobuchar has been a pleasant surprise and I hope she is chosen to be the Veep since her chances seem slim right now. But whoever the nominee is, I will not whine, I will go and vote for them happily and hope others who love this republic do so and also clean sweep the Senate of the cowards who chose party over the Constitution and rule of law.
Grow up everybody. The media is not your friend, they are just more opportunists who are trying to shake a few coins out of your pockets when you are agitated, distracted and off balance. Well, most of them anyway. There are some decent people everywhere, n the media too.
1
@Lisa Parker If you think you'd rather have Trump then take a long, hard look in the mirror.
1
First debate I watched from wire to wire. The format stinks and the moderators do nothing but get in the way. Let the candidates speak and stop interrupting them so they can speak at length and then stop interrupting each other.
28
Mr Bloomberg did much, much better than in the last one. Once he settled into the atmosphere, his strengths (experience and ideas) were beginning to show. Ms Klobuchar seemed sincere, gentle, and knowledgeable. Mr Buttigieg was showing his weaknesses in accomplishments and experience.
22
I had a flashback during the debate and realized how much Sanders sounds like a student radical from the 1960s. The inspirational rhetoric, brushing off practical reality. The soft-lens focus on socialist and communist countries. Others from that era (and I'm one of them) have adapted our political views over the decades. But Sanders doesn't seem to have changed his ideas much. I find this disturbing. If there's any job that requires a person to adapt and grow, it's the presidency. Sanders talks about the need for change and yet he appears to have done little of it himself.
55
@DJY
Yep. I'm glad some others are finally beginning to see what I've seen all along.
6
@DJY Truths and facts do not change. Einstein's theory of relativity has not changed much. Why would Sanders change your policies or world view that are obviously correct?
6
@DJY And it's all as realistic as the dreams concocted on a dorm room floor.
2
I’m now crafting my expat/refugee plea to Canada before it’s too late. Can we all just agree to have fun watching Bernie lose the down-ballot and election? Also, fun fact: I don’t want a President with the name ‘Bernie’.
21
@See ya Democracy Good luck. Canada has had Trump's new stricter immigration rules in place for years.
2
Democracy involves sticking with the messiness, not making travel plans to flee if you don’t get your way.
1
I don't understand why they fight and put dirt on each other. It seems to me they fight only for president title and not for interests of people. If it continues they only will create a platform for Trump to win. I don't have doubts that Trump prevails under this condition. I am democrat and i am ashamed of their behavior.
333
@maria
Because this is a desperate game for power and money and this is currently the way the game is played ... no rules, no decorum, try to sow as much chaos and emotional upset as you can. I'm only ashamed of the ones whose behavior is bad, but then again some of that is candidates trying to be heard over the blathering of moderators who seem to want to steal the show.
14
@maria there behavior actually aimed at us voters easy er for them to get into office people dont vote.
1
@Maria I just don't understand this argument. Trump calls people demeaning names and criticizes them for superficial characteristics. He labels things bad and terrible with no context or reasoning. How can this group on the stage be worse than that? They are constructively criticizing one another. They are all talking about ways to make this country better. They joke about themselves. Even on a challenging night, these guys are heads and shoulders above Trump.
35
My favorite moment was when Buttigieg called for a reality check after all the Cuba talk. It was a great moment for youth, exposing the senility of the elderly.
18
@michjas -- Do you mean when he repeated the U.S. party line -- of both parties -- of the last 60 years, that the government of Cuba is irredeemably evil and has never done a good thing for its people, like free medical education and health care?
2
CBS muffed this one. I like Nora but not tonight.
7
This sort of infighting serves no good purpose. Some of these people are going to have to work together as Senators or cabinet members in future. Alienating each other isn't helpful.
12
None of the punditry or commentary I've read has been influencing my take on this primary. They're all spectacularly better than the current state of what this MAGA movement is presenting itself to be, which is divisive blithering and an environmental assault.
I'm watching these democraric candidates closely and the demonizing by the media, by the candidates themselves during the debates and the very few of us, as average observers do, does not stick.
Graciousness has lost itself in the heat of the race, per usual, but step back and look at the big picture, we're very fortunate to have an opposing force to the current administration. Winning is the goal.
16
I'm not supporting Tom Steyer but it was transparently clear that he was being ignored by the moderators all night. If he somehow met the qualifications for the debate he should have been treated as a legitimate contender and given as many questions and as much time to answer them as anyone else onstage. Having said that, I thought everyone did reasonably well though I agree that Sen. Warren is spending too much time attacking Mayor Bloomberg and not nearly enough differentiating herself from Sen. Sanders. Perhaps she's angling to be his VP. Speaking of which, I think Joe Biden clearly had a good night, demonstrating again that he can be vigorous, passionate and articulate when he really needs to be. On the other hand, I'd like to get more detailed policy proposals from him and would love to see him explain more forcefully that the "great economy" about which Donald Trump keeps boasting was really set in motion during the Obama/Biden administration when much of American industry (and most especially our banking institutions) were pulled out of the toilet in the nick of time and unemployment was reduced from nearly 10% to merely 5%. Having done virtually nothing of consequence (other than inflating the deficit) Trump has brought unemployment ALL THE WAY DOWN to...3.6% Why not take credit where it's due Mr. V.P.?
10
We need wealthy billionaire liberal presidential candidates like Bloomberg and Steyer to run, despite their wealth making their motives for running questionable. They are pragmatic and can bring bold ideas to the debate. Bloomberg is supporting for grass roots moms to support gun control state and mayoral legislation throughout the country. Steyer supports an end to private prisons, and non profit banks to give fair mortgages to discriminated applicants who may have had minor credit issues. Look, Ross Perot and his billions on the other side created the tea party hijacking the old Republican Party after 20 years led to Trump and Mitch McConnell and CITIZENS UNITED.
6
I’m getting sick of hearing Bernie supporters say that a moderate can’t win because a moderate lost in 2016. Yeah, and Bernie Sanders received four million fewer votes in the primaries than that moderate received. Let’s nominate the guy who lost to the person that lost. That’ll work.
37
Sanders received fewer Democratic votes than Clinton, but he commanded far more support among independents.
If Sanders had been the candidate, all the Democratic votes that went to Clinton would have gone to him, plus his independent votes.
6
@Ben Electability is a bogus idea. Let people decide who they pick via the primaries.
3
@Ben Considering Bernie is beating all the other candidates, your comment is out of touch.
2
Buttigieg really went down in my estimation. There was one particular exchange with Bernie where he talked over the Senator just to prevent him from being heard -- I listened very carefully, and Buttigieg was actually saying nothing: it was all nonsense words like "yes, let's talk about it," repeated over and over again. Conduct unbecoming of a candidate who liked to present himself as reserved and respectful. Now he just looks desperate.
59
The America working class has been taking a beating for 30 years. In 2016 ONLY Bernie and Trump were talking about their pain.
Among Democrats in 2020, only Bernie (and Warren) are acknowledging the catastrophic situation of the working class. Trump's crocodile tears are better to them than the rest of the Democratic field.
If you want to be "electable," don't talk to the "Trump can't win" crowd of 2016 -- the group I called the "Hillary Smug crowd" in 2016.
Talk to the hard-working people in pain who are looking for help. The anti-Bernie (alleged) Democrats are as out of touch as the Russian aristocracy before the revolution.
Trump or Bernie? Take your pick, and know yourself by your choice.
34
@Craig Mason
Bernie’s not the nominee yet. So that choice, Putin’s choice, is false.
Bernie Sanders says a lot of things that touches your hearts, I know that, and I sincerely hope you're able to build a Nordic model welfare system like our's, someday in the future.
However, being Swedish myself and a self-employed small business owner, I know a thing or two about socialism. Sanders is not being honest about how radical his socialism actually is, and misrepresents Scandinavia.
The elephant in the room is something that Sanders hides at the bottom of his list of "Issues" on his website, under "Corporate Accountability and Democracy". What Sanders proposes there is for the USA to implement what's known in socialist circles as the "Meidner Plan" (not to be confused with the Rehn-Meidner model).
The "Meidner Plan" was developed by the Swedish economist Rudolf Meidner in the 1970s. It's an alternative model to the current society of individualism and private ownership, where the means of production (companies) are shifted from being owned by citizens, to being owned by the state. Ownership in publicly traded and family-owned businesses are partly confiscated and put into state-controlled socialist funds, under the pretence of being "owned by the working class".
This is NOT the Swedish model. The Meidner Plan is widely known in Sweden as "Employee Funds", and was a horrifying totalitarian socialist experiment that took place in Sweden in the 1980s, that came close to ruining our democracy. It's a dark chapter of our history.
23
In the 1970s, Sweden was one of the LEAST business-friendly places in the world. Business owners, or anyone having private savings, were being treated like a cancer on society; capitalist leeches who exploited the working class. Massive wealth taxes, estate taxes and inheritance taxes, topped off with Meidner-inspired Employee Funds, ended up with large portions of our industry and prominent figures leaving Sweden and our economy behind. We lost IKEA, Tetra Pak and H&M, which would be the equivalent of the USA losing Apple, Amazon and Facebook. We learned the hard way that billionaires have legs, and so does money.
The Employee Funds were crippling our business sector. It created a hostile environment of powermongering between workers and employers, and triggered the largest protests ever taking place on the streets of Sweden. In the early 1990s, the Employee Funds were quickly reversed by the more moderate government who took over, and a strict framework was put into place to ensure that the same mistake could never be repeated again.
The Meidner Plan is what Bernie Sanders suggests the US should implement, tucked away under "Corporate Accountability and Democracy" on his website. This is hardcore Easter-European 1970s' authoritarian state socialism revived, going after and condemning private ownership and individualism.
19
Sanders uses different words and it sounds benign. But if you read carefully, his website explicitly says that the state should confiscate a 20% ownership stake in all US companies that are today privately owned by your citizens. It's a classic Meidner Plan. Companies like Tesla, Facebook, Coca-Cola, Amazon and Walmart would all be forcefully co-owned by the state. He's hiding it under the pretence that it would be "owned by employees", which is how socialism works.
In Bernie Sanders' view, the socialist state is the foremost representative of workers. So everything that's owned by the state could also be said to be "owned by workers". The confiscated company shares are put into "working class" Meidner funds managed by the state, where dividents from those shares goes into the state's economy, and will be claimed to indirectly benefit the working class through social programs.
He also says the state would appoint 45% of the board of directors in all companies, which means the government would impose totalitarian control over all of your industry and business decisions. Any company with more than $100m in annual revenue would thus be co-owned and controlled by the decisions of the state. Company boards would be dominated by state-appointed regime-friendly expert socialists, all hidden behind the pretence of being servants of the working class.
18
Reading carefully, I saw nothing in Sanders’ plan about state control of corporations.
I saw a ten-year plan that eventually would have workers owning a twenty-percent interest in their corporations.
10
I could go to a Super Bowl for what some people paid for a debate ticket. And have a lot better time!
9
Has anyone else noticed that Bernie is always interrupting other candidates? He did the same thing to Hilary. Every time she was speaking, he'd start flailing his hand for recognition and talking over her. This disrupts the speech of other candidates.
21
I saw the exact opposite. Buttigieg was the worst and it made him sound so fake attacking pointlessly, aimlessly. It was sad watching Buttigieg fall so low and turn into an empty shell. Sanders survived the attacks and did just enough to get the message across that he wants to fix things and that there is nothing radical about his ideas. No one else seems to be offering any solutions of substance.
8
@John Doe -- That's not true. Everybody is raising their hand and you pick on Bernie!
Pete was talking over Bernie and you didn't notice?
2
@John Doe
He's a rude person. That's been obvious from the beginning. He makes Trump look diplomatic by comparison. I would be embarrassed to have Sanders represent our country to other countries.
1
The Electoral College is not left wing. The larger country is not Brooklyn. The winning Dem candidates of recent history--Bill Clinton, Obama--were moderates who had crossover appeal in the general election. Everyone out there saying that Dems don't win trying to appeal to the middle has it wrong: that is precisely how the successful candidates have won. NONE of the moderate Dems who won back the House in 2018 ("progressives" didn't do it) have endorsed Sanders, who could never pivot enough in the general to escape his kooky past positions and writing.
21
@Blair
Yes, everyone remembers how moderate Obama was as a candidate. Hillary praised him for it, too remember? Definitely not an idealistic radical who wouldn't get anything done.
For people who live in the real world, both Clinton and Obama campaigned as hard leftists and once they won the election governed right. There was no need for "moderation" at the campaign stage of the game.
6
@Blair,
Obama did not run as a moderate in 2008, he ran as a progressive.
He promised healthcare for all, curtailment of corporate lobbying, hands off state legalization of pot, and other progressive measures.
However, he governed as a moderate, and often as a neoliberal. And since then has opposed progressive candidates for office.
9
Bernie has the Congressional experience, quick mind, and mouth to take down trump.
25
He also has more baggage than the hold of an A380, and Trump will use that baggage to annihilate him in any debate.
1
@Doctor D
Congressional experience not getting anything done.
@T Compromising got a lot done
"Mr. Bloomberg joined in [attacks on Sanders' electability], saying: 'Can anybody in this room imagine moderate Republicans going over and voting for him?'”
Frankly don't know if significant numbers of "moderate Republicans" will vote for any Democrat...
...but do know enough conservative Democrats went from Sanders in primaries to Trump in general - after Sanders was out - to swing the crucial Midwest states that gave Republicans the election; and that those conservative Dem's refused to vote for the establishment right liberal candidate:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/24/16194086/bernie-trump-voters-study
12
@Jackson It is positively delusional for anyone to think the Electoral College is captured by a far-left candidate. On the other hand, we have actual examples of moderates like Bill Clinton and Obama cobbling together wins. That's the only path.
10
@Blair You forgot FDR, which are the same policies Sanders represents.
3
@Blair,
Loading a comment with the erroneous term “far left” is dishonest baiting.
Sanders would be considered a left of center liberal in any other country, and a New Deal Democrat in FDR’s America.
Sanders insisting on staying true to his values and world views is so reassuring. He doesn’t bend regardless of the political price. You need an incredible integrity to withstand that kind of pressure.
76
Or be a zealot. In Sanders case he’s a zealot but one with integrity and with a people friendly vision.
11
@Jane -- Nobody comes close to Sanders in terms of authenticity.
6
@Dr. Steve
He's a slash-and-burn zealot, one correctly characterized in the previous debate.
No thank you.
Mr. Buttigieg has the establishment argument Bernie is scary for running Democrats he just needs to find a few to say that and he may. Mr. Biden was off form again keeping track of which country he might be talking about. And Mr. Sanders hopes people are awake to what has happen to and what could happen to the country as it is. The ladies did all right but the billionaires lacked punch. Weekend we’ll find out what really happened and Bernie will do fine.
6
Amy was pleasant enough as usual, but Elizabeth Warren said she is in the presidential race because she is a fighter. Warren does not smile easily nor does she find it easy to be pleasant and non confrontational. Warren is indeed a fighter but presidential leadership is about leadership and not all about being a fighter. Warren as a fighter is remarkably similar to Trump, which is precisely the quality most people find objectionable with Trump. Elizabeth Warren' bright red jacket makes her appear even more abrasive. She would have been better advised to wear a more appropriate color like dark blue or black. All of this makes it understandable that Warren, according to her low numbers in the polls, is no longer a serious contender to be president,
12
Amy K is a great VP choice. She is smart, tough and sensible.
7
@Jason A
Yep. Have realized it all along.
Far out. Warren unqualified to be president because of a poor wardrobe choice. What a country!
1
It was so funny seeing all of their hands raised. It was as though they were back in school. They did act like children in their display of interrupting one another. They need to obtain some decorum. This is not very presidential behavior.
12
I found the zeal rather much.
That is supreme hypocrisy coming from a Trump supporter. Your guy lowered the bar to the bottom of the ocean.
These debates highlight the trivial and only reveal negative issues regarding the candidates. Warren "won" the Nevada debate with hits on Bloomberg. Her donations went up but her popularity numbers went nowhere. The skill set required to be a successful President is not about posing for the camera or delivering zingers. It's about building the most competent team of professionals, sitting in meetings listening to subject experts (not watching Fox and tweeting), and making solid decisions for the future of the country.
Clearly, Bloomberg has the most experience and does this best.
13
To be honest after half an hour I had to turn this off. The moderators were terrible - they had already lost control. I am not wasting my time watching 2 hours of attacks, hand waving like school children and snarky commentary. These "debates" should be policy oriented, no audience, and enough time to respond to a question = 1 minutes 15 seconds is ridiculous. How can you have a serious discussion about anything. The answer is you cannot, so it ends up being a free for all with candidates seeing who can get in the most "zingers". I'm done with the "debates". They don't tell me anything.
56
@dairyfarmersdaughter
Thank goodness these moderators didn't choose classroom teaching as a career. Major fail.
@dairyfarmersdaughter
Yes, the ridiculous time restrictions make it like a game show. No wonder Trump is president. I wish the League of Women Voters were still doing the debates.
2
Warren becomes less appealing with each debate. Her answers on foreign policy are simply a collection of slogans with no thought behind them, and her hectoring of Bloomberg is getting really tiresome. If she tanks in SC, it’s time to wrap it up.
34
Bloomberg gave an excellent answer on education. Other spoke directly to issues as well. Not even mentioned in this article. Amazing how any substance in this debate is ignored by the media. It’s all about the zingers and the one-liners and the conflict. Shame on you.
19
@Chris
I would go even further and say that the ones who capture the headlines are the ones who are most 'out there' and even hysterical, which would be Sanders and Warren. I actually think that Sanders, of all of them, is the one most prone to hysteria, which does not make for good and trustworthy leadership.
2
@Chris Very well put Chris! I am astonished by the level of almost all comments here, many of them being at the same or even higher level than the article itself. It si very rarely seen on our websites where most of the people tend to attack or smear anyone with whom they disagree. I dare to say that comments speak much clearer about moods and trends in the nation than articles which are very often biased, of course the readers who comment, are biased as well, but one would expect the articles to have obviously exceeding quality over the comments from "plebs". The NYT plebs is probably very close to "the cream" !!
I really have to hand it to Warren. Once again she did a superb job auditioning for a senior position in the Trump Reelection Campaign. Bloomberg, on the other hand, not being an accomplished TV personality, tended to come off as being out of his element.
Let's keep in mind. America tried a TV personality in 2016. How well has that worked? Inasmuch as there are no TV cameras in the Situation Room nor Nielsen ratings for what goes on there, I'm inclined to think we should forego the theatrics this year and, if we can't get Jed Bartlett to run, Bloomberg will be the best candidate not only to beat Trump but to actually be able to run the country and accomplish something with the reality that will be the 2021 Congress, not a fantasy Congress.
20
When they start talking about other countries (Cuba , China Cuba, ect) it sounds like they all (save Sanders) need to get some very basic education in realpolitik . Of course, they are playing to some crucial tone-deaf voting group, but is the reality of America's imperial history in propping up up horrid puppet governments is long and sordid.
25
@Jplydon57 Thank you for speaking up.
The legacy of McCarthyism here in the USA is stronger & more insidious than we realize.
Bernie/BlueNominee 2020
@Jplydon57
It's "imperial" to oppose socialism?
Wow. Who knew?
No matter how you think about it, you have to agree that there is something really distressing to see so many septuagenarians on that stage.
16
The worst moderated debate ever. And the most biased audience based on the applause and boos. Certainly none of Bernie's young (poor) people were in attendance. I guess they couldn't afford the $3k/per ticket. What have we, as Democrats, sunk to, when regular people cannot afford to attend their own Party's debate. It was also (shame on CBS) to air a timely Bloomberg ad in the middle of it.
28
When I was growing up in the 1960's with those outdated? ideas Pete Buttigieg was dismissive of tonight, "left-wing agenda" was a euphemism for Communism. Why does the Times use that term to describe Sanders?
Am I the only one that Pete Buttigieg is beginning to grate on? He comes across to me as increasingly arrogant. He doesn't seem to realize that the "boomers" born between 1946 and 1964 are still the largest voting bloc. Yes, Sanders is a social democrat and Bloomberg is a plutocrat who changes parties. But the topic not up for discussion is homosexuality. I don't care about the sexuality of the candidates, but does Buttigieg's orientation hamper his electability? If the Democrats are willing to let the voters decide that, they should be willing to let them decide if Sanders is electable. Or is Buttigieg not being taken seriously?
24
@Linda
Buttigieg is not being taken seriously, correct, because he's not viable for many reasons. But since you brought up the Identity thing, yes, that is a problem for the center and south of the country.
One of the many reasons I like Amy is that she isn't obsessed with identity politics and doesn't stereotype herself, unlike many up there.
I also realize that Bloomberg repels many (and I understand why), but against much of the shrill opposition tonight, he seemed much more sane.
I want a rational president, not a screamer. I believe that what you see in a campaign is what you get in the oval office.
4
@Linda
Obviously, Buttigieg doesn't know anything about and has no experience with the protest movements of the 60's. Perhaps he would be informed if he had been subjected to the Viet Nam draft.
If it were not for changes put in motion in those years I dare say we might not have our first gay candidate for President today. He should be honoring those days not disparaging them.
3
@Linda
"Am I the only one that Pete Buttigieg is beginning to grate on?
Short answer: "No." Longer answer: "The only word I would remove from your sentence before I was in complete agreement is "beginning."
2
First time I turned off a debate within 10 minutes. My in-laws did the same. CBS did a terrible job. Hope the next debate goes back to ABC.
17
Or to the League of Women voters.
These debates are awful. No matter the topic, the candidates just parrot out their talking points. In between shouting matches, of course. And the moderators - not just at CBS, but across the board - are so superficial.
Not that I expect anything to change with our shallow press, but wouldn't it be more useful to draw lots and simply have two candidates debating each other, each pair on a different night? It would be so much more insightful and valuable to the voters.
Also, what's with the candidates and lobby groups buying airtime during the commercial breaks? A Bloomberg ad on every break? An anti Medicare for All ad? Come on, what a clown show.
25
This so-called debate was a disgraceful display reminiscent of an elementary classroom when the teacher has left the room.
The disrespect to each other as they all yelled trying to top everyone else got them my mute button until they settled down.
Every time Buttigiege insisted on talking while it was someone else's turn, was a Real turnoff. This is the second debate he's done that and just makes him look childish.
Unfortunately, many people in foreign countries also watched this free-for-all. You'd think, with 6 "moderators," at least one of them would have called the group to order.
28
I don't think there's time for nuanced answers anymore.
One line responses "We will build a wall and Mexico will pay for it" and repeatable phrases like 'email server' and memes Crooked Hillary are what won the day.
We live in a world where the time for a thoughtful candidate who cares about the issues and people does not exist anymore
12
It exists in some small towns. ‘‘Tis a pity”.
The audience members had to pay $1700 to take part in debate. It seems someone’s paying a lot of tickets for his supporters (Bloomberg)
22
Really? To attend one had to pay? Far out! That speaks volumes as the saying goes.
8
Concerned about the vibrant red arms and hands of Bernie Sanders during this debate. This is a symptom of hypertension and not good for a recent heart attack victim.
18
As a physician specializing in vascular disease for 45 years I disagree. Peripheral vasodilatation is not a sign of disease. It’s equivalent to blushing. And besides it matched Warren’s red dress.
19
Hypertension is high blood pressure.
Sanders had a blocked artery. His heart itself was found in good shape.
3
@Blue Northwest
As much as he seems to be hated by some, it makes one suspicious as to his heart attack?
What a negative debate. Terribly moderated.
Random question: did Bloomberg pay people to cheer for him? The audience reactions seemed ludicrously incongruous with the charisma/content.
The whole thing felt like a farce.
22
Well it was a farce, at least the first two thirds. We need a couple of drop outs. Amy and Joe are my drop out choices.
Full disclosure I favor Liz and Bernie and am impressed and admire Steyer and miss Yang who is a natural at avoiding a chaotic debate performance. He always managed to deliver a message of wisdom with a smile.
15
@Dr. Steve I'd like the overly-programmed and rehearsed (and cheap shot provocateur) Buttigieg out, but otherwise agree with you completely.
3
@sofi The audience appeared to be staged. What a farce is right.
1
William Goldman, the Oscar winning screenwriter, once famously said about Hollywood: "Nobody knows anything...Not one person in the motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work." That perfectly describes this election cycle in the Democratic primaries. The pundits assure us that Sanders is DOA as a presidential candidate, yet his passion and unorthodox ideas excite the liberal base of the party. The "electable" choices, the moderates in the middle, are non-descript and about as exciting as white wall paint, no matter how often they mention Obama or bemoan the treatment of people of color. I will vote for whomever the Democrats nominate because I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP. Rather than clutch their pearls in alarm over Sanders intense popularity with a committed faction of the Democratic Party, I would like to see some serious analysis of his ideas by these self-annointed experts: Why can't Medicare for all work? Why can't Wall Street trading be taxed to help fund colleges? How can Social Security payroll taxes be tweaked to assure program solvency?
24
@Mike Bernie has alot of detail on his plans and how they are paid for on his website. I'd imagine the other candidates do too although I can't figure out what any of them stand for. Medicare Light? Almost Bernie?
5
@kay
I have read that Buttigieg's proposal of Medicare for those who want it would be more expensive than Medicare for All, as someone mentioned in the debate tonight. I would like to hear that question posed to Buttigieg by a "moderator" who has actually read those studies instead of repeated questions to Sanders about the cost of Medicare for All. It would seem that, like any insurance plan, a public option that the government pays for would draw the sickest participants least likely to pay and would thus fail. I have read that when Buttigieg worked for McKinsey, McKinsey was busy working on increasing private components to the UK's national health care program with some devastating results. Although there is no indication that Buttigieg worked on that project during his tenure with McKinsey, maybe that is where he got his idea for Medicare for those who want it. Again, though, the "alternative" health care proposals of the candidates other than Sanders have received almost no scrutiny from the media. We have been poorly served.
5
The whole thing gets more disillusioning by the day. As entertainment, the debate failed miserably. Didn't raise many laughs.
You realize most have skeletons in their cupboards. Fair enough, this is politics. The nicest bit in the debate was about misconceptions (Biden didn't mention that many people think he's lost his sparkle). I hope that after S Carolina, candidates drop out and we'll get a more serious debate among surviving candidates (Sanders, Biden, Warren, maybe very narrowly Buttigieg). Bloomberg comes across as a great candidate (for Republicans).
I liked some comments by Steyer but neither he nor Klobuchar stand much of a chance.
6
The more debates we have, the more we see Trump, despite all his shortcomings, surpasses all of the democratic candidates. The life long democrats need to consider reality and consider crossing over in the general election.
4
This was TV at its worst; all bread and circuses. The questions were designed to roast the candidates, and not how they planned to benefit America.
The pundits live before the debate were negative about the candidates.
Many on the stage and under the lights have accomplishments, dedication and ethics.
13
Well, as in all these debates so far, the current slate of Democrats show, even if messily, that anyone of them has a stronger grasp of what this country needs in leadership, what it takes to be a decent president and most importantly that anyone of them would make a far better president for all of us than Trump.
I support Bloomberg in my state's primary and I hope he wins. I truly feel that he would make a very good president.
But make no mistake, whomever wins the nomination on the Democratic side I am behind them 100%. 100%
Vote Blue No Matter Who. Trump must be removed from our most sacred office of our nation before we lose our precious democracy all together.
23
I'm already for Bernie, but I was glad to see how _calm_ he was (for all our sakes), handling the Cuba faux-debacle well (the people whe didn't hear him were always going to vote for Trump).
Also glad he mentioned The Lancet study. Klobuchar may disagree with Sanders, but she can't keep quoting false figures to make -- let's call it Health Care Reform, instead of Med 4 All, maybe--her way sound more doable than Sanders'.
And thank you Tom Steyers, for admitting to favor reparations.
All in all, not quite like the headlines suggest.
Bernie/BlueNominee 2020
15
@ZoZo-Dog's Mom I dunno. The way Sanders bristled loudly when he was booed seemed to flash a bit of the narcissistic rage he has long been accused of.
1
@Blair I think he was shocked at the intolerance of the booing, considering how reasonable his words. Sanders is vehement & passionate--doesn't seem like ego to me.
A lot of voters would vote for the candidate most likely to beat Trump. There are polls on the subject, but they carry little weight. Somebody should tell pollsters that this is what we want to know. It would be nice if they were helpful for a change.
2
If the Nevada union health care benefit was so terrific why did union members vote for Sanders in such large numbers? Please report on the details of the plans these people supposedly love and compare with Medicare benefits. I suspect Medicare would win hands down.
I’m have some expertise being blessed with Medicare 12 years plus being a physician for 45 years. I know what goes on behind the curtain.
So NYT please report on details. With my Medicare and a $200 per month supplement I have no deductible, no copay, no preappovals, and no networks.
No private plan I know matches that.
So maybe these Nevada union members know what I know. Let’s let everyone in on the details. The Medical Industrial Complex I believe does not approve of this message.
36
@Dr. Steve
Thank you. I pay 15% of what my insurance company pays to see providers in my plan, and this is in addition to my premiums and deductibles. Plus, I have the most expensive insurance offered by my insurer, what some would consider a "Cadillac" plan. I chose it so I would have the option of seeing physicians outside my plan. What I didn't know when I chose the more expensive version (and I think they changed the coverage with very little notification) is that I would be penalized for seeing providers inside my plan by choosing the more expensive option.
7
@Dr. Steve -- The union members knew their vaunted union healthcare will disappear the moment they lose their job.
2
Mr. Sanders promotes fundamental change while characterizing it as business as usual. This simply is not credible. He tells us things are very wrong. And he tells us that an aggressive program to correct all the wrongs is routine. Expanding government fivefold or more is not routine. And his claim that it is demonstrates that he’ll say anything that sells. He is very much in need of a reality check. And his followers need to drink a lot less kool aid.
7
@michjas Sanders' plans are his version of Trump's wall. Someone else is going to pay for it. Somehow.
7
@michjas -- Go to Canada and find out that they have a free universal healthcare. An American who works there had a C-section baby delivered. Total cost $0. They are paying not paying much tax for healthcare yet it much better. The same is true for all the advanced countries.
America already as Medicare for 65 and above. The administrative cost is 2%. Compare that with 20% administrative cost for private insurance company.
Google it if you want to verify.
That's why Medicare For All overhead will be low. Govt won't get bloated due to it.
2
Go to Sanders’ website.
He explains in great detail how things will be paid for.
1
Bloomberg bought many of the audience members by paying them between $1700-$3200. No one should BOO a woman when she is asked by an employer to kill the pregnancy, yet the audience did when Warren was speaking about her experience. When Bernie was speaking about billionaires buying elections, he was booed too. Guess by who? Bloomberg's bought-for audience. He even ran an advertisement during the CBS debate that had a few women praising him. Why would he do that if he wasn't guilty of the accusations leveled at him by Warren in the Nevada debate?
16
Is it too late for Joseph Patrick Kennedy III to run for the nomination? :)
I'm only half kidding.
He did give a good response to one of Trump State of the Union addresses in 2018.
3
Warren is sadly coming across as a shrill tattletale in her attacks on Bloomberg, who looks steady and confident. The general election would reward neither her style nor Sanders' old man rage, not to mention that Brooklyn accent. Don't blame the messenger.
17
@Blair
Oh please. Bloomberg had no business buying his way into the race, paying for a DNC rule change and paying faux "supporters" to write favorable tweets and comments online and to show up and cheer him at the debates. That is not democracy, it's even more flagrant plutocracy than we've had so far, plutocracy that is killing our country. To the extent he has genuine supporters commenting here, and I assume he does, I'm dismayed at how little regard they have for democracy. No wonder we're in a mess.
2
@Blair -- Old man rage? Surely you're speaking of Biden. I'm so tired of his angry shouting.
1
I missed the first 45 minutes but it probably was not much of a loss. When I finally did tune in, the debate appeared to be a lot of screaming and yelling over one another. It was not as interesting as last week’s but it is not supposed to be about entertainment. Not much new information was gained. The winner was not on the stage. It is the current occupant of the White House. He will be the next occupant also. It is almost guaranteed judging from what the selection is of the opposing party. Their really is no contest.
2
Warren comes across as obnoxious and annoying yelling and attacking others, omitting facts and undermining the Democratic party and herself.
When Warren attacked Bloomberg tonight because of his earlier support for Lindsey Graham, she conveniently excluded that:
1) Back in 2012 Bloomberg was backing GOP candidates in primaries with a track record of working across party lines.
2) Lindsey was a different individual then who had incurred anger from the right for backing immigration reform (favored by Democrats) and South Carolina was in danger of getting a much harsher Republican as Senator.
Times change and so do people. Bloomberg is doing what is right now and would be a terrific President. But he may not be able to pass Warren's "purity"' test.
22
Bloomberg can’t pass my “integrity” test either.
1
CBS should not be allowed to host any additional debates unless they stop airing ads mid-debate.
Airing presidential debates is part of broadcast station's civic duty, and commercializing debates is a terrible sign for the state of the nation.
28
Bernie kept mentioning how in "all" the polls, he's beating Trump.
He'd be wise to remember that in all the polls in 2016, so was Hillary, and she still lost.
I didn't like Bernie in 2016, and I still don't like him. He's reminds of a leftist Trump. I'm surprised he hasn't yet said "only I can fix it".
Then he attacked the audience for booing him by saying "really? really"? If you want to get votes, you don't attack the voters.
I like Pete, and was begin to lean toward Warren, but her attacks on Bloomberg turned me off. Still don't know what I'll vote for in the NY primary. At least I have 2 months to go before I have to decide.
17
@oreo
Most of the audience had to pay (or have someone pay *Bloomberg cough cough* at least 1,800 a head for a seat. Sanders can yell at them all he wants, he knows the audience aren't on his side and cannot be brought (though I'm sure bought) over to his compassionate vision of America.
11
@Sean
I booed at home for free. Bernie is not a winner. He lost to the person who lost last time. What’s different now?
He was right to question the booing. Bloomberg paid for the audience apparently!
It's what the people want that matters. Don't believe the rhetoric that Bernie cannot win. He can and he has. Let the people vote and forget what the pundits say or the Democrats (DNC) want. I repeat, it's what the people want that matters.
15
@cynthy
The majority of Americans do not want Bernie. He didn’t win in 16. He doesn’t get legislation passed. Putin wants him, though. Wonder why?
1
All that the candidates accomplish by criticizing each other is to provide free material for Trump to use in the Fall campaign. As Tom Friedman wrote today, the Democratic Party needs to focus only on stopping Trump. Anything else is just a waste of their time and energy.
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Sen. Klobachar sealed her fate when she suggested Bernie, the man who has won the first three states was alienating voters? Say what?
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@Rebecca1048 - Bernie barely won in IA and NH, and the total of the moderates’ votes exceeded his. He won much more decisively in NV. I’m hoping that Biden wins in SC and onward. Bernie would not be a good President, though better than Trump. Any of the Democrats will be far better than he.
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The only thing the other candidates have to attack Sanders with is the scary 'S' word. They might as well be Republicans. Oh and won't someone think of the poor members of Congress up for reelection.
Pretty sad really. If that's the best they have, you might as well save some time and nominate Bernie now.
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@Scott McElroy -- They have nothing against Bernie except the S word. He is not even a socialist.
1
The one thing that really angers me most is how the moderators and the candidates and even this paper and its "opinion" staff are about as anti-Bernie as I can imagine.
Americans pays double, triple and quadruple the total health care costs of other nations and employer pay the most.
Single-payer provides the same kind of negotiating leverage on drug prices, hospitalization costs, focuses on preventative health care, enforces laws that make big pharma focus on cures and not poison that is hyper-expensive and cures nothing.
So, everyone wants to attack Bernie because he believes in a democracy that promotes social, environmental, medical and educational justice, plans and puts people before capital but no one mentions the long term support America has for ruthless, bloodthirsty dictatorships like Saudi Arabia, the Shaw of Iran, the Egyptian military dictator and now the new dictator in Turkey.
No one mentions that Cuba does more than the US to help people in disasters with their amazing medical teams. No, Bernie is not a socialist as defined in a textbook. It's unfortunate he chooses to use that title because everyone is going to bludgeon him with it and he should start clarifying the truth. Bernie supports balanced, regulated capitalism that is ethical and that certain areas such as healthcare, food, water, the environment and education, and the military and diplomacy are where the government needs to have the central role on behalf of its People. Go Bernie!
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@Tom Paine -- Bernie never calls himself socialist. He calls himself democratic socialist. People who attack him on that do so in bad faith, intentionally ignoring his correction.
Warrren copied Bernie's platform and calls herself "capitalist".
Bernie should start calling himself "social democrat" or "social independent". :-D
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Trump will win. No doubt. The object has been lost. The object is get rid of Trump. Voters are not looking for "plans" and unrealistic medical for all schemes. We want to know how each and all candidates will beat Trump. This endless list of goodies cannot be paid for. Besides can anyone image this federal government developing and managing medicare for all. especially with any of these Senators with no real achievements to their names. At least Dems have a chance with Mike, but Dems live in a weird universe. a universe of Infinite money.
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Mayor Pete Buttigieg as presidential nominee, running with Stacie Abrams of Georgia for VP, would be an unbeatable ticket.
Trump is the least popular president in the nation's history and a Russian asset. VP Pence is a bigot and equally highly unpopular - in his home state and the nation.
I truly admire Mayor Mike Bloomberg for creating a much needed infrastructure for electing Democratic candidates.
But I think Mr. Bloomberg enjoys his affluent life well earned, and would do better by paving the way for candidates he supports.
Bernie Sanders is supported by Putin-Trump-GRU, because he is most likely to lose to Trump easily. He will also kill the Democrats chances of majorities in the House and Senate.
Why any American Democrat would vote for Sanders as their nominee is a mystery.
His grass roots Internet funding is below the $50 minimum for anonymity, suggesting much of his financial support is from Putin-Trump.
It also serves to embolden him to his support, while his vote numbers have fallen precipitously since 2016.
If the party can sublimate ego for the good of the Republic, the rule of law, the Constitution, and democracy - they would coalesce around Buttigieg and Abrams.
Abrams should have been the Governor of Georgia. but Republican cheating denied her a victory. She understands the essential tactical battle that must be waged against acknowledged cheaters.
Buttigieg is brilliant, a naval intelligence officer with civic experience. A winner.
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It is distressing that the divisiveness among the Democratic contenders will likely only add fuel to the attacks that will come from the Trumpists. I realize that there is competition among those who wish to represent the Democrats in the election to come. But this made me sick to my stomach.
5
It didn't go from bad to worse. It went from worse to worser.
McGovern 2020!
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I suppose I'm suffering from a malaise best described as debate fatigue. As the debates role inexorably onward, I am increasingly overcome by a feeling of sadness. All the bickering and backbiting merely make the candidates appear petty and small. With possibly one or two exceptions, there doesn't appear to be outstanding Presidential material in the entire group. The President needs to look and act Presidential as well be Presidential. Trump, as a highly successful former T V showman, was able to take on that façade with relative ease and it worked beautifully for him. Who knows if he will even bother to debate the Democratic candidate. He's nervy enough to try to avoid debates if he thinks it's to his advantage. However, if there is a debate who will the Democrats have to successfully standup to a brazen, emboldened, incumbent President ? Trump is a unique character who is not going to be defeated by someone who is not exciting and charismatic. Perhaps a brokered convention will be the Democrat's last best hope.
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@ Austin Liberal
The UN has a list of the top ten happiest nation’s Finland is number one on that list, the United States did not make the list.
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@Dave I begin to wish that everyone constantly comparing the cumbersome, messy, large US to tiny Nordic countries with a fraction of our challenges would just move there.
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Of course they should for their own welfare and that of the their family. The US is plagued by a dysfunctional, decadent culture
and bleak prospects for recovery.
Corporations rule.
I am so sick of these debates. The “moderators” drop little bombs and then try to tamp down the chaos. There is not enough time for anyone to answer any of the questions in depth. Everyone’s sniping, undercutting, interrupting and waving their hands like kids in school that want to go to the bathroom.
If you actually listened, Bloomberg said a lot of things that made sense. He certainly handled himself far better than he did the first time. I’m finding Warren insufferable. Bernie seemed surprised by the booing ; he’s not used to that. Pete did well. According to Amy, she did practically everything good that was ever done in the Senate. I don’t see the clear competition that will beat Trump handily. Having said all that, I will vote for any Democrat with a pulse.
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Bernie was booed by the paid to be there audience members -Bloomberg has endless resources...
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I thought the idea was to beat Trump. Why can’t the check their egos at the door and talk to us. I’m past hating them all.
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Given his high performance in the previous elections, Pete Buttigieg is practically the invisible man in this and other articles. It's almost reminiscent of how Jerry Brown was treated in the '92 primaries right up until he was the last Dem standing against Bill Clinton.
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Why can't the moderators simply activate the microphone of the speaker and mute the others? More reality TV format detracting from content.
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Democratic candidates:
Get your act together. Stop squabbling. Find what unites you and pick the right candidate for your party. We Americans are exhausted from the last 3 years of this administration and would like one of you to just say it like it is. We’ll support you.
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That’s our job as voters.
This article talks about Bernie citing studies as if universal healthcare is some fringe idea that he happens to support. It's a reality in the vast majority of developed countries every one of which has objectively superior healthcare results. Those studies saying “Medicare for all will save money” have even been supported by more conservative leaning think tanks. Why is this being treated as something that won't work when every sign says it will? Or un-American when some of the most popular elected officials in our history championed it (Kennedy for one)? Bernie may not be able to convince the American public that he's right about this but that will be a failure on our part, not his.
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@Luke
We already have CHIP, Medicaid, Medicare, employer based plans, union plans, ACA subsidized individual plans... Nearly everyone has or can obtain health insurance coverage. Bernie’s nationalization plan is to ban private insurance and impose government run single payer insurance. His supporters have this belief that their plan is the only path to universal coverage. But countries with universal coverage use varying models, including many that permit private insurance. Greece has universal healthcare on paper, but in practice many doctors demand bribes from patients because government wages are very low. Bernie loves Cuban and Venezuelan socialism, but few Americans would want that healthcare with so many drugs and diagnostics in short supply.
And there is little proof that single payer will reduce costs, unless you’re willing to ration care, deeply cut the wages of nurses and doctors, and limit prescription coverage. You also aren’t going to eliminate much of the administrative costs. Even with single payer, you need people on both sides to submit and approve government payments to healthcare providers, hospitals still need people to handle HR, legal, payroll, malpractice insurance...
As for the studies Sanders cites, have any of you read them. They’re projections and estimates by single payer advocates, hardly independent analyses.
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@J
If there's another plan for universal coverage then I'd love to see it but conservatives have avoided making that case. If you're right then why is this? Realistically Bernie will expand on Obamacare and set us on the path to universal coverage if he's elected. If he does more, great,
Every single developed country has better health outcomes than the US, the richest of them all, and the reason we can't do better is it's too expensive? This is not a plausible argument. For one there would be massive savings in admin costs and if you want to repeat the claim that it won't I suggest talking to a doctor first. He will tell you at least half his job is teaching his patients how to navigate the coding systems that determine what kind of care they get.
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@J
The one question no one has asked or answered is -“ What does the CURRENT health care system cost?”
Why should you ask for the cost of Medicare for All - till we compare it to current costs?
Answer is that no one can pinpoint with accuracy the cost of current health care as it is shrouded in deductibles and formularies of 1000 plans over the country.
Health providers have to hire staff just to keep track of them and be credentialed with them.
How much simpler to have one system!
The only entities who do not want Medicare for All or Single payer , are the insurance companies.
And yes, I have read many articles by American College of Physicians explaining Sanders and Warren’s reasoning . They are soundly in favor of Single payer.
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All politics aside, what a way to select a president! As though being the best debater makes someone a decent candidate.
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A question for Bloomberg: can you imagine any of Sanders supporters voting for you if you buy the nomination which seems to be the only way you'll win it.
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“Buy votes”?
I went to one of his campaign events last week and all they offered me was a glass of water and a bag of chips.
Who is being paid to vote for Bloomber? I’m not. Are you?
He bought air time and office space. Thats it. Nothing more. Same as all the other candidates.
At least Sanders was willing to admit his gun control votes were bad. In contrast, Biden has been saying his tough on crime bill really wasn't and that he didn't support the Iraq War despite voting for it. And, of course, we have Bloomberg lying through his teeth when he said no one pointed out the discriminatory nature of stop and frisk when he was mayor. Apparently a federal judge who ruled it was didn't count. It seems Bloomberg has a view of the federal judiciary not too far from that of Trump.
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While actually trying to determine who might be the most electable, what does our reliable media do? For the first half of every debate they ask tabloid questions, which is grist for the foodfight mill.
I have a novel idea.First question, economy; second, health care; third international policy. Feel free to change the order to "spice it up". We're getting too late in the game for gotcha/tabloid journalism.
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Agree with your thoughts on current day Journalism. The reporting and analyses, are so far from the credentialed and grounded subject matter specialists that we read in well vetted for facts, statistically significant findings on observations that the Medical professionals around the world can trust.
With such variance in reporting between the professional journalists, less than accurate reporting, how can we as educated readers place trust in current journalism?, Where have the most trusted Walter Cronkite’s gone?, Are there any professional journalists that have met the lauded Harvard’s Neiman fellowship developing a competitive mission of truth in journalism? As I have deployed to challenging areas of the world, there’s a reason we have a vetted Public information officer so not to place us in harms way from a “journalistic spin”, that may be misconstrued back home.
I have great difficulty in trusting today’s journalists who narrow the issue with the article title, and then quickly build their observation with each subsequent paragraph topic line. As the previous comment stated, this is got you/ tabloid, and seemingly a great departure from the journalist’s code of ethics.
Sadly, or maybe fortunate, that I can view reports from outside the United States to minimize the spin, and a report closer to the truth. Current media is far less than helpful and provides plenty of discussion for the talk shows.
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Across the board, all moderators should agree to cut the mike when speaker's time is up. They need to start now so it's non-negotiable and standard practice by the time of the debates with Trump.
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Or give each candidate 4 opportunities to speak for 5 minutes to clarify their message.
Less questions maybe but more informational.
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@Marian
WWRD?
What would Russia do?
Sanders was a deer in the headlights, losing it when his point was greeted by boos; no discernible policy or mental dexterity. Buttigieg was not just the most deft, but equally the most authentic.
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@Charles Becker In the 2016 debates the audiences were told to be silent and they were. Boos have no place in our debates. This is not a Trump rally.
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@Linda McKim-Bell,
When your whole platform is populism, silencing dissent is a sure sign of an authoritarian. Every candidate needs to face the uncensored publib.
1
Bloomberg did himself well in this debate. He acted like an adult and a doer rather than just a big talker like so many politicians.
Warren clearly demonstrated an unpresidential temperament and poor judgement with her overwrought attacks on Bloomberg. Plus, as a law school graduate I’m shocked that Warren, a former Harvard Law School professor, put forth a very old anti- Bloomberg allegation as fact. This is also a clear cut example of why Warren should not and can not win.
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Try to imagine any of the Democratic presidential nominees over the past 30 years--from Bill Clinton to Al Gore to John Kerry to Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton--acting the way the leading candidates did in Tuesday night's debate. How did we get to this point? Has Donald Trump's brand of toxic politics infected the Democratic primary? It's hard to imagine that the Dems are appealing to any swing voters with these tactics.
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True the group did look so good last night. I do like Steyer. Sorry he’s not taken seriously.
He’s liberal and more importantly anti corporatist and seemingly competent. I favor Warren and Sanders. But agree that as a group they portrayed chaotic bickering.
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It was a badly contained cacophony with no clear winner or loser. So it looks like Bernie will win the nomination.
Warren’s continued focus on attacking Bloomberg while being soft for Bernie makes me wonder if she’s already been promised the running mate position.
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Somehow Bernie will “hand her the baton”
and she will be the candidate.
Moses set the agenda, freed the slaves and led the people 40 years through the wilderness but leading the people into the promised land was Joshua.
In this analogy Sanders is Moses and Warren is Joshua.