There are at least three ways of judging the first Democratic debate: who seemed to increase their presence among voters; who elevated their position among the contenders; and who bettered their situation for the general election.
Increasing one’s presence means garnering more positive notice among voters than they had before the debate. The winners were Tim Ryan, Julian Castro, Corey Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Bill de Blasio. Elizabeth Warren did well. But she was expected to do well and did not do much better than she was supposed to do.
Elevating one’s position means doing well enough for network pundits to anticipate a rise in the polls. Using this criterion, the winners were Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro, Corey Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Bill de Blasio. Notably, Beto O’Rourke may have lost ground. But these rankings may be conditioned by the second night’s ranking.
Positioning for the general election includes at least five issues for which at least one candidate advocated. Warren and de Blasio pushed “Medicare for All” and the elimination of private health insurance. The other eight candidates endorsed “Medicare for All” while allowing private health insurance at least as a bridge to “Medicare for All.”
Castro attacked O’Rourke for not backing the legislation needed to prevent separating parents from their children. The attack catapulted Castro over O’Rourke. And it will be an issue in the general election. Ryan and Tulsi Gabbard had a sharp exchange over whether the U.S. would need to use its military as part of its foreign policy. Gabbard advocated for a total withdrawal of the military from any Middle Eastern involvement.
Ryan and Warren called for an “industrial policy” that would bring “green manufacturing” and jobs to the U.S. heartland. (Less than 15 years Republicans considered “industrial policy” to be synonymous with the economic planning of communist totalitarianism.) Ryan and de Blasio advocated for a Democratic Party returning to its roots as the party of workers rather than the elite.
How advocacy of these issues will affect the primaries and the general election is not known. But Donald Trump and Republicans will use these issues against the Democratic candidate. And the outcome of the election might hinge on the Democratic nominee’s ability to defend them.
Increasing one’s presence means garnering more positive notice among voters than they had before the debate. The winners were Tim Ryan, Julian Castro, Corey Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Bill de Blasio. Elizabeth Warren did well. But she was expected to do well and did not do much better than she was supposed to do.
Elevating one’s position means doing well enough for network pundits to anticipate a rise in the polls. Using this criterion, the winners were Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro, Corey Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Bill de Blasio. Notably, Beto O’Rourke may have lost ground. But these rankings may be conditioned by the second night’s ranking.
Positioning for the general election includes at least five issues for which at least one candidate advocated. Warren and de Blasio pushed “Medicare for All” and the elimination of private health insurance. The other eight candidates endorsed “Medicare for All” while allowing private health insurance at least as a bridge to “Medicare for All.”
Castro attacked O’Rourke for not backing the legislation needed to prevent separating parents from their children. The attack catapulted Castro over O’Rourke. And it will be an issue in the general election. Ryan and Tulsi Gabbard had a sharp exchange over whether the U.S. would need to use its military as part of its foreign policy. Gabbard advocated for a total withdrawal of the military from any Middle Eastern involvement.
Ryan and Warren called for an “industrial policy” that would bring “green manufacturing” and jobs to the U.S. heartland. (Less than 15 years Republicans considered “industrial policy” to be synonymous with the economic planning of communist totalitarianism.) Ryan and de Blasio advocated for a Democratic Party returning to its roots as the party of workers rather than the elite.
How advocacy of these issues will affect the primaries and the general election is not known. But Donald Trump and Republicans will use these issues against the Democratic candidate. And the outcome of the election might hinge on the Democratic nominee’s ability to defend them.
