Not only did anyone lay a hand on Democratic front runner Joe Biden during last night’s debate, his liberal foes Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren did nothing to raid votes from each other, instead maintaining the status quo, sharing voters that hand the nomination to Biden.
Tonight at 8pm ET on CNN, Biden debates.
Off the island: Williamson, Ryan, Klobuchar, Hickenloopper, O’Rourke, Delaney, Bullock.
Just saw Jeff Daniels on Colbert. Talking about the debate he got a 5 second bleep and camera cutaway when describing what the Dem candidate has to do to beat SFB. That was must see tv. I’m pretty sure the words fuck and grab were part of it. Wish I coulda seen it. I’m pulling for Joe to pick up the Daniels thread and run with it tomorrow.
He also noted that in MI in 2016 where Hillary lost by 11,000 there were 87,000 dem ballots with the president line left blank. He suggested the radical notion that the Dem candidate needs to talk with the voters there.
Once again I missed a night of teevee delight. Reading the output of the ink stained pundits I gather CNN went all out to have a dud of a show (not debate). DNC, or whoever makes decisions, needs to get the crowd reduced to three or four on stage. This morning someone on WTOP, local DC radio station, was saying that Williamson was a winner. If I wanted to lose my integrity I would become a pundit. Pick the weird candidates, say they are savants of politics and rake in my dollars.
pogo, is this it?
starting at 5:20 or there abouts when he brings up the dead father & daughter immigrants in the rive — the silence?
here’s Colbert’s critique of dem deb II
Stephen kicks off his LIVE post-debate show with a look at the standout moments (we’re looking at you, John Delaney) from Night One of the July 2019 Democratic Presidential Debates
there’s also a part 2 in case you’re interested or are a glutton for punishment.
warren opened with what should be the required mantra of each dem candidate in every debate from now until convention selects the nominee:
“Donald Trump disgraces the office of president every single day. And anyone on this stage tonight or tomorrow night would be a far better president. I promise, no matter who our candidate is, I will work my heart out to beat Donald Trump and to elect a Democratic Congress.”
lizzie’s full opening statement from transcript of second debate
WARREN: Donald Trump disgraces the office of president every single day. And anyone on this stage tonight or tomorrow night would be a far better president. I promise, no matter who our candidate is, I will work my heart out to beat Donald Trump and to elect a Democratic Congress.
But our problems didn’t start with Donald Trump. Donald Trump is part of a corrupt, rigged system that has helped the wealthy and the well-connected and kicked dirt in the faces of everyone else.
We’re not going to solve the urgent problems that we face with small ideas and spinelessness. We’re going to solve them by being the Democratic Party of big structural change. We need to be the party that fights for our democracy and our economy to work for everyone.
You know, I know what’s broken in this country, I know how to fix it, and I will fight to make it happen.
NY Times Best of Late Night on the debate:
That’s Debatable
CNN aired the first of two live Democratic debates Tuesday night, and late night remarked on how difficult it is to hear from 10 presidential candidates on the stage at the same time, especially when Americans aren’t familiar with some of them.
Noah criticized the CNN moderators for cutting off the candidates when they went over time and then trying to pit them against each other.
There was a lot of ground to cover, but hosts focused on some of the debate’s highlights, including disagreements over health care.
“If Hickenlooper is elected, he’ll be like, ‘I promise I will go on Yahoo Answers to see if anyone knows how to fix this thing.’” — TREVOR NOAH
“There she goes, tossing her base some of that red unicorn meat. And the only way to defeat it is to help Harry Potter locate the nine horcrux.” — STEPHEN COLBERT, on Marianne Williamson’s mention of a “dark psychic force”
[As Williamson] “We have a Department of Housing, but not a department of home. We have secretary of education, instead of a secretary of educating. We have a Defense Department instead of a dreamcatcher I bought in Sedona.” — STEPHEN COLBERT
The Punchiest Punchlines (Biggest Debate Burns Edition)
“After the first half of tonight’s debate, Google searches for former congressman John Delaney increased 3,400 percent, and still no results.” — SETH MEYERS
“And at this point, now that the dust has cleared, it’s John Hickenlooper’s election to lose.” — JIMMY KIMMEL
“I’m not sure the guy polling below 1 percent should be talking about math right now.” — STEPHEN COLBERT, on Delaney debating Sanders on health care
[As Sanders] “I wrote the damn bill, and it’s a good thing you get dental care, Tim, because I just slapped the teeth out of your dirty mouth.” — STEPHEN COLBERT, on Tim Ryan saying Sanders didn’t know something about the health care bill that Sanders, in fact, authored
“Tim Ryan better hope ‘Medicare for all’ passes, because he’s going to need some health care for that burn.” — SETH MEYERS
Grammar police alert:
not only did no one
or
not only didn’t anyone
?
A question, because I’m unsure.
Of course no one laid a finger on Biden… with that format, no one could lay a finger on a cream puff. There was no “winner”. Will there be one tonight… hell, I’m debating with myself if I even want to bother to watch it.
ps… the clear loser was CNN…
..sorry i missed it. was listening to ‘special coverage’ on msnbc. couldn’t stay up until 10:30 when the ‘official’ coverage started…
today’s lesson; learn how to work the remote.
…on a brighter note, NPR played some really great classical last night…
renee, Jennifer rubin in today’s wapo agrees with you on CNN
Warren and Delaney had a good night. CNN had a terrible one.
At the top of Tuesday’s Democratic debate, CNN wasted 25 minutes by, among other things, playing the national anthem, taking a commercial, reciting the rules and introducing the candidates. It was time that should have been spent questioning candidates, and worse, pushed the debate into overtime beyond the 2½-hour mark. Likewise, spending valuable minutes asking candidates to explain why they are electable does nothing to enlighten voters about the views of these candidates. One has to wonder who made these bizarre choices and why.
[continues]
oReilly Hertz, welcome to the luddite club with regard to being remote challenged. i’m lucky to just know how to punch on/off.
Moscow Mitch Cocktail Special
Shouldn’t a Moscow Mitch be made with bourbon instead of vodka? Yeah it would be undrinkable but what would you expect?
Jack
the talking heads have picked their winners/losers, but who have the twitter world chosen? be interesting to see recap of what went viral in a good way.
the hill:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) excited reaction to former Rep. John Delaney’s (D-Md.) presidential primary debate question on a wealth tax has turned into a meme.
During Tuesday night’s debate, CNN anchor and debate moderator Don Lemon asked Delaney about whether Warren’s wealth tax was a fair funding source for child care and education, prompting Warren to giddily rub her hands together.
“Your estimated net worth is more than $65 million. That would make you subject to Sen. Warren’s proposed wealth tax on the assets of the richest 75,000 homes, households or so in the United States,” Lemon said to Delaney. “Do you think Senator Warren’s wealth tax is a fair way to fund child care and education?”
Warren’s “wealth tax hand rub” was quickly turned into a gif on social media that’s been shared thousands of times, with users applauding the senator for her reaction.
“She did that in a perfectly light-hearted way. Like she’s got Boardwalk with a hotel, and Delaney just landed on it,” one user tweeted.
“Yes hello do you have the @ewarren wealth tax hand cream I’ll take 3 cases please and thank you,” another joked.
“Warren literally rubbed her hands w/ glee when Don Lemon pointed out that Delaney would be subject to her wealth tax,” a reporter tweeted. “Warren seemed to want to try to go in for the kill on Delaney and the wealth tax but moderators switch to student loan debt.”
Sounds to me like the title of this post should have been “Advantage Trump”
jack, au contraire, mon frère. bourbon & ginger (depending upon the quality) is quite drinkable — but then one might wonder why spoil a good bourbon or a good ginger beer when they are sui generis perfection.
An obvious rule for the 2024 debates, “You have to have run for and won at least 1 public office as a Democrat in the last 5 years” dog catcher will suffice.
Jack
Pat, fortunately Kentucky doesn’t make its bourbon like it choses its politicians, or we would all be drinking Old Crow.
Jack
I thought the best performance of the night was Warren’s lengthy interview with the CNN panel after the debate. A tour de force, nobody could stump her.
sturg, don’t know, re: grammar check. wrote that in the middle of the night numb from watching all the analysis
Yeah, I’m not sure either.
They also serve who only stand and proofread.
••••••••••••••••
On another remote subject…
They need a bulb lighting up emoji
Meanwhile, on MSNBC, Matthews and Delaney waxed grim together at the thought of being taxed as much as uber drivers.
I think if Biden predicts cheerfully that “America won’t vote for an old fart who wears lipstick and rouge,” he’ll be at 51% on Thursday morning.
“America won’t vote for an old fart who wears lipstick and rouge”
X-R, you might have something there. in addition to requiring income tax records, all candidates for president should let the voters know who they really are and exactly what they look like unvarnished –warts, sans girdles, rugs and all.
goes for the ladies too.
So, Biden won a debate in which he didn’t participate and that nobody watched? Yeah, sure.
I went to sleep early.
i know who I want.
i know who I don’t want.
And I know who I’ll accept.
After that, it’s not up to me.
It’s all minutiae until the rubber hits the road.
Up until said rubber meets said road it’s just Hammer Time.
Hammer the Oaf.
Biden/Warren works for me
Bink! So good to see back here. Don’t be a stranger.
Craig… Biden/Warren…. too much East coast (yes, I know Warren is from Oklahoma, but she is a Senator from Massachusetts and identifies as such).
Biden..why should we settle for a third rate pol whose biggest achievement is to have the same job as Dan Quayle and whose record indicates he leads from behind
oh yeah and all that bullshit talk about not saying smack about other candidates –I guess that goes out the window when encouraging Warren to attack Bernie
Warren Sanders…yeah that’s the ticket
Live debate thread here opens at 7:40pm ET. Broadcast on CNN 8-10:30pm ET.
KC, Well you certainly don’t give a shit about talking smack about Biden – over and over and over… But to answer your question, we settle for the politician who garners the most voter support. At this point that’s Biden. If Lizzie, Bernie! or Kamala (or any other of the dem candidates for that matter) can get more support it will be a different discussion. As for choosing Lizzie over Bernie! and encouraging her to work to draw votes from him, their policy positions are close enough that unless she attacked his hair, flying finger or demeanor I am not sure how she would attack him.
Sturge,?
Biden hasn’t gotten single vote
yellow dog works for me
I’m with Ms Pat. Better a Yellow Dog than a yellow serpent.
the hill:
The Kentucky Democratic Party on Wednesday launched a “Moscow Mitch” online store, making use of a nickname handed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) over his blocking of election security legislation.
The party’s online store is promoting red buttons, vinyl stickers, a T-shirt and a cossack hat, all decorated with the phrase, “Just say nyet! to Moscow Mitch,” in Soviet-style lettering.
[continues]
Moscow Mitch
commieoligarch dupeBetter a Yellow Dog than a yellow mole.
Howzabout ‘Mitch the Mole’.
really hope to hear something like this tonight
WARREN: Donald Trump disgraces the office of president every single day. And anyone on this stage tonight or tomorrow night would be a far better president. I promise, no matter who our candidate is, I will work my heart out to beat Donald Trump and to elect a Democratic Congress.
Pogo
I have no issue with the Democrats only having 10 commandments
The Red Turtle
Moscow Mrytle or is that Mur-tal
facebook comment
In the media narrative on last night’s debate, most are saying Warren and Sanders lost the debate and I’m like:
1. Were you watching the same debate I watched? because they did a pretty solid job.
2. The entire debate was structured to give shark bait to the less know “centrist” candidates to attack a sanders and warren.
The media is trying to be a kingmaker/queenmaker again. We’ve seen this movie.
The theory is that people won’t stay to see the ads if there isn’t conflict. Data is not enough, it needs a narrative, preferably a dramatic one, as dreamt up by CNN’s marketing villains.
Facts : Warren won. Bernie held his own. Mayor Pete spoke up for the Party. Klobuchar promised not to be an embarrassment. Hickenlooper played Happy Warrior w/o much to war about. Williamson re-invented herself as melania w/o an accent. Bullock was decorative. O’Rourke showed that the reboot of his reboot needs new boots. Ryan ended up a pavement grease spot. Delaney made himself odious to everyone but manchin and chris matthews, and will soon become trump’s next secretary of cliches.
Any ‘news’ org that says Warren and Bernie were the losers is a purveyor of Flake News.
If Joe stumbles tonight, Warren will probably become the new frontrunner :
WONK-ON-FIRE !
If I had to call a winner from last night I would have to say it was Warren.
KC until there is actually some movement in the primaries we are left with polling, and it is not a strong indicator of who might win in the end, and I get that. But it does help to indicate where voters stand at a point in time – and as it stands today, Biden is stronger by a large margin over any other candidate – poll wise he has twice the support of any other candidate. Of course that could change tomorrow. It did a month ago. Still, in the last 3 weeks his support has continued to rise, Warren’s has as well, but to a lesser extent, and no one else is moving the needle.
Winner schminner chicken dinner
Sturg…. I’ll take that dinner if it’s fried…
The gospel bird is best served fried.
A chicken in every pot!
I doubt Biden makes it though tonight without a catastrophic gaffe, nevermind the 7 months before Iowa: therefore, it’s (almost) anyone’s game.
Shhhhhh…….it’s not a game
Biden/ Warren works. Joe can get PA, OH away from Drumpf. Warren pulls in the Independents and the 99%ers.
Beto’s picture on a milk carton yet?