Democrat Debate Analysis 12-19-2015

Jimmy D: I really wish they would do away with opening statements. They're pretty scripted and lame. ABC kicked it off with the news of the day (Bernie's campaign getting Hillary's campaign data.) Bernie laid the story out then apologized to Clinton and apologized to this supporters. This is officially a non-story. Now on to the real issues. They opened with gun control but with radicalism as the backdrop. Hillary stated that guns and radicalism are separate issues but arming more people is not the response to terrorism. We already lose 33,000 people a year to gun violence and more untrained gunmen are not the answer. Bernie and O'Malley stuck with the gunshow loophole because even ISIS knows that is the easiest way to get a gun. But the point on this issue goes to Bernie Sanders “We can do all the speeches we want but we can't get anything done without a consensus.” Ronnie R: I agree, opening statements are just pointless. Each candidate restated a canned stump speech and does nothing to differentiate themselves. Bernie apologizing to Hillary will be harmful to his campaign. He sounds tough on the campaign trail but when he debates her, he literally seems to cower before her. Eventually Bernie is going to have to take it to Clinton if he wants to be the nominee. Gun control is a losing campaign issue for these nominees. Specifically mentioning this after Paris and San Bernadino is a tactical mistake. The candidates though are tied to the anti-gun rhetoric that they CONSTANTLY bring up after every shooting. 33,000 is a lot of folks that we lose every year to gun violence, how many of those are from guns purchased illegally to begin with? The stat is taken out of context Jimmy D: One stark contrast between the last Republican Debate and this one is the marginalization of Muslim immigrants/refugees. I truly believe that operating out of fear is not the answer and Hillary hit the nail on the head, “We don't want Muslims feeling marginalized when we need their help.” George W. Bush did it and she gave him credit for it. “Trump is becoming ISIS' best recruiter.” Bernie Sanders, who I'm rooting for, could've seized on this and really set the Party up for success. He could've agreed with Hillary but instead went off on a tangent about the rich. I was really disappointed with how he handled that. There was another slight contrast when it came to ousting Assad or fight ISIS. Hillary says we can do both at the same time. Bernie says Assad is not attacking us and the priority should be to fight ISIS because regime change is NOT always the answer. Much like the stance that Rand Paul was taking in the Republican Debate. Ronnie R: The candidates claim to not be operating out of fear, then say things like “Donald Trump is ISIS' best recruiter”. How is that not intended to scare would be voters? The hypocrisy here is deafening. At least no one was watching. As you point out Jimmy, Sanders then goes on to talk about the rich and how they are destroying our country. I believe Americans are so tired of this rhetoric and it does not instill hope for the future. I would love to see Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders get a one on one debate set up. It will most likely never happen but it would be great for our political discourse to hear the two of them have a substantive debate on real issues. Jimmy D: When they moved on to the economy, I really hoped one of these candidates would say something to win over some voters. But we've already heard everything they preached. Give me something new. Give me something to take to social media about. Healthcare came up for a minute which gave Bernie another chance to sell single payer. But again, he doesn't have an exact cost (which always hurts the argument). “It would save thousands for middle class families.” Yeah that sounds good. But Americans already know they won't have deductibles or insurance costs. They need to know what the taxation is. It's a really easy argument if the taxation rates are lower than the insurance and deductible cost. Ronnie R: In the end, I don't think anyone who watched left with a great sense of enthusiasm for any of the candidates. I don't think there were any game changers for anyone. I will say that I love that there are only three people on stage. It allows for a much better back and forth. I hope the Republicans will winnow the field in the new year. Bottom Line: There is an incredibly stark contrast between the two parties debates. The Republican candidates are prime time on night people actually watch TV. The Democrats debate on the weekend before Christmas (the biggest shopping weekend of the year). Why are the Democrats afraid to have their platform on display for the American people? Jimmy D: Ultimately, I feel like I've seen this show already. This seemed like the same exact debate as the last one. I wasn't floored by anything and quite frankly I don't think any voters were swayed who weren't swayed already. If you support Hillary, you left supporting Hillary. If you support Bernie, you left supporting Bernie. If you supported O'Malley, it's time for you to pick a side. Bottom Line: A Saturday night debate during a football game with the Dallas Cowboys shows you just how in control the DNC is with the schedule. It was terrible decision making and the debate was a re-run from what I saw. I'm a pretty huge liberal and I was bored.

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