Here’s How Each Candidate Stood Out During The Debate | Talking Points Memo

One thing we can say for sure: This debate, touted as a potential game changer, didn’t end up having the feel of one. We’ll see if the polls affirm that. Here’s what we saw with each candidate.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1248024

Bye Bye, Castro.

BETO - Take your passion and run against Cornyn.
`

10 Likes

Older Black voters like Joe. Younger ones really dislike him. That was obvious. What’s the disconnect?

1 Like

The older ones are more reliable voters just like older whites are.

5 Likes

So Castro, polling at 1%, decided to take one for team left. Screw him.

4 Likes

Or, you know…

take your passion and use it to work for one of the Democrats already passionately running for the nomination in Texas.

Because Beto has repeatedly said he isn’t going to run for Senate.

Blindly yelling for it ad nauseum is well beyond passe at this point.

12 Likes

My family played “match the candidates with cabinet positions” and decided we wanted them all in our cabinet (although I thought Mayor Pete would be a great Chief of Staff). I mean, what an array of talent – I want them all in office.

33 Likes

Say it again please, the people in the back didn’t hear you.

7 Likes

Castro made a big strategic mistake tonight, by targeting Biden and going after him so hard. It came across as petty and mean, and that hasn’t worked for any candidate in any debates so far.

If Biden loses, its going to be because Biden shoots himself in the foot, not because someone takes him down. That should have been perfectly clear after Harris tried it. And then Gillibrand tried it and failed even worse.

I personally really like Castro, and thought he was running a solid campaign…but he wasn’t getting any traction. This was a desperate move that failed quite badly.

17 Likes

Works for me.

I’m a big supporter of M.J.

7 Likes

Maybe its just me, but I think Harris is almost at the point that she is auditioning to be someone’s AG. And if her polling in SC and CA holds up, she’ll probably be in a position to cut a deal for it.

Likewise, I think O’Rourke is making a good audition to be someone’s VP. And if polling holds up in TX, he’ll likewise be in a good position to make that deal.

After that…Booker, Klobuchar, and Warren should stay in the Senate if they don’t get the nomination. Neither has anything to gain by being in the Cabinet or VP. Buttigieg should be running for House, where he would be in a strong position to move up the Leadership ladder quickly…assuming you prescribe to the notion like I do, that there is going to be a big shake up in Dem Leadership in the House after 2020. Castro did himself no favors tonight, but he isn’t interested in another Cabinet post anyway.

Sanders does stay in the Senate.

Biden either wins or rides off into the sunset.

Wang has no business being on that stage.

23 Likes

I’m trying to understand the animosity

1 Like

Wait until Trump targets Biden. Petty and mean?!?! Castro is doing Biden a favor. Getting him ready for the big fight. And I got to say, Biden doesn’t take punches too well.

11 Likes

o/t

3 Likes

Given that in that exchange Castro had the wrong recollection of the words (spoken by Biden) two minutes prior, I did not come up with an impression that Castro’s attack carried any kind of a punch

7 Likes

Harris wasn’t auditioning for anything other than the candidate who will smash Donnie. And she did a magnificent job. She proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she won’t be intimidated by him, and she’ll nail him to a wall. Don’t go to sleep on her just yet. She’ll be top 5 in Iowa, and near the top in NH. As I’ve said before, SC and the South are the keys to her candidacy.

13 Likes

Mostly, this.

No…the transcripts show that Castro was correct on that.

But he tried to run with it by acting like Biden is losing his memory, implying that Biden’s age is the problem.

That was the cheap shot. He would have been far better off, making the point once, and then focusing on how his plan is better…(not requiring buy in) several times.

4 Likes

Maybe…but that won’t do much for her, not that she needs much out of IA…just survive.

She ain’t there now, and as things heat up there, I don’t see her improving much.

She is falling in SC, too. Which is probably keeping her campaign people up at night. Because you are right…she needs to win delegates in the South and CA to have any chance.

2 Likes

Probably. But helping the front runner isn’t how someone polling in the back of the pack pulls ahead.

In this primary, voters have not responded well to anybody getting brutal on the other candidates. Its not a good strategy right now, particularly for a back of the pack candidate vs. a front runner…it comes across as too transparently as a desperation move. Everyone that has pulled it, is out of the race except for Harris…and her numbers tanked hard after she tried it against Biden.

4 Likes