Hillary Clinton won the debate (and six other takeaways from Las Vegas)
Hillary Rodham Clinton was the only candidate on stage last night who looked like a plausible president. She had gravitas and filled the stage, while her four rivals came across as unelectable, unserious or both. In short, she solidified her status as the Democratic front-runner. Clinton’s strong performance will, at least temporarily, quiet doubts among party elites and make it less likely that Joe Biden enters the race.
Other important takeaways from the evening–
1. Hillary’s tight hug of Obama means there is less room for Biden. Mindful of a possible bid by the vice president, Clinton clearly wanted to send a message that she will aggressively compete for the Obama coalition and continue to grab for the president’s mantle. “I would have to think this would give him some pause,” longtime Obama strategist David Axelrod said of Biden after the debate.
After publicly breaking with him recently on issues like immigration, the Keystone XL Pipeline and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the most striking storyline of the night was how closely Clinton tied herself to Obama. The full embrace of her ex-rival is also a testament to the president’s enduring popularity among Democratic primary voters
Hillary name-dropped Obama more than anyone else, by far. Responding to questions about her early support for the Iraq war, she noted that Obama opposed it but still chose her for secretary of state. Clinton used the word “we” repeatedly to describe various actions overseas, including a dramatic retelling of herself and Obama chasing after the Chinese to try getting a climate change deal. Asked how she’d differ from Obama in the White House, Hillary dodged by noting that she’d be the first female president.
Much MOre~ Not very flattering to Bernie Sanders .. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/10/14/the-daily-202-hillary-clinton-won-the-debate-and-six-other-takeaways-from-las-vegas/
This makes me happy.. I like to see our Dems supporting each other.. Hillary and President Obama have both worked so hard and accomplished so much.. but, of course, there's so much more work to be done.
The last 7 years need to be built on.. not torn apart and plundered.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Obviously, actual "Democrats" agree with your assessment. There's only one person on that stage who can keep the Obama coalition intact. It must come as a surprise to the folks who have been dissing the president for the past 7 years that real "Democrats" actually like our POTUS, and want the next "Democratic" POTUS to offer policies in the same vein, and compromise with Republicans.
My CFO, who was a BS leaner, told me today that he, his partner & his partner's brother (strong Obama supporters) are now firmly in the Hillary Camp. The consensus was that "she came off more presidential than anyone on the stage". They pay as much attention to politics as I do, but they had no idea who Lincoln Chafee & Jim Webb were. I haven't had a chance to speak with my other fellow Dems yet. The funny thing is that his brother-in-law, who lives in MD, can't stand O'Malley. Go figure.
