Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

brooklynite

(93,834 posts)
Tue Oct 13, 2015, 10:39 AM Oct 2015

A Viewer's Guide to Tonight's First Democratic Debate

NBC News:

A viewer's guide to tonight's debate: Tonight's Democratic presidential debate from Las Vegas won't look anything like the first two Republican debates. It will be smaller (just five candidates are participating). There will be no undercard debate. And, of course, there will be no Donald Trump. Below is our guide for what each candidate needs to accomplish in tonight's first Dem debate, which starts at 9:00 pm ET:

Hillary Clinton: The Democratic frontrunner is never going to win a fight over who's the true progressive in the race (see her TPP flip-flop), so she has two goals: One, demonstrate that she is, by far, the best Democrat on that stage -- for Iowa and New Hampshire, as well as the general election. Two, she needs to exude passion and be the dogged policy wonk. And don't ignore this image: The stage will consist of her and four white men. Just like we saw with Carly Fiorina in the GOP debates, that kind of contrast can pack a punch. Her biggest worry tonight is not the other candidates; it's likely the moderators. It will be interesting to see if she tries to use BERNIE as a foil to prove her general election viability -- think his I'm-not-a-capitalist remark.

Bernie Sanders: He simply has to come across as electable. Sure, he's faring well in many general-election polls right now. But make no mistake: His comment on "Meet the Press" Sunday that he's not a capitalist isn't a winning general-election message, especially when being a socialist running for president is more unpopular than being a Muslim or an atheist. Another question we have: How does Sanders hold up over two hours of debate? One way to judge tonight's debate is to gauge who does a better job shoring up his/her weakness -- Clinton's not-always progressive views vs. Sanders' electability doubts.

Martin O'Malley: The former Maryland governor simply needs to find a moment to finally break through, especially with a new Washington Post poll showing him registering at just 4% in his home state of Maryland (!!!). Here's something to chew on: Does O'Malley target Clinton, or does he instead go after Sanders (who may very well be O'Malley's biggest threat in this Democratic field)?
Latest Discussions»Retired Forums»2016 Postmortem»A Viewer's Guide to Tonig...