Markos Moulitsas: Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders winners SC debate

[UncleNoel]

Markos Moulitsas, Founder of Daily Kos <[e-mail]>

snip//

Winners and losers from the South Carolina Democratic debate
.
In the order that the winners were presented:

Winner: Joe Biden

Perhaps his best debate to date, he was comfortable in an audience in a state that clearly loves Joe. The fact that this is his make-or-break moment didn’t hurt. He was focused and cogent. Unlike other debates, Biden didn’t lose focus mid-answer, or trail off into incoherence at the end of one. It still grates how he wrote every bill and passed every law and met every person and nothing ever got done without him. Also, his interrupting all over Amy Klobuchar on the gun issue was painful. But overall, in an obnoxious, poorly moderated debate, he did what he needed to do. Perhaps more than anyone on stage, he was cognizant of where he was, and what Saturday’s electorate looked like (Black). His final-answer promise of a Black female Supreme Court justice was pitch-perfect.

Second Winner: Elizabeth Warren

Warren was the only candidate who didn’t think "louder is better”. She kept her composure and demeanor the entire debate, and even exploited the shitty moderation to good effect—more than once stepping in to answer a question without even bothering to raise her hand. Clearly, rules were for suckers, and she took advantage of the chaos.

Unfortunately, her performance wasn’t as strong as last week’s, and she should’ve pivoted off Bloomberg quite a bit more. There was no use in kicking that carcass dead. He isn’t siphoning votes from her. Bernie Sanders is. And other than some nods to effectiveness, she didn’t take him on directly.

Third Winner: Bernie Sanders

As was expected, Sanders took a great deal of incoming. However, he fended most off by simply ignoring the questions and talking about whatever it was he wanted to talk about. Obnoxious? Perhaps, but by the time he finished talking, everyone had forgotten the question. It was an effective debate tactic, and one that frankly, Mike Bloomberg should’ve used himself.

At one point, Sanders began looking flustered, unused to all the incoming, but he was bailed out by an opportune commercial break, and for the most part, in the second half of the debate, the rest of the candidates on stage forgot that they were supposed to challenge the frontrunner. A sustained attack might have damaged him more. So he either emerged with little overall damage, or the gun stuff, in particular, knocked him down a peg or two. I’m guessing the former.

Losers:

Amy Klobuchar: "...she continued to give no reason for sticking around."
Pete Buttigieg: "He, in particular, was a victim to the shitty moderation...".
The billionaires: "Mike Bloomberg’s carcass showed up on stage, just for Warren to kick it dead some more."
Tom Steyer:"there’s no reason for him to be in this race. There never was. There never will be. He should go back to doing what he was doing prior—funding progressive efforts to turn our country Blue."

[Cha]

1. Jeeze.. his description doesn't say

much for 3rd place. smh

[Sloumeau]

2. People need to realize, Markos is no fan of Joe Biden.

Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas has spent 8 months kicking Joe Biden every month. From the moment Joe Biden entered the race, Markos has been saying that Joe Biden was only popular because of name recognition. There is no way that Markos would say nice things about Joe Biden unless he believed them to be true. Markos never wanted Biden at least in part because he thought a woman, a person of color, or both should be the nominee.

Also, Markos' line about Bloomberg's dead carcass is unbelievably funny. I don't think that Bloomberg is dead yet, but if Warren eventually puts enough stakes in him, Bloomberg could drop eventually.

[Cha]

3. It sounded like it in his

begrudging 1st place winner reasoning.

Shows you what he knows about Joe.

[FloridaBlues]

4. Surprised to read this he is a strong supporter of Warren

Thought he would pick her as winning debate

[pamdb]

5. Debate

Pete, amy, and tom need to get out and throw support to joe. NOW!
And Mike

[lynintenn]

6. As a member of Daily Kos since 2004

The site is intolerable this election cycle. More hate-filled than DU.