5 Reasons To Be Glad That You Watched The CNN Democratic Presidential Debate

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:48 pm

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Bernie Sanders defends Hillary Clinton on the emails, and four other reasons to be glad that you watched the CNN Democratic debate.

1). Clinton and Sanders Clash Over The Role Of Capitalism –

It was an early telling exchange in the Democratic debate when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) railed against income inequality and casino capitalism and Hillary Clinton jumped in to defend Sanders’ points on income inequality, but she described her version of capitalism as freedom and small businesses. Sanders said that he can’t support a system where a few at the top get so much, and everyone else gets so little.

2). Martin O’Malley Goes After Sen. Sanders’ Record On Guns –

Former Gov. Martin O’Malley claimed that Bernie Sanders pandered to the NRA. Sanders responded that O’Malley has not been in the United States Congress, and, “if you think that we can simply go forward and pass something without bringing people together you are surely mistaken.” Hillary Clinton also voiced the opinion that Sen. Sanders has not gone far enough on guns.

It is clear that the other Democratic candidates think that they can exploit Sen. Sanders’ record on guns, and Bernie Sanders was clearly on the defensive on the topic of guns.

3). Hillary Clinton Hammers The Republican Select Committee On Benghazi –

Clinton beat the Republicans over the head with the club that Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy gave them by saying, “This committee is basically an arm of the Republican National Committee. It is a partisan vehicle as admitted by the House Republican Majority Leader, Mr. McCarthy to drive down my poll numbers. Big surprise. And that is what they have attempted to do. I am still standing. I am happy to be part of this debate, and I intend to keep talking about the issues that matter to the American people.”

Anderson Cooper kept trying to press the email scandal and Benghazi investigation as a legitimate story, and that is what led to Bernie Sanders going off on the bogus email scandal.

4). Bernie Sanders Speaks For America When He Says Enough Of The Emails –

Hillary Clinton was being grilled by Anderson Cooper about her emails when Bernie Sanders delivered the line of the night.

Sanders said, “Let me say something that may not be great politics, but I think the Secretary is right, and that is the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails, and let me say something else about the media as well. I go around the country and talk to a lot of people middle class in this country is collapsing, we have 27 million people living in poverty, we have trade policies that have cost us millions of decent jobs. The American people want to know if we are going to have a democracy or an oligarchy as a result of Citizens United. Enough of the emails, let’s talk about the real issues facing America.”

5). Clinton and Sanders Agree on Edward Snowden

In a bit of a surprise, when both Clinton and Sanders were asked about what should happen to Edward Snowden both of the top Democratic candidates agreed that Edward Snowden broke the law and that he should face some kind of penalty for his actions. This was one of those debate sequences that illustrated how Clinton and Sanders are separated by degree not substance on some issues.

Winners and Losers:

Winners:

1 a). Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) – O’Malley came after Sanders hard on his record on guns, but the Senator from Vermont delivered the line of the night when he raged at the media and spoke for the American people by telling Anderson Cooper that people are sick of hearing about Clinton’s emails and want to discuss real issues. Sanders made no mistakes while clearly delivering his message. If this were America’s first national introduction to Bernie Sanders, many people should come away impressed.

1 b). Former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton – Hillary Clinton defended her record, looked presidential, made no gaffes, and was very smooth on the stage. Hillary Clinton comes out of this debate unscathed, and for a frontrunner that is the most important goal. Clinton was good in this debate. She has been on the national debate stage before, and it showed.

Losers:

1). Jim Webb – Former Sen. Webb was one of the candidates who complained about the lack of equal airtime, but when a candidate is at 1% they should be thankful that they are even on the stage. Webb was too far to the right for Democrats on guns, and many of his answers were not in step with today’s Democratic Party.

2). Lincoln Chafee – Chafee dropped the ball when he was asked about his first vote in the Senate, and he said that he was new to the Senate and had just gotten there because he was appointed to the seat after his father died. Anderson Cooper made it sound like the man voted yes when he didn’t know what he was voting for. Chafee is barely registering in the polls, and he showed why tonight. He is the token fringe oddball candidate that the Democratic field always seems to have at least one of, but he also should not have been on the debate stage.

3). Martin O’Malley – Martin O’Malley tried to go after Bernie Sanders, but his attack failed. The debate was symptomatic of O’Malley’s entire campaign. There wasn’t room on the stage for both Sanders and O’Malley, and when push came to shove, Sanders dominated O’Malley. When O’Malley tried to criticize Clinton, she reminded him that he endorsed her in 2008. O’Malley is being squeezed out of the Democratic race.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association