Here Are The Winners And Losers From The ABC Democratic Presidential Debate

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:51 pm

Here are the winners and losers from the ABC Democratic presidential debate.

Winners and Losers:

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Winners:

1). Hillary Clinton – Clinton benefitted from another debate that featured a great deal of time devoted to terrorism and ISIS. Clinton also did well on the issue of guns. She is the frontrunner. Clinton has a big lead nationally with Democrats, and she leads in three of the four early primary states. The bar for Clinton is set at looking presidential and not making a mistake that opens the door for Bernie Sanders.

Clinton had another strong performance and did nothing that should change her status as the Democratic frontrunner.

2). Bernie Sanders – Sen. Sanders had a very good debate. Sanders was better on foreign policy than he was during the CBS Democratic debate. Sanders shined when the debate turned to the economy and the middle class. The Sanders position on guns may help him in states like New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Bernie Sanders is getting better with each passing debate.

Sanders is the second best candidate in either party. Bernie Sanders would blow any of the Republican presidential contenders out of the water. He may not get the chance to show what he could do in a general election because Hillary Clinton continues to run strong, but that should in no way diminish the impressiveness or the strength of the Sanders grassroots campaign.

3). Democratic Voters – The fact that Sanders and Clinton worked together to kill the data breach story and talk about the real issues did a great service to American voters. The Democratic candidates didn’t attack each other. They didn’t hurl insults like the Republican sideshows that pass as debates. Democrats were treated to another night of actual discussion of the issues. Instead, viewers got to see a discussion of important issues like gun violence, income inequality, regulating Wall Street, jobs, the economy, the middle class, and foreign policy that works.

Losers:

1). Martin O’Malley – O’Malley remains the third wheel in a two person race. He tried to play the keep America safe from terrorism card, but that fell flat. O’Malley tried to attack both Clinton and Sanders, but he went nowhere. There is no room in the race for Martin O’Malley. The outsider supporters that he thought would be his belong to Sen. Sanders.

Former Gov. O’Malley can’t find the attack or theme that will get him noticed. Martin O’Malley isn’t a bad candidate. He just isn’t good enough to hang with Clinton and Sanders.

2). Democratic Voters – Democratic voters were completely ripped off by the DNC’s decision to hold this debate on a Saturday night before Christmas. The Democratic candidates are exponentially superior to what the Republicans are offering, but the DNC has decided to bury these debates in the worst possible time slots. The Democratic candidates have had great debates about vital issues to ordinary Americans, but the refusal to air these debates at optimal times is doing both Democratic voters and the American people a great disservice.

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