That was beautifully done! Rachel Maddow was spot on, friendly and personable, but willing to dig in and shake the bone when necessary to get the answers to the actual question she asked. The audience was enthusiastic and respectful, and the candidates were relaxed, personable and actually answered the questions that they were asked, spontaneously and with personality.
The winner? Everybody! Martin O'Malley was strong, confident and came across as very experienced and capable. He was passionate when questioned about a draft and war tax, and he was forceful about his liberal accomplishments as mayor and governor. I'm betting that if anybody other than the Daily Kos community watched this thing all the way through tonite, there will be a severe uptick in "Martin O'Malley" hits on google over the next twenty four hours or so, he did himself very well tonite.
Bernie was Bernie. He was folksy, he was forceful and he was just plain Bernie. The moment when he had the flash round questions, bringing up his grandchildren, and his "crankiness" he hit all the right notes. And when he hit Rachel with that unexpected "underwear" comment, he stole the audience for a moment.
Hillary was clearly the favorite off of the bat. She was the only one to get a standing ovation coming out on the stage, and she knew the crowd was in her hand, it was hers to lose. She was passionate, stayed on message, and was open and personable from start to finish. Her response to the forum she took place in with mothers of gun violence was heartfelt and effective, and her self deprecation over the wedding photo showed her softer, gentler, personal side.
The losers? The 2016 G.O.P. Presidential field. THIS is how it's done! You can answer a direct question honestly, along with respectfully if you actually have an opinion or policy on the actual question that was asked. The Republicans ridiculed the first Democratic debate for no better reason than it made them look like a bunch of drunken teenagers in a mosh pit, and they're not going to like this display of intelligence and policy either.
It will be interesting to see the reactions and comments of the clown car circus over the next 24 hours or so to this repudiation of their entire sad charade. From a guy who lied about West Point, to a guy who wants to shut down the government cuz of "stuff", to a guy who joked about "laying out the cones" in a scandal that literally could have killed people, to a guy who sells less books than the California penal code, to a guy who actually thinks that Kim Davis is "da BOMB!", to a guy who's trying to referee between his father and his brother, to a water gulping double dipper, and on and on and on. I'm heading over to Smiths for more popcorn.
Thanks as always for reading!