Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Instant impressions, in real time



A look at the Democratic debate for the first hour



There are three perspectives on a presidential debate.

1. The instant, in the moment impression as the debate proceeds.
  
2.  What you think of the debate at the end of it.

3.   What you think the next day or two, after hearing the pundits tell you what happened and you hear all the analysis, and how the consensus consensus settles in.


This is #1, the quick real time look. 



6:02. Bernie immediately talks about his wisdom in opposing the Iraq war. He did not mention Biden.


6:03. Biden said Obama gave him the task of ending the war. It was a mistake to go in.


6:04  Bernie rehashed that he opposed war, Biden rehashed getting out.


6:05  Klobuchar. I respect Buttigieg, but I have different experience. Opposed the Iraq war, but let’s talk about right now.


6:07. Buttigieg says the war there has gone on a long time.


6:08 wolf B said polls think you aren’t prepared in foreign policy. She says she has travelled to war sites.


6:10. Wolf B says Steyer, you don’t have experience.  Who had judgement. An outside perspective is good, for example Obama being ready to vote no.


6:12.  Bernie. two foreign policy disasters, Vietnam and Iraq, were built on lies.


6:14 Biden:  leave a very few troops in Middle East


6:15 Klobuchar: leave a few troops in ME


6:16. Warren: get people out, come home.


6:18 Buttigieg: Trump is adding people!


6:18 Bernie: “the American people are sick and tired of endless wars!”


6:19 Biden: we cannot just walk away. We need a coalition and therefore need a small special force to leverage that.


6:20 Buttigieg. We need to revise the Authorization of force. If our troops have the courage to go to war, the Zcongress must have the courage to vote.


6:22 wolf B asks Warren if she would use force without authorization.  Answer “imminent threat”. “It’s time to bring our forces home.


6:23 Steyer: work in coalitions and have a plan. Trump has no plan.


6:24 Buttigieg: defended Iran nuclear deal, which even a Trump agreed was working. Criticall important to have alliances. Yes or no, should Iran be allowed to be a nuclear power? “No.”


6:26 asked ok Klobuchar, how would you stop Iran from being a nuclear power.  Answer: negotiate, and never let Iran be nuclear.  China is the big economic threat: Iran is big m8litary threat


6:28 asked of Biden, would you meet with North Korea without preconditions? No. Trump has let him get away with everything with Trump.  Bernie helped Biden with a joke, when Biden said Kim said to best Biden with a stick. Bernie quipped “other than that you liked him.”  God all around laugh


6:31 Bernie said no trade agreements without a plan to reduce fossil fuel use. We must get our act together on climate. Against NAFTA.  Oppose new reform, USMCA, is not good enough.


6:32. New trade deal is a modest improvement. Let’s take the improvement, then do more.


6:34 Klobuchar: a plant in Iowa  was shut down because of Trump’s trade war. Support USMCA.


6:35. Buttigieg also supports USMCA.


6:35 why are you, Biden, the best on trade. Trump says he will eat your lunch.


6:38. Bernie says that Biden an he disagree on trade.  If a corporation wants to shut down 8n America, use our contracting power so they get no new government contracts.


6:39 Warren said that our trade deals have been good for major corporations not Americans. It is corruption. 


6:41. Steyer: end tariffs on day one.  Our trade deals need to protect American workers and the climate.  The future will affect the climate of young people.


6:43 I did not cannot say a woman cannot be president.  Hillary won popular vote by three million votes. i support whoever gets 5he nom8nation.


6:46. Warren: women here can win elections. Men here have lost.  


6:47. Klobuchar:  I have won in red areas


6:49. Bernie: I defeated a Republican


6:49 Warren: really, when?  Diminishing Bernie.  Bernie said, yes. Warren questioned the date..


6:50. Break


Observation:  Bernie tried to be a unifier, no fight with Warren.  Warren kept pushing, a woman can win, women win better than men, refused a resolution that noted everyone could win. Kept the dispute alive calculating the time whether Bernie had defeated a Republican 28 yers prior or 30 years prior.  Bernie wanted agreement that anyone can win and he had.


Warren wanted to assert women won better than did men.   


My instant take was very negative for Warren. It was petty.




2 comments:

Diane Newell Meyer said...

I think that was just one small moment in two and a half hours that Warren stuck to that subject too long. At the end, just after the debate, Bernie, Warren did not shake hands or hug after some words. Bernie seemed to huff off. I don't think it will have a long lasting effect, however. Otherwise, everyone stuck to the subjects well.
I am still for Warren, tho I see the wisdom of looking at Amy as the "sensible choice". Even Biden's end statement was very good. His stuttering is unfortunate, but it was present a lot. Steyer has no experience and needs to be off the stage, ready, like the other billionaire, to aid the eventual nominee.
Everyone skirts around it - we fought to get a Catholic president, will fight to get a woman president, a gay president, a socialist president, but no one brings up the subject of a Jewish president.

Anonymous said...

Bingo.