On Sunday night, Democrats continued their attempt to ensure no one in America has a chance to compare presumed frontrunner Hillary Clinton to her alternatives. Aired in the middle of a holiday weekend, the debate seemed less a chance to show off the candidates and more of a plan to anger the journalists who had to lose their weekend by covering the event.
Thankfully for you, I was one of those viewers, meaning you didn’t have to watch it. So let’s get right to the statements and claims that helped and hurt each candidate.
Hillary Clinton
Where she floundered: She is vulnerable when it comes to the Middle East and Wall Street, and with each issue, her weakness seaped through.
While Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders only mentioned getting rid of Saddam Hussein, and the vacuum caused by his ouster, he could have also brought up former Libya dictator Muammar Gaddafi and former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who were both deposed while Ms. Clinton was secretary of state. Both countries fell into chaos following the removal of the leaders.
On Wall Street, she was knocked repeatedly by Mr. Sanders for her ties to the financial industry. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley also brought up her previous debate statement when she brought up 9/11 to justify her connection to Wall Street. It’s a tough issue for the former secretary of state.
Where she excelled: Her attempts to knock Mr. Sanders on gun control will play well with Democrats.
Ms. Clinton brought up Mr. Sanders’ opposing a bill that “would have prevented the suspect in the massacre that killed nine people in a historic black church from obtaining a gun.” She also noted he has voted with the National Rifle Association “numerous times,” including in voting against gun violence research.
Setting aside the validity of those attacks, it’s one of the clear differences between Mr. Sanders and Ms. Clinton.
Bernie Sanders
Where he floundered: He is to the right of Mr. O’Malley and Ms. Clinton on gun control, and his rivals pounced. In the wake of high-profile mass shootings, gun control has emerged a major issue for the Left and it’s a vulnerability for Mr. Sanders.
Where he excelled: Pointing out how much he has risen in the polls was not only a powerful statement, but must have made Ms. Clinton uneasy.
“As Secretary Clinton well knows, when this campaign began she was 50 points ahead of me. We were all of three percentage points. Guess what?” Mr. Sanders said. “In Iowa, New Hampshire, the race is very, very close. Maybe we’re ahead [in] New Hampshire.
He also got in a great jab at Ms. Clinton when he noted that she had taken speaking fees from Goldman Sachs.
“Well, the first difference is I don’t take money from big banks,” Mr. Sanders said. “I don’t get personal speaking fees from Goldman Sachs.”
Ouch.
Martin O’Malley
Where he floundered: It doesn’t matter what he says, he doesn’t go anywhere in the polls. He points out that he has actually achieved the reforms Ms. Clinton and Mr. Sanders yet he remains at 3 percent in the polls. He points out Ms. Clinton’s hypocrisy on Wall Street, yet he goes nowhere in the polls. It just doesn’t matter at this point.
Where he excelled: He listed the crime statistics in Maryland during his governorship. This certainly made it seem like he knew what he was doing, and might have overshadowed the chaos that occurred in Baltimore last year.
“I drove our incarceration rate down to 20-year lows, and drove violent crime down to 30-year lows, and became the first governor south of the Mason-Dixon line to repeal the death penalty,” Mr. O’Malley said.
