Democratic Party Debates - Election 2016

Really am interested to know others' thoughts about the Dem debates.

thank the deity of your choice our debates are over, now we just have to wait two weeks to see which dope wins, and if we go to the polls again in six months or we get a few years of relative peace

In Australia (that's where you're from, right?) they don't have these ridiculously prolonged campaigns that last for years, do they?

Canada, this has been one of the longest, 76 days from the election call to the vote

^Your post prior to this one^

After saying that, you talk about Australia?



Keep pounding sand for the Democrats.

I will be looking to see what they do about their agreement to try not to talk about each other, especially negatively. Two policy wonks talking on a stage is not likely to go over well with the public. Hillary might compensate by going after R's, but that will make her look mean if Sanders does not join her and also dismissive of Sanders, so I dont see how that works for her.

Thanks for the heads up.

Back tomorrow.

I hope the moderator ask serious policy questions that affect everyday people in their daily lives.

If they don't, Bernie will call them on it.

I'm not encouraged by the choice of moderator for the first one - Anderson Cooper. I've seen him do good, incisive, no-bullshit questioning, but I've more often seen him just regurgitate whatever headline fluff is selling most briskly at the moment. I mean, his claim to fame is those super sensationalist 'man on the spot' type reports during and after Hurricane Katrina, being sure to show him battered by the storm or standing in waist deep water. Hopefully he can resist his spotlight hogging urges and ask some useful questions.

I'm not really worried about the moderator. All the Democratic candidates are policy wonks at heart. I think the entire debate is going to be long on specifics and short on fireworks.

I hope you're right. We get enough drama from the GOP - if the Dems stick to issues it might not be a popcorn munching event, but it will be a welcome contrast for me.

If the Dem candidates cannot deal with more substantive issues than that clown carload from the other party...


...we ARE in serious trouble.

Being more substantive than the Republican "debates" is not an especially high bar with which to deal!

I expect almost all substance...and just a moderate amount of fluff. (You cannot eliminate all!)

I sure hope there is more humor and humanity among the participants.

Substance? Better have the plunger ready. The crap should be overflowing.

I see gun control as being one of the most crucial issues in the particular competition between Hillary and Bernie. This is an excellent piece by Joan Walsh the lays out clearly each candidates strengths and weaknesses on the issue (Hint: Hillary has the advantage on this one) While Bernie's tiptoeing and insisting that the solution is for pro and con states to "talk to each other" may have won him the issue in Vermont, it remains to be seen whether that approach will fly nationally.

http://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clinton-is-running-to-bernie-sanderss-left-on-this-one-issue/

I also think immigration might loom large. Clinton has been coming out and distancing herself from Obama, being much more lenient in her stated policy. And you just KNOW Bernie isn't going to sit still for anyone trying to get to the left of him on immigration.

Gonna be some interesting discussions at the debate, Snood.

Hope all the candidate remember to aim the heat toward the other side of the aisle.

What ever they can give away, as long as it isn't theirs(including the country), is no problem from Democrats. They buy votes, and import them, anyway they can.

Call me a politics junkie or a sucker for this kind of reality show, but I’m excited about the debate Tuesday night. This could be big for either Bernie or Hillary or both. This will be the first time the majority of non-political junkies get a good look at Bernie and form an impression of him. This may be Hillary’s chance to shine as a credible, viable candidate and shed some of the baggage of Benghazi and server-gate. If they get to be specific and not just dramatic, here are some things I’ll be listening for:

1) Wall Street Reform – Clinton is perceived as collusive with Wall Street. She just this week released her plan that is much stronger than Obama’s weak enforcement record against financial misconduct. Will Bernie reveal a plan for far more specific and stronger reform?

2) Affordable Care Act – Bernie has often said that Obamacare is better than what we had, doesn’t go far enough, and would make it more Universal. Clinton has come out similarly, but specifically opposing the “Cadillac Tax” in Obamacare that imposes a 40% excise tax on employers offering certain levels of coverage. Will they be clearer about how and what they would change in Obamacare?

3) Gun Control – This is the area that may show the biggest contrast between the two. Hillary is pushing for stronger administrative actions than Obama has yet taken – specifically calling for an end to the legal immunity that firearms dealers and manufacturers have enjoyed. Bernie is also for more restrictions, but hasn’t been as specific yet. Will Hillary be perceived as clearly more progressive here?

4) How to pay for stuff - There may or may not be a spirited exchange about how exactly the candidates would pay for some of the things they propose. For instance, Bernie has proposed a single-payer health care plan and universal free college education. Hillary has talked about a plan for reducing prescription drug prices. Can they lay out how they would pay for these things?

I'll be there with popcorn and a soda!