Politics –
Democratic Debate 2015

Last night, the Democrats finally had their moment in the sun as the first Democratic debate of the 2016 presidential election season was broadcast live on CNN.

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As the perceived frontrunner, the debate was Hillary Clinton’s to lose. Providing a performance aimed at solidifying her lock on the Democratic nomination, Mrs. Clinton bolted out the gate looking to distance herself from the controversy over her private email server, which triggered a summer slump in popularity ratings.  In the end, she displayed her chops as a polished debater, proving how 25 debates during the 2008 campaign have worked to her advantage.

Mrs. Clinton swept confidently into the evening, tackling questions on the depth of her political convictions, denying she flip-flopped on key issues for political gain and insisting she is a “progressive” despite doubts from some on the left of the party.

“I have been very consistent,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Over the course of my entire life, I have always fought for the same values and principles, but, like most human beings, including those of us who run for office, I do absorb new information. I do look at what’s happening in the world.”

Mrs. Clinton’s closest rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, provided a strong showing while defending his self-proclaimed status as a democratic socialist. Sanders made it clear he wants no part of a “casino capitalism” economy, where the top 10% in the country have more wealth than the bottom 90%. This position played well to his base.

However, Sanders was slammed for his positions on guns, including his vote against legislation such as the Brady Bill.

When asked whether Sanders had been tough enough on regulating firearms, Mrs. Clinton quipped “No, not at all. This has gone on too long and it is time the entire country stand up against the NRA.” However, Sanders fired back, saying “all the shouting in the world is not going to do what I hope all of us want,” namely more restrictions on firearms.

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Despite the heated back-and-forth, Sanders came to Mrs. Clinton’s defense on the email situation Republicans are attempting to politicize from her days as secretary of state.

“The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails,” Sanders said to applause that was followed by a handshake between he and Mrs. Clinton.

Although Bernie Sanders ended the evening with a strong showing, many political pundits expressed the belief that he is far too left-wing of a candidate to win a general election. Also, the general consensus was that the other candidates in the debate (Martin O’Malley, Lincoln Chafee and Jim Webb) were a non-factor and their days within the race could be numbered.

Pundits also weighed in on the prospect of Vice-President Joe Biden entering the race, expressing that he may have already missed his window of opportunity. As CNN’s Gloria Borger said after seeing Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on the national stage, “I don’t see a lane where Biden fits in.”

Although post-debate polls crowned Bernie Sanders the winner of the evening, most viewers expressed the belief that Hillary Clinton will win the nomination and be the stronger candidate in the general election. And so, the evening ended where it began — the Democratic nomination is (still) Hillary Clinton’s to lose.

OK WASSUP! covers political news,
including the 2015 Democratic debate.