Brave souls who watched the CBS Democratic Party debate Saturday night were treated to a serious-minded, sober event in which the moderators asked fairly challenging questions.
The responses were unsurprising, and should not change the direction of the primary in a significant way.
However, the Republican Party will find a great deal of fodder for the presidential battle ahead.
There were a few highlights lowlights that I think are worth featuring.
When asked, I have always asserted that “black swan” events, or, those events that are not readily anticipated and make a significant impact, will be key in the 2016 outcome.
The Paris attacks were the first of these “black swans”.
As a result, in the next few months, Americans will be looking to see which candidate can be viewed as the most effective Commander-in-Chief with a solid plan to defeat ISIS.
With that in mind, Senator Bernie Sanders took himself out of the running this weekend with this answer:
In fact, climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism. And if we do not get our act together and listen to what the scientists say, you’re going to see countries all over the world — this is what the CIA says — they’re going to be struggling over limited amounts of water, limited amounts of land to grow their crops ask you’re going to see all kinds of international conflict.
No. The growth of terrorism is related to the spread of radical Islamic belief.
Americans are going to care little about the intricacies of Glass-Steagall if they are worried about their children dying in a barrage of rifle fire…like a young California coed.
A college student from California was among those killed in the terror attacks in Paris, California State University in Long Beach said Saturday.Nohemi Gonzalez, 20, a junior, was one of the at least 129 killed in the multiple attacks late Friday that also injured more than 350. In a statement on Facebook, California State University in Long Beach said Gonzalez was enrolled there and was attending Strate College of Design in Paris during a semester abroad.
Hillary Clinton’s integrity was “impugned” by Sanders, which resulted in the frostiest exchange so far, during the discussion of Wall Street’s influence. To defend herself, Clinton essentially explained she allied with Wall Street in response to the 9-11 attacks.
So, I represented New York, and I represented New York on 9/11 when we were attacked. Where were we attacked? We were attacked in downtown Manhattan where Wall Street is. I did spend a whole lot of time and effort helping them rebuild. That was good for New York. It was good for the economy and it was a way to rebuke the terrorists who had attacked our country.
So taking that campaign money was the patriotic thing to do! Good to know!
Intriguingly, an investment banker said Hillary would become “Mrs. Wall Street” if elected!
“She’s gonna all of a sudden become Mrs. Wall Street if she’s elected. So it’s all Bernie theatrics right now,” Camden Fine, the head of the Independent Community Bankers of America, told the Morning Consult. “She’s a Clinton, for God’s sake. What do you expect?”
The third candidate, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, did himself no favors in this response to a question on immigration:
John, I was the first person on this stage to say that we should accept the 65,000 Syrian refugees that were fleeing the sort of murder of ISIL, and I believe that that needs to be done with proper screening. But accommodating 65,000 refugees in our country today, people of 320 million, is akin to making room for 6.5 more people in a baseball stadium with 32,000.
The TSA airport screenings are failing at a rate of 95%, so why should we expect government competence when it comes to migrant screenings? And, as the Paris massacres show, it only takes 7 people to organize and carry out a multi-site mass casualty attack.
Finally, if all of this inanity was not enough, there was an entire segment on exactly how high taxes should be raised!
But, at least Bernie isn’t going to tax us at 90% like Eisenhower did! Also good to know!
If there was a notable gaffe that was made, this would be it:
Finally, Clinton gamely played the Gender Card several times during the discussion, including the conclusion.
I think the president’s job is to do everything possible, everything that she can do to lift up the people of this country.
Who won? The CBS moderator was very good, hitting the candidates with more robust questions that I had anticipated, so:
As a registered Democrat, I will be forced to choose among these three for a candidate during the primary. In 2012, faced with no choice but Obama, I wrote in Mickey Mouse.
Next June, I will write in “Minnie Mouse”…as an homage to the Gender Card that Hillary is constantly playing.
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