Posted on 10/16/2015 6:47:07 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Going into the Democrats’ first presidential debate Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton seems to have banked on one thing: that far fewer Americans would be watching than watched the Republican debates in August and September.
That assumption proved correct. Early Nielsen ratings indicate that 13 million viewers tuned in. That’s more than the previous Democratic record of 11 million. But it’s not much more than half the 23 and 24 million who watched the Republican debates.
Clinton, in what National Journal’s Ron Fournier called “a performance that was as dishonest as it was impressive,” clearly spoke persuasively to that heavily Democratic audience. With a timely assist, it should be added, from the one rival with poll numbers high enough to have qualified him for prime time if he were a Republican: Bernie Sanders.
“The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails,” Sanders said. “Me, too! Me, too!” Clinton replied. The highly partisan crowd roared and the two candidates shook hands. The “damn emails” still trouble all Republicans and most Independents, but Democrats don’t like dissent and relished Clinton’s repeated attacks on Republicans.
Clinton was careful also not to leave much room between her 2008 vanquisher and 2009-2013 boss, Barack Obama. On foreign policy, she noted that “he valued my judgment and I spent a lot of time with him in the Situation Room, going over some very difficult issues.” Not much room left for Joe Biden, reportedly watching the debate from the vice president’s house.
On Libya, he “made the right decision at the time.” She noted her role in advising Obama on the “tough decision” he had to make about Osama bin Laden — on which Biden gave contrary advice. On Syria, she applauded the administration for being “engaged in talks right now with the Russians to make it clear that they’ve got to be part of the solution to try to end that bloody conflict.”
In another forum those statements would be subject to challenge. Most voters don’t believe the Osama decision was tough. It’s hard to argue their handling of the Libya crisis has held up over time. It’s pathetic to plead with the Russians, who are bombing our allies and blocking the “no-fly” zone that Clinton backs, to change their course. Overall polls give Obama negative marks on foreign policy.
#share#But almost all Democratic voters have favorable feelings toward both Obama and Clinton. So Clinton’s rivals mostly drew back from attacking her. The rare dissent on policy — notably Jim Webb’s succinct statement opposing the Iran nuclear deal — was met with silence from the other candidates, the questioners, and the audience. The fact that most voters oppose the deal was ignored.
Focus group participants took a different view of the debate from almost all pundits, who scored it as a victory for Clinton. Democrats with favorable feelings toward Clinton are indeed flirting with the Sanders candidacy. Left-wing Democrats, like right-wing Republicans, are enchanted by candidates who dare to take stands they perceive as unpopular with voters generally.
But such candidates don’t get nominated. Sanders gamely tried to appeal to blacks, who make up 20 to 25 percent of Democratic primary voters, by decrying the nation’s high prison populations and calling (as Clinton and many Republicans have) for changes in criminal sentencing. He, like all except Webb, embraced the “black lives matter” slogan without regard for the actual Black Lives Matter platform.
But that seems unlikely to move black voters away from the wife of the man once hailed as the first black president and the first secretary of state for the man who actually fits that description.
Sanders also risked turning off some Democrats by repeatedly criticizing the United States for lacking welfare state provisions like those in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Clinton responded with an eye on the general election as well as the primaries. “But we are not Denmark. I love Denmark. We are the United States of America.”
The Democrats’ talk about economic inequities might convince a man from Mars that we’re in the seventh year of a reactionary Republican presidency. You didn’t hear much praise of the signal Obama achievements, Obamacare and the Iran deal. And candidates’ policies to reduce inequality — higher minimum wage, paid family leave — seem pathetically inadequate beside the candidates’ dire diagnoses.
The debate left little doubt about who the nominee will be, or about her presentational skills when not faced with opposition. But as Bloomberg’s Megan McArdle writes, “Democrats wasted their chance to test Clinton.”
— Michael Barone is senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner
I can’t believe that Clinton is the best candidate the Democrats can come up with. I guess it goes to show just how screwed up the “progressive” liberals really are.
No they’re not. They all tried to outbid each other in the “I can give away more free stuff” entitlement auction. That’s what America wants these days. Gimme gimme gimme and make someone else pay for it.
They have token bodies that can fog a mirror to hold space and keep seat warm.
What comes out of their mouth is irrelevant.
The power comes from the elite and media, the true controllers and would be controllers of the 20 trillion river of bucks.
I’m not reading this because it’s National Review, just commenting on the title.
The article is probably correct, certainly the title is, but the reason I don’t read stuff from NR:
They are out of touch with the revolution that is occurring within the ranks of the loyal opposition and have been out of touch for a long, long time.
I think they are going full blown communist during the run for the candidacy to appeal to their base, which is full blown communist, gimme free stuff, take away guns, kill babies. The more radical left they can be, the more democrats will vote for them.
Once one of them becomes the candidate, they will magically shift gears and become more moderate. They already have the base vote because they know the radical base vote would never vote for a republican. Now they need to try to appeal to all voters so they become more centered.
Nobody knows a candidates real view on issues. The view they express depends on who is asking.
“Which brand of socialism would you like?”. Bernie’s running a special on Danish this week, and Hillary will bring back the Bubba and Bimbo era....
Did anyone notice the complete bias in CNN's coverage? When CNN televised the Republicans debate, the audience was basically empty. I doubt if more than 30 people were in the audience. Hence, when Republican candidates stated their positions, there was no roar of support.
When CNN televised the Democrat debate, the audience was standing room only and they roared at every left-winged crazy policy proposal, as if CNN wanted to portray their positions as mainstream.
Truly disgusting and the GOPe should have their heads on a pike for allowing the disparity.
The “Broader Electorate” really doesn’t matter as much as locking down victories in a couple of big ticket electoral college states such as Florida and Ohio or California. Once that is done the rest of the nations view on those Dem/Marxists is moot.
Debate Shows Democratic Candidates Are out of Touch with the Broader Electorate
...................................................
Debate Shows Democratic Candidates Are out of Touch with reality. Fixed it. :)
They are the controlled opposition and not the Loyal opposition.
As Hillary and the four dwarfs sought the votes and favor of their political “kindergartener” base… there were many “cotton candy” and “let them eat cake” promises. Treats offered to mental children who are now the Democrat voters. The promises as empty of substance and “nutrition” as the calories offered in the treats. The greatest threat to our liberty is those who do not value it… who will trade their sacred liberty birthright for “red pottage” and candy. As many doctors have observed, the obese are really malnourished… same for the politically obese.
The Democrat are not out of touch with the broader electorate.....they are on another planet!!!
The Democrat are not out of touch with the broader electorate.....they are on another planet!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.