1st DEM Debate Thread: June 26 & 27, Miami, MSNBC & NBC & Telemundo (9-11pm)

[Dr. Arch]

Where can I watch a recording of this? I was busy.

[Dr. Arch]

Where can I watch a recording of this? I was busy.

This NBC stream has a time shift function.

Thanks!

[Dr. Arch]

1. O'Rourke f--king SUCKED! This is the most clear and obvious takeaway from the entire debate. He is by far the Biggest Loser. In fact he lost within 5 seconds of opening his mouth when he inexplicably started speaking Spanish in response to a question that's not even related to Hispanic issues. It was the worst, most cringeworthy kind of pandering. And then he looked lost and nervous the whole rest of the night and got schooled on his signature issue by his fellow Texan who's an actual Hispanic. Just months ago I thought O'Rourke could be another Obama, but now he's looking more like another Rubio (right down to getting bullied by the big tough NY/NJ guy) or even Jeb! Hell, instead of Kennedy he looked like Nixon in the 1960 debates, right down to the five o'clock shadow! Total dud, and right when he NEEDED a breakout moment more than anyone at that. RIP the O'Rourke Campaign, he's finished after tonight.

2. Warren won by not losing. She mostly played it safe, which was a smart strategy considering she got stuck with mostly also-rans. Punching down would not have helped her. Sticking to her message and pleasing the crowd was all she needed to do, and based on the reactions I'm seeing from most corners of the internet she succeeded. She got the spotlight in the first half (probably the more watched half) and she also hammered it home nicely with her closing statement. She didn't exactly have a huge "WOW" moment, but that's OK; the important thing is she did nothing that's going to slow her momentum. When she goes up against Biden and Bernie, it will be time for different tactics, but she did what she had to do tonight to advance.

3. Castro had the closest thing to a breakout performance. Before tonight, most people would have been very confused if you told them "Castro" was running for President. Their minds probably would not have gone to a HUD Secretary from Texas, to say the least. And though his name is unfortunate, hey, a guy named Hussein Obama won during the War on Terror. Tonight, Castro looked more Obama-like than O'Rourke, that's for sure, and also even Booker to an extent. He was composed and prepared and made his points well. I still don't think he's necessarily the best bet for the top of the ticket, but he certainly is laying the groundwork for a solid VP bid.

4. de Blasio exceeded expectations. The collective reaction of both the City of New York and the Democratic Party seemed to be a massive groan when de Blasio announced he was running, but he actually didn't do half-bad tonight. He certainly drew attention to himself at least. It helps that he is really tall and imposing, and he's definitely got the New York tough guy attitude. All of which could be assets against Trump. I think there are probably at least a few people tonight who do want a Democratic Trump and now are considering that he could be the guy when he wasn't on their radar before.

5. Booker and Klobuchar did OK, but probably not enough to improve their standing much. I mean what can I say? Average performances from decidedly average candidates. Booker seems to be getting a lot of praise, but I didn't really see it. To be fair I've never really cared for the guy (his intensity, unblinking eyes, and "I AM SPARTACUS" dramatic personality are all off-putting to me), but I can acknowledge that he did mostly fine tonight, just nothing exceptional. Not to mention his attempt at Spanish was almost as cringey as Beto's, especially considering it came AFTERWARDS. But at least it was shorter and in a somewhat better context I guess. Klobuchar got one good zinger/applause line at Inslee's expense early on, but otherwise seemed fairly dull and unremarkable to me. I doubt she'll get a substantial bump, especially after tomorrow night is likely to overshadow some of the less remarkable performances from tonight.

6. Ryan and Delaney just need to drop out already. Enough said. Same goes for Gabbard, too, but that has less to do with her performance tonight and more to do with her being an Assad-loving DINO admired by Steve Bannon and David Duke. Also her Twitter was going off on NBC for somehow being biased towards Warren during the debate, despite the fact that Warren was virtually ignored during the second half and got less time than Booker or O'Rourke. Real classy!

Gabbard did very well too. She, Castro, and de Blasio (surprisingly) were the closest to a breakout performance.

To me, Castro and Gabbard went way up on my list. De Blasio is on my radar now. Warren remains up there.

More tomorrow

[Dr. Arch]

Pete is doing a great job.

Harris went full throttle on Biden, and Biden swung back! Whew

[Dr. Arch]

Bernie has lost his fuel this time around.

[Dr. Arch]

Bernie has lost his fuel this time around.

A race against multiple candidates is so much more difficult than a one on one race. I think that is the issue for him.

Perhaps. Biden is sorta in the same boat too.

[Dr. Arch]

Pete has really outdone himself here.

[Dr. Arch]

Williamson has spoken!  LOVE WAR!!!!

I cringed into a ball... UGH

[Dr. Arch]

Hickenlooper would have been a great candidate in the 90s.

[Dr. Arch]

Pete has jumped up on my list again. He's got substance and poise.

[Dr. Arch]

Biden's message is completely anachronistic. There is no appeal, imo.

[Dr. Arch]

The Democratic Party has turned into a complete joke.  You can tell Biden doesn't even believe half the stuff that he's saying.  Democrats have gone so FAR LEFT, that it is uncontrollable.  The ideas proposed last night were absurd.  You can't win a general election with those ideals, American's arnt having it.

Yet putting children in "detention centers" without sanitary conditions is within the realm of acceptability to win a general election? Get outta here.