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

[Angel of Death]

Based on the polling averages here, if the candidates had been placed in a more deterministic "seed"-like fashion, we would have had
Biden, Harris, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Yang, Gillibrand, Gabbard, Bennet and two others in one debate and
Sanders, Warren, O’Rourke, Booker, Castro, Ryan and four others in the other.

[Gass3268]

They announced the podium placement for both nights:

Night One:
de Balsio - Ryan - Castro - Booker - Warren - O'Rourke - Klobuchar - Gabbard - Inslee - Delaney

Night Two:
Williamson - Hickenlooper - Yang - Buttigieg - Biden - Sanders - Harris - Gillibrand - Bennet - Swalwell

Source

[The Other Castro]

Some of these podium pictures are a little creepy. One candidate using that for Twitter comedy:

https://twitter.com/TimRyan/status/1141073741440606209

[brucejoel99]

Some of these podium pictures are a little creepy. One candidate using that for Twitter comedy:

https://twitter.com/TimRyan/status/1141073741440606209

He's an ass in the party but at least he's got a sense of humor lmao

[henster]

Pete is gonna look awfully short next to Biden it may dampen the whole young/old contrast. Think he might show up in these?

[Sirius_]

I hope they never do debates like this again. A debate that takes place in two different sessions is actually useless, the threshold should have been higher.

[Gass3268]

I hope they never do debates like this again. A debate that takes place in two different sessions is actually useless, the threshold should have been higher.

It's too far out to have anything that is too restrictive. I think the current plan works for the Summer, before then upping the standards in the Fall.

[Sirius_]

I hope they never do debates like this again. A debate that takes place in two different sessions is actually useless, the threshold should have been higher.

It's too far out to have anything that is too restrictive. I think the current plan works for the Summer, before then upping the standards in the Fall.

It is not a good setup if the major candidates physically can not all debate each other because it is oh so important that we include the 20 nobodies polling at 1%. It was supposed to be more fair, but it isn't very helpful to the voters if the real contenders can't directly debate.

[brucejoel99]

I hope they never do debates like this again. A debate that takes place in two different sessions is actually useless, the threshold should have been higher.

It's too far out to have anything that is too restrictive. I think the current plan works for the Summer, before then upping the standards in the Fall.

It is not a good setup if the major candidates physically can not all debate each other because it is oh so important that we include the 20 nobodies polling at 1%. It was supposed to be more fair, but it isn't very helpful to the voters if the real contenders can't directly debate.

I'm certainly not a fan of the debate format as it's currently being held either, but this is a pretty invalid argument considering that the first of multiple much-more-restrictive debates is going to be held 4 & a 1/2 months before the first vote is even cast.

[NYSforKennedy2024]

I hope they never do debates like this again. A debate that takes place in two different sessions is actually useless, the threshold should have been higher.

It's too far out to have anything that is too restrictive. I think the current plan works for the Summer, before then upping the standards in the Fall.

It is not a good setup if the major candidates physically can not all debate each other because it is oh so important that we include the 20 nobodies polling at 1%. It was supposed to be more fair, but it isn't very helpful to the voters if the real contenders can't directly debate.

This.

I support a lot of those "1% nobodies", but I remember reading a stat somewhere saying that it's estimated that each candidate will get less than 10 minutes to speak given commercials, crowd applause, and moderators talking. That's quite problematic because it's not really a debate, it's more so just a brief speech letting them get a couple of sentences out about who they are and a couple of their policies.  

[Continential]

Booker's debate point is about reparations.

[7,052,770]

I hope they never do debates like this again. A debate that takes place in two different sessions is actually useless, the threshold should have been higher.

It's too far out to have anything that is too restrictive. I think the current plan works for the Summer, before then upping the standards in the Fall.

It is not a good setup if the major candidates physically can not all debate each other because it is oh so important that we include the 20 nobodies polling at 1%. It was supposed to be more fair, but it isn't very helpful to the voters if the real contenders can't directly debate.

The voters should decide who the "real contenders" are, not the DNC. It is an abomination that Moulton, Bullock, and Messam have been excluded. This debate is the first opportunity for voters to get to know who the candidates are and decide who the "real contenders" should be, and 3 (4 if you want to count Gravel) have been denied that chance.

[Mr. Smith]

Counterpoint: These excluded ones obviously failed with voters if voters weren't willing to donate in the first place, and given how most candidates have gone all in with the whole "no big money" and given how relatively easy it is to go viral, there isn't much excuse left.

[here2view]

It's not the DNC's fault Bullock didn't qualify. He took until the last minute to announce, and his appeal is already taken by Biden, O'Rourke, etc.

[Sorenroy]

Is there somewhere where I can see a list of exactly what polls were used to qualify? I'd like to take a peak at the crosstabs, but I don't know which polls were excluded or done too early to count/replaced by a newer poll.

[Former Crackhead Mike Lindell]

Which 'gotcha' type questions do you expect to see?

"Show of hands -- do you consider yourself a capitalist?"

A one-term pledge for Sanders and Biden?

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

Which 'gotcha' type questions do you expect to see?

"Show of hands -- do you consider yourself a capitalist?"

A one-term pledge for Sanders and Biden?

'Voting rights for felons' will become a top issue again, no matter how long they spend on it

[7,052,770]

It's not the DNC's fault Bullock didn't qualify. He took until the last minute to announce, and his appeal is already taken by Biden, O'Rourke, etc.

I'm fine with that argument for a later debate, but all candidates with a real campaign (IE, not the people who are just unknown names on the ballot for the lulz) should get a chance to make their appeal to the people on the national debate stage.

A three-night debate with 8 slots each could have sufficed, and the next debate could have had a stricter standard.

[ShamDam]

It's not the DNC's fault Bullock didn't qualify. He took until the last minute to announce, and his appeal is already taken by Biden, O'Rourke, etc.

I'm fine with that argument for a later debate, but all candidates with a real campaign (IE, not the people who are just unknown names on the ballot for the lulz) should get a chance to make their appeal to the people on the national debate stage.

A three-night debate with 8 slots each could have sufficed, and the next debate could have had a stricter standard.

The whole reason we have so many randos running is because they thought they could be one of the 20 who made the debate stage. If they had set the initial cap at 24 candidates we'd have 29 running

[henster]

I think it'd be fair to say if your an officeholder then the qualification are more lenient. Bullock is a bonafide Dem who helped elect & raise $$ for other Dem Govs in his capacity at the DGA. Unlike Yang & Williamson who have done nothing for the party. Moulton pays dues to the DCCC and helped raise millions for Dem vets running in '18. So I think considerations should be made based on commitment to the party.

[Hoosier_Nick]

Pete is gonna look awfully short next to Biden it may dampen the whole young/old contrast. Think he might show up in these?

I know this isn't a huge deal, but Biden seems to have shrunk a bit over the years. I'm 5'11" and I am taller than Biden when I've met him by a hair. And I am only a couple inches taller than Pete who is maybe 5'8.5". And he will also be beside Yang who is around that 5'8" mark, too. So Pete won't look short, not like the half a foot height difference between Rubio and the other R's in 2016.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Pete is gonna look awfully short next to Biden it may dampen the whole young/old contrast. Think he might show up in these?

I know this isn't a huge deal, but Biden seems to have shrunk a bit over the years. I'm 5'11" and I am taller than Biden when I've met him by a hair. And I am only a couple inches taller than Pete who is maybe 5'8.5". And he will also be beside Yang who is around that 5'8" mark, too. So Pete won't look short, not like the half a foot height difference between Rubio and the other R's in 2016.

It's normal though. As humans get older, our bone density decreases and makes us become slightly shorter overtime. It'll happen to all of us. Trump too, who prides himself on his height.

However, taller candidates do usually perform better in elections...usually (though I am reminded that DeWine beat Cordray last year).

[henster]

Pete is gonna look awfully short next to Biden it may dampen the whole young/old contrast. Think he might show up in these?

I know this isn't a huge deal, but Biden seems to have shrunk a bit over the years. I'm 5'11" and I am taller than Biden when I've met him by a hair. And I am only a couple inches taller than Pete who is maybe 5'8.5". And he will also be beside Yang who is around that 5'8" mark, too. So Pete won't look short, not like the half a foot height difference between Rubio and the other R's in 2016.

It's normal though. As humans get older, our bone density decreases and makes us become slightly shorter overtime. It'll happen to all of us. Trump too, who prides himself on his height.

However, taller candidates do usually perform better in elections...usually (though I am reminded that DeWine beat Cordray last year).

Women have it a bit easier they can just wear heels to compensate. Harris at 5'2 could wear 4 or 5' inch heels if she could tolerate it and appear an acceptable 5'7.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

They announced the podium placement for both nights:

Night One:
de Balsio - Ryan - Castro - Booker - Warren - O'Rourke - Klobuchar - Gabbard - Inslee - Delaney

Night Two:
Williamson - Hickenlooper - Yang - Buttigieg - Biden - Sanders - Harris - Gillibrand - Bennet - Swalwell

Source

Pretty cramped stage. Thank God Abrams isn't running. I don't think they could fit in both of her podiums.

[7,052,770]

It's not the DNC's fault Bullock didn't qualify. He took until the last minute to announce, and his appeal is already taken by Biden, O'Rourke, etc.

I'm fine with that argument for a later debate, but all candidates with a real campaign (IE, not the people who are just unknown names on the ballot for the lulz) should get a chance to make their appeal to the people on the national debate stage.

A three-night debate with 8 slots each could have sufficed, and the next debate could have had a stricter standard.

The whole reason we have so many randos running is because they thought they could be one of the 20 who made the debate stage. If they had set the initial cap at 24 candidates we'd have 29 running

If we had 29 candidates, the voters would deserve the chance to see all 29 of them up on the stage making their case.