The debate on April 14, 2016 was the match of the century. Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, duked it out on stage in Brooklyn, N.Y. Upon entering the stage, each hopeful candidate quickly gave off the personas they wish to convey in order to fight for votes.
Sanders walks in and calmly addresses the crowd with a humble wave and a genuine smile. Brisk, sharp, he’s ready to get down to the business of scrapping with Clinton. This is the same Bernie we’ve seen this whole campaign, folks, just a little saucier.
Clinton walks in showing the crowd how chill she is. A big smile and a wave wielded by Princess Diana accompany her as she coolly saunters her way across stage. She is without a doubt the “cool mom” of this presidential race — far different than the nagging mom Fiorina was before she dropped out.
The contest begins, and the two come out seemingly as friends. They greet each other with amicable smiles and half-hearted laughs. Good ol’ grandpa Bernie and Mrs. Chillary Clinton pretend to keep their previous relationship close to heart and carry on the image that they are not on disagreeing terms. (This façade would not last as the two put on their gloves and started throwing punches.)
As expected, Clinton is heavily criticized for her massive intake of campaign contributions from Wall Street executives. She plays this off as a distraction from her competition as if no one but her has tried as valiantly or been as dedicated to the cause of keeping Wall Street in check. These “legitimate” claims are apparently false, and Clinton keeps her snake-like cool as the questions and the crowd heat up. Her eyes dart around as she looks for the weakness in Sanders’ criticisms. She breaks her cool as soon as the flame for freedom melts her skin. She then yells loudly over Sanders as he makes more judgments on her campaign funds. The former Secretary of State is not afraid to bring the hammer down on anyone who blasphemes her. Hillary makes great points about how she has done more than Sanders has. She comes down from the heavens with her flame of freedom, giving it to us lowly men — a Prometheus of sorts.
Sanders stays calm as Clinton brings the heat to the stage; and remembers what his advisors told him in his speaking lessons on how to bring in the big hits: classic rhetoric. The question about criminal justice reform is posed, and Sanders lines up his shot, ready to bring home the trophy. He says, “We need to be focusing…on jobs and education — not jails and incarceration,” as he waves his finger to the invisible orchestra before him. The crowd goes wild. Applause and vocal approval both resound from all parts of the audience — a magnificent sound of the people praising their Robin Hood.
However, Clinton strikes back hard against Sanders. On the issue of Gaza, Hillary brings up the tragedies that have befallen the Palestinian people. Out of nowhere she hits Sanders with the “Palestinian CHILDREN” card…a blow below the belt.
The match winds down. Emotion is replaced by logic and the crowd seems to be disinterested. They want the heat that was so present in the first few minutes. The crowd resorts to cell phones, playing Words with Friends, on Snapchat, I assume. Better luck next time keeping your audience’s attention, candidates.
