Former Governor Lincoln Chafee
Governor Chafee was the first contender to enter the Democratic sparring ring earlier last week during CNN's Democratic presidential debate. Even though he’s a former mayor, senator, and governor, the candidate just isn’t well known. Even worse, he seems to have slipped through the cracks of the Democratic Party. The moderator, Anderson Cooper, helped expose this, asking the unsteady governor if the party could trust him after holding offices with Republican and Independent affiliations. Chafee’s response was fairly intelligent: “I have not changed on the issues. I was a liberal Republican, than I was an independent, and now I’m a proud Democrat.” Too bad the debate would later scar him.
Later on, Cooper brought up the partial, yet controversial, repeal of the Great-Depression-era Glass-Steagall legislation, which prohibits commercial banks from engaging in investment business. This seems like common sense, right? Apparently, not to the senator at the time. His reasoning? “[That] was my very first vote. I had just arrived. My Dad had died in office. I was appointed to the office.” In essence, and the moderator did have an opportunity to address this, Chafee had no idea what he was voting on. This doesn’t fair well for the future of the Chafee campaign.
Former Senator Jim Webb
One thing stands out about the former senator above everything else: his impatience. Throughout the debate, he, almost reliably, would interrupt his opponents to complain about how time was being unfairly divided amongst them all. “I’ve been trying to get in on this conversation for about ten minutes,” “You’ve let a lot of people go over their time,” and “I hope I get that kind of time” are just a few of his childish squabbling’s. I think most people would agree Webb’s military service is both honorable and impressive, but it will, without a doubt, be undermined by his unwillingness to act professionally on the stage.
Former Governor Martin O'Malley
Overall, the former governor of Maryland had a noteworthy
performance during the debate. During a line of questioning about his role in
the incarceration rates that had plagued Baltimore during his time as mayor, he
responded in the best way he could. “I did not make our city immune to
setbacks, but I attended a lot of funerals, including one for a family of seven
who were firebombed in their sleep for picking up the phone in a poor African-American
neighborhood and calling the police because of drug-dealers on their corner. We’ve
saved over a thousand lives in Baltimore … and the vast majority of them were
young and poor and black.” O’Malley's powerful statement underscores his
ability to inspire, an important quality in any hopeful presidential candidate.
Senator Bernie Sanders
It’s clear that Senator Bernie Sanders is one of two early favorites for the Democratic nomination, but Cooper brought up an interesting quagmire Sanders would have to face come the general election. Is he a capitalist? His answer is amazing. “Do I consider myself part of the casino-capitalist process by which so few have so much and so many have so little; by which Wallstreet’s greed and recklessness wrecked this economy? No I don’t.”
Bernie went on to make even more highlights. When addressing the Secretary Clinton’s email scandal, he did something politically out of the ordinary. “Let me say something that may not be great politics… the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails.” To this, the audience erupted in applause. Bernie Sanders may be old, but he sure knows how to stir a crowd.
Former Secretary Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton has spent a large amount of her life in the political limelight, but even she is prone to aggressive questioning. In fact, one of Anderson’s opening questions addressed the former secretary: “Will you say anything to get elected?” Similar to Governor Chafee, her views are “rooted in [her] values and [her] experience.” After this, it seemed to many that she would fall victim to her own indecisive words, but she quickly found her footing again. Although it may seem as if she “flip-flops” on many important issues, she claims to constantly absorb new information in order to make informed decisions. At first it may seem like partisan jargon, but the moderator moves on. “Just for the record, are you a progressive or are you a moderate?” Clinton ever so humbly responds “I’m a progressive who likes to get things done.” Hillary Clinton is the type of character who understands that in this broken bi-partisan system, compromises are wins. Coming to the table is a win. Very presidential, indeed.
