5 Key Takeaways From The First Democratic Debates
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5 Key Takeaways From The First Democratic Debates

The stars and duds from the first Democratic Debates.

Mitchell Zimmermann
Jul 01, 2019
Arizona State University
17
5 Key Takeaways From The First Democratic Debates
YouTube

The first Democratic Debates produced some stellar, weird, awkward, bad, and awesome moments. Below are the top five takeaways from the first debates of election 2020.

1. Night 2 belonged to Kamala.

The California Senator absolutely commanded the stage. One of the first zinger's and probably the best belonged to her. While the other candidates were yelling over each other, Harris said, "Guys the American people don't want to witness a food fight, they want to know how we're going to get food on their table." That set the tone for the rest of the night. She went head-to-head with Joe Biden on race and showed her stuff on not only policy but also her personal stories of being in the second integrated class of her school. Harris should definitely catapult further up in the polls.

2. Julián Castro went from dud to stud.

The former Housing Secretary for Obama was barely hitting 1% in the polls before the first debate night. He was definitely not one to look at before the debate. He had really nothing to lose going in, and he proved he had everything to prove. The Texan rose above his lone star counterpart Beto O'rourke and went toe-to-toe with the former congressman. He wasn't afraid to lay it all out for the people to hear. He took over the immigration conversation in the debate. He was forceful without being desperate.

3. Elizabeth Warren started out hot, but soon fizzled out.

The fiery Massachusetts Senator had been third in the polls behind Sanders and Biden. She was the biggest name on the first night, and yet she kinda blended into the background by the end of the debate. The first question was directed at her and on a topic she loves, the economy. She was strong in the first half, getting most questions directed at her, or given talking time by the moderators, but she didn't pipe up during heated moments. While other candidates were debating she just stood there waiting for the moderators it seemed like. She didn't even get the most talking time, Senator Cory Booker reigned supreme with the most talking time during the debate.

4. Español es no bueno.

So there we all were, tuned in for the first debate, excited for the first look at all of the candidates. All of a sudden, Beto O'Rourke, who is not Latino mind you, begins rattling off his lines in Spanish. This, if you think about it, is a good ploy, however, the execution wasn't there. NBC could have done a better job at subtitles and trying to translate, but he didn't really answer the question that Savannah Guthrie gave him. Soon after we heard from Cory Booker, and then Julián Castro. I understand the idea behind speaking Spanish and it really is a good tactic, but it just seemed a little out of place.

5. Pass the torch.

On night 2 of the debates, Rep. Eric Swalwell of California made a name for himself by telling Joe Biden to pass the torch. He said, "I was 6-years-old when a presidential candidate came to the California Democratic Convention and said it's time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans," Swalwell said. "That candidate was then-Sen. Joe Biden." He wants to make it clear that it is time for a new, younger generation to carry the torch to the White House. Interesting enough, during a time when Biden was able to speak, he ran out of time. Instead of continuing to respond, then said, "looks like I'm out of time." You can bet this will be used as a metaphor for Biden to move on.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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