This past Friday night at 8 o'clock, MSNBC held the Democratic Forum hosted by Rachel Maddow which took place in Rock Hill, South Carolina. As a 19-year-old registered voter, I've been trying to stay extra informed in this race as it will be my first time voting in a presidential election- along with most college students. Overall, the forum was very insightful and I agreed with all 3 candidates on many things and, truthfully, would be OK with any of them as our next president. There were questions/answers that were funny, serious, crowd pleasing, arguable, and all of the usuals you find in an interview. Here are some thoughts, quotes, and ideas that I took away from the forum in case you missed it:
First up was Martin O'Malley, who I've never put much thought into since Sanders and Clinton are the usual topic of discussion. However, I realized that I perhaps wasn't putting enough attention into this candidate because he actually made many points that I happened to agree with. On the contrary, I noticed that he strayed away from questions and often lost sight of the answer he was asked for.
When asked about the Keystone pipeline, O'Malley mentioned that he was against it a year ago while Hillary Clinton "got there just last week". He stated, "I think leadership isn't about following polls. I think leadership is about being clear about your principles."
While Rachel Maddow was quick to oppose his viewpoint, arguing that Hillary is in fact not "following the polls", O'Malley makes a good point about Clinton and leadership in general.
He also had a lot to say about his experience in politics and as a Democrat, which he called the "party that believes in science". "I'm a Democrat. I'm a lifelong Democrat. I'm not a former independent, I'm not a former republican, I believe in the party of Franklin Roosevelt." Adding, "And I believe that we're all in this together and we can make a better future."
O'Malley could have notched it down a bit with the somewhat phony smile, however, he is very charming and truly seems optimistic about what he can do for this country.
Next up was Bernie Sanders, who provided many laughs yet also agreeable points. His answers were quick and, more importantly, genuine.
When Maddow brought up the Democrat's attempt to "ease voting restrictions" Sanders interrupted in assurance that "It's not easing. What Democrats are trying to do is make sure that everybody in this country has a right to vote when they're 18 years of age." He stated that he would "not deny the vote to people because they might vote against me" unlike his republican opponents, who he labeled "political cowards" that are doing "un-American" things such as not allowing rightful citizens to vote.
Sanders had also agreed with O'Malley's standpoint on the Clinton/Keystone issue, stating that "As opposed to some other unnamed candidates, the issue of the Keystone was kind of a no brainer. I said no to the Keystone on day one." He later added about Clinton, "You cannot talk the talk. You must walk the walk."
When asked about common misconceptions that people often have about him, Sanders assured the crowd that he is not grumpy and heartwarmingly announced the love he has for his grandchildren. "I think what people don't see is that I have 7 beautiful grandchildren who are the joy of my life." By far the cutest statement heard in this entire race.
He also proved his down-to-earth self by mentioning that unlike any of his opponents, Bernie does not take donations from large corporations or big names. He takes donations for his campaign through the regular population, who on average contributes around $30. He has even turned down donations, specifically that of CEO Martin Shkreli, best known for dramatically raising the prices on a life-saving treatment by 5,000%.
Bernie Sanders is likeable, genuine, honest, driven, and would make a great president in my opinion.
Last to be interviewed was former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. I have not been watching political forums/debates/etc. my entire life, but even I could tell that she sounded somewhat generic and, although strategic, she just so happened to say whatever she knew would get the audience to clap. Yes, there is a strong police brutality issue in our country but exclaiming that adults shouldn't use violence towards kids is sort of (hopefully) a no brainer. I understand where the applause comes in because adults have used violence and it is an issue, but Clinton did not mention one way in which she plans to overcome this dilemma. The crowd was simply praising the things she mentioned that most people would agree on, not what Clinton would do to change those things as our next president.
Maddow brought up good points about Clinton's accepting of donations from Wall Street. "You have received a lot of support from people who make their money on Wall Street." Clinton again pointed out that she has gone to Wall Street to tell them, "You guys have got to stop it", at which point Maddow didn't intervene to ask her why she is still accepting donations from them.
When Maddow switched to the "stupid question segment" Clinton did nothing but play it safe. In my view, this segment was to get to know each candidate on a more personal level and be able to look at them as humans. Instead, she continued to act as though she had a script in front of her.
She also refused to answer the question "If you had to, which republican candidate would you choose to be your vice president?" However, I actually thought this was an unfortunate and unfair question. Clinton saved herself by stating that there are "plenty of Republicans" she would choose, just none of them.
Clinton says she will be a president that represents the "struggling, striving, and successful".
