Hillary Clinton Won the CBS Debate: Barely, and Sometimes Cheaply

[Agschmid]

One thing was clear from the early moments of Saturday night’s second Democratic primary debate: It wasn’t going to be the same easy glide that Hillary Clinton got in Las Vegas last month. Clinton’s two remaining competitors, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, introduced themselves effectively to the country at large in October’s first debate. Saturday’s debate, moderated superbly by Slate political columnist and Face the Nation host John Dickerson, was the opportunity for Clinton’s challengers to take the assault more directly to Clinton in front of whatever portion of the country watches political debates on Saturday nights between 9 and 11 p.m.

Both Sanders and O’Malley, who each had strong nights, got their fair share of hits in. But for the most part, Clinton was able to parry them effectively enough, sometimes quite cynically. Neither rival was able to get the sort of clean licks in necessary to dislodge Clinton from her structural claw grip on the nomination.

Clinton and Sanders each had much to prove in the segment’s first quarter, which was devoted almost exclusively to terrorism and foreign policy in the wake of Friday night’s terrorist attacks in Paris. Clinton had the natural advantage: Polls show Democrats trust her more with national security issues than they do Sanders, even with her previous support for the Iraq War. Sanders has never demonstrated much interest in discussing foreign policy beyond reiterating that he voted against the Iraq War—something he mentioned quite a few times tonight.

Each was able to come out of this section well enough, though with a few dings. Sanders explained his foreign policy views in broad strokes, giving Clinton openings to show off her more granular knowledge of the issues. When Sanders mentioned that “Muslim nations in the region—Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Jordan” are “going to have to get their hands dirty, their boots on the ground” in the fight against ISIS in Syria, Clinton was ready with a retort: “I think that is very unfair to a few you mentioned, most particularly Jordan, which has put a lot on the line for the United States, has also taken in hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria and has been therefore subjected to threats and attacks by extremists themselves.” Clinton’s knowledge of the issues, meanwhile, allowed her to filibuster through more difficult questions pertaining to her role in the toppling of Muammar Qaddafi in Libya and the mess it left. Clinton also managed the right tone in preserving her general election message. She distanced herself from President Obama’s heavily criticized comments about how the Islamic State is “contained,” arguing that “it cannot be contained, it must be defeated.” (How is still anyone’s guess, in either party.)

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/11/14/hillary_clinton_won_the_cbs_debate_barely_and_cheaply.html

[riversedge]

1. Hillary has the Mojo!!

[enid602]

7. Hillary

And yet, she was quite subdued. When Bernie was describing his revolution, she did not ask him for a list of congress people running on his platform. Or any current congress people who endorse it.

When Bernie said twice something to the effect that Wall Street is an industry governed by greed and fraud, it got no response from Hillary. She did not question Bernie's credentials that make him qualified to make such a statement, or how the Northeast's economy is so dependent upon the financial sector. Or how it might be beneficial to elect someone who has represented that area and knows it well. Or how Bernie's broad brush statement might play out in a general election. I think she's saving up.

I was amazed how O'Malley turned each question around so he could give an over rehearsed answer. I thought Bernie's long discourse on how he championed veterans' legislation in response to the question of how he would react to a terrorist incident was odd.

[oasis]

6. The better to eat roast beef at the White House for the next 8 years.

[willvotesdem]

3. Win/lose it's all just a beauty contest on TEEVEE. The real court will be

the voting primary not the baloney presented in caucus states. In the voting booth alone with just your conscious and no peer pressure we will see the true thoughts and feeling of the voters be what they may.

[-none]

4. From what I saw, Bernie won and Hillary was channeling Bernie.

[malokvale77]

5. Why?

Because our own farts smell so wonderful?

How the hell does bullshit win? Shades of Donald Trump.

[Juicy_Bellows]

8. How, on the sweet tit of Azrael, did she win?

I mean, it's all perception but how does one come to that conclusion?

Perhaps I am concussed.

[EndElectoral]

9. Dodging points cynically isn't effectively. It's avoidance.

[Beausoir]

10. She mopped the floor with that old gentleman.

Had to edit because the BernBots (That IS allowed, btw) are just livid, again, after he failed to place at the debate.