washingtonpost.com
Monday July 10th 2017
Democratic Debate: Winners & Losers
Winners:
Kurt Carner: The Governor of Montana was excellent last night, he had been relegated to the "second tier" debate back in April, but now alongside the front-runners Senators Thorn & Seaborn, and former Pennsylvania Governor Mike Kellner, he looked like a real serious contender for the nomination. He was funny (If was born another 2 miles north I would be a Canadian), serious (his attack on former Ohio Senator Haydn Straus was powerful saying his anti-NATO stance was dangerous in a dangerous world), honest (I am not the favourite, but I want you folks to hear my message), showed common sense (I have won twice in a strong Republican state, I know what he takes to win over Republican voters, comprise for a start), and he pushed his record as Governor (2nd highest for educational standards for the last three years, fewer people on welfare, 3rd highest for job creation). He probably will not win the nomination, but certainly could be a Vice-Presidential candidate.
Paris Stray: She had been struggling at the bottom of the polls (between just 1-2%) and the Maine Governor needed a break out performance and she gave it big-time. She was the best of the "debate five", she was the first of the candidates to go after Senator Seaborn, all the others seemed hesitate to go after the front-runner at the start but she didn't hold back "Senator Seaborn believes that the nomination is his by right, he believes he should be coroneted, well we have not had a king in America for over two hundred and forty years, we coronate no-one here". She also attacked Seaborn for his place in both the Bartlet & Santos administrations, "The Republicans can't wait to get stuck into your record" adding "President Bartlet & Santos where good men in a difficult time, but we need to move on, that is the country and our party, with you as the nominee, we couldn't do that". Again much like Carner, she has made herself a contender for the Vice-Presidency at least.
Andrew Thorn: The New York Senator did what he needed do to last night, he made no major gaffes, made points on policy, attacked the Republicans where he needed, although he did attack Seaborn, he was more restrained than Paris Stray. He looked Presidential probably for the first time, and also promised to release all his tax returns for the past decade along with a list of his business interests within the coming weeks.
Mike Kellner: He has been the surprise of the campaign so far, he is leading according to most polls in Michigan and South Carolina. He is folksy, he was determined to get the names of voters whom he meant during the last seven months campaigning into almost every answer, he probably over did it abit, but it made the point "I have been talking to the ordinary voters, not the party faithful". He was attacked by Bill Garden over his views on abortion (being a catholic, he is against Abortion personally, does not agree with abortion on demand, but believes in checks and balances especially regards rape and threat of life to the Mother), but hit back saying "I am not going to take lectures in morals from someone has been married three times, and cheated on all his wife's", ouch, he didn't answer the question, but it made the point. He is a clear and real contender for the nomination and the Presidency now.
Losers:
Sam Seaborn: This was bad night for the front-runner. He and his campaign had been pushing that he was going to be the nominee, but he welcomed the views of the other candidates, which made him look very arrogant from the start. Once Paris Stray started the ball-rolling everyone of the candidates got in on the act, at times it was him against nine others. He clearly was not expecting such a coordinated assault, but he did manage to survive (just), there was no big knock out blow landed, and lives to fight another day, but with his poll numbers already falling before this debate, these will not have been helped by this performance.
Rudi Robinson: Five months ago he was the "coming man" the clear alternative to Senator Seaborn, but the Indiana Senator's campaign has been in free-fall since the first debate in April, his fundraising is drying up, his polling numbers falling, and last night, he struggled to get his voice heard. He stumbled over a question about how he could win a presidential election, when it was very likely he would lose if he stood for re-election in the Senate. It is very difficult to see now how he hopes to force himself back into the top tier of candidates.
Haydn Straus: Like Senator Robinson, the former Ohio Senator had been the big hope for the left-liberal wing of the party, but he was all over the place last night, he muddled up the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council, and his continued attacks on NATO as a "threat to world peace" made him look frankly rather silly, especially after his exchange with Kurt Carner on the subject.
Bill Garden: He is an aggressive debater, but last night his performance didn't help himself, he failed to land blows on Mike Kellner on abortion, and his private life was again used against him, and his replies made him look bad tempered and grumpy.
Scott Bighorse: The South Dakota Congressman had been making slow progress in the polls, and had hoped that the debate would be a major chance prove himself and push his polling numbers upwards, but he failed. He mumbled his answers, and looked very nervous.
Jeremy Lyons: The former Wisconsin Senator, should in theory be a serious contender for the nomination, but he isn't. He doesn't seem to have any positions, other than Senator Seaborn shouldn't be the nominee and President Walken has been a awful President. He looked like and sounded like a university lecturer, he was very ponderous, I would guess that he will not even make it as far as Iowa or New Hampshire.
