WASHINGTON 鈥� The morning after the Democratic candidates for president in 2016 debated for the first time in Las Vegas, the consensus among political observers on 草莓传媒 held that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the big winner.
CBS Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes says Clinton won Tuesday night鈥檚 debate not only on substance but style, saying the former secretary of state, senator and first lady projected passion and likability, while literally laughing off some of the attacks against her.
鈥淚 think she was very good, and her opponents made her look even better,鈥� says聽Chuck Todd, NBC news political director and host of 鈥淢eet the Press.”
Clinton didn鈥檛 do as well when the talk turned to the influence of Wall Street on politics, or the Keystone XL pipeline, issues on which she鈥檚 changed her position in recent years, Todd says, but nevertheless, 鈥渋t almost at times didn鈥檛 look like a fair fight.鈥�
The loser? The man who wasn鈥檛 there: Vice President Joe Biden.
鈥淚 think that there was a lot for Joe Biden to think about last night,鈥� Cordes says. 鈥淚f he鈥檚 looking at the field thinking, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 my opening?鈥� Nobody left him an opening last night.鈥�
ABC 草莓传媒 Political Analyst Steve Roberts agreed.
鈥淚f he was hoping [Clinton] would make a mistake that would give him an opening 鈥� didn鈥檛 happen.鈥�
Todd thought Clinton 鈥渨as sending a message to Joe Biden: 鈥榊ou want to get in? Realize I鈥檓 ready to do this.鈥欌�� Glenn Thrush, chief political correspondent for Politico, says he pictured Biden sitting in his den watching the debate, “and after 10 minutes switching to baseball.”
Todd says Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, running second to Clinton in nationwide polls, looked like he was rocked back on his heels when the discussion veered from his main issue of income inequality, particularly when Clinton 鈥渞edefined capitalism鈥� by focusing on small business. Still, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think he did anything to lose any support.鈥�
Nevertheless, Todd quipped, 鈥淭he most dominant lefty last night was [Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher] Clayton Kershaw.鈥�
Still, Cordes says, Sanders鈥� emphasis on income inequality and other issues important to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party has already made itself felt.
鈥淵ou could also see 鈥� that these two adversaries could become powerful allies in the future,鈥� Cordes said.
Sanders also provided possibly the sound bite of the night, when, during a discussion of the scandal revolving around Clinton鈥檚 use of a private email server as secretary of state, Sanders exclaimed that 鈥淭he American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails鈥� and wanted to discuss 鈥渢he real issues.鈥� Clinton replied, 鈥淢e too,鈥� and shook Sanders鈥� hand.
Sanders prefaced his remark by saying it probably wasn鈥檛 smart electoral politics, but according to Cordes, that wasn鈥檛 a consideration. She asked Sanders after the debate what inspired his comment, and says the senator said, 鈥淵ou know, it just popped out.鈥�
Told it was likely a gift to a political opponent, Cordes says that Sanders replied, 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 meant that way, but I just think it鈥檚 really important that we get back to talking about the issues.鈥�
Thrush says Sanders 鈥渓iterally handed her a free pass,鈥� and added that “that really allowed her to run for president, which is something she hasn鈥檛 really been able to do for seven months.鈥�
It was occasionally hard to recall that three other candidates 鈥� former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, former Rhode Island senator and Gov.聽Lincoln Chafee and former Maryland Gov. Martin O鈥橫alley 鈥� shared the stage with Clinton and Sanders. But Cordes says O鈥橫alley had 鈥渁 strong night.鈥�
With much more executive-branch experience than any of his rivals 鈥� eight years each as governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore 鈥� O鈥橫alley was able to make points that the others couldn鈥檛, Cordes says.
鈥淗e was the only one on stage who was able to say 鈥業鈥檝e actually pushed through gun legislation on my state, and the rest of you are just talking about the issue.鈥欌��
Roberts disagrees, saying that if O鈥橫alley was hoping to use the debate to propel himself into the first rank of candidates the way Carly Fiorina did on the GOP side, it didn鈥檛 happen.
鈥淒id he use the debate stage to emerge as a serious contender? I think the answer is no,鈥� Roberts said.
Roberts also said he felt Sanders didn鈥檛 help himself much, saying the senator was thrown on his heels by the gun-control discussion, where his record is far to the right of most Democrats, perhaps given his background in a largely rural state, but also in foreign policy discussions and virtually all issues other than his central one, of income inequality.
鈥淗e showed he is a doctrinaire liberal,鈥� Roberts says of Sanders. 鈥淗e looked passionate. I could see the fire that has attracted so many young people to his rallies,鈥� but at the same time, 鈥淗e is 74, and I think that showed.鈥�
Roberts says Tuesday night鈥檚 debate featured 鈥渁 lot more focus on substance鈥� than the Republican debates so far. Washington Post political reporter Chris Cillizza says the atmosphere was much聽calmer, which he聽chalks up to the presence of only five candidates rather than the 10 or 11 of the GOP debates.
Five more Democratic debates are scheduled; O鈥橫alley, Cordes says, 鈥渨ishes there would be more.鈥�
