Living in a liberal city during the 2016 presidential election usually results in being barraged with Bernie every step you take during your day. Whether it be with stickers, pins or blankets with small Bernies in perfect rows, you’ll always find a way to see this man.
But did the Vermonter, who has made a fabulous reputation with progressives, really live up to his socialist followers? Did Hillary Clinton follow through with feminist expectations stacked high? What about the other dudes, Jim Webb, Martin O’Malley, and Lincoln Chafee; what are they even about? This is an overview of the first 2016 democratic debate, held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Most candidates, in their introductions, caught the audience’s attention by talking about expanding the middle class and halting climate change while Clinton brought everyone in with her determination to empower women with her own presidency. She suffered a few slip-ups in the beginning, being besieged with accusations of her being moderate rather than progressive. With this, she proceeded to defend herself by claiming that these changes are “natural evolutions.” Yet Clinton handled most questions well, and stayed attentive and solid the entire debate.
Sanders was, as expected, questioned about his political beliefs. As we expected, Seattle’s dear socialist compared the USA to countries in northern Europe, where socialism, according to Bernie, is shown to be generally better for its nation. His opinion on gun control became a little out there all of a sudden, when he stated, “All the shouting in the world is not going to do what all of us want and that is keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have those guns.” He continues this by saying that people owning guns is inevitable because of differing opinions between rural and urban states. This unexpected rambling was much different than the other candidates, who stuck with gun control being more strict.
Jim Webb mentioned a belief of his that many interpreted as ignorant: that poor white people aren’t paid attention to. This could be seen as an iffy thing to say in front of a room full of progressives. Like the others, Webb seemed concerned about the environment and the middle class. Along with that, he attempted to relate to his viewership by introducing not one, not two, but all five of his daughters and their professions. O’Malley fits in the relatable family character as well.
The comparison to the Republican debates can be noted through O’Malley’s closing statement, where he brags about how tolerant and accepting everyone was, and how the candidates addressed issues rather than talking about only immigration.
By the end, Hillary had bumped up her reputation by saying her worst enemies by far were the Republicans. Chafee was a republican, Webb is the American dream, O’Malley is passionate, and Sanders has a cool accent. The issues addressed the most were the environment and the middle class, which is a good start for the future Democratic debates. Get hyped, progressives, because this political party truly is a party.
Featured Photo: The democratic debate was lauded as being more polite and productive than the Republicans’, but it wasn’t without errors.
