Five presidential candidates took to the stage on October 13th in Las Vegas, Nevada for the first Democratic Debate moderated by Anderson Cooper. A large percentage of American voters were surprised to learn how many candidates would be on the debate stage considering the polls and media have been dominated by only two candidates. Hillary Clinton the former Secretary of State, and Senator Bernie Sanders a self-described Socialist were joined by three virtually unheard-of candidates: Martin O'Malley the former Governor of Maryland, Lincoln Chaffee the former Rhode Island Governor, and Jim Webb, a US veteran and former Senator from Virginia. This debate was the first and potentially last opportunity for some of the candidates to make a name for
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He seemed uncomfortable when questioned about gun control and was unprepared for Clintons’ simple statement that he’s not tough enough on the issue, failing to even attempt to defend himself to this criticism. As the debate progressed Sanders settled in and seemed to regain some confidence, receiving almost equal talking time that Clinton received as well as praise from the audience. Bernie Sanders defended his position well when asked if America could elect a socialist by aligning his views with those of the middle class. Sanders did manage to bring the typical Bernie flare to the debate, meaning that he’s was shouting all night and seems to have an uncanny talent for blaming any problem in America on the wealthy. His most memorable moment was supporting Hillary Clinton, yelling that he’s “tired of hearing about her damn emails,” he was right when he said that this statement wasn’t great politics because it undoubtedly helped Hillary Clinton and not himself. Sanders didn’t make a mark unfortunately and probably will remain second in the polls because of his lack of a standout moment to appeal to any supporters he didn’t already have in his …show more content…
Moderator Anderson Cooper was a force to be reckoned with from the moment the debate began and was the clear champion on Tuesday night that is unless you're a Chaffee or a Webb supporter. Cooper was impeccably prepared on statements candidates have made throughout the years, opinions held by each candidate, and votes they’ve made in their political career. He managed to guide the conversation towards substance and never shied away from respectfully calling out every candidate if they skirted their way around the question, like many politicians are criticized for. On many occasions, Cooper simply stated "you didn't answer the question," or reminded candidates that they have to give a response. Cooper can be greatly credited for making the Democratic debate successful and enjoyable. He used follow-up questions to build onto the debate questions creating dynamic discussions and challenging the candidates to rise to higher expectations. Cooper didn't allow himself to be talked over or taken advantage of by any candidate, at one point telling Webb that by complaining about his lack of talking time, he's actually wasting time that he could be using asking him to move on, causing the audience to chuckle. Cooper gave an awe-worth performance; other moderators should take note or step down completely and let Anderson Cooper moderate every political debate from now
He seemed uncomfortable when questioned about gun control and was unprepared for Clintons’ simple statement that he’s not tough enough on the issue, failing to even attempt to defend himself to this criticism. As the debate progressed Sanders settled in and seemed to regain some confidence, receiving almost equal talking time that Clinton received as well as praise from the audience. Bernie Sanders defended his position well when asked if America could elect a socialist by aligning his views with those of the middle class. Sanders did manage to bring the typical Bernie flare to the debate, meaning that he’s was shouting all night and seems to have an uncanny talent for blaming any problem in America on the wealthy. His most memorable moment was supporting Hillary Clinton, yelling that he’s “tired of hearing about her damn emails,” he was right when he said that this statement wasn’t great politics because it undoubtedly helped Hillary Clinton and not himself. Sanders didn’t make a mark unfortunately and probably will remain second in the polls because of his lack of a standout moment to appeal to any supporters he didn’t already have in his …show more content…
Moderator Anderson Cooper was a force to be reckoned with from the moment the debate began and was the clear champion on Tuesday night that is unless you're a Chaffee or a Webb supporter. Cooper was impeccably prepared on statements candidates have made throughout the years, opinions held by each candidate, and votes they’ve made in their political career. He managed to guide the conversation towards substance and never shied away from respectfully calling out every candidate if they skirted their way around the question, like many politicians are criticized for. On many occasions, Cooper simply stated "you didn't answer the question," or reminded candidates that they have to give a response. Cooper can be greatly credited for making the Democratic debate successful and enjoyable. He used follow-up questions to build onto the debate questions creating dynamic discussions and challenging the candidates to rise to higher expectations. Cooper didn't allow himself to be talked over or taken advantage of by any candidate, at one point telling Webb that by complaining about his lack of talking time, he's actually wasting time that he could be using asking him to move on, causing the audience to chuckle. Cooper gave an awe-worth performance; other moderators should take note or step down completely and let Anderson Cooper moderate every political debate from now