First, the candidate’s mics didn’t seem to have been well calibrated.  There was an echo that at times was distracting and interfered with the candidate’s ability to modulate their voices.  Seem not to have been as bad in the second half.

Cooper was reasonable.  Could have done better at time management.  Some of the questions from others in the second half were weak or superficial but not horrible.  

Superficial observations(because like it or not, it is a factor):

Webb — whining about the amount of time he was permitted didn’t serve him well at all.  He should have been gracious about being invited to share the stage and not consigned to a kiddie debate stage where he wouldn’t have been seen or heard at all.

Chafee — he wasn’t blessed with a conventionally attractive face.  However, his hair style did him no favors.

O’Malley — he got the conventionally attractive face.

Sanders — couldn’t someone have told him to smile more and lighten up just a bit?

Clinton — very expensive professional make-up.  Shaved twenty years off her actual appearance.

Preparation:

Sanders does have a day job along with a heavy campaign appearance schedule collecting $30 donations.  Still, in the big leagues, debate preparation is vital.  

Webb and Chafee also appeared to skip that step.  Or availed themselves of amateur debate coaches.

O’Malley was well prepared and coached.

Clinton was prepared and coached by the best.  It’s an act but the public can’t see that.

Content:

All of them had a least one decent answer or part of an answer.  

Webb isn’t quite a Republican but he’s far outside of Democratic positions mostly to the right.  Still in line on corporate control of the government.

Chafee was the best informed on Syria and the ME.  His answer on Snowden was too realistic (even if I personally liked it the best).  He has long been strong on almost all the issues I care about, but he doesn’t articulate them all that well.

O’Malley was good on domestic issues but not on FP.  A bit too much focus on “I did X” and “I did Y” for my taste.  

Sanders as expected, went to his money issues.  Mediocre on FP.  But better than O’Malley on Syria and Snowden (in line with what Snowden himself as requested).

Clinton sounded good through the first half (that’s where her preparation served her well) but some of that isn’t going to hold up to fact checking.  Dredging up the “Children’s Defense Fund” when she threw the Edelman’s under the bus seems not to bother anyone but me.  Copenhagen COP was successful?  

She fell apart on financial regulation — her “I met with Wall Street and told them to cut it out” was at a Carson level of saying “come on guys let’s rush the guy with the gun, he can’t shoot all of us.”  Marijuana (she’s evolving, very slowly) should I trust anyone over the age of twenty-one and under the age of eighty that has never inhaled?  Snowden, Syria, Iran lame.

Also found it irritating that again and again Clinton violated the time rules and ignored multiple “time” messages from Cooper for a single answer.

None of them had a good answer on guns.  Unless I missed it, all failed to point out that the guns used in almost of the shootings that make national news were legally purchased.  The audience loved Clinton’s answer, but they’re dreaming if they think she’ll accomplish anything significant on this issue.  

Clinton wins the style points and O’Malley comes in second.  As for content, Webb was the loser.  Each of the others had a weak or poor moment.  Chafee didn’t get much time, but he made good use of a few that he had.  Sanders and O’Malley were closer to being on the same page than Clinton.  Wouldn’t be a bad ticket, with Sanders on top because he really is stronger on all the issue they have in common.      
A fact check on Clinton:

IBTimes – Democratic Debate 2015: Hillary Clinton’s ‘Enemies’ In Pharmaceutical and Insurance Industries Have Supported Her Campaigns, Foundation

This is more significant than O’Malley getting a few dollars from the NRA.

Eric Holhaus at Slate fact checks Clinton on the environment: Hillary Clinton Is Living in a Climate Change Fantasy World

…About midway through the debate, Clinton staked her climate record on what’s widely perceived to have been one of the biggest diplomatic failures in recent history—the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009. After years of anticipation, the meeting of world leaders ended in disarray, with Obama and his aides famously wandering around the convention center, looking for the leaders of China, India, Brazil, and other key nations. The toothless deal struck at the last minute was called a “grudging accord” by the New York Times the next day. Yes, Obama—and Clinton, then his secretary of state—were instrumental to that deal, but it’s hardly something Hillary should be proud of.

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