Tulsi Gabbard stood alone through this exchange and that should worry all of us who spent more than a decade fighting the disastrous and ill-conceived wars in the Middle East. At a time when President Trump is threatening war with Iran every candidate on stage should have rallied to Gabbard's side instead of remaining politely silently. Hopefully the candidates who emerge from this process will find their antiwar voices. If not they will find a great many potential supporters peeling away from the Democratic Party.
It was patently unfair of the moderators to ask Gabbard to defend her already retracted position on LGBTQ rights. She has a stronger record on these civil rights issues than Cory Booker who strangely attacked her for not including transsexuals in her response. She was not asked about transsexuals and Booker should know better. Too often he seems a voice in search of a cause.
Nearly every candidate on the stage Wednesday night demonstrated why he or she needed to be there. Elizabeth Warren is clearly the most knowledgeable candidate not only on economic issues but on all issues. She is the leading female contender representing the progressive wing of the party. Castro is the only Hispanic candidate and the strongest voice on immigration. De Blasio is an uncompromised liberal with nothing to lose. Inslee is the Green candidate. Beto has staked ground as the viable alternative to Inslee as the Green candidate and the man who might stand a chance in Texas. Booker is a powerful voice on criminal justice. Klobuchar is the reasoned moderate who knows how to talk to Republicans. Gabbard is a veteran of the Iraq War and the strongest voice against going to war again.
That leaves only two: Congressman Tim Ryan and former Congressman John Delaney. The former distinguished himself as not ready for prime time on foreign policy and the latter wins the Dead Man award (1) as a man who speaks a lot, says nothing. Delaney interrupted at every opportunity and consistently failed to deliver poignant remarks.
At this juncture, Ryan and Delaney are out. Because Beto stumbled, Inslee remains alive but should stick to climate change as much as humanly possible. De Blasio stays where he was: hanging on by a thread. Klobuchar and Booker get a pass but they still need to distinguish themselves from the field. Warren holds strong. Castro and Gabbard rise in the hearts and minds of their respective constituencies.
NIGHT TWO: KAMALA RISING
THE CANDIDATES: MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, JOHN HICKENLOOPER, ANDREW YANG, PETE BUTTIGIEG, JOE BIDEN, BERNIE SANDERS, KAMALA HARRIS, KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, MICHAEL BENNET AND ERIC SWALWELL
We all want to be charitable. It is kind to say that former Vice President and frontrunner Joe Biden could not keep up with the competition. He began his performance with checklist answers delivered at a rapid clip and eventually broke down into a semi-incoherent ramble.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
