BTRTN: New Hampshire Debate...Pete and Bernie Hang Tough Under Heavy Shelling

[reggieandlee]

Born To Run The Numbers provides it overnight analysis of the New Hampshire debate:

http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2020/02/btrtn-pete-and-bernie-hang-tough-under.html

Excerpts: "After all the polls, pundits, and possibilities, the first real votes out of Iowa suddenly made the stakes of the New Hampshire primary ever more intense. Iowa elevated two candidates, wounded several others, but did not eliminate any. Each of the candidates arrived at the debate last night with a great deal on the line...
"Joe Biden had an above-average performance...for Joe Biden. But that is no longer enough..."
&quot Klobuchar) she seemed to go full “Demean Girl,” attempting to betlittle Buttigieg for behavior that “makes you look like a cool newcomer.” She doubled down on this middle-school ridicule, drawing an equation between Buttigieg and Donald Trump. “We got a newcomer in the White House and look where it got us.” This line of attack seemed to land with the dull thud of a clumsy cheap shot.
"Mayor Pete was put on his heels several times, but on balance, he turned it yet another very solid evening. Somehow, this 37-year-old continues to appear so measured, thoughtful, and unflappable that he comes off as the adult in the room...
"What did we take away from Friday night? In the advertising business, there is a time-honored truth: 'When Coke and Pepsi fight, Dr. Pepper gets hurt.' Last night, Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders more than held serve. They both turned in very solid, sturdy performances. This serves to reinforce their standing as front runners. It is the other candidates who must worry. Amy Klobuchar performed well, but did she do enough to leapfrog Biden and Warren in the primary? If Elizabeth Warren’s performance in New Hampshire mirrors her showing in Iowa, it becomes extremely hard for her to articulate the path to victory. And she did not do enough in this debate to change the math..."

[RobertDevereaux]

1. And some of the article's Bernie focus...

Bernie is most appealing when he delights in saying the politically incorrect answer. Where other candidates seemed to sense that it would be wrong to admit they would employ a Roe v. Wade “litmus test” for Supreme Court appointments, Sanders looked puzzled at their equivocation. “Is there a litmus test? Yes!!”

Bernie may have gained ground on Elizabeth Warren in their zero sum battle for the progressive wing. It’s not that Warren was particularly weak… it is that Bernie got more air time (19 vs 16 minutes, which actually makes a difference), and made more of the time that he had.

Nobody does righteous indignation quite like the Senator from Massachusetts. She had her moments last night, but there was no break-out moment that could reverse the progressive tide currently flowing toward Bernie Sanders.

[Raven123]

2. I didn't see it their way. Klobuchar was strong in this debate.

Pete’s inability to respond to the question regarding racial disparity in arrests in his city was a glaring deficiency, much like Warren’s error in an earlier debate regarding how she planned to pay for Medicare for all.

[reggieandlee]

3. Yes, Klobuchar was strong...

this post does not take the position that Klobuchar was "not strong;" indeed, quite the opposite. It named her one of the "winners" of the debate. However, it did raise the question of whether her performance was strong enough to vault her past Biden or Warren... as a second fifth place finish in a row would make it very difficult for her candidacy to move forward.

[Raven123]

4. The article cited was not complementary to Klobuchar IMO

I read the article twice. Snarky? DeMean Girl? Nurturing? Those are some interesting adjectives. Compare them to those used for Mayor Pete. I think the article was a back-handed insult.

[PDittie]

5. Not fond of war analogies personally