Who Won?
I really don't get this whole "Who won the debate?" thing. It's all opinion anyway. People who like Hillary are going to feel Hillary won, and people who like Bernie are going to think Bernie won. What is the point of this argument? No one is going to agree. And I'm really not into arguing for the sake of arguing.
And, yes, there are polls out there, and yes Bernie did really well and then some. And then the media went out and ignored their own polls. But still, who exactly are participating in these polls? And how exactly does that reflect the rest of the United States who maybe didn't care enough to participate but still watched the debate? Or people who didn't care enough to watch the debate at all? Are we just assuming these people aren't going to be bothered to vote or that they don't care that much about social media?
I just don't take much store in these things. They're cool and all. I'm just not convinced of their accuracy. And I find the debate over who won the debate completely pointless until someone is actually elected President. Then, and only then, can we actually point to who the people support (unless you're George Bush, but we don't talk about that).
Joe Biden
[RANT WARNING!]
Before the debate started, the announcers spent a good amount of time speculating about Joe Biden, which drove me nuts. Dear media, please shut up about Joe Biden. No one freaking cares. Like at all. I am so sick and tired over speculation about Joe Biden. Will he run? Won't he run? Would he hurt Hillary or help Hillary? Would he hurt Bernie or help Bernie? Hey, Bernie, let's take up some of your valuable time and ask you what you think of about Biden!
[RANT OVER]
Okay, I'm done. I digress.
....
So, Bernie debate parties. I didn't go, and I didn't throw one. I wanted to, but I decided the time of the debate was a little too late for me to hang out with strangers when I'm going to immediately want to go to bed afterwards. Still, there were a lot of cool pictures, and I did participate in #DebateWithBernie on Tumblr. So there. I was a good grassroots participant.
There's a lot of snark in this post. I don't know if you're picking up on it. But if you are, I apologize. Pointless things get me riled up.
Best Bernie Moments
Speaking of pointless things, one of the best moments of the debate was when Bernie said Americans were sick and tired of hearing about Hillary's "damn emails" (and here's the part of that speech that CNN cut out from their regular broadcast).
Other good moments of the debate:
When Bernie said, "Black lives matter."
When Bernie said, "Wall Street regulates congress" (and here's the whole big banks debate).
When Bernie said, "You have not been in the US congress. And if you think we can simply go forward and pass something tomorrow without bringing people together, you are sorely mistaken" (gun debate). Here's Bernie's initial statement.
When Bernie said, "I suspect I would vote yes" (marijuana debate). Here's Hillary's response.
When Bernie said, "What we said 50 years ago is every kid in this country should be able to get a high school education regardless of income. I think we have to say that is true for everybody going to college."
When Bernie answered how a Democratic Socialist could win the white house. (Seriously, there's so many good lines in here, I couldn't pick one)
When Bernie said climate change was the biggest threat to national security.
When Bernie said he'd shut down the NSA.
When Bernie explained his vote on Immigration reform.
When Bernie explained when he'd use force to defend the US.
Other good discussions were the ones on Social Security and Healthcare.
Bernie's closing statement.
Additionally, if you missed the debate, the full debate is currently on youtube in various formats. Just search "CNN full debate 2015" and it will come up.
