CNN First Democratic Debate Breakdown

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!

No. One. Cares. Please, for the love of God, just stop it already. The man is not running. And if he does decide to run (unlikely at this point, don't you think?), you can talk about him then. Not before. Please stop wasting valuable air time talking about such a pointless, unproductive, unimportant issue.

[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.

Why Bernie Sanders is Running on the Democratic Ticket

Image from Huffington Post

I've seen criticism of Bernie Sanders on social media and right-wing news sites for his decision to run on the Democratic ticket instead of Independent. I'm here to tell you that decision is neither hypocritical nor problematic. In fact, it's plain good strategy.

For starters, Bernie Sanders has long spoken out against our two-party system, both because of the corruption found there and because of how our third-party intolerance restricts our choices for president. Some people have found it hypocritical of Sanders to run on the Democratic ticket after declaring himself Independent for so long.

It's important to note that Sanders has not switched parties. He is still Independent. He is simply running on the Democratic ticket. It may be surprising to know the Democratic nominee for president doesn't have to be a Democrat so long as their "record of public service, accomplishment, public writings and/or public statements affirmatively demonstrates that he or she is faithful to the interests, welfare and success of the Democratic Party of the United States" (see previous link).

Also important to note is that there are laws in some states that can prevent an Independent from being listed on the primary ballot, specifically New York and New Hampshire. Since Sanders hasn't changed his party status there is no guarantee he'll be able to get around these laws, but running on the Democratic ticket improves his chances. (And it sounds like New York won't be a problem.)

Sanders has also said that he's not interested in splitting the Democratic vote. If he ran as Independent, he'd mostly draw votes from Democrats, splitting the Democratic vote between him and Hillary, giving a chance for the Republican party to take the White House. Why would he risk that?

Image from Daily KOS

Critics of Sanders call him hypocritical for aligning with a party he claims to disagree with. They say if he really wanted to lead a political revolution, he'd run as Independent and spur American citizens against both Democratic and Republican parties. Others, who see his campaign as hopeless, criticize Sanders for not setting his political revolution on more "realistic" sights where his calls for change could still flourish, such as running for governor.

Suffice to say, Sanders is drawing massive crowds with his speeches against inequality and big money corruption in America. And polls indicate much of America agrees with his views. It's looking more and more likely he's posing a problem for Hillary. If (when!) Sanders wins the Democratic nomination, he'll have one (and possibly his most serious) opponent down before the General Election (as opposed to having to face two opponents if he'd ran solely as Independent).

I don't expect right-wing media to stop bashing Sanders (it's kind of their job), and I imagine some citizens who ally themselves as Republican won't open their eyes either (although, have you seen the Republicans for Bernie Facebook group?). But I do believe there are people who simply don't understand the facts and well-formed strategy involved in Sanders running on the Democratic ticket.

As Sanders has said, he's in this to win and he should not be underestimated.