AT&T (NYSE: T) WarnerMedia's CNN, in partnership with the Democratic Party, hosted the second night of its second 2020 primary debate last Tuesday in Detroit, Michigan, and I enjoyed watching the entire event. Although nobody knew what to expect and the candidates seemed somewhat nervous, the first night featured plenty for everyone. There were funny moments, like the numerous soundbites and zingers that many candidates used and a back-and-forth between Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and former Vice President Joe Biden that included laughter and confusion. There was spectacle in CNN's many pointed and combative questions and countless heated exchanges between two candidates. There was inspiration, like when the candidates offered their sweeping plans to combat and stop climate change.
There were a few major and minor winners from the first night. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang was the clear winner who stood out. Unlike in the NBC debate, he actually received questions and time to articulate his vision. As one of the lesser known hopefuls, Yang explained his Freedom Dividend proposal and how it would help Americans. Instead of attacking other candidates, Yang focused on explaining his vast policy platform, using the Freedom Dividend as a jumping point for questions about women's health and labor. His closing argument was beautiful, calling out the news media for emphasizing spectacle instead of solutions. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii did well too, passionately expounding on her familiar peace platform. She wrecked Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) on criminal justice, pointing out all the bad, unfair actions Harris did while being California's attorney general. Gabbard also smartly elaborated on her support of the OFF Act, a bill that makes the US reach 100% renewable energy by 2035. Governor Jay Inslee did well articulating his climate change platform and touting his record. Finally, Booker did somewhat well, criticizing Biden's record and coming out strong for his signature criminal justice plank.
There were a few major and minor losers too. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) did not do well. She refused to directly answer some questions and at times seemed more intent on criticizing Trump than expounding her policy platform. Julian Castro also lost his luster from the first debate, as he was unable to distinguish himself from the crowded field. New York City Bill de Blasio did awful, as he kept attacking Biden but seemed to be unable to clearly answer questions about himself. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) made passionate pleas like last time, but he failed to articulate a unique and compelling policy platform besides on education. Joe Biden did moderately well, but not enough to support his position as front runner. He held up against Harris' attacks better than last time and engaged other candidates in disagreements. Harris did okay besides her takedown by Gabbard, but did not truly stand out in terms of policy.
Overall, the second night of the second Democratic debate was an exciting event with a few surprises. Unfortunately, the CNN moderators did many things wrong. First, they strictly enforced time limits, but the 15 and 30 seconds limits for rebuttal were too short for meaningful dialogue. Second, they again framed many questions to be unusually combative, often asking a specific candidate to respond to another candidate's quoted criticism. That practice led to an especially contentious debate, especially around Biden. Finally, I predict that de Blasio, Bennet, and Gillibrand will drop out after failing to qualify for the September debate, while Yang and Gabbard will continue their steady rise in the polls.
The author is an independent voter sharing his own opinion.