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There were no major winners from the debate. Sanders enjoyed another decent performance, repeating the strong message of change that propelled him to 3 early victories. The progressive firebrand showed his usual passion and fiery oratory, aimed at Bloomberg, a living embodiment of the 1%, and Buttigieg, who accepts donations from billionaires. He gave weak answers on questions about Cuba and communist regimes, but they did not detract from his overall reform-minded vision. Senator Elizabeth (D-MN) had a somewhat fine performance. She tried to recreate her demolition of Bloomberg, but this time it fell flat. She attempted to position herself as a consensus candidate with the leftist chops of Bernie but the electability of Biden and moderates. With the heat focused on Bloomberg and Sanders, she largely escaped criticism.
There were a few major and minor losers too. Bloomberg had another bad debate, though it was better than the last debacle. His constant attacks on Sanders seemed uninspired, and his lukewarm policy proposals gave an impression of too little, too late. Bloomberg again went after Sanders over gun control and electability but was unable to land damaging blows. He seemed out of touch as a supporter of the Chinese government and oligarch funding political campaigns. Pete Buttigieg and Klobuchar both had terrible nights, as they spent much time attacking everyone in a boring, repetitive way. Buttigieg kept interrupting Sanders in an annoying manner. Joe Biden did fairly well, avoiding serious mistakes and expressing confidence in his strong base and record with the Obama administration. In his return, billionaire Tom Steyer failed to make a good impression, instead battling Biden over his private sector record and coming off as unelectable and bland.
Overall, the tenth Democratic debate was the best yet in terms of spectacle and contention, but it missed some things. The wealthy audience booed and showed hostility to Sanders and Warrern. The moderators finally discussed the coronavirus, but they also did many things wrong. They asked boring questions overall and failed to stop the bickering between candidates to allow them to refute each other in a controlled manner. But they also avoided detailed questions on immigration and climate change. Finally, I predict Biden or Sanders will closely win South Carolina, gaining momentum going into Super Tuesday. Steyer and perhaps another moderate contender could likely drop out if they secure fewer delegates than expected next week.
The author is an independent voter sharing his own opinion.