Scoring the First Debates
By John C. Dvorak
The first
night of the debates was like a trial run and it went poorly with NBC leaving mics
open and letting the debaters run roughshod over the moderators who on both nights
found no way to control any of these people.
Curiously not a
single American flag was on the stage or near the candidates.
Rundown of the
debate candidates and overall point score with 100 being the best.
Cory Booker
He always looks to me like the bald actor in the Indian Jones movie with the
bug eyes who pulls out the heart of a human sacrifice. Has no original ideas
and hurt his cause by speaking Spanish gratuitously. He did have presence.
Score 80.
Bill de Blasio
Annoyed everyone trying to interrupt constantly. Should not even be in the
race and has no chance of winning. Score 65.
Juliαn Castro
Seemed like a normal person and focused on certain issues, classic left
leaning issues but did not get sidetracked and was very calm. Considered by most
to have done the best. Score 90
John Delaney
Who is this milquetoast guy? Why is he running? Who is he kidding? Score 75.
Tulsi Gabbard Some experts besides Adam Curry think she won this debate
somehow. She spent too much time bragging about herself for my taste and would
not answer a direct question. She seemed high. Im convinced she is only
running to raise her profile so she can run for the Senate. Score 80.
Jay Inslee Doofus
par excellence. Had an inappropriate shit-eating grin on his face most of
the night. Said nothing substantial. Not as annoying as Blasio although he
tried to be. Score 70.
Amy Klobuchar
At the very first she was nervous as hell and you could see it and hear it.
She finally calmed down enough to deliver a couple of zingers but her overall
qualities are just weak. Score 75.
Beto
O'Rourke The worst. Speaks Spanish right off the bat as if that will help
him. It just pissed off everyone else. Has almost nothing to offer except
misguided complaints. A negative force. Score 70
Tim
Ryan Another person with no reason to
be running. Contributed nothing to the debate and is just another milquetoast
white guy. Score 70.
Elizabeth Warren Did better than I thought she
would although now she is promising the moon and has gone off the deep end
because she cannot rein it in. Her turn to the progressive radical agenda does
her no good. Score 85.
The second night was more
entertaining. A
couple of things stood out. The first was the amount of interruptions and
violations of the rules. Everyone ran over the allotted time, they all interrupted
each other. It was comical.
During the first
parts of the debate the candidates all harped on the fact that the economy was
in bad shape and not working except for the stock market. The poor people were
not getting more money, etc. etc. This seemed like a common topic and
complaint. Then at the end, after we hear all these complaints, all the
candidates were asked what needs to be done first
and/or what is the most important challenge. And they all said climate change.
What about the economy or even the homeless? Naw,
global warming was it.
Candidate
by candidate rundown.
Joe Biden By most accounts Joe did
poorly after being ambushed by Kamala Harris and
failing to present a good defense. He also seemed out of it until his blood got
boiling. He was not knocked out and finished with a
strong ending. Score 85.
Michael Bennet Thinking back I cannot
recall anything he did or said. He is another milquetoast character running for
no apparent reason. Score 75.
Pete Buttigieg Another candidate
running to raise his profile so he can grab a higher office, probably a Senate
seat. Shows a very even temperament, appears to be truthful and sincere. Seems
like a nice guy. Score 85.
Kirsten Gillibrand Twerpus interruptus. She is hardly going a
minute without interrupting. It was incredibly annoying. Womens rights seemed
to be all she was howling about. I do not like this woman, sorry. Score 75.
Kamala Harris Seemed to be the
only person on the ball insofar as stage presence and preparation was
concerned. Took some big chances and it paid off for her at the detriment of
the entire group, Most people said she won the debate
even though it was a short moment of valor. She used a trick throughout the
debate to cite little examples which proved her points. Score 90.
John Hickenlooper Liar and
goofball. He credited his state and presumably himself with the legalization of
pot in Colorado. He actually fought its legalization tooth and nail. Now he
thinks it is great. Outrageous phony and not very presentable. Score 65.
Bernie Sanders Seemed to be laying
low and playing it coy. Burst out now and again with his various pitches that
were solid and well-rehearsed. Nothing special, but undamaged. Score 85.
Eric Swalwell What a loser. Also, a massive and
annoying interrupter who had nothing to say when given the chance. Its hard to
imagine anyone voting for this guy for dogcatcher. And all he harps on is gun
control thinking that the voting public hates guns in general. Score 70.
Marianne Williamson How did this New Age dingbat manage to
get a spot in the debates? It is rumored that the Republicans are funding her
as a goof and the Dems do not know how to stop it. Her entertainment value was
almost worth it. Score 75.
Andrew Yang Smart but unpolished.
His gimmick is to give everyone $1000 right off the top. Apparently
this solves everything including climate change. He has very little going on,
but he was not a complete bust. Score 75.
Anyone scoring 75
or less has zero chance of getting the nomination. Lets see who wises up and
drops out before the next debate.
--end