2nd Democrat debate reaction.

The candidates at the 2nd Democratic debate (night one). CNN.

As you may know, the Democrats had their 2nd debate last night. I live tweeted it but the debate ran long so I wasn't able to write up a reaction. I will do so now, but I'd like to remind everyone that I do plan on live tweeting the debate again tonight. My twitter account can be found here and my Gab account here. The next debate begins at 7:00 PM tonight on CNN (ugh). 

As a reminder, here are the candidates that participated in last night's debate:

Marianne Williamson
Tim Ryan
Amy Klobuchar
Pete Buttigieg
Bernie Sanders
Elizabeth Warren
Beto O'Rourke
John Hickenlooper
John Delaney
Steve Bullock

First a few words on the moderation and production. Needless to say I was not impressed with CNN. I did think that Jake Tapper was reasonably tough on the candidates but Don Lemon was his usual racist self. Tapper might be a decent journalist if he hopped networks but Lemon is not salvageable. The production of the debate was hugely biased and you could tell that CNN was trying to make the candidates look as good as possible.

They also took FOREVER to get started. The introduction took way too long and the National Anthem wasn't necessary either. All it did is show that Tim Ryan doesn't care about the customs and standards of the Anthem as he didn't put his hand over his heart. Thankfully, none of them knelled but I was expecting it.

As for the debate itself, it seemed to show some very serious cracks in the Democratic coalition. There were some major disagreements in policy and it seemed like a six on two fight between the more moderate candidates and the two most progressive, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Peter Buttgieg wasn't really confronting either side and Marianne Williamson was doing her own thing in the corner.

On policy it was a bad night. There was a huge disagreement on health care and I think the non-progressives won as they rightly pointed out that there was no way that they would pass and no way to pay for single payer/medicare for all if it somehow did. There was also an absolutely pathetic exchange on gun rights where once again the Democratic Party confirmed that they hate the 2nd Amendment. Most confusingly of all though, was the foreign policy section which somehow developed into a discussion on first use of nuclear weapons. How that came up is beyond me but it did give Elizabeth Warren a rare win just in terms in performance as newcomer Steve Bullock didn't seem to know the difference between proliferation and non-proliferation.

Most damaging for the Democrats was that two candidates openly suggested that reparations should be given for blacks due to slavery. This idea is hugely unpopular outside of the radical black community and is largely seen as deeply racist and massively unfair. It's an idea that is election poison and I doubt the DNC was happy that it came up.

Many of the candidates are probably done after this debate. Robert Francis O'Rourke, Tim Ryan, John Hickenlooper, Amy Klobucher and Steve Bullock hardly showed up and made almost no impact. I have to imagine that some, or even all, will drop out after a disappointing debate. As far as I am concerned it would be a blessing to never have to hear from Robert Francis and his insufferable and racist nickname again.

As for the rest, it was a big night for John Delaney. Delaney went from being a nobody to being one of the main speakers. He offered a very different vision from the progressive front-runners and looks to be positioning himself for the moderate vote if/when Joe Biden drops out or is forced out by scandal. I didn't like any of his ideas but at least he seemed to realize that the Democratic Party has been weighed down buy lofty but ultimately unrealistic ideas. He was the only sane man up on stage, but only in comparison to the others.

Marianne Williamson also had an unexpectedly huge night. Though I don't consider her a serious candidate, she had all of the memorable moments and got some huge applause for some of her lines. As easy as it would be to dismiss a woman who talks about "dark psychic forces", I think there might be some real appeal there to some Democratic voters. Her kooky faux-spiritualism and emphasis on feelings over facts will likely play well among upper class white women and her call for reparations could gain her some black votes. She did very well with the time she was given and will likely continue to be a factor in the future.

Peter Buttgieg did the same thing he did in the last debate. Quote scripture, bash President Trump, call for gun control and generally try not to pick fights. On policy I didn't pay too much attention to him, but he's got a less confrontational, more stable presentation that may help him win a few votes.

As for Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, I don't know if it was a good night. They were defensive all night and didn't really have any good arguments for their grand plans. When challenged they acted outraged, yelled and screamed and generally were unpleasant but did not really answer any of the criticisms leveled against them.

This didn't surprise me with Warren, as I have always found her to be insufferable, even when I admit that she's at least intelligent. She always struck me as someone who thinks she knows more than she does and gets personally offended by the slightest of criticism, and that was clearly a factor tonight. I just think she's one of the most unlikable people in politics today regardless of her politics.

But I was surprised with Bernie Sanders. Sanders was a decent debater back in the 2016 race and was much more likable back then. I'm not sure if that was just because Hillary Clinton was a black hole of likability or if he changed his style but it really seemed like he was way more angry and unhinged tonight then I have ever seen him. That anger may play well in the primaries but if he is somehow the candidate it will turn off voters.

All that being said, last night's debate was very obviously the "b" squad. Many of the biggest names were not there, including front runners Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and dark horse candidates Andrew Yang and Tulsi Gabbard. I do think that whatever happens in tonight's debate will greatly overshadow this one, just like it did in the 1st round of debates. Either way, I will be live tweeting it again tonight, probably wishing I had a beer or ten to get through it.