Hillary Clinton Won Sunday Night’s Debate

[NCTraveler]

With a strong defense of President Obama, she got the better of Bernie Sanders

Hillary Clinton’s superb debate performance on Sunday raised an unsettling question: If she can be this consistently good on a debate stage, why can’t she replicate that impressiveness on the campaign trail or in interviews? Clinton was once again in superior form Sunday night in South Carolina, besting Sen. Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley in the last Democratic debate before the Iowa caucus.


Clinton’s debating performance is formidable because it combines her intelligence with a sincerity and level of conviction that often seem absent in other forums. When she opened the debate speaking of Martin Luther King Jr.’s role fighting for increased wages, she used his career as a subtle metaphor for what she is pitching: principled leadership with a strong practical bent. That mixture, along with her strength in close-quarter combat and an ability to wrap herself in President Obama’s record—something that played well to the Charleston crowd in the auditorium—was what won her this debate.

Clinton had several strong moments Sunday night. “Ninety people a day die from gun violence in this country,” she noted, before going on to attack Sanders’ record on the Second Amendment, methodically reciting a series of his congressional votes. For some reason Sanders still struggles when pressed on his gun rights votes; he called Clinton “disingenuous” and said that guns “should not be a political issue.” Sanders has run an impressive race and is challenging Clinton in both Iowa and New Hampshire, but Clinton’s ability to bring him to earth and seem like just another politician—his weird, Trump-like quoting of polls tonight didn’t help—is remarkable. (The moderators helped her tonight by making it appear as if Sanders had changed or updated a number of his positions.)

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/01/hillary_clinton_bests_bernie_sanders_in_democratic_debate_in_charleston.html

[libdem4life]

1. Congratulations. You found one.

[hrmjustin]

2. DU Rec.

[Live and Learn]

3. Ha ha, read the comments. They are hilarious.

AndrewR
15 hours ago

Huh, what debate did this columnist watch?

She was lackluster, bland, and off on the issues. She failed to land an attack on sanders.

I seriously want to understand Clinton supporters in exactly what they see, but I just can't.


@AndrewR She didn't collapse on the stage, go into convulsions, and molt off her human skin revealing reptilian features underneath. No children ran away in utter fright.

If that doesn't count for a total Hill win, I don't know what does.

[JRLeft]

4. The writer is ex-DLC.

[NCTraveler]

5. So is Sanders biggest endorsement to this point. nt.

[cui bono]

6. Already seen this. Author is exec at New Republic with DLC ties.

Of course he thinks Hillary won.

He's in the tiny minority of people who do.

.

[Punkingal]

7. Why was she defending PBO? No one on the stage with her was attacking him. I don't get it...

Unless of course she was pandering to the SC audience to make up for 2008.

[leftofcool]

8. Because bernie has attacked him in the past?

[Punkingal]

12. Well so has she.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. We must have been watching different debates

[JRLeft]

11. Wall Street democrat.

[arikara]

13. Maybe a few people thought O'Malley won too

but the clear winner last night was Bernie.