On Tuesday night, CNN hosted the first Democratic presidential primary debate, giving the candidates their first opportunity to face-off against one another on some of the most pressing issues of the 2016 Presidential election, including gun control, foreign policy, and national security.
The event, held in Las Vegas and hosted by Anderson Cooper, featured the top five highest-polling candidates: former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.
Didn’t catch the debate? Don’t worry- we’ve got you covered. Here’s what you missed:
Clinton was on her game
Hillary was her usual confident and poised self, showcasing her public speaking skills and policy expertise. Some are even calling this one of the best debate performances of her political career. This hardly comes as a surprise; as the former Secretary of State and First Lady, she is by far the most experienced candidate and is currently dominating her opponents in the polls. When Cooper called her out for “flip-flopping” on issues like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and her stance on gay marriage, she strategically defended her range of views, stating they are “rooted in my values and experiences.”
“I’m a progressive who knows how to get things done,” Clinton said. “And I have proved that in every position I have had.”
It was basically Clinton v. Sanders v. Three Other White Guys
While it’s not surpring that the two highest-rated candidates got the most attention, none of the other three candidates seemed to stand out at all. As the first primary debate, this was their opportunity for a break-out moment to move ahead in the polls, but it seems as though this race is still between Hillary and Bernie. At this point the only thing that seems could deter either of them is if Joe Biden decides to run, which, let’s be honest, we are all secretly hoping for (even CNN- they had an extra podium for him in case he decided to show up last minute).
Sanders shut down talk of Clinton’s Email scandal
Perhaps the most entertaining moment of night was when Cooper directed the discussion to the topic of Clinton’s email scandal. Clinton stated that she would be testifying to Congress regarding the controversy next week, and Sanders responded, “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!”and gained the largest applause of the night. Clinton laughed and thanked him, and later responded with a simple “no” when asked if she wanted to respond to O’Malley’s statement on the topic.
O’Malley missed his chance to make a good impression
As the youngest democratic candidate, many Americans were looking forward to what O’Malley would bring to the table and believed he had no where to go but up. He was clearly hoping to be billed as the “environmental candidate” and kept repeating that he can somehow ensure a “clean electrical grid by 2050,” but not much else that he said stood out and many of his answers seemed a little too rehearsed to really stick.
Webb whined the whole time
It seemed as though Webb spent more time whining about his lack of attention than actually answering questions. He wasted a lot of his alotted time complaining that he wasn’t being given enough opportunities to speak, then continued talking when Cooper tried to cut him off. Cooper had to remind him that he had agreed to the rules, and at one point Sanders even assured him that he would tell Cooper to let him speak next. Oh, and he also casually mentioned that he killed someone during the Vietnam War. When Cooper asked each candidate which political enemy they are most proud of making, Webb responded, “I would have to say the enemy soldier that threw the grenade that wounded me but he’s not around right now to talk to.”
Chafee was just lucky to be there
Chafee flew entirely below the radar all night, and failed to have any truly shining moments. His biggest moment seemed to be when he defended his past votes in Senate by saying he was just siding with the majority. When Cooper asked him about his vote to repeal Glass-Steagall, Chafee’s reponse made it clear that he had no idea what he had voted in favor for, and he quickly side-stepped Cooper’s questioning when he called him out on it.
If you’re still interested in what you missed, you can watch the debate in full here!