The Debate Upshot: The Democrat Party is Now Openly Socialist

Good round-up by Jim Geraghty.

I disagree with him on three points:

I don't think Hillary appeared particularly well-informed or polished. She appeared well-informed and polished compared to Lincoln Chafee, who seems to be a mental defective.

But her answers were all either canned stuff barely responsive to the questions, or incoherence. For example, she tried to explain away here 2003 Iraq belligerency by saying she had made a mistake and had evolved... and now takes the belligerent side of the issue on Libya and Syria. "Look, I learned my lesson on Iraq -- that's why I want a no-fly zone challenging Russian jets in Syria, ASAP."

I could see why people on the left like Bernie Sanders. Unlike Hillary Clinton, he seems to actually listen to questions and he attempts to respond to them. He appears sort of vaguely human.

One surprise to me is just how weak and fake Martin O'Malley is. Martin O'Malley had twenty memorized answers, and he was determined to offer them whether they were responsive to questions or not. Given that they were pre-memorized canned statements, you'd think they might be good, if non-responsive. In fact they were all forgettable.

I expect Jim Webb to move into 3rd place based on the fact that he was chasing an small, but completely ignored, demographic in the Democrat party -- the white non-gentry liberal vote. Most whites in the Democrat party are gentry liberals, but not all of them. They finally heard from someone who might make sense to them.

That doesn't mean I think Jim Webb will catch fire or win the nomination. But I think he'll get that 5% of the Democrat Party that isn't socialist or identity-politics fixated.

Anderson Cooper was a terrible moderator, adding nothing at all to the debate except interruptions. His principle role seemed to be insisting that a candidate shut up so that Hillary Clinton could respond to a mention of her.

He also protected her from the no-win Kobyashi Maru "do all lives matter" question -- Bernie Sanders was forced to take a position here, whether all lives matter, or only black lives matter. Because he took the previous position earlier and has been stage-rushed by #BLM activists ever since, this time he tried to mend fences and he said that only Black Lives Matter.

That would obviously be a soundbite that could hurt him badly in the general with people who are not black but who have this crazy idea that their lives matter, too.

Anderson Cooper not only didn't make Hillary answer that question, he actually changed the question's wording when he came to her so that she didn't even have to avoid the no-win scenario -- he turned off the no-win scenario just for Queen Hillary.

Bernie Sanders protected Hillary from her email problems, too. It's questionable, as Drew said, whether he actually is running for president either.

As Dave from Texas said, it felt like a beauty pageant in which everyone on the stage, including the judges, seemed to want to put the tiara on just one princess's head.

The entire Democrat field, and CNN, is determined that Hillary is The New One, and this is all a bit of a kabuki and all a bit of a coronation.

Jim Webb: My Enemies are the Enemies of the United States. Jim Webb's answer about which "enemy" he was the proudest to have made was interesting -- he named an actual enemy, not a mere political rival.

And he killed the enemy in question.

The feminized men of the left are all aghast at this. For example:

Read The Federalist to hear why Jim Webb is proud about making this enemy.

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to First Lieutenant James H. Webb, Jr. (MCSN: 0-106180), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam.

On 10 July 1969, while participating in a company-sized search and destroy operation deep in hostile territory, First Lieutenant Webb’s platoon discovered a well-camouflaged bunker complex which appeared to be unoccupied. Deploying his men into defensive positions, First Lieutenant Webb was advancing to the first bunker when three enemy soldiers armed with hand grenades jumped out. Reacting instantly, he grabbed the closest man and, brandishing his .45 caliber pistol at the others, apprehended all three of the soldiers. Accompanied by one of his men, he then approached the second bunker and called for the enemy to surrender. When the hostile soldiers failed to answer him and threw a grenade which detonated dangerously close to him, First Lieutenant Webb detonated a claymore mine in the bunker aperture, accounting for two enemy casualties and disclosing the entrance to a tunnel.

Despite the smoke and debris from the explosion and the possibility of enemy soldiers hiding in the tunnel, he then conducted a thorough search which yielded several items of equipment and numerous documents containing valuable intelligence data.

Continuing the assault, he approached a third bunker and was preparing to fire into it when the enemy threw another grenade. Observing the grenade land dangerously close to his companion, First Lieutenant Webb simultaneously fired his weapon at the enemy, pushed the Marine away from the grenade, and shielded him from the explosion with his own body. Although sustaining painful fragmentation wounds from the explosion, he managed to throw a grenade into the aperture and completely destroy the remaining bunker. By his courage, aggressive leadership, and selfless devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Webb upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.

So this is creepy. But meanwhile, Bernie Sanders, who was a conscientious objector during Vietnam but who now says "I'm no pacifist" -- meaning he lied when he got his conscientious objector status, or he's lying now -- is just swell.

posted by Ace at 12:12 PM

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