I think Yang acquitted himself quite well, as did Gabbard, though I won’t vote for either. Warren was fine, IMO. Bernie was Bernie. Either of those two are my favorites. Pete was likable and spoke well, but blended into the background tonight, as did Beto, Streyer, and Castro. Kamala seemed desperate. Booker and Klobuchar are too middle of the road to really stir up much political ardor, IMO, but I didn’t outright dislike them.
Biden was not good tonight. His constant riding Obama’s coattails without giving credit where it was due was weird. His verbal flubs also make me nervous about a debate with Trump.
I thought Warren’s inability to say how she’ll pay for Medicaid For All really tripped her up. Of course, she knows how. She just knows it won’t be popular with a good chunk of the American public (myself included). If it’s similar to Bernie’s plan, it will involve gambling that the increase in the middle class’s taxes to pay for it will be cheaper than their current premiums. Even then, the numbers are still off by trillions in paying for it. She did well on other issues though.
Mayor Pete came to fight. I liked that! Still unlikely I’ll vote for him in the primary as he has limited and troubled government experience.
Yang, Booker, Castro, Gabbard, Beto, Harris, and the billionaire got lost in the mix.
I thought this was Biden’s best debate performance.
I can’t believe how much I’m liking Klobuchar. She doesn’t have a shot at the nomination, but if the Oklahoma primary was tomorrow, I’d vote for her.
Honorable Mention: Warren who has demonstrated over that past couple of months that she's got game. She has siphoned support from Biden, Bernie, and the entire second tier. Not showing her hand with respect to MFA last night was a master stroke that buys her time until the herd is finally thinned. Why should she give folks a stick to beat her over the head with, especially those who most likely won't survive the next cut? Her biggest hurdles will be the SC primary and likely choice of running mate. She needs to close in on Biden among the major Dem blocs, net a strong second place finish in SC, and focus on a clear path to 270 when she vets potential running mates.
Biden gets my vote if he nabs the nomination but his best is no longer good enough. Something about him is off. I really wish that Mayor Pete and Kamala Harris would drop out now and let the top three slug it well ahead of the Iowa caucuses. That's not likely to happen though.