The crowded field of Democratic presidential nominee hopefuls had to be broken into two nights of debates last week. It’s no surprise that the big winner after two nights of liberal infighting was none other than President Donald J. Trump. The Commander-in-Chief threw shade on the first night’s technical debacles by firing off a meme from Air Force One as it landed in Japan.
Apparently, one of the president’s favorite meme makers crafted a “Crazy Train” Trump takeover of the debates as moderators Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd were forced to take a commercial break before the first question was even answered.
“Thank you @MSNBC, real professionals,” President Trump tweeted.
His meme-shot sucked up much of the social media oxygen long after the first Democratic debate ended. But beyond Trump showing the one-upmanship that earned him the White House, the pair of debates separated the field in terms of winners and losers.
While the fake news and mainstream media have been quick to tell the people who they believe the winners are, everyday Americans are acutely aware of their bias. Rather than look at the debates as a way the liberals persuaded left-leaning voters, it’s crucial to consider how the war of words improved or diminished their chances of winning against President Trump.
The Two Biggest Losers
Joe Biden
If there’s a biggest loser, it was former Obama-era Vice President Joe Biden. He entered the second night of the debates with a sizable lead in the polls. His political goal was to maintain that lead as he positions himself as a moderate Democrat who can get things done in Washington, D.C.
In recent weeks, Biden has made controversial statements about getting things done with racist segregationists while in the Senate. He even voted with them against desegregation on issues such as busing. Those remarks came back to bite him when California Sen. Kamala Harris tore into him on the issue. Biden was polling high among African-American voters, and the spat left his image tarnished. It also made him look weak. Even Politico said Biden “was eaten alive.” President Trump is considered a “strongman” political figure who has made significant strides among African-American voters. Biden dropped nearly 10 points from May to late June. He’s fading fast.
Bernie Sanders
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was an exciting candidate with a wealth of “new” ideas during the 2016 primary against Hillary Clinton. One must give the socialist, Independent, Democrat his due: he would likely have given Trump a tougher fight by bringing younger voters to the polls. That was then. This is now.
Many of the other far-left candidates have adopted his policy positions such as Medicare For All and free college tuition. Hardened Blue States such as Rhode Island implemented free community college tuition already. Although Bernie may be the original, with every candidate espousing some incarnation of his ideas, he looked more like a grandfather telling stories than a standard-bearer. He handled himself well, but voters can see there’s little difference between him and others any longer. The bottom line is that he appeared to be just another “free stuff” peddler.
The Biggest Winners
Elizabeth Warren
Despite faltering early in her presidential bid over fake Native American heritage claims, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth “Fauxcahontas” Warren did enough to get back into the nomination hunt. She remains a long shot candidate, but her attacks on massive corporations are trending. Americans widely view Facebook, Google, and others as too powerful. Voters appear open to breaking up the tech giants, and her message was timely.
She delivered her positions with confidence, clarity, and consistency. Standing next to President Trump and doing the same could be another story. For the moment, she upped her chances at gaining the party’s nomination.
Kamala Harris
Sen. Harris made the most of her debate opportunity by taking the fight directly to frontrunner Joe Biden. Her attacks on him for the busing issue were painted from personal experience. She, apparently, was one of the children bused across town to balance public education opportunities.
“There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day, and that little girl was me,” Sen. Harris said during the debate.
The move did more than just stagger Biden, who tapped out by claiming his time was up. It delivered something tangible and personal about the presidential hopeful that was lacking from others on stage. Voters got to know Sen. Harris. The issue also dramatically raised her civil rights credibility. According to reports, Google searches for “busing” went up 3,000 percent following her statement. And, she looked the part of a strong leader.
