By Mehmet Zorluoglu
Opinions Contributor
The first two states to vote in the presidential primary process are Iowa and New Hampshire. As the dates quickly approaches, many expect both the Democratic and Republican races to pick up, with candidates desperate to increase their chances in the early states to garner more support as the general election is less than a year away.
Keeping in mind that the debate Saturday, Dec. 19th was the penultimate debate before these first two crucial states vote, I will grade each candidate’s performance based on how much they have or have not improved their chances of winning in those states specifically. The next Democratic debate is Sunday, Jan. 17th.
Hillary Clinton: B
Clinton did nothing to hurt her chances in these two states. Her performance was typical of her as she is a very experienced politician and debater. She avoided saying anything that could be used against her within the Democratic race; however, her attack on Donald Trump as becoming, “. . . ISIS’s best recruiter” may come back to haunt her in the general election should she defeat Sanders and O’Malley for the Democratic nomination.
Best Line: “Guns in and of themselves, in my opinion, will not make Americans safer. We lose 33,000 people a year already to gun violence, arming more people to do what I think is not the appropriate response to terrorism.”
Clinton stuck to her guns on this issue and brought it to the forefront at the debate. If there is one issue that Bernie Sanders appears to be to the right of Clinton on, it is guns. Whether that is due to the large amount of gun-owners in Vermont (where he is a senator), or simply his own personal beliefs, Clinton did well to highlight what many may perceive as a contrast between her and Sanders. Democrats tend to be pro-gun control, so saying this during a Democratic debate is definitely a good idea for her. As in the past debates, she always had a response for any question asked of her, and when the questions were perhaps more risky to answer, she shrewdly maneuvered her way out without much trouble.
Bernie Sanders: B+
This was Sanders’ best debate thus far. He was able to distinguish himself from the frontrunner, Clinton, by bringing up their contrasting views, including the fact that he voted against the Iraq War while Clinton voted for it. Many Democrats view that war as a mistake in and of itself, so in highlighting this difference in voting, Sanders appealed to many of those Democrats. He did well to contrast himself with Clinton on the issue of how to handle Wall Street as well. His overall demeanor and stage-presence was the best he has exhibited thus far. If any voter that has not been following the race chose to tune in, Sanders’s performance might have gained himself a few more followers that may not have known much about him.
Best line: When asked, “Will corporate America love Bernie Sanders?” He answered,
“No I think they won’t. So Hillary and I have a difference. The CEOs of large multinationals might like Hillary, but they ain’t gonna like me, and Wall Street is going to like me even less.”
Martin O’Malley: C+
O’Malley seemed to change his game plan up a bit, going after – or even attacking – both of his fellow Democrats as well as Donald Trump. However, he did not do much to convince many people to switch their preference from either Clinton or Sanders to himself. O’Malley is stuck in a difficult situation. Many see Clinton as the more central candidate with Sanders leaning further to the left. If O’Malley tries to set up contrast between himself and Clinton by going further left, he’ll be appealing to Sanders supporters. If he does the opposite he may be appealing to Clinton’s support base. Whichever way he goes he seems to have trouble in convincing people that he is the better alternative. Given that he is far behind in the polls, if he is not able to captivate a sizable following sooner or later he might have to drop out. Staying in the race may just be a way to gain recognition for a future run at the presidency or another high ranking office.
Best line: “I have demonstrated the ability to have the backbone to take on Wall Street in ways that Secretary Clinton never, ever has.”
