The Democratic Debate

We're going to resist the urge to do what we criticize others for doing:  telling you who we think "won" or "lost" last night's Democratic debate.  There's plenty of analysis out there from the usual suspects as well as from fellow progressive bloggers, so surf away.

A few impressions, though.

It had to be obvious to anyone with a pulse and an IQ higher than their age that -- in contrast to the Republican "debates" which consisted of name- calling, chest- beating and lie- spreading -- this was an attempt by the candidates to treat the viewers as thinking adults rather than as adolescents with ADD.  They refused to be baited into personal attacks and for the most part managed to get their main points across, contrasting their positions with each other and with the dystopian Republican worldview.

Moderator Anderson Cooper was disappointing to the extent he tried to steer the debate away from serious issues to media confections like scary socialism, Benghazi!!! and the Clinton email nothing- burger (kudos to Bernie Sanders for saying he's tired of the "damn emails" taking attention away from the real issues of importance to Americans).  The reaction of the crowd when there was push back by Clinton and Sanders should, but most certainly won't, chasten the media in their dogged reliance on Republican- sponsored talking points and angles of attack.

The three other candidates polling a combined 3 percent didn't register much of an impression that made a compelling case for their candidacies.

Oh, and Joe Biden didn't show up, breaking hearts at the Republican National Committee and in newsrooms around the nation.