Observations as follows:
- The large number of minor candidates guaranteed that it would be a shouting contest, and hard on the ears. And so it was. The MSM made it even worse by declaring winners based on the amount of speaking time, which only encourages more shouting. Expect more of the same tonight.
- Joe Biden won hands down, because nobody attacked him.
- Booker and Klobuchar were smooth, moderate, and reasonably restrained. To me, they were the best of the lot.
- Warren’s closing was good, and she was plenty punchy, but to me, she sounded angry and shrill for the most part, and the nuances in her position understandably disappeared, given the time constraints. In the long run, it will be important for her to sound different than Bernie Sanders; on this occasion, she could have been his twin.
- Beto meandered. He was the big loser of the night, to the extent that there was one.
- In the big picture, I don’t think this debate changed very much, because no one stood out that much, either positively or negatively.