Why Did Pundits Report That Hillary Clinton Dominated the Democratic Debate

Democratic Debate -- October 13, 2015 The debate among Democrat contenders for the presidency was a far more courteous and respectful performance than was presented earlier by the Republicans, and as most objective pundits pointed out, the debate showed clearly that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is a more experienced debater than her opponents, and notwithstanding questions about her changing stances on some issues, she remained unflappable.

The October 13 debate in Las Vegas featured three of Clinton's opponents (Martin O'Malley, Lincoln Chafee, and Jim Webb), politely attempting to put Clinton on the defensive. But when they brought up her vote to support George W. Bush's war against Iraq, Clinton showed her experience and calmly turned the tables on the three. "I recall very well being on a debate stage, I think, about 25 times with then Senator Obama, debating this very issue," Clinton responded. "After the election he asked me to become his secretary of state.

He valued my judgment, and I spent a lot of time with him in the Situation Room .. " (Diamond, 2015). In other words, to criticize her for her vote in support of the Iraq war is to ignore the fact that Obama chose her to be his point person with nations internationally for all four years of his first term. U.S.

Senator Bernie Sanders showed viewers why he has attracted the support of many voters -- in particular youthful voters -- by offering passionate views on issues like income inequality, Wall Street's excesses, and criminal justice reform. But when he was asked by debate moderator Anderson Cooper how he could serve as president as a "democratic socialist," he wasn't very convincing. Anderson hammered on that word "socialist," and while Sanders is obviously highly intelligent and quick on his feet, his explanation seemed more like a rationalization than a believable point.

And Sanders probably had the most serious stumble when he was pressed as to why he voted against the Brady bill (which restricted gun sales) several times. In fact Sanders doesn't have a good record on voting for more gun regulation which Clinton effectively brought to the audience's attention. She boldly challenged his record and he noticeably backed off. As for Jim Webb, who today (October 20), dropped out of the primary race, he will probably be remembered most for whining that he didn't get asked enough questions.

He was very weak. When asked to name the enemy he has made that he's most proud of, Webb tried to gain some sympathy by reminding viewers and attendees that he was injured in the Iraq war by a grenade. He seemed out of touch with the pace of the questions and he appeared to be making up his mind about issues on the spot.

To that same question (enemies they are proud of), O'Malley said, "The National Rifle Association"; Chafee called out "the coal lobby"; Sanders pointed to the many special interests he has battled with (including Wall Street and the pharmaceutical industry); and Clinton calmly listed the NRA, health insurance companies, drug companies, the Iranians, and " .. probably the Republicans," which brought laughter and applause from the audience (Kaplan, 2015).

The moderator (Anderson) pushed Clinton on her email server problem, an issue that has dogged her and appears to be baggage that the Republicans will continue to exploit. But as though Sanders was her ally, he jumped in, cut Anderson off, and said that the American people are "sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails" to Clinton. He urged the moderator to focus on issues that are more important to the American people. With a wide smile, Clinton shook Sanders'.