Five “Democrats”–Hillary Clinton, Independent-Democratic-Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, former Rhode Island Senator and Governor Lincoln Chafee, and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb–will debate tonight in Las Vegas. And all signs point to a major snoozefest.
In an election cycle in which anti-establishment and non-traditional candidates are getting the majority of votes in the GOP presidential primary, the five Democrats (it is worth noting that only Clinton and O’Malley can arguably be considered real Democrats) on the stage are all, for the possible exception of Webb, career politicians.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for live updates throughout the night.
Breitbart’s Joel Pollak at a Bernie Sanders victory party in Vegas:
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What was going on with that confused moment with Anderson Cooper after the last debate commercial break?
It appears that Hillary Clinton was late to come back from the bathroom.
Cooper tried to explain the situation before collapsing into confused silence.
“Well it does take me a little longer,” Hillary replied with a laugh.
10: 42: Republicans are never asked about the benefits of protecting life, reducing regulations, stopping illegal immigration, cutting taxes, etc. They are always antagonistically attacked and presented in a hostile light when those issues are raised. But when Democrats are asked about things like climate change, it is always presented in a favorable light. Never are Democrats challenged about how or even if the climate-change agenda can be harmful.
10: 38: O’Malley says he respects what the Clintons have done but the country needs “new leadership” regarding his previous remarks about how the White House is not like a crown that is passed between two families.
10: 35: Hillary says it “does take me a little longer” going to the restroom when Anderson Cooper welcomed the candidates back to the debate stage after the intermission.
10: 30: When asked how they would be different from Obama, Clinton says being the first woman president would “be quite a change from the presidents that we have had until this point.” She adds that there “is a lot” that she would do do build upon Obama’s success and even go beyond.
O’Malley vows to protect the Main Street economy from Wall Street and put in place a modern Glass-Steagall.
Sanders says he has a lot of respect for Obama but he believes that the power of corporate America, Wall Street, and the drug companies is so great that the “only way we transform America” is through a political revolution when millions of people stand up and say “our government is going to work for all of us and not just a handful of billionaires.”
Webb’s reply: “Bernie, I don’t think a revolution is going to come” and “I don’t think Congress is going to pay for a lot of this stuff.” Webb says he would differ with Obama on the use of executive orders, but does not mention Obama’s executive amnesty, which he has suggested he opposed in the past. O’Malley speaks about the need for a green-energy revolution.
Chafee says “we got to stop these wars” and “have a new paradigm.”
Trump: Democrats care more about illegals than veterans:
// ]]>10: 29: Chafee says he would bring Snowden home but does not answer whether Snowden is a traitor or hero. Clinton says he should not be brought home without “facing the music” but not answer whether he is a traitor or hero. Neither does O’Malley. Sanders says Snowden played an important role in showing how America’s civil liberties have been undermined but should be “punished” for breaking the law.
10: 28: Sanders would shut down the NSA Surveillance program if elected president. He says it is “unacceptable” that every telephone call ends up in a file at the NSA. He says government and corporate America are involved in emails and website and “we have a right to be free.” 10: 25: Chafee and Clinton do not regret their votes for the Patriot Act. “I think that it was necessary to make sure that we were able after 9/11 to out in place the security that we needed and it is true that it require that there be a process,” she said, saying that the Bush administration started to “chip away at that process.” She then speaks about having to keep the balance between privacy, civil liberties, and security.
10: 24: Hillary says her immigration plan would support any state that gives in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. When asked if she supports giving in-state tuition for illegal immigrants on the record, Hillary says, “if their states agree, then we want more states to do the same.” These type of answers is why so many Americans see her as a lawyering, calculating politician that does not stand for anything except getting elected. Flashback: It is worth noting that Hillary Clinton’s campaign started to derail during the 2008 election cycle when she could not give a straight answer on whether she supported driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants:
From Charlie Spiering:
Hillary Clinton’s Big Awkward Moment During the debate, Clinton awkwardly explained why she changes her positions on political issues, asserting that it was part of her “learning” process. She also alluded to the fact that many of the candidates on stage were very old. “You know everybody on this stage has changed a position or two, we’ve been around a cumulative for quite some period of time,” she said. “You know, we know that if you’re learning, you’re going to change your position.” Hillary had her lines rehearsed but she didn’t appear comfortable reciting them. You can bet that’s going to appear in a few attack ads.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee blasted for wanting to give amnesty and Obamacare to illegal immigrants:
He also weighed in on the marijuana question:
10:20: Jim Webb says he would not have a problem with illegals getting Obamacare. But he says that “no country is a country without defining its borders. We need to resolve this issue.” 10:18 O’Malley tries to move to the left of Hillary on immigration and accuses Hillary of “old thinking” on immigration. Says he would go further than Obama on various executive amnesties and claims comprehensive amnesty legislation would make “wages go up.” 10:17: When asked if illegals should get Obamacare, Hillary says she wants to make sure every child gets health care to buy some time. She says she wants to open up the opportunity for immigrants to buy-in to Obamacare. She says it would be “very difficult” to administer beyond that to give illegal immigrants the same subsidies. Typical Hillary non-answer answer that could be meant to be mean something else down the line. 10:14 Juan Carlos Lopez from CNN Espanol finally makes an appearance and accuses Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) of leaving Latinos at the altar when the moment for immigration reform during George W. Bush’s presidency was very close. Sanders says he voted against the McCain-Kennedy comprehensive amnesty legislation last decade because “it had guest-worker provisions in it” that were “semi-slavery,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. He says he was not the only progressive to vote against that legislation and cites former Sen. Tom Harkin’s (D-IA) vote. 10: 09: Chafee admits he had no idea what he was voting for in the Senate re: repealing Glass-Steagall. Says it was his first vote and his dad had just died. Can’t make this up. Breitbart Editor-at-Large Joel Pollak spots left-wing billionaire donor Tom Steyer at the debate:
Breitbart’s Neil Munro:
Anderson Cooper asked the five candidates about jobs and wages — and none of the respondents mentioned the huge wage-and-wealth impact caused by the annual inflow of roughly two foreign workers for every four young Americans who enter the workforce. Even Bernie Sanders, who was the only Democrat to argue against the 2013 “Gang of Eight” amnesty and mass-immigration bill, knuckled under to the party’s donors and advocates who champion ever-increasing inflow of poor Democratic-leaning immigrants.
From CHARLIE SPIERING:
Bernie Sanders Steps Up To Save Hillary Clinton As Anderson Cooper challenged Hillary Clinton over her private emails, she did her best to dismiss the issue as the results of a partisan witch hunt as evidenced by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s unfortunate comments. But Sen. Bernie Sanders unleashed some of his partisan fury to defend Hillary from all of the attention caused by her emails, seizing the momentum from the crowd. “I think the Secretary is right,” he said. “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!” The crowd loved it, cheering and applauding Sander’s response while Hillary Clinton was left with little else to do but look at Sanders, laugh appreciatively and shake his hand. Sanders’ moment even earned a positive review from Donald Trump, who was live tweeting the debate:
10:00: Regarding breaking up banks on Wall Street, Hillary disagrees with Sanders but says this “whole area called shadow banking” is where experts tell her the next problem will come from. Sanders says Clinton’s policies regarding banks are not tougher than hers. He says “fraud is a business model” on Wall Street and helped destroy the lives of millions of people. Sanders says that “Congress regulates Wall Street” but he never directly attacks Clinton for her husband’s role in backing Wall Street during the 1990s, which is a big reason why left-wing activist sand some of his supporters have never trusted Clinton and many of his allies who ended up in Obama’s administration during his first term. Trump slams Democrats for being robotic, “scripted and rehearsed.” All are very scripted and rehearsed, two (at least) should not be on the stage. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 20159:51: Democrats are asked whether “black lives matter” or “all lives matter.” O’Malley and Clinton have been criticized for daring to say that “all lives matter.” Sanders says that “black lives matter” and speaks about needing major reforms in America’s broken criminal justice system. When Sanders talks about “Black Lives Matter” issues with his dispassionate checklist, he is similar to Hillary Clinton trying to appeal to and gain the trust of progressives who don’t see her as truly one of them. O’Malley, who has been criticized by black activists for his government’s arrests of blacks in Baltimore, says America has undervalued the lives of blacks and “we have a lot of work to do.” Hillary speaks about needing a “new new deal” for communities of color, which could be seen as a subtle jab at Sanders, who has been criticized by blacks for focusing on economics instead of directly dealing with what they believe are issues of structural racism in America. 9:50: O’Malley, refusing to attack Clinton, says Democrats should talk about issues like wages, affordable college instead of Hillary’s emails. 9:48: Sanders to Hillary: “American people are sick and tired of hearing about you damn emails.” “Thank you Bernie,” Hillary responds while cackling. Sanders, unlike Obama in 2008 who was not afraid to confront and attack Hillary, again refuses to attack Clinton on one of her biggest vulnerabilities. 9:46: Hillary claims she has been “as transparent as I can be” regarding her email scandal. Clinton claims the Benghazi Committee is the “arm of the Republican National Committee” meant to drive down her poll numbers, citing House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s remarks. Clinton accuses the Benghazi Committee of wasting $4.5 million of taxpayer money and says she doesn’t want to talk about her emails tonight. 9:40: Jim Webb says, because of his military service, he is the most qualified person on stage to be President. Sanders, when asked about his having applied for conscientious objector status, says he opposed the war but not the “brave men” like Webb who fought in the war. 9:37: After Anderson Cooper says that Americans lost their lives in Benghazi, Hillary says “I’ll get to that.” She never addresses the four Americans who were murdered in Benghazi and Cooper doesn’t follow up either and let’s O’Malley give his take on the issue. 9:33: Discussing the Iraq War just takes time away that could be spend discussing Hillary’s email scandals and other issues–like her trustworthy issues–that can really harm her before a national audience instead of questions that make her seem like a centrist on national security. Hillary says she enjoyed O’Malley’s endorsement in 2008 (O’Malley, the calculating political opportunist, supported her even though she supported the Iraq War in an election cycle in which the Iraq War was a much bigger issue than it is in 2016) after O’Malley gently criticizes Hillary’s Iraq vote. 9:27: Chafee blasts Hillary for her “poor decision” on Iraq. But this isn’t 2007. And Chafee is neither Obama nor John Edwards. 9:26: Sanders is opposed to American ground troops in Syria. Hillary says nobody supports ground troops in Syria. 9:23: Hillary sort of pronounces Medvedev correctly this time when discussing Russia: Hillary: “We got a lot of business done when Medvedev was president and not Putin.” LOL! Putin ran the country when Medvedev was prez. — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 14, 2015 9:20: Jim Webb says “we have to respect tradition in this country of people who want to defend themselves from violence.” He says there are people in high-levels of government who have armed bodyguards 24-7 and average Americans deserver to protect themselves 9:19: Sanders says he comes from a rural states and the view on gun control in rural states is different from more urban states “whether we like it or not.” O’Malley accuses Sanders of “pandering to the NRA,” proudly touts his F grade from the NRA. O’Malley is desperately trying to get some of Sanders’s supporters on his side but it seems unlikely at this point, as his supporters tend to be as much pro-Sanders as they are just anti-Hillary. 9:15: Hillary has been trying to move the left of Sanders on gun control and she says Sanders is not tough enough on guns. She says Sanders voted five time against the Brady Bill. Sanders tells Hillary that “all the shouting in the world” is not going to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have those guns and “end this horrible violence that we are seeing.” Hillary is trying to outflank Sanders on the left by tactically supporting more gun control but it will not resonate that much with progressives who just don’t “feel” that Hillary is one of them. They don’t have a checklist of issues, contrary to what many consultants think, that they use to decide if someone is “one of them.” Breitbart’s CHARLIE SPIERING:
CNN’s Anderson Cooper opened up strong with the biggest question for Hillary Clinton, noting her political maneuvering on different issues like immigration, trade deal, and gay marriage. “Will you say anything to get elected?” he asked. Clinton replied: “I have always fought for the same values and principles but like most human beings including those who run for office … I do absorb new information, I do look at what’s happening in the world.” She admitted that although she supported Obama’s pacific trade deal, she felt that it didn’t meet her standards because it would not raise workers wages and create more jobs.
9:12: On opposing affirmative action, Webb claims he has always been where the Democratic Party has been. He states that he has always supported affirmative action for African-Americans but does not support diversity programs for “everyone of color” except for struggling whites in Appalachia. Good luck making that argument to today’s Democrats. 9:08: The more airtime candidates like Chafee and Webb get, it allows CNN to run out the clock for Hillary so she doesn’t get scrutinized to the extent that she would had the debate been between, say, Sanders and Hillary. Trump on Messrs. Chafee and O’Malley:
9:05: Hillary disagree with Sanders on capitalism. She says when she thinks about capitalism, she thinks about the small business that have been started but says America must sometimes save capitalism from itself and rein in the excesses of capitalism. Hillary says America is not Denmark and America should not turn its back on capitalism. 9:03: Sanders: I’m not a capitalist: Sanders is asked how can a Socialist win the White House. He says he wants to explain what a Democratic Socialist is and America should learn from countries like Denmark and Norway. When asked if he considers himself a capitalist, he equates capitalism to casino gambling and says he believes in a society in which all do well and not just a select billionaires. 9:00: Hillary: I’m a ‘Progressive”: When asked about flip-flopping on immigration, trade, gay marriage, Hillary Clinton says she has been “consistent” for most of her political career and changes her mind when she receives new information. Clinton says she does not change her political position depending on who she talks to and says she’s a “progressive” but one who ‘likes to get things done” when asked whether she is a “moderate” or “progressive.” Trump has always been against the Trans-Pacific Trade agreement and he blasted the deal and Hillary’s flip-flip on the issue:
8:57: Hillary introduces herself as a granddaughter of a factory worker and a grandmother of a one-year-old. Robotic Hillary speaks about her listening tour with handpicked participants picked by her campaign and her history of fighting for children. She says the “wealthy pay too little” and the “middle class pays too much” in taxes. She speaks about equal pay for equal work for women and paid family leave for American families. She says she wants fathers to be able to say to their daughters, “you, too, can grow up to be President.” 8:55: Sanders rails against income inequality and Citizens United/money in politics. He has, in the past, suggested that illegal immigration and even unchecked legal immigration lowers the wages of working Americans, especially minorities. He cites Hispanic/African-American unemployment rates but does not mention immigration. Instead, Sanders, appealing to Black Lives Matter activists, speaks about the massive incarceration rates of African-Americans and says more resources should be devoted to providing jobs for Hispanics/African-Americans instead of jailing them. 8:53: O’Malley is only interesting when he plays a musical instrument. He seems as calculating a politician as Clinton, which is why he has been unable to energize the anti-Clinton vote like Sanders. 8:49: Jim Webb rails against money in politics and the corrupting influence of money in politics. He cites his military service, his time away from politics, support of veteran’s legislation, criminal justice reform. Webb did oppose the Iraq War before many Democrats and spoke about income inequality long before Elizabeth Warren. He says his presidency will stand up for working people. Unfortunately for Webb, left-wing activists and interest groups have long ago pushed away the blue-collar Democrats who would have been receptive to his candidacy. 8:48: Lincoln Chafee introduces himself. Chafee is a better horse race handicapper than presidential candidate (see: Peace Rules at the Kentucky Derby the last decade). No mention of the metric system. From Joel Pollak: // <![CDATA[
infomercial debate begins for the Democrats.
8:35 PM EST: President Barack Obama will reportedly watch the debate–along with the Dodgers-Mets playoff game. Earlier in the day, the New Yorker reported in a 2007 memo in which Obama advisers, some of whom are now on Clinton’s case, laid out the case for how to beat Clinton. The Obama’s campaign’s “change you can believe in slogan” was reportedly “meant to provide a contrast with Hillary, not on policy, but on character”:
“Change you can believe in” was intended to frame the argument along the character fault line, and this is where we can and must win this fight. We cannot let Clinton especially blur the lines on who is the genuine agent of change in this election. • The reason Clinton can’t be trusted or believed when it comes to change is that she represents, to a great degree, the three sources of discontent formulated in our premise. • She’s driven by political calculation not conviction, regularly backing away and shifting positions on issues ranging from war, to Social Security, to trade, to reform. • She embodies trench warfare vs. Republicans, and is consumed with beating them rather than unifying the country and building consensus to get things done. • She prides herself on working the system, not changing it—rebuffing reforms on everything from lobbyist donations to budget earmarks.
Much of this remains true today, which is why Americans, including Democrats, in poll after poll say that Hillary Clinton is untrustworthy. 8:30 PM EST: DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz sends a video message before the debate. Washerman-Schultz reportedly disinvited the DNC’s Vice Chairwoman, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), from the debate for criticizing the party for limiting the number of debates. Earlier in the day, Gabbard basically called Wasserman-Schultz a liar for denying that she had any role in disinviting Gabbard. “I can’t say much more than to say that that’s just not true,” Gabbard said on MSNBC. Messrs. O’Malley, Chaffee, and Webb barely register in the polls and, like former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore on the Republican side, may not even have qualified for the so-called “happy hour” or undercard debate had they been on the Republican side. But they will share the stage with frontrunners Clinton and Sanders in what is shaping up to be a low-energy primary no matter how much CNN is trying to hype up the debate like a heavyweight prizefight, but the network seems like it realizes that Donald Trump’s live-Tweets may be the most interesting part of the night. Perhaps that is why the network wanted Joe Biden to enter the race:
// ]]>South Alabama and Arkansas State are playing in a college football game tonight. Hardly anyone cares about the game, but the pre-game commentators and hosts on ESPN will try to do their best to make the game seem relevant and interesting to get as much eyeballs on the television as they can. It seems like CNN is trying to do the same, knowing that the five Democrats on stage, with the possible exception of Sanders (who has refused to attack Clinton for the most part), are boring and uninspiring. The country got to see Republicans debate in 2012 and the last couple months on hostile territory. The nation will most likely get to see what home-field advantage looks like when the Democrats debate tonight in Las Vegas. How tough will Clinton be questioned about her email scandal and flip-flops on issues like the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and gay marriage to make her seem like a calculating politician who will do anything and take any position to get elected? How radical and out of the mainstream will CNN make Bernie Sanders’s socialist positions seem? Will CNN point out that Jim Webb’s failure to gain traction in the primary cycle (Webb has forcefully opposed affirmative action, especially for non-blacks, and the expansion of high-tech H-1B visas in a party that is being coopted by the Black Lives Matter movement and special-interest and pro-amnesty groups like La Raza) may be a sign that Democrats may no longer be the party blue-collar Americans, many of whom are attracted to Donald Trump’s campaign and positions on trade and illegal immigration? Will CNN note that, unlike Republicans, Democrats lack racial diversity on the stage? In the end, expect Clinton and Sanders to receive white-glove treatment from a mainstream media network that treats conservatives like hated stepchildren while considering Democrats their own. After all, CNN knows it can’t do anything to bloody up Democrats for the general election. That treatment is only given to Republicans. Donald Trump’s first Tweet of the night. And he pokes fun at the one-percenters on the stage:
On CNN, Donna Brazile spoke about how diverse the debate audience is. She can’t, though, say the same about the candidates on main stage. Hillary Clinton, perhaps by default, trounces Bernie Sanders in states where the population is less white. And Black Lives Matter activists, according to a BuzzFeed report, think Sanders just doesn’t get them or their concerns as of yet:
Black Lives Matter activists say they are unimpressed with statements Bernie Sanders has made regarding about Black Lives Matter following a series of confrontations with the activists this past summer — and are looking for him to show a broader understanding during Tuesday’s Democratic debate.
Pro-amnesty advocates, of course, want immigration to be the focus of the debate:
Though the stage will be filled with establishment politicians, it has been a long time since the candidates have actually debated: