So who’s going to ultimately challenge President Donald Trump for the White House come 2020? It’s far too early to tell and as President Trump’s own campaign proved, underdogs can emerge from seemingly out of nowhere, upsetting even powerful and entrenched establishment candidates.
Either way, debates offer one of the best opportunities for voters to see candidates and how they perform on a stage. The first round of debates was broken into two groups on two different days to allow the massive field of Democratic candidates a chance to speak. With over twenty Democrats competing to challenge Trump, the stage has been crowded, to say the least. And some candidates have been standing out, for better or worse.
Each group had its own headliners, with Elizabeth Warren drawing a lot of attention in the first group, and Kamala Harris and Joe Biden drawing much of the focus of the second group. Warren has generally received praise for her remarks, although she didn’t knock anything out of the park.
On the other hand, Kamala Harris has been receiving a ton of attention for her take-down of former Vice President Joe Biden. Harris took Biden to task for his opposition to busing, a policy which saw African American children bused to predominately white schools. She also criticized Biden for his remarks that seemed supportive of segregationists earlier in his career.
Meanwhile, Biden has largely been lambasted for what many regard as a wooden, scripted performance. For Biden, the debates present a major risk. While he has emerged as an early frontrunner, poor debate performances and negative sound bites could quickly diminish his standing.
Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders is finding out that his status as a frontrunner and big brand can have a big impact on perception. Instead of being witty and driven, critics claim, Sanders came off as loud, and at times repetitive.
What are your impressions?
