Tuesday’s Democratic debate provided a marked difference to the Republican party debates. No one talked about kicking out immigrants or only having Christian presidents or about how good looking – or otherwise – their fellow presidential candidates are.
But there were still mishaps, for each candidate.
LINCOLN CHAFEE
Chafee did not have the best night. Things started to go downhill – like a big stone rolling down a slope – when he compared himself, twice, to a “block of granite”.
“Anderson, you’re looking at a block of granite when it comes to the issues,” Chafee told CNN moderator Anderson Cooper, when pressed on his changing party affiliation.
A little later he added: “Time and time again, I have never changed. You’re looking at a block of granite.”
If it was meant to sound tough, it didn’t really succeed. But it did succeed in getting him some recognition on Twitter.
You're welcome. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/fB4M2TplcF
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) October 14, 2015
There was worse to come for this block of granite. Chafee came crashing down when he tried to justify voting to repeal the Glass-Steagall Act, which separated commercial and investment banking. Chafee’s justification appeared to be that he had voted for the bill without fully understanding it.
“The Glass-Steagall was my very first vote, I’d just arrived, my dad had died in office, I was appointed to the office, it was my very first vote,” Chafee said.
“What does that say about you that you’re casting a vote for something you weren’t really sure about?” Cooper asked. Quite.
HILLARY CLINTON
Clinton did not compare herself to igneous rock, but she did tell the audience that she had hunted Chinese people in Copenhagen.
She was talking about tracking down delegates at the UN climate change conference, but still: it was an odd choice of words.
“When we met in Copenhagen in 2009, president Obama and I were literally hunting for the Chinese, because we knew we had to get them to agree to something,” Clinton said.
“They supposedly had left for the airport. We found out they were having a secret meeting. We marched up, we broke in, we said we’ve been looking all over for you.”
The image of Clinton and Obama breaking and entering on the hunt for Chinese diplomats is not one that will fade quickly.
JIM WEBB
Jim Webb got his gaffe in straight out of the blocks. In his opening statement, he temporarily forgot the name of one of his daughters.
“I have five daughters,” Webb said.
“Amy works with disabled veterans, Sarah is an emergency room nurse ... [lengthy pause] Julia is a massage therapist, Emily and Georgia are still in school.”
Jim Webb Briefly Forgets Daughter's Name #DemDebate #TTT16 pic.twitter.com/zn9Fa6YACS
— MRCTV.org (@mrctv) October 14, 2015
The gaffe came dangerously close to what is known as “a Rick Perry moment”.
BERNIE SANDERS
It was a pretty solid outing for the Vermont senator. Apart from when the discussion moved to gun control.
Cooper reminded Sanders that he had voted against the Brady bill, which mandated background checks. Cooper also reminded Sanders that he supported allowing Amtrak passengers to bring guns onto trains.
The question kicked off open-season on Sanders. It became the major attack point of the night, as the other candidates sighted the senator in their cross-hairs and pulled their collective triggers.
Clinton said Sanders wasn’t “at all” tough enough on guns, despite Sanders telling her he had a D- rating from the NRA.
It didn’t wash. Martin O’Malley agreed that Sanders wasn’t tough enough. He said he had an F rating from the NRA, in the voice of a man boasting that he owned a Ferrari.
Webb and Chafee rounded off the pummeling by bragging about their own appalling grades. It wasn’t pretty.
MARTIN O’MALLEY
O’Malley had a pretty good debate. He didn’t say anything especially interesting, sure, but he looked handsome in his suit and didn’t upset anyone.
His ill-judged moment actually came just before the debate: when he busted out the old guitar. There is no problem with playing a guitar before a debate – do what you like – but do you really have to tweet a picture of it?
A little pre-debate warmup. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/FWFFp1QYDJ
— Martin O'Malley (@MartinOMalley) October 14, 2015
It made O’Malley look like he was lamenting having never pursued a rock career. Or like he was auditioning for an extremely well-dressed band.
So there you have it. If you ever find yourself in a presidential debate, do not compare yourself to a block of granite. Do remember your daughters’ name. Do not talk about “literally hunting” Chinese people. Do have at least an F grade in some form.
Oh, and here’s one more gaffe from someone who wasn’t even part of the debate:
I trust @BernieSanders with my tax dollars like I trust a North Korean chef with my labrador! #DemDebate
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) October 14, 2015
The lesson here: if you are running for president, do not be a xenophobe. At least, not publicly.
