A few early thoughts on how Wednesday night’s debate in Nevada is going:
1.) Everybody came out at Michael Bloomberg with guns blazing right from the start. Elizabeth Warren’s comment was by far the most memorable — she compared him to President Trump, calling him a profane New Yorker who degrades women and calls them “horse-faced lesbians.” Amy Klobuchar, the most positive of the bunch, accused Bloomberg of “hiding behind” his television ads and said (as she has before) that she’s glad he is finally on the debate stage.
2.) In response to Bernie Sanders, the first to lay into him, Bloomberg said that Sanders will lose to Trump. I might be wrong, but I think this was the first time any Democratic candidate has come right out and said Trump will win against anyone.
3.) Bloomberg looks a lot less vibrant than I remember him. He has at times appeared confused and even overwhelmed. He may not quite have a Joe Biden problem, but he isn’t what he used to be.
4.) The hostility between Pete Buttigieg and Sanders is palpable. Buttigieg, who performed well in Iowa and New Hampshire but is likely to start losing in coming contests, understands that he has something to prove.
5.) There were two questions so far to Warren as I wrote this, and both were softballs. The first was an invitation to criticize Sanders for the bad manners of his online supporters. The second one, from Chuck Todd, was about her change in stance on healthcare. It could have been framed to put her on the spot. Instead, he framed it so as to give her an out and an opportunity to criticize Sanders’s plan.
6.) Warren is being as aggressive as possible — as she must. Her campaign has been dying, and this might be her last chance to make an impression and regain some traction. I’m not sure if it will be enough, but I think she’s having as good a debate performance as she ever has.
