Democratic Forum 2016

I am glad I watched the Democratic Forum last night. MSNBC and Winthrop University did such a good job of organizing it that they made it look easy. I have say though that it takes someone with the talent of the late Tim Russert or Rachel Maddow to transform this format into something that is both entertaining and informative. One of the problems from an entertainment standpoint is that this format does not provide the drama of candidates directly confronting each other as they would in a debate. While there is still the possibility of a candidate embarrassing himself or herself with the sort of excited utterances wimpy Republican candidates always blame on “gotcha questions” propounded by “liberal media” persons, you only get those utterances when a candidate moves away from his or her talking points!

Rachel Maddow has a real talent for drawing out the personalities of the people she interviews and an almost uncanny ability to ask tough questions in a manner that does not seem confrontational or combative. She admits to having that famous liberal bias you cannot find anywhere else, but she also has that famous commercial bias you can find everywhere else! Which is to say that she throws hard balls; she just does not snarl at you while throwing them at your head. For instance, she asked Martin O'Malley about his low standing in the polls and how he was addressing that. Bernie Sanders has been criticized about his stand on gun control and gun rights; so she asked him questions about that criticism and where he stood on gun control issues. Hillary Clinton has been criticized about her ties to Wall Street and for being a war hawk; Rachel asked Hillary questions about both of those subjects. All of the candidates held up well to the questioning without adding the sort of ignorant embellishments that get so many Republicans in trouble. I might add that both Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders also criticized Hillary Clinton, but there was nothing that sensational about the criticisms.

What made this forum interesting was not the excitement of conflict. It was not like watching a boxing match. It was more like watching the dating game as Rachel Maddow tried to draw the candidates out so we could get to know more about them, and they tried to accentuate their positives while minimizing their negatives.

Martin O'Malley: He appeared to be the most rehearsed and seemed to stick the closest to his talking points. The fact that he was given as much time as the other candidates, however, allowed him to paint an appealing picture of himself. He demonstrated that he is a candidate who deserves some serious consideration.

Bernie Sanders: He appeared to be the most spontaneous. He was funny and charming as well as informative. He did well in answering questions regarding race and civil rights. Rachel Maddow also did him a favor by showing a picture of him at a sit-in protesting the segregated housing at the University of Chicago in the nineteen sixties. Bernie has a stellar civil rights record but young people are about today, and Bernie has a lot of ground to make up on Hillary when it comes to African Americans. He is addressing more racial issues now, but his big thing is still the economic mess. I really bless him for his economic message, but I want to give him a bit of advice in regard to racial issues. I am hoping that someone who has been as committed to the cause of civil rights as he has will not think I am being arrogant.

Bernie knew that African Americans, particularly young males, are more likely than white males to be arrested or beaten or shot by law enforcement officers. I am also sure that those facts really bothered him. Yet when he was confronted by Black Lives Matter he said what I have to admit I would have said. He said: “Of course black lives matter. All lives matter!” The folks of Black Lives Matter (probably correctly) interpreted this to mean that as a white person Bernie did not feel the urgency they felt about reducing the disproportionate risk black people face. “Justice delayed is justice denied” becomes much more poignant when the delay is measured in lives ruined or lost. The folks of Black Lives Matter want to see a sense of urgency, they want to see the fire Bernie had in his eyes at that sit in when he was a young man!  Bernie should thank them for making him feel young again by putting that fire back in his eyes. Go Bernie!

Hillary Clinton: Hillary was well prepared and stuck to her talking points without giving the appearance of being too well rehearsed. In spite of her normal reserve, she showed enough of her personality to court her audience. South Carolina is a state where the African American vote is crucial to Democrats, and Hillary hit hard on the issues that are important to African Americans. The woman is a consummate professional and that is a good thing.