Did you watch the Democratic Debate in Miami?

I never watch the debates, because it irks me that people choose candidates like they choose football teams.

HOWEVER, after the last few days excitement I want to see some Hillary/Bernie debates. I will look for the video online this weekend.

We haven’t had a bona fide leftist in the spotlight for decades!

I just watched it. Pretty much what you would expect. No drama. Bernie never mentioned that he has a big cock.

I haven’t seen it. I might go to the Bernie rally tomorrow.

I’ve already cast my vote for Bernie. Early voting ROCKS.

No, I rarely watch any debates because modern technology allows one to get a bullet-point review of them before they are even done and I don’t feel like wasting time listening to people talking over each other or bloviating ad nauseum.

I’m even less inclined to do so this election given that my mind was pretty much made up in the early-‘90s when it comes to Sanders-vs-anyone in an election. And even if it wasn’t Sanders-vs-Clinton right now, Hillary’s opponent would have to be egregiously bad for me to vote for her. If the GOP put up someone electable, I might’ve even vote Republican just to keep her out.

The early part of the campaign season had a few people whose platforms intrigued me if for no reason other than a desire to correct a lack of information, but for the most part there isn’t much to see now that I didn’t already know years ago.

Well, aside from Donald Trump telling everyone he has a big cock, but I think I could’ve lived a full and happy life without having Trump’s cock brought to my attention.

I personally don’t like to read about the debates and leave it up to the interpretation of journalists. I want to watch and hear answers in full context. I haven’t seen all the debates, but I tried to watch most of them both dem and rep.

I’m really torn about these two candidates. I can’t decide if Bernie’s idealism will be effective, or if Hillary’s willingness to compromise and work within the system is the realistic stepping stone to eventually get to where we want to be.

I think Bernie can’t win in FL, but I might be wrong. The biggest problem I see for him here is many Latin Americans watch their country go to socialist leaders and they are afraid of it. However, most of those people in FL are Republicans, so they are not voting for Hillary or Bernie during the primaries.

That woman from Honduras with the 5 kids, is she a citizen? She can’t even vote in the election if not.

I predict Bernie will win Florida because he’ll have the old white person vote and the young informed voter vote.

That only leaves, basically, the people who vote for Trump and Rubio.

I’m afraid that i’m unable to watch Hellary Cunton without vomiting, so no, I passed.

@Seek It will be interesting to see. You might very well be correct.

@JLeslie Unless you single-source your news, that isn’t an issue, and if you do then the debates won’t change your mind any anyways since you won’t be able to make an informed vote no matter what. Don’t forget; Bernie actually has experience in the Executive branch and has been in Congress enough to have a fairly good idea of how things really work at the federal level.

As for Hillary’s “willingness to compromise”, she’s willing to do whatever she has to in order to get into power, and if being an unyielding bitch is what it takes for her to get the right-leaning swing voters, she’ll do it. If she has to lie, cheat, and steal, she’ll do that too. If Hillary gets the nomination, the DNC will have proven that it doesn’t give a shit about voters and may possibly hand the next 3–10 elections to the GOP unless we finally get a new political party.

And why do so many people act as though Bernie didn’t even exist before 2016 and just fell off a turnip truck yesterday anyways?

@jerv We all know Bernie has been around I think. They show old film of him for people who didn’t know, they did it during the debate.

Y’know, Bernie is unqualified because he’s a career politician, and Elizabeth Warren is unqualified because she’s only been a scholar of the law for 25 years and doesn’t have enough Senate experience.

Whatthefuckever.

@JLeslie Maybe here on Fluther where most are above-average, but a lot of people don’t know. And the way things are here, a depressing percentage of people are proud of their ignorance. After all, facts like science and history are just propaganda from [inserted target of hatred here].

@Seek ~And Obama knows nothing about the US Constitution.

I certainly don’t think Bernie knows nothing. I respect the guy. I think he is very honest, I want him to tackle healthcare. He is the only candidate who I feel is in line with what I want for healthcare, and that issue is extremely important to me. Trump is the only other candidate saying the insurers and others are thieving the system. Hillary doesn’t say it! Not that I’ve heard. I’m very disappointed about that. It’s what causes my indecision.

I did not get a chance to watch it as I planned to because my rabbit died and spent most of the night building a box and digging a hole in the frozen ground. I said a prayer thanking the rabbit for sparing me the misery I otherwise would have endured.

The snippets I did see on the news were so utterly uncompelling for either candidate that I probably would have fallen asleep. But what I did see is an enormous lack of genuineness from Hillary. People who lie most always are looking down and to the left….so unless Hillary had a teleprompter down to her left I could not get a feel for one bit that she actually believed what she was saying. I know I am not the only one who has picked up on that Hillary will say and do anything to win this election including bald face lies. Put Cruiz, Sanders, Trump in that same camp as they are all spewing crap they know will only get their followers to believe in them over the other guy.

I have accepted this is the ugliest presidential campaign EVER and full of the worst possible candidates EVER. It has all boiled down to anyone but Trump, anyone but Hillary, anyone but Sanders and anyone but Cruiz. The 2016 presidency has truly devolved into having to cast a vote for the candidate who is the least depraved of the most depraved presidential candidates ever.

My prediction is the closer we get to gut check time the better John Kasich will look to anyone who values their vote as meaningful.

@Cruiser Hillary didn’t need a teleprompter. Apparently, she had a meeting with some of her campaign staff during the debate. It’s against DNC rules, but since it was their Chosen One that did it, I doubt anything will be done about it.

As for Kasich being the only one that looks good to anyone who values their vote as meaningful, as an ex-Vermonter, I have to take exception to that. Sanders keeps getting sent to DC because Vermonters want him there while Hillary is more popular in places that tend to vote Republican in the first place.

I’m thinking it’s a battle between The worst America has to offer (Trump), a Theocrat (Cruz), a blatantly pandering True Politician (Hillary) and an old guy who ran out of fucks to give (Sanders).

If you still think of Sanders as just spewing crap that will get him elected though, I won’t bother trying to fix that misconception, mostly since I just can’t see you voting for any politician with a D after their name anyways.

@jerv You clearly missed my point on body cues specific to people who lie or are lying. As far as Sanders…look at the size and demographics of Vermont and compare that to our entire country….I argue that what works for those very few people in Vermont may not be so welcomed by the bread basket labor forces and those of the CEO’s across the country, the Midwest farmers or Tech sectors that are now in all corners of our country. You may not be aware, but people outside of Vermont want opportunity and not more Government Cheese. People want real jobs and real opportunity. Sanders message is all about robbing from the rich to give to the poor and even the low information voter can see through the smoke and mirrors Bernie is promoting.

Time to focus on what will create more good paying jobs over more taxing to make more Government Cheese. Sanders is in no way the person to make this dire need materialize.

@Cruiser When you can match transcripts to deeds, you don’t need body language to tell someone is lying. When someone has a decades-long history, you can see a pattern. Body language can be faked; Hollywood is full of people who are paid millions to do exactly that. And if you needed to watch Hillary during the debate to figure out how disingenuous she is, then I am shocked and amazed that you didn’t see her when she was First Lady or at any time since she and Bill left the White House.

Since you’ve displayed blatant ignorance about Vermont I have to ask; are you one of those “low information voters”? Maybe you’re thinking that Vermont is basically Louisiana only with snow instead of swamplands? Vermont wouldn’t allow government cheese; why import crap when there is plenty of local-made stuff that doesn’t cost nearly as much to ship? Are you thinking Vermont doesn’t have farms? Are aerospace manufacturing and biotech not real jobs either? Does having a top-notch education not give more opportunities than a half-assed diploma mill?

Now, I might be able to agree with you if the states that did it the way you like were better off than the states that do it the way you dislike, but the way I see it, if you were right then 2008 would never have happened and the South and Midwest would be doing far better than they are. Don’t get me wrong, I see flaws in Sanders’ plan, but I still see it as more sensible than trying to put out a raging fire by pouring gas all over it. I’d like the well-paying jobs too. That’s why I don’t live in a red state.

I’m still of the opinion that Cruz and Trump have even worse plans (assuming Trump even really has a plan) and I’m not sure whether Hillary will go with the GOP plan, steal Bernie’s plan, or come up with something else. With the alternatives being Cruz’s discredited idea, Trumps simplification of that discredited idea, and Hillary’s wildcard “whichever way the wind blows” approach, I’d say Sanders is the best of the lot. If you want something else, well, there is a write-in spot on the ballot.

Of course, if you want to blow bubbles and pass your bills to the next generation with interest, I am the last person in my bloodline so anything that happens much past about 2060 (possibly sooner) won’t affect my descendants. Just keep that bubble from popping again while I’m still around and don’t let the world burn until after I’m gone.

@jerv What I am saying is Vermont is immensely different politically and economically. His socialist agenda would not play well here in the Midwest or many other states in our Union is all I am saying. He would get eaten alive by the political machines in my state as an example.

@Cruiser He seems to be doing pretty well in the regions that remained part of the US during the Civil War.

Now, if you wish to argue that he has no chance in places that would secede if they could do so without losing the benefits of statehood, I could see it. But given that he is the only non-Republican in the race right now, I agree that he has little/no chance in a Red state.

@jerv…I think you know this particular conversation has no future but I will leave with my final observation of the mere fact the Governor of Vermont won’t even back Bernie. Nuff said.

@Cruiser All office-holders are still citizens who are entitled to back whoever they choose, as are experts like economists, so I fail to see how the VT governor’s opinion carries much more weight than other officials or experts. If the primary results are any indication, little over 13% of other Vermonters share his opinion, and I’m reasonably certain that the number would be higher if there weren’t so many that were turned off by Hillary.

But you’re right, I do know that this conversation would be pointless to continue. You will never convince me that “Horse and sparrow” economics works without getting into a time machine and making unemployment drop below 0% by 2008 and having incomes grow with productivity during my entire lifetime, and likewise I don’t think I could change your views without a similarly ludicrous proof either.

I do plan to drop a little something in your inbox later detailing the logic behind why I cannot agree with you, but I don’t feel like clogging this thread with a wall-o-text.