10/13 Democratic Presidential Debate
Americans were at the edges of their seats last night as five of the seven Democratic Presidential hopefuls debated for the first time, but one of the three frontrunners for the nomination decided to sit this one out. Joe Biden, who has yet to officially announce his candidacy, is currently polling (according to NBC) at 17%. Currently, his reluctance to announce whether or not he’s running is depending on his family concerns. Considering the loss of his wife in 1972, after winning his first Senate seat, and his son Beau, earlier this year, the stress of running a campaign may be too much for the Vice President to handle. Still, many Democrats are anxiously waiting for his announcement, especially after last night’s debate. However, since Biden didn’t speak last night, the others’ got a chance to explain their ideas and show who they are, while Biden did not.
USA Today said that William Sather, a technical director for a production company in Minnesota, who was surveyed about his opinions toward each candidate, stated that Biden “is what Hillary is not…authentic. She’s searching for the right answer instead of having the right answer.” And many Americans agree, given that in July, 51% of Americans considered Clinton “unfavorable,” 52% were bothered by how she handled the Benghazi and Libyan attacks, and the most frequent mentioned word associated with her name is “liar” or “dishonest.” Sanders is called a “socialist,” and although this is self-proclaimed, many still consider socialism ineffective. However, even though their ratings of approval aren’t preferable, Clinton and Sanders are leading this election. And why? Likely because Biden isn’t in the running yet. But in many ways, Biden is a combination of the two candidates, making a happy medium for those who don’t agree with Clinton or Sanders.
Early on in the debate, Anderson Cooper forced Hillary Clinton to speak about charges that she changes her policy ideas based on what voters want, not her beliefs. She said that she, like any candidate, “absorbs new information” and will change points of view when she feels it necessary. Bernie Sanders has been standing for civil rights since the 60’s, and gay rights since the 80’s, concrete views he’s kept for decades. Joe Biden, too has stuck by his beliefs since being a Senator in the 90’s. He helped establish an FBI registry of sex offenders in ’96, and has been voting in favor or gender and race equality ’95.
Later, Sanders was questioned as to if a Democratic “socialist” could win the election, because a Gallup poll found that 50% of Democrats would not vote for a socialist. Sanders made it clear two days ago on Meet the Press that he is not a capitalist. Clinton argued the case for capitalism by saying that she is a “progressive who gets things done,” and the same can be said for Biden. He has supported President Obama’s plan to focus on the middle class, and wants to invest in new government programs by ending war and eliminating tax cuts, which is similar to Bernie Sanders’ approach. Still, Biden voted in favor of a bill that backed big banks, which shows he isn’t as left leaning as Sanders, making him appeal to more moderate Democrats.
Hillary Clinton was named, by Time magazine, one of the most influential women of all time, and “one of the most effective secretary of states” by Sen. Lindsay Graham, and her accomplishments in the Senate show how qualified she is for the job. Bernie Sanders, too, has been serving for over 34 years. All of the candidates are clearly qualified for the job, but is Biden more qualified than the others? On The View, Biden said that he is uniquely qualified for the Presidency given that he has an incredible wealth of knowledge on foreign policy, and has relationships with foreign leaders after being Vice President and working alongside President Obama.
Overall, it’s pretty impressive that Biden is polling better than 3 other candidates without even announcing his official candidacy, showing that Americans are anxious for him to run.