The Dem Debate

A Very Important Democratic Political Event…Did Anyone See It?

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Junior Bianca Gilliam-Beale watched the Dem Debate and questions statements made by the candidates.

Markus Hardy, Staff Writer

One of the most important moments in the 2016 election process occurred on October 13, 2015. Yes, on a Tuesday, while you were watching a volleyball game or just chilling watching something else on TV, the Democrats were conducting a debate.  It was a lot less exciting due to a severe lack of Trump, which definitely explained the lower viewership. There were only five candidates on the stage, twelve less than the Republicans.

What was most dynamic in deciding if some people were going to watch or not was if the candidate had been getting a good amount of air time prior to the debate. People should have heard of a candidate to even care about what they have to say. Everyone knows who Hillary Clinton is, Former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State. Fewer know Bernie Sanders, also a Senator. Fewer still have heard of the others: Martin O’Malley, Governor of Maryland and Baltimore Mayor; Lincoln Chafee, Rhode Island Governor and Senator; and Jim Webb, Vietnam Veteran and Virginia Senator.

One of those people I honestly had to Google.

The main thing that troubled me was just the simple fact that so few people even took the effort to watch it. Fewer still know even a single point or policy idea that any of the candidates had made. If they did know one, it came from Sanders.

Senior Uriel Magana recalled that Bernie offered “free college.”

Junior Bianca Gilliam-Beale heard that raising minimum wage to $15 an hour and breaking up big banks were other ideas that Sanders advocated for. “While these ideas are very grand, I’m very concerned [about the reality of] how it would work,” said Gilliam-Beale.

Another commonly mentioned topic was the Hillary Clinton e-mail question. For those of you who don’t know, Former Secretary Clinton has been caught up in some trouble surrounding her personal e-mail accounts and “confidential” information.

“Bernie Sanders defended her on her emails,” said freshman Elijah Clements.

Senator Sanders had exclaimed, “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your d*** e-mails!” While this sentiment was held by a number of people in the crowd, some people disagree. A large number also feel it is a serious problem. For instance, Lincoln Chafee stated that he felt our president needs to display credibility. This led to what was by far the most salacious moment of the night. When asked to respond to Chafee, Clinton responded with a “No.”

In any event, regardless of political alignment, these debates are beneficial to watch, although not as entertaining without Donald Trump. At the least just hearing the issues and different opinions that each candidate has to offer can only help you make a better decision come election time.