On Friday’s Battleground State Report with Steve Gill, Michael Patrick Leahy and Dough Kellett – a one hour radio show from Star News Digital Media in the early stages of a national weekend syndication roll out – the three hosts discussed the winners and losers of the Democratic debates this past week and which of those could hold their weight against Trump on the debate stage.
Towards the end of the segment, the team talked about the candidates’ attacks on the Obama legacy and how that reflected poorly on Joe Biden.
Gill: And I got to tell you guys, after watching the two nights of Democrat party debates between the ten presidential candidates one night and then another ten the next. I was kind of flipping back and forth to shark week. As Tulsi Gabbard took a big ole bite out of Kamala Harris.
Leahy: Yeah.
Gill: And then came back for another nibble or two as the two engaged. And Tulsi Gabbard getting a big bump. She and Marianne Williamson were the big winners this week in the Democratic party debates. The two nights, 10 candidates each. And we’ll see in the polling that comes out this coming week what we’re going to see in terms of what moved the dial.
But we’re going to talk a lot today about what transpired in that debate. That Trump having a big rally in Cincinnati at the end of the week. The continued fight over whether Baltimore is awesome or rat invested. (Leahy chuckles) I mean, there’s so much that went on this week. Let’s just get right into the debate. Two nights of debate. A couple of things happening.
Candidates in the lower tier, some of them in the 0 percent polling, trying to survive enough. When we use the example, John Travolta, staying alive, staying alive. They want to stay alive, get enough poll backing, enough fundraising to make the next round of debates in September.
And I don’t know that some of the lesser-knowns were successful in doing that. But Marianne Williamson, the spiritualist who wants us to deal with the American healthcare crisis by giving people rocks, the healing crystals. (Leahy giggles) And then Tulsi Gabbard is the two that may have moved themselves in the debates this week just enough to make those September debate credentials. And if they do, they’re staying alive.
Leahy: Yes. I think that’s exactly right. But Doug, I watched that debate, and what struck me is, do any of these twenty people have a chance on stage against President Trump? What do you think Doug?
Kellett: Well that’s always a question right? First of all, I think the Democrats need to cut these down and narrow down the candidates because it’s not good for the health of America to have to watch this (Leahy laughs) for two nights in a row.
Gill: I was willing to buy into the crystal thing. Hand me a rock because I want to throw something.
Kellett: Well Marianne Williamson told an 11-year-old kid this week that, “You know my cat died.” And you know I’m really sorry about the cat and everything but how does that really move the country forward right?
There’s a story that came out on Friday that we may need to take Marianne Williamson more seriously than we have before because she’s really catching on. I even heard some former, well I say former Republicans, I guess they’re Republicans say that “She was really getting to me. She was really registering with me.” (Leahy chuckles)
Gill: I think though Doug, that underlines the nonsense that’s being spewed out of the rest of the pack when Marianne Williamson seems to be speaking sense!
Kellett: Yeah, that maybe a real problem for the Democrats right? The thing is, Joe Biden that’s really the issue. Is Joe Biden acting like a guy who’s in the lead? Is he acting like a guy that could be Commander in Chief? Is he acting like someone, or appears to be someone that can really stand up to Donald Trump in a debate? I think that’s the real question and really through two debates, he really hasn’t shown that.
Gill: Although he did better in this debate setting than he did in the first round. Now granted, he didn’t lay in a corner and just drool on himself which is pretty much what he did in the first debate. He still had some fumbles. He still had some bumbles in this one. But he was being attacked by everybody on the stage.
It was nine on one. And I think from that standpoint he handled himself pretty well when you’re in the target sights of everybody. Again he made some mistakes. I still don’t know what the 3030 thing was.
Leahy: Yeah. At the end.
Gill: But he didn’t fall apart. He was mostly conscious and reasonably coherent, which for Joe was a successful night.
Kellett: That’s true. I certainly agree with that. The other thing that did shock me though was how Obama took such a hit in a Democratic debate the other night. I thought he was the darling of the Democrat party but now Joe Biden being connected with Obama is a bad thing apparently.
Leahy: They were attacking the Obama legacy. Nine on the night that Biden was there, nine of those ten candidates were attacking vigorously the Obama legacy. I thought, didn’t they all love him?
Gill: I think again it was a good night for Joe Biden because he didn’t sniff anybody’s hair or grope them on the stage. So again, it was a big win night for Joe.
Leahy: He did call Kamala Harris kid.
Gill: Which again, is just the silliness of this whole process.
Leahy: (Leahy laughing) Hey kid!
Gill: Kind of kidding. Saying, “Hey take it easy on me kid,” becomes a news story? A news item? That is ridiculous.
Kellett: Look, the debates where so boring especially that night. That was a highlight I thought. At least Michael and I were talking about it the other day, (Doug chuckles) that seemed to be the highlight of the whole evening.
Listen to the full show:
– – –
Tune in every Friday morning and listen to The Battleground State Report with Steve Gill, Michael Patrick Leahy, and Doug Kellett.
Photo “Cory Booker” by Senate Democrats. CC BY 2.0.
