1870

I got back in time to see Harris. I think she has plenty of charisma, and plenty smart, and her student loan proposal was at least sane. But I didn’t real like her most of the night. Objectively she has one of the best resumes, attorney general of California entails a lot of executive experience, plus being Senator is good experience.

1871

Ok, Anderson, you don’t like Pete’s web site, let’s move on.

1872

I haven’t had the fortune of seeing her performance tonight, but I do love all the same things you mentioned here. And it’s distressing to hear how poorly she has done on key areas like taking stances. If she could just figure that stuff out and start taking actual positions and arguing for those positions, I can’t help but think she could rise to the top more easily because she has so much going for her.

I think she’s a hell of a lot more charismatic than Warren, but Warren has been much clearer about her positions, and she’s been getting a lot more press about these positions. And thankfully she spared us from hearing her do her Town Hall in full native Cherokee. I can only hope that boot edge edge takes the same lesson from Warren and does his in English too. But God knows how many languages he has to choose from.

1873

Harris is a skilled politician, but her performance suffered when compared to the more genuine and direct approaches of Warren, Sanders and (in progress) Buttigieg. They don’t sound like they’re delivering canned replies.

1874

Mayor Pete just gave one of the best and most honest explanations of the issues and realities of trade I have ever heard. Who ever becomes President better give this guy an economic cabinet job!

1875

Pete just have a really good, thoughtful answer about a policy decision that he had made in South bend regarding abandoned houses, explained it will, and didn’t try to pretend like his action was perfect.

I think that’s what i like about him. He gives what appears to be real answers. Someone like Warren is smart, but Pete has a thoughtfulness about his answers that is compelling.

1876

Anderson Cooper is passing on Pete pretty hard compared to what I saw in other candidates, in terms of grilling him about stuff.

I don’t think it’s bad though. Pete seems to be handing himself well, and it ain’t like it’s going to be easier later in the campaign.

1877

He is even more unflappable than Obama. I wonder how well he will do in a 1 minute answer format. But it gives me hope that America is still the shining city on the hill, if we can produce folks like Pete.

As soon as I get home, he is getting a big contribution

1878

I keep clicking on his face and pretending I’m voting for him.

1879

I am trying to imagine a Trump-Buttigieg debate. It’s a pretty happy vision.

1880

“I’m not a master fisherman but I know bait when I see it.” Lengthy applause.

1881

I didn’t even think about Andersoon Cooper being gay. This is progress right?

1882

At some point in the past, we would have fixated on it. It would have been a distraction.

But at some point we got past it, and gay people’s sexuality became like heterosexual people’s… Not something you generally think about.

1883

You have already seen ‘proof’ at the state level, you just discount those particular states for unclear reasons.

That means it might be harder to approve a program, not that the approved program won’t or can’t work.

1884

I did notice tonight that the supporters of one of the leading candidates no longer have a beto noire; the knives are out for Pete Buttigieg.

I certainly understand the desire to support the candidate you like a lot, but I have to wonder if this kind of uncompromising strategy is going to work out. It may. But it also maybe creates an environment for when the field narrows and people are turning to their second choice to have not burnt some bridges.

(On the other hand, it’s also “Welcome to the big leagues, rook” for Buttigieg. He absolutely needs the trial by fire, and there are plenty of areas for him to start getting his campaign in order on.)

1885

It’s the effects of 40 years of right-wing agitprop designed to discredit ideas that actually work.

1886

An interesting angle on policy websites from Pete, where it’s basically just an archive of video footage, of him answering questions on stuff.

1887

An interesting, to me at least, angle on Warren’s suggestion that we cancel student debt…

That’s basically a massive handout to folks who are, comparatively to many in our society, fairly well off individuals.

If you went to college, you are likely not at the bottom of the economic ladder. And you certainly have a much better shot moving forward than folks who weren’t able to get into college or secure loans to do so.

Is that really where we want to be spending a trillion dollars?

If we’re doing that, then we need to be making an argument that doing so is going to actually result in some large amount of economic growth, and that the growth will increase tax revenues to compensate for that cost.

1888

Something something arguing amongst ourselves while the rich clean us out…

In all truth, I find it difficult to imagine making college more affordable (by taxing the extremely rich) won’t make a huge positive impact on the economy.

You are skipping over the additional steps of Warren’s plan that are not just debt relief to those who went to college, but also eliminating or reducing tuition for every citizen that desires a college education.

Additionally, this plan would actually be more beneficial to minority groups who in large part end up taking out more student loans than white students.

This plan is actually a massive wealth redistribution plan with the benefit of increasing the overall education of the entire American citizenship.

We are talking about a 2% increase in the taxes of 75000 families, to educate the other 100 million.

1889

Why not just that it would have a huge effect on the economy and make the country a better place for pretty much everyone, whether directly or indirectly? This is a trickle down economics plan that will actually work, because people actually will put at least some of that money back into the economy rather than what companies and owners do when they get a windfall, which is buy back their stocks and sock it into their offshore accounts.