I still like all of them

We do have a wealth of good candidates, don't we?

I think O'Malley summed it up perfectly with his closing statement

It's like picking on a legless cat, and I kinda feel bad.

He seems like a very decent man but he appeared to be in over his head. Jim Webb just came across as an angry DINO. Didn't like him before - like him even less now. I did learn more about O'Malley which I wanted to do.

But it really just made him look like a clown.

I was a Sanders supporter before the debate and I still am.

However, I was impressed by how smoothly Clinton answered questions, and I'm more comfortable with her chances of winning in the general if she's the nominee (than I was with her chances of winning the general before the debate).

Looking down this thread, I also agree with those who were impressed with Gov. O'Malley. With the exception of Webb, I was impressed at times with all our candidates.

n/t

Out among the wider electorate? Quite probably quite a few folks.

I'll predict a 5 pt gain for Sanders in national polls in the next week or so.

supporters going into the debate, but all but maybe 4 were Bernie supporters when he checked with them after the debate. (His was the only focus group I found.) Obviously they were swayed by getting to know where Bernie stands on the issues.

One man said he hadn't really known about any of the candidates but Hillary before the debate. I think that is a large reason for her vast lead at the moment. Dems know her and like her, but most who are not wonks like we are on DU are not yet paying much attention, so they don't really know about Bernie yet.

Oh, and the entire group raised their hands when he asked if they preferred Webb and Chaffee to not be included in the next debate.

than I saw in other focus groups.

I think the big question is how many HRC supporters are like that guy - people who went with her simply out of name recognition, and not her policy choices.

The pundits said she did what she needed to do, 'firming up her base'. Thing is, I don't think all of the people who've been saying they're going to vote for her are 'her base'. I think a goodly percent of them ARE like that guy.

That is also one reason Biden scores so high even without entering the race. Most people simply are not paying attention yet, especially since our campaign season is freaking endless. I bet a lot of people polled don't even realize that Biden has not entered the race and that he probably won't enter the race.

Also, in addition to her name recognition, among Democrats Hillary attracts a lot of sympathy for the way the RW conspiracy constantly attacks her.

Don't forget, early in the 2004 primary season Joe Lieberman had a big lead: what he called the "Joementum" was merely an effect of name recognition.

He NEEDS the time to get his message out. With Hillary starting out the season with it 'in the bag', the longer it goes, the more time Bernie has to pass her up.

rig things to keep them as unknown as possible for as long as possible.

Clinton did better than I expected. Still supporting Sanders. O'Malley left me cold. The other two aren't a consideration.

I'm a Bernie supporter and that didn't change but what the debate did was made me realize that any one of them would make a great President. They made us proud.

I love Bernie Sanders as I have for 30 years!!

My vote will go to Hillary Clinton unless there is a major change before the primaries

Are you going with her based on perceived electability, historic presidency arguments, or policies?

She started out as a likely Hillary voter, but not necessarily a supporter. By the end of the debate she had donated $31 dollars to his campaign to "bump the average up a bit".
She had not heard of Bernie before, she liked what he had to say and how he said it. The deal sealer was the fact that he was the only senator to vote against the patriot act.

If you're a Bernie guy, I hate to hear that this is the first time she's heard about Bernie - she should have heard about him from you.

We're his best shot at winning, as long as we actually talk about him to people around us. He's great on most issues, but we have to tell folks about him. If there's anybody else out there you know who hasn't heard of him, don't wait for them to watch a debate, start telling them about him

...who voted against the Patriot Act.

In 2001, Sanders was one of 66 in the US House who voted against it.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2001/roll398.xml

Webb was right about getting shafted on time, but he didn't look good by bringing it up a half dozen times, and Chafee needs to learn to defend his votes, not try and weasel out of them.

And I have always admired his early strong stance on prison reform. He also seems genuinely concerned about poverty. On the other hand, his views on war are way to hawkish for me. And his homophobia pretty much disqualifies him in my book. (Maybe he has evolved though.)

and 90s. Income inequality, middle class living wages, bad trade deals, against wars. Same speeches he's giving today.

I'm not happy about his position on guns, but for me, that's not a deal breaker, as the others trump it. Moreover, his position won't alienate rural red state America.

While I will watch all the debates, I doubt any of the other 5 debates will change my mind either.

Still feeling the Bern here.

My candidate did not win the debate