Didn't take much time eh?



This planned stunt at the debates was not classy....

I for one would have bought that shirt had it not been associated with her kneecapping Biden to promote it....

Landing good shots is one thing but this is clearly a takedown strategy. Kamala is such a good fighter, I just wish those efforts were more pointed at Trump than Joe.

I mean we are all on the same team, but at the moment they are not. They are in a competition that only one of them can win. If you can "kneecap" the front-runner as you call it and at the same time dominate the headlines of the night, then that's probably smart strategy. We are looking at this from the long lense of "I hope whoever wins the nomination isn't damaged", but with 20 something candidates at this point I don't think thats their perspective.

we need to remember that we will only win if we

a) choose a candidate well before the convention
b) focus our attacks on Trump and his now traitorous party
c) raise the level of enthusiasm for our candidates and their plans for returning America to decency!

Some Biden supporters were turned off. Then again almost every headline I've read about last night's debate is about Harris shining and landing shots on Biden. I think she did well for someone polling below 10%.

as far as I’m concerned. It felt off at the time and the ready-to-go shirts confirm my take on it. Warren, on the other hand, was truly presidential on Wednesday. The passion she conveyed had an authenticity that made Harris’s emotionalism seem like slogans and sound bites.

Nobody knew this was coming up.

And just wait until she tears into Trump...

MI, WI and PA and he gets four more years...it will be time for tears. Tearing into Trump is not the goal...winning the election is the goal. And she hurt herself last night in my opinion... she lessened her chances in the primary and more importantly in the general with some policy provisions that simple will drag her down in a general. I do not admire this sort of behavior.

I’m impressed. But as a voter, that really turns me off. She used a fellow Dem to manufacture a “response” that set off a specific campaign.

The line was much more effective as an unscripted moment. Those folks paying attention will notice it was planned and had a purpose beyond the debate.

How ng ago did Kamala plan to attacj Joe?

I get Kamala attacking Joe during the debate, but trying to capitalize through merchandise sales immediately afterwards is not a good look, at all.

..against busing. He was RIGHT, and years after busing was instituted it was discontinued and declared a failure.

I was disappointed with her doing that, and her sneering at him. It was a planned attack, glad they got it over with at the first debate.

His reply was "It was a local decision." Which btw is a shitty conservative answer.

That said 30 or 45 seconds doesn't give any opportunity for that sort of exchange of important ideas whatsoever. Too many fuckers on the stage.

....and virtually every civil rights advocate admits that busing was a bad idea. That we're making it an issue today makes no sense to me.

...not everyone agrees that busing was a failure as you contend.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/10/23/forced-busing-didnt-fail-desegregation-is-the-best-way-to-improve-our-schools/?utm_term=.31e91fee9cd0

cruddy Black schools that weren't equal. If it weren't for segregated and unequal schools, there would have been no need for busing.

The problem was a lack of preparedness, not a lack of opportunity.

that has never been performed before in any political debate. She made his vote personal to “that
little girl” he had hurt and all like her.

How rehearse for this? And she jumped into it. Literally.

She had the script. He didn't.

You prepare for a format, but this variation, no, it has never been done before.

If he'd prepared a rational explanation for his anti-businf stance, he could have pivoted to that, regardless how she framed the question.

He needs to come up with a better answer and when he does, he should be able to answer any question about it no matter how it's presented to him. If he can't, then maybe he shouldn't be there.

I think he can. He just has to do better and not try to brush off things he doesn't think are relevant because there's something is relevant or not is not up to him.

her, this was not at all the kind of confrontation that we have seen before, passionate, emotive, close, like in your face but vulnerable rather than aggressive.

Most female politicians adopt a unisex style of challenging one’s opponent. He might have prepared some wonky, dry defense, but not to field her tone, the emotional quality of her story. And sure
Blasio et al, Biden, many times, have referenced a tragic story in their lives, but not while
confronting a rival candidate WITH the personal story.

She dumped a rather warm potato in his lap, knowingly, knowing that she would unsettle him.
She got the effect she sought.

I absolutely believe she has lived every second of her story, but just as one bases a character or a poem or an acting role on what one has lived, she made use of her story to frame an issue, while
making an attack on his record.

Was he to do some bit of a confessional reading in response, a prayer of atonement?

Indeed he’s out of step with the new performance politics going about these days.

Your following post, too.. very vivid descriptions. of your impressions, of what happened at the debate between Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.

but chose not to for various reasons such as optics or other genuine concerns.

we still live in a conventional enough society that a man verbally slapping around a woman bringing her pain to him and her argument would be unseemly. But he must be better prepared
for the flashes of brilliance from younger, fully energized rivals.

And Kamala is going places. She’s glam and gifted with great range in her speaking presence.

He just didn't seem prepared for it, which confused me. He's always been a good debater. Maybe it was just an off night for him.

Re people criticizing Harris for having prepared her comments in advance: isn't that what debate prep is for? I really don't want to see another female candidate get slammed on DU or being "over prepared."

I've been impressed with her from the beginning, but was very disappointed with her last night.

I love him and will happily support him if he's the nominee. He disappointed me tonight. Unlike his usual debating style, he seemed flat and unprepared.

I did love his look when Bernie's hand got too close. Did you catch that?

....thought better of it.

The whole format was horrible, not enough time to give a sensible response, and too many people butting in and interrupting. At times there were five or six people talking at once.

Biden stumbled a few times, it looked like he was rushing to get his response done, as a result he looked flustered.

The moderators were horribly ineffective, which contributed to the disarray. I can mention a few that should be disqualified due to their behavior last night. I was embarrassed, and wound up watching only about 45 minutes overall.

of Rachel.

The night 2 people obviously learned from night 1. The interrupting started immediately and the moderators lost control pretty quickly. Despite all that, the 2 nights were a breath of fresh air after these years of barely literate argle bargle from the racist in chief.

I wonder how many will qualify for the next debate.

A GOP Rove like move, she's better than that.

BUT, I'm a senior and saw the election of a good black man unleash unbelievable racism amongst those I have been friends with for years. I saw it again in the form of sexism when Hillary Clinton was nominated. So many people in the Medicare generation turned hateful right before my eyes. They still hate and belittle these good people. Every day. And our focus must be to defeat Trump, whether these fools know it or not. She cannot beat him, Biden can! He can soothe us and right all the wrongs of the last few years. I hate to acknowledge this. I'd love to see my wonderful country progress and grow forward for all Now. But those haters will turn out and select tRump again. Because it's ok to be a racist and sexist in these times. I can only hope I can live to see things change. Sen Harris is smart, competent and would do well, but we need healing this time around. Just a practical and realistic observation from one who's been there, done that.

after a victory.

And she is in it to win it.

...to bring up if the moderators didn't.

Championship shirts are available to celebrate a team win, not a fumble recovery by one player.

very disappointed in him.

Seems like one of those words that is used to characterize women who get too lippy.

putting words in my mouth. I can speak for myself quite clearly.

...of Harris' performance. On the first night, people remarked how well mannered the women were not interrupting. On the 2nd Gillibrand has been criticized for being annoying and Harris for being too aggressive and opportunistic. I've never heard a male politician criticized for being "calculating".

Edit to add that Julian Castro seemed to be universally lauded for his obviously preplanned attack on Beto. Commentators specifically celebrated his tactical smarts in carving out a lane for himself in a premeditated fashion against the other Texas Democrat in the race.

move. I am intelligent enough to understand the meaning of the words that I choose to use.

Why is "calculating" a negative characteristic for Harris? No-one seemed to think it was for Castro.

but are intended as attributes when applied to men - such as "aggressive," "combative," "ambitious" - I think "calculating" falls into that category.

How is being "calculating" a bad thing in a presidential candidate? Aren't they SUPPOSED to be calculating?

calculation also has the right to choose to not embrace that person. It's politics...

Beto seemed unprepared for the attack (that was naive on his part) and it knocked him off his game for the first half of the debate. DeBlasio's piling on didn't help either. He did better in the second half but the damage was done. I hope that he learns from this and can undo the damage going forward. As for Castro, he may be the second coming according to the media and some here, but he will never get my vote in the primary.

I was disappointed that Kamala did this too. The T-shirt thing is very crass.

I cannot wait to hear shrill or cold or manipulative or uppity.



Kamala was not the one who fell back to a damn state's rights defence. SMDH

Biden could have put this whole thing to bed within hours of it all happening, but he chose to not only double down, to not apologise, but then demanded Booker, a black man, apologise to HIM for even bringing his own personal issues with it.

All of our candidates for the debates were satisfying. Williamson was corky but she was spot on about "Love".

political debate—given gender constraints. He could not personalize the issue and the confrontation without being perceived as weakened, rather than empowered.

It isn’t wrong on any level to use feminine role latitude to be able to make a personal challenge that is seen as sympathetic as opposed to aggressive, but it is not a convention as easily employed by or afforded to men.

Anywhere.

The sooner we move on the better. Biden can and must for his own sake help with that.

I would have skipped playing up that aspect/image.

I'm not sure this will help her as much as she thinks it will.