If you think that was bad, the generals will be ten times worse. Expect Trump crowds, Trump moderators and questions like "explain to me why taxation isn't theft".

All things considered, though, I don't think any candidate will miss that debate. My opinion about it:

Winners: Warren, Biden

Middle-ground: Sanders, Buttigieg, Klobuchar

Losers: Steyer, Bloomberg

If you're interested in politics, go to the politics thread, stay out of this one. I don't support divisive politics, nor do I think my party's plan is evil and crazy, that's just your straw man. Stop putting words in my mouth. I just described some demographic trends. You're the one making this about identity, because you're projecting.

You declared yourself correct without even properly responding to his argument. You've been saying you don't watch Youtube videos for literal months, since the beginning of the "dedicated politics threads" era, really. It's lazy, a cop-out, and intellectually dishonest to act like you can adequately respond to people without watching their response. Just because you're too lazy to watch a video doesn't mean you can dismiss people's arguments.

Here, here's some not videos for you, or are you too lazy to read too? Clicking links in general too much to ask? You want to come into the thread and call democrats bigots, but don't want to hear what we have to say. People getting conservative when they get older is not supported by studies on the matter.

https://www.livescience.com/2360-busting-myth-people-turn-liberal-age.html

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/05/poor-people-often-dont-survive-to-become-seniors-who-vote.html

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/democratic-debate-south-carolina-poll/

A poll on the debate. From the looks of it:

1. Sanders and Buttigieg got the best ratings, but relative to his popularity Sanders could have done better.

2. Steyer and Bloomberg got the worst ratings, so that crowd was definitely not representative.

3. In terms of who actually gained or lost support (measured in "share considering voting for each candidate") Biden, Warren,and Klobuchar lost support, everyone else gained or stayed the same. But the changes weren't huge, Biden lost half a point, Warren and Klobuchar each lost 2 points. Sanders gained the most, but that was only 1.5%.

4. Everyone except Warren improved their favorability. Warren suffered the biggest gain in unfavorability and only loss in favorability, for a net loss. Klobuchar also gained some unfavorability, but made up for it with favorability. Bloomberg marginally improved but is still the only net negative favorability rating. Sanders improved half a point. Biden improved 4 and a half points, so probably had the best night in terms of favorability even if it didn't improve people considering voting for him.

So what I make from this is that the debate actually hurt Warren a little bit, improved Biden's image but not his position, Sanders held his ground, Bloomberg is hitting a ceiling and isn't likely to win enough support to even get a plurality no matter how many millions he spends (he's just not likeable), and Klobuchar faded into the background for most people. The debate is a wash, won't change the SC outcome or the primary as a whole very much if at all, and was just an ugly waste of everyone's time.

I mean that was my opinion before reading this 538 article, but it's nice to have some data to support me.

I fear Gabbard will have to drop out soon. She's in no position to win anything right now anyway

Other than her, I only see Steyer as a potential dropout right now if he's not gaining enough support in SC to get any delegates, as that's the state with his best polls by far.

I actually don't know why Gabbard still sticks around. It made sense for her to wait for New Hampshire, as she had good polling there (comparatively). But it netted her nothing, she hasn't made the debates since then and she is out of the national discussion, as the conservatives now openly fear-mongering over Sanders. So I don't know when she will drop out, because she is already longer in than I expected.

For Steyer it hinges on South Carolina. If he can gain delegates, he has a path forward to the horse trading at the national convention. If not he probably will drop out. Even if he gains delegates in SC, it is among his best states. If he can't turn it into momentum for Super Tuesday, I see him dropping then.

Klobuchar and Warren have a difficult position. Interestingly Warren had good debates lately, but it doesn't seem to help her. But both will stick around to Super Tuesday. Klobuchar has the best polling in Minnesota, close in front of Sanders. Warren is close second behind Sanders in Massachusetts. That is what they are waiting for.

Buttigieg has decent national polling and can snatch some delegates here and there.

So I don't see anyone dropping out before Super Tuesday except maybe Steyer (if he underperforms in SC) and Gabbard (who should've dropped out before). They all will be waiting for Bloomberg and how big a splash he will be making by jumping into the pool.

Hah, why am I only now stumbling over this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjj7VJpqy1w

Mike Bloombergs team had made up quotes from "Bernie Sanders" praising different dictators, follows it up with "This is satire" and deletes the quotes as inevitably it creates backlash?

Well, at least the hashtag they tried to start #BernieOnDespots now looks quite interesting:

And even conservative people thinking they had a gotcha about Sanders: