Jennifer Rubin: The Two Big Winners were Biden and Buttigieg

[denem]

Who benefits from Bloomberg’s troubles?

Warren is unlikely to win any of the voters she shook loose.

(excerpt) The two big winners here seem to be former vice president Joe Biden and Buttigieg. Both took the fight to Bloomberg, not so much on his billionaire status but on his policy positions and lack of Democratic ( big "D" ) values.

Biden slammed Bloomberg for calling Obamacare a “disgrace” and for his stop-and-frisk policy. (“[It’s] not whether he apologized or not. It’s the policy. The policy was abhorrent. And it was in fact a violation of every right people have.”) Biden adeptly contrasted his own views with Bloomberg’s positions on redlining (the abolition of which Bloomberg seems to blame for the financial crisis) and China. Biden needed to reassure donors, retain African American support and present himself as the better friend of working Americans; he did all three.

Buttigieg also made hay out of Bloomberg’s (and to some extent Sanders’s) troubles. He began and ended with the same argument. In his first answer he told the audience: “We could wake up two weeks from today, the day after Super Tuesday, and the only candidates left standing will be Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg, the two most polarizing figures on this stage.” He ended as he began: “If you look at the choice between a revolution or the status quo and you don’t see where you fit in that picture, then join us. ... We shouldn’t have to choose between one candidate who wants to burn this party down and another candidate who wants to buy this party out.” Tweaking both Bloomberg and Sanders, he declared that he was the only one who had been a Democratic mayor.

In short, both Biden and Buttigieg presented themselves as the Democrats who are seeped in Democratic policy and values and best-equipped to stop Sanders and then beat President Trump. Each effectively said: Bloomberg’s a phony Democrat; I’m a real Democrat and don’t have Bloomberg’s baggage.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/20/who-benefits-bloombergs-troubles/

And what about Warren? Well, she got it wrong (again!) Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) dissection of Bloomberg’s weaknesses is not likely to benefit her directly, which is precisely why her decision to go to war with him rather than chip away at Sanders’s support made little strategic sense.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I like Buttigieg's comment:

"We shouldn’t have to choose between one candidate who wants to burn this party down and another candidate who wants to buy this party out.”

I haven't figured out why Klobuchar seems to dislike him so intensely (and maybe vice-versa).

[uponit7771]

3. +1

[mopinko]

5. well, she is not wrong that he is not qualified in any stretch of the word to be the delegate leader

he's getting a lot of credit for thinking/talking about stuff she has actually done.
she prolly does have a temper. i find that comforting. i want a president who throws things are nincompoops.

him making a big deal out of her name gaffe, something WE.ALL.DO., would have been enough for me to want to take a poke at him.

[33taw]

10. I think Klobuchar felt as though Buttigieg was taking votes from her and tried to dismiss him.

She could never shake him as the alternative to Biden. I think that shocked her.

[apcalc]

11. Disagree. And Rubin thought Buttigieg was a winner?? Yikes.

Last edited Thu Feb 20, 2020, 02:15 PM - Edit history (1)

[33taw]

16. No, I think AK thought Pete had gained ground on her with his debate style.

She kept arguing that Pete was young and inexperienced. Thereby, trying to dismiss him. As he became the favorite of many because of his style, she lost ground. I like both of them a lot. I have vacillated between about four of the candidates. My primary is not until April, so we’ll see where it goes and then I will decide.

FYI: I was responding to why Klobuchar dislikes Buttigieg

[babylonsister]

24. I think her comments made Amy look

nasty/small/belligerent. Here is cnn's analysis;

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/20/politics/pete-buttigieg-amy-klobuchar-debate/index.html

What drives Amy Klobuchar's disdain for Pete Buttigieg

[jimfields33]

26. He was so rude and nasty to her last night

It was a turn off. I can’t see how anybody thought he did well.

[mopinko]

2. someone predicted this out of rubin last night.

sheesh.

[denem]

4. Guilty as charged :)

[blm]

6. Republican Rubin will never admit the strength of Warren.

But, she is basically submitting here that the guys she DOES like may ride on Warren’s back.

[DanTex]

7. Ahh, Jennifer Rubin. Can't give a progressive like Warren credit for anything...

[denem]

14. Oh it's worse than that ...

Warren made a 'strategic mistake' in taking on Bloomberg. She should have been 'chipping away at Sanders'

[DanTex]

15. I don't think she'll ever be able to top this...

Link to tweet

[denem]

20. Tripple front pike half twist double back half twist double front

Performance art indeed. Mr Bezos supplies the parachutes.

T

[OhZone]

33. Hahahaha

[aikoaiko]

40. Rubin, a Republican, is Limbaugh-like in her ability to twist as needed

[jalan48]

8. She must have been watching a different debate. Buttigieg looked like he was at the kids table

having a food fight with Klobuchar.

[apcalc]

12. +1

[onetexan]

18. the only adult in the room was Biden. All the others were mudslinging at fever pitch. Not pretty.

They should've directed their guns towards the Idiot, not each other.

[blm]

29. Well, Biden, SEZ he will beat Trump like drum, repeatedly,

While Warren gave a demonstration of how to do it.

Some people respond to rhetoric, others respond to action.

Put me down for action.

[onetexan]

34. Warren gave a demo of how to beat the Idiot? hear hear

let's see what you come up with. Far as i can recall she isn't the nominee yet and hasn't beaten anybody

[blm]

35. Didn't say she was the nominee. As Biden sez often that he WILL beat

Trump like a drum, Warren demonstrated on Bloomberg last night the WAY she confronts power.

Neither are the nominee. You have confidence in Biden’s words and I have confidence in Warren’s demonstrations of taking down power.

You do you and I’ll do me.

[onetexan]

41. Warren talking the talk is one thing, but she hasn't demonstrated anything yet.

Let's see if she can win the nomination. Until then it's all TALK.

[blm]

42. Uh. Ever hear of Wells Fargo? She demonstrated how she confronts power

and corruption and wins.

Surprised you don’t know this about her, yet, you seem invested in not wanting to know.

How about if I said Biden SEZ he’ll beat Michael Bloomberg like a drum, while Warren DEMONSTRATED how to beat Bloomberg last night.

Heheheh.

[onetexan]

43. It's obvious you're a Warren supporter. Meh.

[blm]

44. I'm a longtime anticorruption voter and activist.

Who else would I be expected to support?

Were you rooting for Wells Fargo?

[Voltaire2]

9. in the alt right universe

[bullwinkle428]

13. Wait a minute - last night, J. Rubin tried to claim Bloomberg had a good night!

Someone posted a Tweet of hers on this forum right after the debate ended!! My reaction was along the lines of, "Thank you, 'never-Trumper Republican', for trying to spin this as anything but a complete disaster!"

[aikoaiko]

17. More Jennifer Rubin Republican-skewed observations and advice.

She may understand Republican voters, but not Democratic and left-leaning voters.

I committed to Elizabeth Warren after last night.

[lunasun]

19. I never get the Rubin love @ DU

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Pope George Ringo II]

21. There's an argument Warren had the best performance

But Biden actually benefited most from the debate.

If Bloomberg's implosion sees those voters go (back?) to Biden, and Biden gets the biggest bounce, then there's a reasonable metric to argue that Biden won the debate.

Debates really do have weird scoring rules around managed expectations. Remember when Dubya functionally "won" debates against Gore that he actually lost, just because he surprised so many people by showing up with his shoes on the right feet? Nobody expects Biden's strength to be a debate, and he scores points just for surviving being on the stage next to somebody like Warren.

I won't argue that Warren didn't simply kill it last night. But she's supposed to, and the Bloomberg disaster might benefit Biden more than anybody else.

Let me see the next batch of polls, ultimately, before I really try to make that argument. It's really a hypothetical until then.

[blm]

36. Biden's numbers will go up, and his camp will have one person to thank

for turning Bloomberg into a puddle on that stage.

[Pope George Ringo II]

39. No argument.

Sometimes the person who does the work is not the person who benefits most.

[MoonlitKnight]

37. You could be right

But my bet is on Warren the billionaire slayer picking up the most Bloomberg, Buttigieg and Klobuchar voters. I don’t think Biden loses any because he did well. Bernie might lose some who were just moving to the perceived front runner.

I’m glad that Bloomberg was knocked down. I liked Pete and Amy was ok, but that was just bizarre what they both did - and likely was a campaign ended for both. We will see in the coming days.

[Pope George Ringo II]

38. It's possible.

Voters have been confusing me for a while.

I actually like Warren, but she's only got until Super Tuesday to convince me she's the horse to stop Sanders. If she catches fire, it's not a bad thing in my view.

[still_one]

22. I agree, but am bias

[jmg257]

23. E Warren last night put a halt to the attempts to erase her from the race. She is ALL the talk today

so no way that does NOT benefit her.

[LAS14]

25. The benefit of Warren's attack on Bloomberg wasn't that she turned Bloomberg voters.

It was that she demonstrated what a stirling fighter she is when up against arrogant billionaires. Go Elizabeth!!!!

[BeyondGeography]

27. Rubin is hopeless

Exhibit I-lost-count.

[Faux pas]

28. Once again

press is trying to void out Warren

[krissey]

31. Absolutely, harshly. Warren did the hard lifting and Biden and Buttigieg get the praise.

Isn't that the way we always see it.

[Faux pas]

32. I'm

so tired of the media/press picking our candidate!

[krissey]

30. Warren had people changing there mind here.