Win or Lose, Bernie Will Benefit the Most From Last Night’s Debate
By: Andrew Cullen
Tags: Politics, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton

Win or Lose, Bernie Will Benefit the Most From Last Night’s Debate

Via Five Thirty Eight

If you vote Democrat and your name is not Joe Biden, chances are good that you went to bed happy after CNN’s Democratic debate last night.

That’s because unlike the Thunder Dome-style Republican debates, there were no clear-cut eviscerations like one could expect from any debate in which Donald Trump is involved.

So then why did almost every headline across the Internet this morning read that Hillary Clinton was the obvious winner of last night’s Democratic debate?

Surely, CNN, Time and Slate saw their own polls that showed views siding with Bernie Sanders by a long shot … Well, except maybe CNN who deleted their poll in the morning, and replaced it with a story titled, “Hillary Clinton’s Big Night on the Debate Stage.”

Interestingly, that headline doesn’t quite match up with their post debate coverage, which showed CNN’s Facebook survey and focus group all considering Bernie Sanders the sure debate winner.

Shoutout to Redditor u/brendantheraven

So what is going on?

Let’s be clear: Hillary Clinton had a great night — she nailed most of her obvious talking points, she wasn’t attacked too harshly by any candidate — or arguably even Anderson Cooper — and like a well trained politician, she navigated curveballs acceptably.

But one thing she didn’t do, which in the long run she desperately needs to do, is give voters a reason to vote for her that they don’t already have.

Voters going into last night’s debate with their minds made up, were not going to be swayed — be they Bernie fans, or Hillary fans.

But here is Hillary’s problem: she’s the establishment. In any other cycle that would be fine, but if her waning poll numbers are indicative of anything, it shows that a portion of her voters are up for grabs. Sanders doesn’t have that problem.

In the Long Run, Bernie Sanders Won the First Democratic Debate

For many voters, Bernie Sanders is a hard sell; and rightly so. But his fiery rhetoric is captivating to those who can identify with his message. Look no further than the record setting crowds at his rallies, or the impressive amount of small dollar donors his campaign drew in just a few months. Its safe to say that when you go Bernie, you don’t go back.

And debates have consequences that go far beyond stage time, and for Bernie Sanders, there’s no where to go but up. Here is why Bernie Sanders won the first Democratic debate:

1. He got the quote of the night.

By now you have probably heard that Bernie Sanders is “sick of hearing about your damn emails” Hillary Clinton. That line was a gift to Hillary , but Sanders will surely reap the benefits. Why? Because it speaks directly to who he is as a candidate: No B/S —2016 voters like that.

2. In the first 24 hours after the debate, his campaign raised $2 million.

That goes to show that he inspired people. Many progressives have been living in a Bernie-bubble the last few months, but it is important to remember that many still don’t know who he is, or what he is about — just that he is a challenger to Hillary Clinton. But last night was his first real shot at captivating a national audience; and if money is any indicator, he struck a chord.

3. He won the internet vote.

Despite what Donald Trump said, any Google analytics, or Twitter trend, or Facebook trend, showed Bernie Sanders was creating the most online buzz. Oh not to mention, the word “socialism” gained some traction on Google too… most just wanted to know what it meant.

4. He got people excited.

CNN’s post debate focus group was full of voters who loved Bernie’s performance. People who were previously ready for Hillary, were fired up by Bernie Sanders, and switched sides. One voter even said he was convinced the country would be a little better off with a dash of Socialism.

So does that speak for the rest of Democratic voters? See sections 1–3.

So Where Does Bernie Go From Here?

All this good news for Sanders fans shouldn’t amount to more than just that — good news. Sanders still has an uphill battle ahead of him, wether the media is on his side or not. Last night was an overall win for him, but he still fumbles a bit on issues of gun control, and the scarlet “S” pinned to his jacket is still seen as a general election death sentence.

But as far as the first debate goes: hate it or love it Hillary, but last night the underdog was on top.