Running diary...
The Impeachment dance kicks us off. Only Tulsi and Yang sit out.
Biden on Hunter: "My son did nothing wrong, I did nothing wrong." Then a pivot back to impeachment.
Warren dodges again on Medicare for All taxes and Pete nails her for it. "You don't have a plan for this." Bernie swoops in and owns the taxes question. Klobuchar also piles on. VERY bad question for Warren.
CNN tees up a Jobs Guarantee vs. UBI question that's favorable for Yang. Putting the phrase "Universal Basic Income" in the mouths of all these candidate is huge for him. Big validation for a fledgling candidate.
Klobuchar goes after Warren again. Strong night for her. Another bad moment for Warren.
Even BETO goes after Warren! BETO!
Hour One Winners: Yang and Klobuchar.
Hour One Losers: Warren.
Tulsi hits Warren with a last second jab. Damn. Pete pivots to strong military background. Tulsi and Pete have a very good back and forth. This is actually good.
Re-elect Trump. Kill NATO - Joe Biden. Not a bad tagline.
Pete slices Beto on guns. Beto comes back. Finally the two young guns trade paint on an issue people care about. Castro comes off the top rope with a Gun War would be the Drug War point. Smart.
Yang comes out as decriminalizing opioids after a opioid epidemic conversation. Beto follows up. Undercuts the pearl clutching. Beto says we should have given the addicts weed. Yang "Yes! Preach Beto!"
Bernie: "I'm healthy but I'd like to follow up on that..." Good line.
Hour Two Winners: Pete and Bernie
Hour Two Losers: Warren
(I boycotted the third hour because I am morally opposed to CNN dressing up a block of time where they can sell two more ads as democratic discourse and because I had another podcast to do)