There was a great diary on yesterday’s “She The People” Candidate Forum in Houston, TX. It highlighted some of the good candidate moments. In the comments, some, including me, debated who did well and who stumbled some.
But here’s the real truth: The candidates who LOST are those who did not show up! All were invited and Eight (8) came: Sen. Corey Booker, Sen. Kamala Harris, HUD Sec. Julian Castro, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Fmr. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Some had better performances/interactions than others. My perception is that Booker, Harris, Castro, and Warren did the best. Gabbard and Bernie had the most stumbles, but they had good moments, too. Beto and Klobuchar were mostly boring, in my humble opinion. But they ALL did better than those that failed to come.
I actively dislike Tulsi Gabbard and even with her I thought there were some good moments—such as her rejection a foreign policy based on “wars of regime change.”
Fmr. VP Joe Biden put off his campaign announcement until the next day AFTER the event. Other no shows were Pete Buttigieg, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jay Inslee, Wayne Mesham, John K. Delaney, Andrew Yang, Marianne Williamson, Eric Swalwell, Seth Moulton, and Tim Ryan. Yet none of them, not even Biden, can win either the nomination or the WH without the votes and active support of women of color.
Women of color are the most reliable of all the Democratic constituencies. They are also the most progressive. Ignore them at your peril, candidates.
These women came prepared with tough questions on specific issues. They wanted concrete answers, not just a rehearsal of a stump speech. They didn’t want platitudes. They didn’t want evasive speeches that didn’t answer the questions that were asked. They were informed voters and informed citizens. They modeled for the DNC how to hold really good debates.
I hope they hold more such fora (plural of forum) and that any candidate who fails to attend is dismissed as a not-serious candidate for the nomination. Those who do come, should bring their “A” game: Warren, Harris, Castro, and Booker did. Bernie and Klobuchar should learn and improve.