by Sandy » Mon Jan 13, 2020 11:40 am
Whether a candidate made the debate stage or not doesn't have anything to do with the Democratic nomination. The numbers haven't really moved all that much since the first debate. It's the line-up of primaries and the outcome of those which will either boost the underdogs or confirm the more popular choices. People in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina will have the first say in who gets delegates, but all that's happened so far is that the top three or four have swapped positions in the lead. Klobuchar has moved up considerably as has Buttigieg. Steyer has also gained ground. Their advance has mainly been from picking up support from those who dropped. I'll be curious to see where Bloomberg winds up, given that he has outspent the entire field, even if you add in Trump, by a considerable amount.
Given that Jews, by racial definition, are not Caucasian, it is not an "all white" debate. It's a more diverse and representative field than the GOP has ever had, two women, two Jews by race, two Episcopalians (Steyer is Jewish by race but Episcopalian by faith), a Methodist, one United Church of Christ, one Catholic. Hard to criticize if you're using terms like "the party of faith." If you're looking at cultural backgrounds, you've got rural and urban, New England, the Atlantic coast, the upper Midwest, the West Coast, and experience from all levels of government and first time involvement.