6th Democratic Debate Winners and Losers | QT Politics

The 6th Democratic Debate featured just seven candidates: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang, Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer. It was hosted by PBS and Politico in Los Angeles, and was the last debate of 2019 for the democratic presidential primary contest.

As I had predicted in my predictions video, the December debate featured an extended conversation about the impeachment of President Donald Trump, and numerous candidates unloaded on Mayor Pete, in regards to his big money fundraising. But there were also plenty of surprises: Amy Klobuchar showed a new willingness to attack her fellow moderates, Bernie Sanders avoided taking much heat from lower-polling candidates, and Andrew Yang did not end up getting more talking time than he normally does. Once again, he had less time than any other candidate on stage.

While I will follow up soon with a more extended breakdown of the debate, in this video, I'm going to try to be relatively brief and focus in on distinguishing the winners from the losers. So, who can be expected to gain new ground after this debate? Who failed to make an impact, and...

Who lost?

#2020election
#qtpolitics
#debate

Question Time features video essays about politics, history and culture, with a particular focus on the United States of America. Topics are inspired by events and trends in news and current affairs, and attempt to provide context for a robust discussion in the comments section. All opinions presented in videos are my own, but yours matter, too. Your thoughts are highly valued, even when you don't agree. At the heart of every vibrant democracy are ordinary people, engaged in debate over policy and values.

[papashouseoflearning]

The biggest problem is that most Americans don’t bother watching the debates. That’s why the people with the most name recognition are the front runners

[bardw.]

I was surprised by how much the CNN commentators praised Yang afterwards. What a nice change.

[jefflaclaire]

Yang is the kind of guy to lift the toilet seat when using a public restroom, rather than just peeing all over the seat.

[malcolmmacinnis]

Tom Steyer is like that annoying little brother that just won't go away but mom makes you keep him around

[tyler-path]

I think Yang did far better than you give credit for. After all, he did receive the most social media followers 24 hours after the debate. He also answered with strong, reasonable solutions and was able to actually "feel" like he was part of the big dogs by even being on that stage.

[Vienna]

The biggest losers were PBS and Politico

[azhurelpigeon]

Yang used his time so well, that I did NOT think he spoke the least. Yang would be a nearly perfect candidate if he was better on foreign affairs & didn’t abandon healthcare for all

[TheMateoFischerShow]

Tom Steyer still has to drop out. If this is the best he can do, he has to go. He isn't unique in any way and just fades into the background due to his forgettable performances.

[lemonade.valley]

me and my friends were watching the debate, then andrew yang said "thorium", we went crazy. a presidential candidate finally mentioned thorium.

[brianhavlicek]

Andrew Yang is a once in a lifetime candidate people. This is our chance to make real change in America for the betterment of all people. Ignore those that say he can't win. They don't understand that it is possible to have a government that works for people.

[evananderson]

I think Yang had a much better performance, he had a few moments where he made unique and very well received points. In previous debates he has just been the UBI guy, this time he branched out into a few different topics. Also the stage being smaller he got enough time, and didn't get involved in mostly negative fights.

[Phoenix-ikbm]

"I don't see this creating a surge in his poll numbers"
Yang: *jumps 7% in approval ratings*

[ArmandoMPR]

Fact is that no early state polls have been released since the November debate thanks to impeachment, so we don't know how Yang is doing there lately. Every polling institution has been basically running national polls nonstop to measure the temperature regarding Trump. All this to say: You can't really make an informed judgment on Yang just yet.

[Szabolcs]

He’s not even my number 1 choice, but Yang is so good.

[dahren]

Best performances of the 6th Democratic Debate.

1. Yang
2. Sanders
3. Biden
4. Warren
5. Klobuchar (Should Drop Out)
6. Buttigieg
7. Steyer (Should Drop Out)

[typotts]

I don't get why Yang's poll numbers are so low. I feel like he is the only one that makes complete sense when he talks 🤷

[EpicK]

I understand your point on Yang not receiving a boost in the polls from the debate. I'd argue he will see a boost in the polls from ad buys, the debate performance, the campaigning in Iowa, NH, and other early states, and maybe some from recent celebrity endorsements and media attention.


Ads don't have an effect until a few weeks later, Yang's been spending large amounts on ads recently which boosts name recognition, and those who watched the debates will understand his message more and follow his logic. After the debate, he gained the most favorability out of any candidate, slightly ahead of Klobuchar. Some metrics show him at 4th in favorability while most say 5th or 6th. He's getting his name out there and he can definitely get a boost in the polls. He's recently been hitting 5 and 6% nationally.


He also has been campaigning in early states and getting celebrity endorsements as well as much more media attention than even a month ago. Your point is strong and I appreciate the new point of view on this. I'd love for Yang to continue on with the campaign and get his message across further and even win the nomination. Thanks for the video and Merry Christmas.

[kal]

At this point in more exited for your predictions and winners/losers videos than the debates themselves.

Quality as always

[chilldude]

I just wanted to say thanks for all the videos. I'm British and its hard for me to find the time to watch the primaries in 2016 I watched all the debates and now I just watch your videos and get more out of them in much less time. I love following US politics and your channel makes it so much easier for me as a foreigner who has my own country to care about and follow primarily.

[matanberg]

Me and my family watching TV - video pops up.

Me: I have to use the restroom for 17 minutes and 3 seconds.

Another great video!