Primarily Speaking + Debate Recap

Well, that was certainly something!

I have to tell you that I was pretty excited for last night's debate, because I am beyond ready to hear politicians once again talking about policies that center caring for people rather than harming them.

And even though I knew I needed an infusion of positivity, I had no idea quite how much I needed it until the debate started, and I kept getting so emotional, even by my own admittedly ridiculous standards. (Hi, I'm Liss. I cry at everything. Nice to meet you.)

Anyway! The debate was good for my soul, to be honest — even though I know that it's fucked-up to be hopeful when we're almost certainly not going to have anything resembling free and fair elections. I just needed a pointed reminder that there are still people who care hard about this country and its people and the people who want to live here, too, and it felt really good to get one.

I live-tweeted the debate quite thoroughly, in case you want a recap.

My overall summary is that Elizabeth Warren, Julián Castro, Cory Booker, and Amy Klobuchar are the only ones who belonged on the stage.

Beto O'Rourke and Jay Inslee were both disappointing and did worse than I expected. Klobuchar was the only person who outperformed my expectations.

The rest of the field was just wasting everyone's time. Bill de Blasio needs to just go home and throw himself in the garbage. Man, he is a lot. Woo.

On a final note: Chuck Todd is the fucking woooooooorst. Lordt.

* * *

The second night of the first debate is tonight, and I am looking forward to that one far less. I'm going to need something a lot stronger than the ice water I was drinking last night to get through listening to Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders and being obliged to treat Marianne Williamson and Andrew Yang as real candidates.

And I swear even the THOUGHT of Sanders shaking his finger at Kamala Harris is giving me hives.

Tonight's going to be everything that last night wasn't. And not in a good way.

Give me strength, Jesus Jones!

* * *

In other news...

Yesterday, Senators Warren and Klobuchar traveled to visit the Homestead concentration camp. Today, O'Rourke will be visiting, and tomorrow Pete Buttigieg, Kirsten Gillibrand, Castro, and Harris will also visit. Good. Keep calling attention to this urgent human rights crisis, Democratic candidates!

Bernie Sanders, ladies, gentlemen, and genderqueers:

WATCH: @kasie presses Sen. Sanders on whether he would leave the race before the DNC if it became clear that he would not be the Democratic nominee. pic.twitter.com/vZA3gh2srY

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 26, 2019

MSNBC's Kasie Hunt: If it's clear that you are not gonna be the Democratic nominee, will you leave the race before the convention?

Sanders: I intend to be the Democratic nominee.

Hunt: But if you're not. You stayed in last time, and some people say that you hurt Hillary Clinton's candidacy—

Sanders: [talking over Hunt] No, I have— Hold it, wait, b-b-but— Well, no, some people say that if maybe that system was not rigged against me, I would've won the nomination and defeated Donald Trump. That's what some people say. So I think we're gonna play it out; I think I am excited—

Hunt: You would take the risk—

Sanders: [raising his voice to talk over her] I AM EXCITED—

Hunt: —that you might give Donald Trump the advantage?

Sanders: Are you asking that of every candidate?

Hunt: I'm saying if it's clear that you are not going to win the nomination—

Sanders: [talking over her] It's, let me, well—

Hunt: —will you concede?

Sanders: Right now, we are planning to win the Democratic nomination. And I'm proud of the campaigns we're running in Iowa and in New Hampshire, and I'm proud of our grassroots support and the fact that we have a million volunteers. So our goal right now is to win it— And, by the way, as you may know, poll after poll shows what against Trump? Shows me beating Trump by 8, 9, or 10 points. So we're gonna beat Trump; we're gonna win the Democratic nomination. [grins]

Hunt: Are you a Democrat?

Sanders: Of course I'm a Democrat. I was just at the Democratic National, uh, Convention — a Democratic primary here, right?

Hunt: [looks dubious] All right. That's an easier answer to that question than I feel like we got in 2016. Senator Bernie Sanders, thank you very much.

Sanders: Thank you.

He has never sounded more like Donald Trump. For fuck's sake.

There was lots of talk about the Spanish spoken during the debate last night, and, let's be real, this is the only Spanish from that debate that anyone will remember or matters:

#AdiósTrump — https://t.co/mFPoCjYnmZ pic.twitter.com/XZ3DwI05TU

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) June 27, 2019

(You're goddamn right I already bought one!)

John Hickenlooper is still definitely running for president.

Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.