CBS Des Moines, Iowa Democratic debate @9pm ET **live commentary thread**

[Likely Voter]

20 states don't have Medicaid expansions, but Bernie named South Carolina. Smooth.

[/]

She'll say 9/11

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

20 states don't have Medicaid expansions, but Bernie named South Carolina. Smooth.

Well, it's the first state to vote that didn't expand it.

[Fusionmunster]

She'll say 9/11

Nice try.

[Thomas D]

We had Blizzards.

[Pyro]

Clinton is taking responsibility for the decision to go after Bin Laden.

[Blue3]

O'Malley: "as a Governor, I know I have no foreign policy experience, but..."

[Likely Voter]

20 states don't have Medicaid expansions, but Bernie named South Carolina. Smooth.

Well, it's the first state to vote that didn't expand it.

that was my point.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Killing OBL isn't a crisis

[Lyin' Steve]

O'Malley admits he's not as ready as Clinton to be president of the United States in the first five seconds of his answer.

[Angel of Death]

Ugh, O'Malley's voice sounds like a male Carly Fiorina.

[user12345]

Can O'Malley stop asking for money now?

[Pyro]

O'Malley is a decent candidate. Probably would have done better than Dukakis in '88.

[/]

O'Malley sounds like an actual commercial.

[Landslide Lyndon]

I think Sanders won that debate but it's not like Clinton fumbled or anything. She was pretty strong too.
Heck, even O'Malley was good today.

[Pyro]

Clinton with the best closing statement.
(Not-so) clever use of pronouns when referring to the president.

[Figueira]

Hillary with an interesting swipe at Terry Branstad which got tons of applause. I know it's a room full of mostly liberal Democrats, but I thought Branstad was very popular and mostly inoffensive in Iowa?

except amongst liberal Democrats

Which is the group that Hillary needs to win in the primaries.

[MasterJedi]

Sanders reminds me of that crazy old uncle you have in the family that everyone pretends they're valued but really just can't wait until they're gone.

[Suburbia]

O'Malley is looking more and more like a vice presidential candidate.

[Ebsy]

Hillary with an interesting swipe at Terry Branstad which got tons of applause. I know it's a room full of mostly liberal Democrats, but I thought Branstad was very popular and mostly inoffensive in Iowa?

That was the best line of the night imho.

[Brewer]

Hillary with an interesting swipe at Terry Branstad which got tons of applause. I know it's a room full of mostly liberal Democrats, but I thought Branstad was very popular and mostly inoffensive in Iowa?

His most recent approval rating was 38-50.

[IceSpear]

Hillary with an interesting swipe at Terry Branstad which got tons of applause. I know it's a room full of mostly liberal Democrats, but I thought Branstad was very popular and mostly inoffensive in Iowa?

His most recent approval rating was 38-50.

Never saw that, thanks. It makes a lot more sense now.

[Maxwell]

Terry Branstad survives mostly because of the feeling of "meh, election"

[Ogre Mage]

Clinton was under more constant attack in this debate than the first and so she didn't get the sort of lift-off she did in Las Vegas.  But this is the kind of tough prep which is necessary to be ready for the general election.  None of the three were really great but nobody bombed out either.  It didn't shake up the status quo in the race.  And if the status quo has not been shaken then Clinton comes out the winner.

[Lyin' Steve]

Clinton was under more constant attack in this debate than the first and so she didn't get the sort of lift-off she did in Las Vegas.  But this is the kind of tough prep which is necessary to be ready for the general election.  None of the three were really great but nobody bombed out either.  It didn't shake up the status quo in the race.  And if the status quo has not been shaken then Clinton comes out the winner.

Yeah, the fact that Clinton showed she can deftly deal with adversity in this debate should soothe any remaining nervousness the party has about her rustiness.
She was already thirty points ahead of Sanders so she hardly needed a "lift-off"