I was also more impressed with Booker than I expected to be. I agree with you about Warren's intelligence and presentation. I just don't trust her to do the right thing if she got elected prez and started getting pressured by the corporatists and the establishment. She doesn't seem strong and principled enough based on how I've seen her change since Obama put her on the CFPB.

I have to say I have not heard much before about Gabbard, but I must admit that I came away impressed with her. She is a veteran who actually makes some sense. I could maybe see her as a VP candidate for someone like Bernie. If I were Bernie, I would never trust Warren enough to make her his running mate, but Gabbard might be worthy of that. I would need to learn more about her record on policy and votes.

Norman, I think you've done a great analysis of the whole thing and nailed what are the most important issues.

I've been following the Castro brothers for sometime. Julian was definitely authentic to what he has alwsys stood for. Cory is authentic, but didn't come off that way necessarily tonight.

@t1nick I had never seen Castro before and I agree with you, he really comes off as an authentic, decent human being, almost too much to be a pol. I can believe he has integrity, maybe that's why he's fairly unknown and low in the pols. Maybe I'm just too cynical?

@TomMcGiverin Regarding Gabbard, I liked her when I first saw her in 2016 as she came out early in support of Sanders. However, I soon learned of her affinity for the Hindu nationalist BJP party in India, which is anything but consistent with liberal and progressive values in that part of the world. She has sought to rebut these charges by saying that they stem solely from religious prejudice and the fact that she is a Hindu American who has met with India's BJP prime minister Modi. I haven't yet done a full investigation of this, but from what I've been able to gather so far the problem runs deeper. I'd have no problem with a Hindu American who either supported the INC or had no ties to Indian politics at all, but the BJP is bad news. Here is an article about her questionable connections: [sabrangindia.in]

@vertrauen Interesting. I have no problem with a prez being Hindu, Christian, Jewish, whatever, as long as they are not some type of fundy with any religion. The latter would include anyone that was Mormon, Nation of Islam or Jehova's Witness as well. The article is rather disturbing. Thanks.

That would make for serious contenders only

@ownworstenemy Consider the ratings!

I know you're joking zesty, but I really don't appreciate anybody joking about killing off any politicians at a debate. In my lifetime I have seen the assassinations of far too many people on my side of the spectrum, while on your side of the political spectrum almost nobody has ever been assassinated in the US. To lefties like me, after JFK, RFK, MLK, Malcom X, etc, we don't find that kind of thing very funny when our leaders keep getting whacked and none, or almost none of yours, ever is. Even I would not joke about having Trump killed. Maybe my side keeps losing leaders to assassination because in their cases the killer always has help, not so with those who shoot conservatives and usually fail to kill them, such as Ford, Reagan, and Wallace. In each case it really was a lone nutcase, not a conspiracy with a patsy or a team of shooters, that seems to be the diff between assassinations of lefty leaders vs. conservatives.

@TomMcGiverin Oh please, lighten up

@TomMcGiverin Well politicians, all of them, are a joke. Let's don't get into PC, it is boring. The post mentioned Hunger Games, hence the association. One can joke, we still don't have a socialist society.

@zesty I stand by my point. Killing off pols while they are in office is not funny to me. So you would do away with the Secret Service, I suppose?

@zesty, @gater Must be another right winger weighing in. You can keep your advice. I doubt you would be amused if, for example, I and other socialists started saying we wanted to see targeted assassinations of CEOs, would you?

@TomMcGiverin Keep my advice? I didn't give you any advice!

@TomMcGiverin If one is not a socialist, a brainless, uneducated mass murderer, then we cannot voice our opinion? We are not in a socialist nightmare country yet!

@zesty I was referring to gater, who I blocked. Checked his profile and, of course, he's a conservative. Big surprise......

@zesty You can say whatever you want to, doesn't mean I have to like it or vice versa. Do you really think right wing govts. are any more tolerant or free in allowing opposing speech? I wouldn't go lumping socialists with uneducated, brainless mass murderers.

@TomMcGiverin No? Stalin, Mao, Kim Castro?

@zesty All communists, not socialists.

@TomMcGiverin Absolutely wrong! As per the classical definition, Socialism: the means of production are owned by the government, money exists. In communism there is no money. Chrystal clear?

Tom is spot on...I have seen most of the score on C-SPAN ....long on talk short on legislative solutions

Well, by the end I will say I was more impressed with all of them, except the three I mentioned by name, than I expected to be,so I will take back some of my criticism on the content. The format and size of the group still reminds me more of a game show. I'll leave it at that and also that all but the three I mentioned would be an improvement on Trump, not that that should be the standard for getting my support.

@GreenAtheist i did not find it short on legislative solutions, give the time frame.

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@genessa I shall take Jeapordy category for 250 Alex, Federal Matching Funds are capped that low is the question why over 2 dozen are running over a year early in over 20 states when 31 elected TrumpOLINI

@GreenAtheist Good one, Larry. You're up there with Black Jeapordy on SNL. That sketch always cracks me up....Here's my attempt at Dem Debate Jeapordy: Joe Biden- What is a doddering old fool who is today's Ronnie Raygun and is going to need life support tomorrow night from the moderators to even stay alive in the debate?? I'll take that for $500, Alex!

then you won't know and shouldn't say. you don't know if it was like a game show or not if you didn't watch. as it happens, that is not at all how it struck me.

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@genessa Thanks, but I’ll keep my opinion just the same.

@Kodiamus you're entitled to keep your opinion and i am entitled to take it less seriously than i would if your opinion was not about something you didn't see or hear. and you're entitled not to care how seriously i take your opinion and so on and so on.

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@genessa Yep

no...they are not...I think it might be because it is in Miami and most speak Spanish...to me, it all sounds the same...lol It was more annoying because the voice overs of the English were almost comical..

@thinktwice I watched it in English on NBC.

@TomMcGiverin I actually did both...I wanted to hear the commentary and reaction of the Hispanic community...what their concerns and key issues were and who seemed to hit a cord...