Polls: Bernie Sanders Won First Debate — by a Landslide!

15.3 million CNN viewers tuned in to see Senator Bernie Sanders win the first Democratic debate last night — far more than expected, and breaking all previous records for Democratic debates.

Of course, the mainstream media talking heads on TV are mostly saying that it was Hillary Clinton who had won the debate — despite what all the polls say. As of this post:

• TIME — 55% Bernie to 11% Hillary
• The Street — 80% Bernie to 15% Hillary
• Slate — 71% Bernie to 16% Hillary
• Fox 5 — 78% Bernie to 15% Hillary
• MSNBC — 68% Bernie to 13% Hillary
• Wish TV — 78% Bernie to - 12% Hillary
• News OK — 69% Bernie to 25% Hillary

There were many other polls with similar results. Also during the debate, most people in focus groups from Fusion, Frank Luntz and CNN were also saying Bernie Sanders had won the debate.

As for social media (which is mostly used by younger people), Zignal Labs tracked more than 2.2 million mentions during the two-hour Democratic debate. Bernie Sanders captured 43 percent of the media chatter during the debate, followed by Clinton with 33 percent. Here’s a breakdown of the mentions for each of the five candidates on stage:

But again (as can be expected), since the debate last night, almost all the media pundits have been fawning over Hillary, with almost everyone saying she was the clear winner of the debate. But then something amazing happened on CNN this morning while I began writing this post (after seeing those polls). I heard one media talking head say (paraphrasing):

“The media pundit wars have Hillary winning the debate, but judging by the results from all the polls and focus groups I’ve seen, it was Bernie Sanders who overwhelmingly won the debate.”

Hillary Clinton also did very well during the debate — her acting lessons may have paid off, which were just one part of her overall strategy to make her more “likeable” with the public. Whereas Bernie Sanders had only just been his usual self. But as I mentioned yesterday, no matter who might "win" the debates, the Old Guard (delegates and super-delegates within the Democratic Party Machine) will still determine the nomination and coronate Hillary Clinton next year. But if it were just by a popular vote among The People, Bernie would probably win huge.

Hillary Clinton (the self-proclaimed "moderate") told the CNN moderator (Anderson Cooper) at the first Democratic debate last night (the 32-second video is embedded below) that she is now a "progressive". But Bernie Sanders has always been a progressive (just like FDR). It was Bernie who founded and chaired the Congressional progressive caucus when he first became a member of the House of Representatives. Now we have Hillary who is claiming that she too is a progressive — "who likes to get things done".

Hillary Clinton has been "evolving" after seeing how popular Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have been. Now Hillary is trying to convince us that she's more progressive than Bernie because of the ONE ISSUE on gun control — and now we're all just supposed to completely forget about all the other issues Hillary has advocated for or against — or flip-flopped on. (See my post: Are Today's Socialists Yesterday's Progressives?)

Below: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton during one friendly moment at the debate.

Where Hillary was applauded...

As a member of the House of Representatives for the rural State of Vermont 21 years ago, Bernie voted against the Brady Act — legislation that Hillary's husband signed into law in 1994. But as the president of all 50 states, if ever a GOP congress were ever to pass a similar (or stronger) bill, Bernie most likely would not have any problem signing it into law. This was the only issue where Hillary could have faulted Bernie — on the subject of gun control — which she did, and with a well prepared and calculating attack — which she had probably thoroughly rehearsed during her debate practices.

Here is typical case in which Bernie Sanders has already said he agrees: the illegal sell of firearms to "straw buyers" — and that in cases like this, it would be OK to sue the gun dealers, but not the manufacturers. But Hillary glossed over this distinction, and Bernie could have clarified this point a little better.)

In contrast, Bernie blasted the media for ignoring the real issues of the day by focusing too much on Hilary's emails: "I know it's probably not good politics, but I think the secretary is right. The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!"

Bernie had already said that there was a mechanism in place for dealing with that issue, and that we should let the process play itself out. So Bernie was not really defending Hillary's email mess, but mostly just criticizing the media for all their distractions from other issues. But of course, Hillary and the media pundits are using Bernie's' remarks for her defense in the email controversy.

But despite the issue of Hillary's emails or Bernie's past vote on a gun control bill, the election shouldn't be about just ONE SINGLE ISSUE. What about the Iraq war? Hillary Clinton had voted for the war in 2002. During her 2008 campaign against Obama she defended her vote. But now in 2015 she said her vote on the Iraq war was "a mistake". Bernie Sanders didn't flip-flop, and had voted against the Iraq war. If voters want to make the next election about a single issue, make this the one the ONE SINGLE ISSUE — and forget about all the other issues Hillary had flip-flopped on for political expediency — just to get herself elected as a phony progressive.

Related post at the New York Times: How to Beat Hillary Clinton

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