Keller @ Large: Hillary Clinton's Big Night
BOSTON (CBS) - Did you catch Tuesday night's first Democratic presidential candidate debate of the season? It took some doing. CNN violated a cardinal rule of TV debates – opening statements are a complete turnoff. And with all due respect to Sheryl Crow, we really could have done without her rendition of the national anthem.
This was not a baseball game.
But like any debate, it was as much about style as any specific issue or candidate statement, if not more so.
If you were a Bernie Sanders admirer yesterday, familiar with his Democratic Socialist politics and unpolished speaking style, you are likely still one today. And he got what may have been the biggest cheer of the night when he said to Hillary Clinton: "the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your emails."
The crowd loved that and so did Hillary. In fact, she had to love everything about Tuesday night.
Listen to Jon's commentary:
The former senator and secretary of state was easily the most accomplished debater onstage, and none of the criticisms tossed her way by Sanders or the three also-ran candidates - Lincoln Chaffee, Martin O'Malley, and Jim Webb – rattled her in the slightest. She expertly mixed policy knowledge with populist and personal references that are just the sort of thing people look for to determine if the candidate is someone they can relate to.
And she actually interacted with her opponents in an easy way they couldn't match.
Hillary Clinton remains a polarizing figure, even within her own party. She has a long, long way to go to win the nomination, let alone the presidency.
But Tuesday night, the only woman on stage was also the only obviously-presidential figure.
