Tuesday night’s #DemDebate failed to defy expectations.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proved she’s not rusty on her debate chops, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was buzzing on the Internet and voters are still asking the same question: who really is Lincoln Chafee?

Here’s a breakdown on how each of the five Democratic candidates did, assessing their overall performance, their best moment and when they slipped on the debate stage.

Hillary Clinton

Overall Performance: This was not her first rodeo, and she certainly made it known. Clinton took off the gloves and laid down some punches when she needed to, including giving Sanders a beating over gun control. Most importantly, she came off as consistent, something she has not been in the past and was certainly attacked on.

Breakout Moment: Her rant about Planned Parenthood. Clinton was the first and last candidate to mention Planned Parenthood in her attack against Republicans.

“[Republicans] don’t mind having big government to interfere with a woman’s right to choose and to try to take down Planned Parenthood. They’re fine with big government when it comes to that. I’m sick of it! You know, we can do these things.”

Took a Beating: Clinton was in trouble when moderator Anderson Cooper addressed her email problem, a scandal that isn’t helping her untrustworthy reputation. However, she was saved by Sanders, who exclaimed, “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!”

 

Bernie Sanders

Overall Performance: Sanders stuck to his guns and got his message across. The second half of the debate went well for Sanders, with every single candidate agreeing with him on some of his points. His stance on Wall Street set him apart from the other candidates.

Breakout Moment: Most media will say the Vermont Senator’s greatest moment was his Clinton email exclamation. However, Sanders’ high point may have happened on the Internet, where he was the most searched candidate on Google. During and after the debate, the Sanders campaign raised $1.3 million.

Took a Beating: Gun control is the one issue where the four other candidates out-liberal the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist. Sanders was attacked, most notably by Martin O’Malley, when he stated that there were cultural differences in rural states versus urban ones regarding gun rights.

 

Martin O’Malley

Overall Performance: O’Malley reminded voters that he still exists and that he knows a thing or two about the executive branch. His performance could lead the candidate to see a slight bump in the polls. His constant rhetoric of, “You are passionate about this issue? I did this in Maryland,” ended up working to his advantage.

Breakout Moment: O’Malley is the only candidate that has a comprehensive plan for the country to become completely energy efficient by 2050. A tall order, but he wants to come off as extremely liberal, too. His F-rating with the NRA did not go ignored, and he did not fail to mention that he has the hardest stance on gun control.

Took a Beating: Not in a moment, but overall performance. Objectively, O’Malley did well; however, he failed to define himself in the debate as a unique candidate. With Sanders and Clinton vying for two different ideologies of the Democratic Party, where does O’Malley fit in? Why vote him over Clinton or Sanders?

 

Lincoln Chafee

Overall Performance: Weak. Chafee was on the debate stage for face time. Voters do not know who he is or what he stands for, and Chafee may have made that even more confusing for them. As a new Democrat, he failed to set himself apart on policy and chose instead to attack Hillary Clinton, which did not work well overall for the Rhode Island governor.

Breakout Moment: His critique of Clinton on her vote for the Iraq war. He tried to hit Clinton over her track record of changing her mind, which was a smart move for Chafee. He said, “If you’re looking at someone who made that poor decision in 2002 to go into Iraq when there was no real evidence of weapons of mass destruction, which I knew because I did my homework, that’s an indication of how someone will perform in the future.”

Also, this.

Took a Beating: When Anderson Cooper asked Chafee why he voted to repeal Glass-Steagall. Chafee flubbed, admitted that he did not know what the law was before he voted for it, and then cited his father dying as the reason why. It was awkward, and his unofficial death sentence.

 

Jim Webb

Overall Performance: Was he in the wrong room? The former Virginia Senator seemed significantly more Republican than Democrat in his performance Tuesday night. He touted working for the Reagan administration, blasted Clinton on Benghazi and was the only candidate on the stage who did not pick “black lives matter” over “all lives matter.” Webb came off as out-of-place and a sore loser, spending most of his speaking time complaining about not having enough. This is how to stand out, in a bad way.

Breakout Moment: He killed a guy. Really. When asked who was the greatest enemy he has ever made, Webb smiled coyly and said, “I would have to say the enemy soldier that threw the grenade that wounded me, but he’s not around right now to talk to.” This moment was more so his most memorable moment than his best.

Took a Beating: Webb nailed his own coffin shut when he said rebuilding our relationship with China was the most pressing foreign policy issue to tackle. Immediately after, he began to bash China and their government. I’m sure Chinese President Xi Jinping is warming up to Webb 2016 already.

Keely Sullivan is a senior broadcast and digital journalism and French dual major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at kasull02@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @specialksully.

Published on October 15, 2015 at 1:15 am