No, Hillary Clinton did not ‘clearly win’ the debate on Tuesday
Virtually every media outlet claims that Clinton won the debate on Tuesday. | Courtesy of Getty Images
Wednesday morning, I woke up to headlines everywhere reading things like “Clinton scores big in first debate” from Thehill.com or “Hillary Clinton’s big night on the debate stage” from CNN.
Did they watch the same debate that everyone else did? Because Clinton most definitely did not “dominate” the debate, as the Wall Street Journal suggests.
All I saw from Hillary Clinton was the same pandering and question-dodging political debater we’ve seen ever since she first ran for public office.
Though the internet isn’t the most trustworthy source, polls from CNN, Time, MSNBC and virtually every other poll show that people believe Bernie Sanders to be the clear victor of this debate.
Yes, Sanders was weak on issues such as foreign policy and gun control, but he was also the only one to get a standing ovation when coming saying “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!” He received the biggest applause of the night for that, and that is why Sanders truly won the debate.
Clinton comes in second only because she is a great debater, not because of the answers she provided. Most, if not all, of her answers sounded prepared and unemotional, making her appear as the same calculating, dishonest politician most Americans see her as.
Also, for some reason, Martin O’Malley is being painted as a debate loser.
He made great points, spoke eloquently and was one of the few people who called Clinton out on important issues like how to handle the crisis in Syria and how to deal with Wall Street.
Clinton’s politicking is most apparent when she talks about big banks. Clinton’s top donors include corporations like Citigroup Inc., Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase & Co. among other banks. This discredits her attempt at trying to come across as a “Progressive who gets things done.”
It’s really hard to be perceived as a Progressive when you’re in the pocket of the biggest banks in the U.S. and are already perceived as an untrustworthy candidate by 57 percent of voters.
The media needs to stop praising Hillary Clinton just because they feel obligated. Every day it’s either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the main headlines, leaving all other rightful and worthy candidates in the dust.
Polls matter when it comes to public perception. Candidates make decisions based on poll numbers. When they aren’t getting fair coverage, of course their numbers are going to go down and eventually drop out of the race.
News outlets need to remember that there are candidates other than Hillary Clinton. The U.S. deserves better than clear political polarization.
Opinion editor Anthony Torres is a political science junior and may be reached at [email protected]
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