By Vanessa Caceres, GALEO Student Intern
On Friday November 6, 2015 I was able to attend the First in the South Democratic Forum held in Rock Hill, South Carolina at Winthrop University. Before the event was about to start, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz gave a rousing, short speech on the importance of local elections and also declaring that the next president was going to be on stage tonight. Many would say that if the next president is a member of the Democratic Party it will be in spite of Wasserman Schultz’s efforts as the head of the DNC. She continues to be criticized for only scheduling six Democratic debates compared to the twelve scheduled Republican debates.
Rachel Maddow, the host, then came, out introduced herself and explained the rules of the forum and also stated that she had prepared some questions pertaining to the South for each candidate which were probably my favorite questions of the night. The forum then started with former Governor Martin O’Malley who is currently last in the polls, in single digit numbers. In my opinion, O’Malley had the most to gain from this event. He would have the same amount of time to speak as the rest of the candidates and really get a chance to introduce himself and his agenda to the American people. Maddow’s first question was why the South had been lost to Republican Party on both the state and federal levels. O’Malley said this was due to the fact that the DNC had abandoned the South and the southern Democratic organizations to which a contingent of the South Carolina Democratic Party applauded loudly. He did not attack the other candidates except when he mentioned Clinton’s late decision on the Keystone Pipeline and how Sander’s debate on democratic socialism is taking away from the big picture and fracturing the party. Perhaps his toughest question was in relation to his renewable energy agenda, Maddow asked how the country would deal with states whose economy is based on the production of oil or coal once his agenda went into effect causing economic crises for those states. He stumbled some but eventually stated that the federal government would help those states and try to offset jobs lost with the creation of green energy jobs. For the rest of the debate O’Malley was poised without sounding scripted and gave off a natural charisma that he has not been able to capitalize on at the national level until this point. During a commercial break the audience even gave an audible “aww” when he asked for his wife. That being said, I am not sure his renewable energy platform will be enough to sway democratic voters or independents.
Next, to the stage was Senator Bernie Sanders who also made a point of being more personable during this forum setting. It was during his first question, pertaining to the South, that the audience gave a negative reaction for the first and only time during the forum. It was not loud enough to be heard when I watched the television broadcast but it was definitely heard in the audience. Maddow asked if he could be able to govern a diverse country and target the issues of minorities in South Carolina when he has only been in office in a state that is 95% White. He said he would be able to govern because, “The issues that impact the people of South Carolina, the South and all over America, are the same issues that impact the people of Vermont…” This statement received several negative reactions from the audience. While economic growth and job creation is obviously something the entire country needs, the problems plaguing a state like South Carolina and Vermont are very different. The problems minorities face in these states are obviously very different and I think it would have helped Sanders to make a note of that as he is currently polling much lower among minorities than Clinton. Sanders went on to talk about his work in the Civil Rights Movement and the March on Washington. Throughout the forum Sanders never attacked O’Malley, but did attack Clinton on the Keystone Pipeline, as O’Malley did, and campaign finance reform. The rest of the night was quite on brand for Sanders, but he did make real strides to change his demeanor, even stating he is not as “grumpy” as people think. He made several jokes alluding to Larry David’s infamous impression of him on SNL. In a sweet moment, he also spoke about his “beautiful grandchildren who are the joy of my life.”
Last to the stage was former Secretary of State and Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Clinton was first asked about the incident in Columbia, SC in which a police officer dragged a high school student from a desk. She stated, “Well, the first thing I would say is that what happened in the school here in South Carolina was just appalling to me. Adults should be trained to use nonviolent, non-confrontational measures in dealing with kids…” Clinton went on to talk about her meeting with the mothers of young African American men who had died due to gun violence, some at the hands of police. It was a poignant moment and a talking point that she brought up more than once. Maddow went on to question Clinton on the death penalty at great length as she is in favor of it unlike most in her party. Clinton defended her stance on the federal level referencing terrorists like Dzhokhar Tsamaev and Dylann Roof as cases that might merit capital punishment, but stated that she did not think the death penalty had been carried out fairly at the state level. Clinton went on to state that she would provide extra training for police and more funding for the Department of Justice to investigate police infractions if elected president. Clinton did not mention either of other two candidates; staying above the fray is probably the best things she can do while still in the lead. This forum style event helped America see the best each candidate had to offer and a more personal side of each candidate but I do not think it was enough to radically change the tides of the primary election.
NOTE: The opinions express in this blog are the opinions of the author only. It is not to be assumed that the opinions are those of GALEO or the GALEO Latino Community Development Fund. For the official position on any issue for GALEO, please contact Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director of GALEO at jerry@2014old.galeo.org