By Tom Gbean| Echo
As the dust settles after the scuffle of the first democratic presidential debate, one candidate stands apart from the rest of the contenders: Hillary Clinton is being hailed by many as the winner of the first Democratic presidential debate.
Stephen Collinson, a senior enterprise reporter for CNN Politics, notes that Clinton delivered her message in a poised, confident manner.
Although Clinton has been criticised by the public and other candidates about scandals that could possibly taint her campaign, none of that seemed to matter during the debate.
Clinton set the stage for an overall light and casual for the rest of the debate.
In her opening statement, Clinton portrayed herself as an average citizen by drawing attention to the fact that her grandfather was a factory worker. Clinton also spoke about her granddaughter, noting that she would like to create a future where everyone has the opportunity to live up to their potential.
"Every day, I think about what we need to do to make sure that opportunity is available not just for her, but for all of our children," Clinton said.
By mentioning her grandfather, Clinton immediately made it clear that her concern was for the middle and working classes. She claimed the central goal of her campaign is to create well-paying jobs by investing in infrastructure and clean energy. Clinton also wants to raise wages, close loopholes to make the tax system fairer and promote equality of women and LGBT persons in the workplace.
Although Clinton impressed the audience with her opening statements, the other candidates pounced with allegations against her.
Lincoln Chafee slammed Clinton about her emails being leaked. He noted that in all his years as a public servant, he's never been embroiled in a scandal. Both Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley accused Clinton of supporting a no-fly zone over Syria. O'Malley warned that the action was irresponsible and could cause a collision of U.S. and Russian forces in the area.
Sanders aided Clinton with accusations of her contentious email leaks. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your d*** emails," he said.
In response to O'Malley's charge of mishandling the Syrian crisis, Clinton pointedly reminded O'Malley that he had endorsed her when she was running for president.
The rest of the debate progressed candidly with little to no mud-slinging. The candidates followed Reagan's rule, which refers to a quote popularized by Ronald Reagan to encourage republican candidates not to speak ill of each other, reported CNN.
The Democratic candidates disagreed on many political and policy issues including gun control, the Iraq War and Wall Street regulations, but they avoided the personal attacks that characterize the Republican debates.
Apart from Sanders, the other candidates did not make much of an impression. O'Malley gave a strong closing statement but remained undistinguished throughout the debate. Chafee buckled under pressure of a banking law he voted for in 1999, for which he blamed the fact that he was new to office. Webb complained about how little time he got to speak.
"Clinton remained unflappable throughout the debate, showcasing her political experience and her command of the issues -- all the while deftly handling criticism of her flip-flops and displaying a humor that put a more human face to her oft-criticized candidacy," reported CNN.
When all's said and done, the American people have seen their democratic candidates in a debate for the first time in the 2016 presidential race, and Hillary Clinton stands out as the forerunner and the most qualified of the candidates.
