Late Wednesday night, MSNBC’s post-2020 Democratic debate panelists were locked and loaded, offering praise for South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s “exceptional” and “pretty flawless debate performance,” the sitting U.S. Senators for having done “very well,” and Cory Booker set to gain in the polls.
At the other end, panelists trashed former Vice President Joe Biden for a “colossal gaffe” about African-American women Senators and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI) for being such so “awful” that she might give “Prince Andrew, Jim Jordan and Devin Nunes” a “legitimate run” at who’s been this week’s worst person ever.
Lyin’ Brian Williams was again somehow allowed to host this shindig and began with a nod to impeachment:
This seemingly endless run-up to the 2020 presidential election continues on day 1,035 of this Trump administration, which was a withering and relentless day of American politics. Starting with what started out as a blowtorch of a witness in the House impeachment inquiry, ending just now as we all saw on the stage in Atlanta. Ten candidates appearing after for the true believers what was an 11-hour day for television viewers.
Before Last Word host Lawrence O’Donnell ripped Biden, former Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and liberal Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson tried to be much kinder. Here was part of Robinson’s defense (click “expand”):
But, you know, that moment, look, that was one of the Bidenisms. There were a couple of others in the — in this debate. He's been spouting Bidenisms for his entire career. I mean, he mispeaks all the time and he has done so for a long time, but I actually think that — there were — he had some really good moments in this debate. When he was talking and when the debate turned to foreign affairs and he talked about the Khashoggi murder and Saudi Arabia. He talked about how he would deal with China, how he saw that relationship, I thought he sounded authoritative in a way that showed his experience and his stature as vice president and overall it was kind of a Biden day, right? Because we watched an impeachment hearing for hours and hours. All talking about Biden. And then I thought he did pretty well.
O’Donnell later took his turn, stating that Biden had “a kind of flawlessly solid debate for him until this colossal gaffe where it's a gaffe unlike any other I've seen in a debate performance” in which he falsely claimed to have the endorsement of the only African-American woman elected to the Senate (Carol Moseley Braun) when — well — there are two.
The other? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA). Yikes.
O’Donnell added that even though “we know what's in [Biden’s] heart” and that “he's a good guy,” but he still had “as bad a moment as he could have had on that stage” since Harris was “standing on the stage, standing in the shot saying ‘what about me.’”
Before that, O’Donnell gave out who he found to have been the winners (click “expand”):
Well, all the senators actually did very well and that means that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have delivered what has now become their standard, very solid debate performance for their positions in the debate. Amy Klobuchar also very consistent debate performer. Cory Booker. Cory Booker I think tonight delivered his most debate yet and — and tonally the most consistent debate, most substantive debate for Cory Booker. If — if the debates move poll numbers, then Cory Booker’s numbers should move tonight. If — if this doesn't move the poll numbers for Cory Booker I don't know what can and — and Kamala Harris also, who had her poll numbers really pop because of that debate — because of that debate where she went after Joe Biden, she also had her most solid debate since that one[.]
Unfortunately for America, failed McCain/Palin campaign head Steve Schmidt made his return to MSNBC’s post-debate team (after a failed near-run with Howard Schultz). He told Lyin’ Brian that Buttigieg “had an exceptional night” and was “pretty flawless” while Biden “had probably his strongest debate performance.”
But when it came to Gabbard, he trashed her as “just awful,” “dishonest,” “spectacularly bad,” and “made a legitimate run” at “Prince Andrew, Jim Jordan and Devin Nunes” for being this week’s worst person ever.
Just after midnight Eastern, Schmidt repeated his shots when Gabbard spoke to Hardball host Chris Matthews in the spin room, telling her directly that “your performance was dishonest,” “your positions are extreme,” and that she was “so dishonest” to Buttigieg in claiming he wanted to send troops to Mexico.
To see the relevant transcript from MSNBC’s post-debate coverage on November 20, click “expand.”
MSNBC Post-Debate Analysis
November 20, 2019
11:21 p.m. Eastern
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Our thanks as well and a job well done to our friends and colleagues in Atlanta. Good evening from New York once again, from our NBC News headquarters here. Another Democratic debate is now history. This seemingly endless run-up to the 2020 presidential election continues on day 1,035 of this Trump administration, which was a withering and relentless day of American politics. Starting with what started out as a blowtorch of a witness in the House impeachment inquiry, ending just now as we all saw on the stage in Atlanta. Ten candidates appearing after for the true believers what was an 11-hour day for television viewers. The Trump presidency was an early issue on that stage tonight.
(....)
11:24 p.m. Eastern
WILLIAMS: We have a full complement of our extended family and friends here with us to cover what was again a monumental news day in America.
(....)
11:27 p.m. Eastern
EUGENE ROBINSON: But, you know, that moment, look, that was one of the Bidenisms. There were a couple of others in the — in this debate. He's been spouting Bidenisms for his entire career. I mean, he mispeaks all the time and he has done so for a long time, but I actually think that — there were — he had some really good moments in this debate. When he was talking and when the debate turned to foreign affairs and he talked about the Khashoggi murder and Saudi Arabia. He talked about how he would deal with China, how he saw that relationship, I thought he sounded authoritative in a way that showed his experience and his stature as vice president and overall it was kind of a Biden day, right? Because we watched an impeachment hearing for hours and hours. All talking about Biden.
WILLIAMS: Dozens of times.
ROBINSON: And then I thought he did pretty well.
(....)
11:35 p.m. Eastern
STEVE SCHMIDT: I thought that Mayor Pete had an exceptional night. I think he really demonstrated tonight in a performance that was pretty flawless why he has risen into the top tier of candidates. I think all of the candidates had good moments with the exception of one, and I think that the vice president had probably his strongest debate performance and when you look at the race and you look at the things that presidential candidates have to do, whether it's one on one on the stump, whether it's giving speeches, that for Joe Biden his weakest venue, his away game is the debate stage. He doesn't have to win the debates. He has to survive the debates and he did well enough tonight to not just survive but I think to advance his cause on a number of different fronts and I think he got better as the debate went on. I think that Tulsi Gabbard was just awful. Spectacularly bad. In fact, in a week between Prince Andrew, Jim Jordan and Devin Nunes she made a legitimate run for the medal podium and [MCCASKILL AND ROBINSON LAUGH] just dishonest, at a pretty large level, but I think all the candidates have reason to feel good coming out of this tonight.
(....)
11:36 p.m. Eastern
LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Well, all the senators actually did very well and that means that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have delivered what has now become their standard, very solid debate performance for their positions in the debate. Amy Klobuchar also very consistent debate performer. Cory Booker. Cory Booker I think tonight delivered his most debate yet and — and tonally the most consistent debate, most substantive debate for Cory Booker. If — if the debates move poll numbers, then Cory Booker’s numbers should move tonight. If — if this doesn't move the poll numbers for Cory Booker I don't know what can and — and Kamala Harris also, who had her poll numbers really pop because of that debate — because of that debate where she went after Joe Biden, she also had her most solid debate since that one and then there's the Biden debate which was scored as a kind of flawlessly solid debate for him until —
WILLIAMS: Yeah.
O’DONNELL: — this colossal gaffe where it's a gaffe unlike any other I've seen in a debate performance because it's literally about a person who's standing on the stage who he, in this moment, has forgotten exists and he's referring to, when he's making his point that he has a very important presidential endorsement from what he said was the only black woman elected to the United States Senate and he meant the first. That's Carol Moseley Braun and I may be the only person in the audience who knew who he was talking about.
WILLIAMS: Oh, we knew.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL: We knew who he was talking about.
O’DONNELL: You know, I mean, but, you know that is — as — as — he couldn't have reached for a less important endorsement.
WILLIAMS: Gaffe or wrong word?
O’DONNELL: Look —
WILLIAMS: It goes back to the gaffe standard
O’DONNELL: — we know what's in his heart. We know he's a good guy. But the fact you that leave the black woman standing on the stage, standing in the shot saying what about me, that was within the dynamic of that gaffe. It's — it’s as bad a moment as he could have had on that stage and right up to that moment, it was his most solid debate yet.
(....)
11/21/19
12:03:25 a.m.
23 secondsSCHMIDT: Congresswoman, I thought your performance was dishonest. I think your positions are extreme and one question I would have for you is, why did you go to Syria to meet Bashar al-Assad? What was the intent of your visit and why were you so dishonest in regards to the mayor, insisting that he called for plans to invade Mexico, which, of course, he did not?
