It’s Hillary and Bernie and no more Martin, and just moments ago MSNBC breaking news anchor Brian Williams called the Democratic two-person race a “barn burner.”
Will any barns be burning tonight in New Hampshire? Lawrence O’Donnell says Hillary Clinton’s mission tonight is simple: to be liked.
Our debate moderators tonight are Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow, who talked about the strengths and weaknesses of both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in a new interview with Playboy.
But for now, the beverages are chilled, the Seamless has been ordered, and it’s time to begin. Let’s do this.
Clinton struggling with usual Bernie problem– having to argue not so much that they disagree, but that his likable ideas aren’t realistic.
— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) February 5, 2016
9:25 p.m. ET: “Artful Smear” The gloves have indeed come off on the Democratic side, with Clinton suggesting that Sanders hasn’t actually run a clean campaign but is using innuendo to deliver an “artful smear” on Clinton’s record. “If you’ve got something to say, say it directly.” The crowd in New Hampshire booed Clinton’s “smear” line, but journalists watching cheered for the feisty exchange:
TERRIFIC first 30 minutes. Clinton won that first quarter of the debate.
— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) February 5, 2016
This is some damn good TV so far. #DemDebate
— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) February 5, 2016
I'd say Clinton, Sanders, MSNBC, and the DNC are all pretty happy they got this debate worked out about now.
— Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) February 5, 2016
The social conversation around the debate has produced some heavily-commented moments, but Facebook says this was the most-discussed from the debate’s first hour:
The top social moment of the first hour of #DemDebate, according to Facebook: pic.twitter.com/Wjd24yJIVp
— Meet the Press (@meetthepress) February 5, 2016
I'm a homer but I think both @maddow and @chucktodd have done a great jobs with this debate. #DemDebate
— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) February 5, 2016
10:30 p.m. Time for My Closeup With two candidates, MSNBC is taking advantage of a time-honored tradition: the split-screen, which has given viewers a chance to watch Sanders’ face as Clinton attacks, and vice versa. The network has also employed a number of extreme closeups, and not everyone has enjoyed them:
The extreme close ups MSNBC is using during the #DemDebate are unsettling.
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) February 5, 2016
10:45 p.m. ET Was This a 90 Minute Debate? Debates this election season have been notoriously unreliable when it comes to starting and ending, and MSNBC is getting some criticism:
LYING LIARS! https://t.co/N2lT9qBw0S — Ben White (@morningmoneyben) February 5, 2016
In fairness, however, the network did make clear the debate would run for two hours in its news release announcing the details of MSNBC’s coverage: “Chuck Todd, moderator of NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ and host of MSNBC’s ‘MTP Daily,’ and Rachel Maddow, host of MSNBC’s ‘The Rachel Maddow Show,’ will moderate the debate live from 9-11 p.m. ET at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.” So relax, everyone.
The rundown: – Best debate so far, most substantive – Hillary weak on Wall St – Bernie very weak on foreign policy – She wins on points
— marcus baram (@mbaram) February 5, 2016