I don't have too much to say about the Democratic debates. All of the candidates seem to be decent people, each one trying to emphasize at least one aspect that makes them unique: Webb with his military service, Chafee with the fact that he has never been associated with any scandal, O' Malley with his support of renewable energy, Clinton with being female (I also was annoyed by Clinton's constant references to the potential of every child's "God-given" talent. Suppose one does not believe in God?), Sanders with his anti-billionaire populism. My vote, on the issues, goes to Sanders. He is the only candidate advocating a single-payer healthcare system, free college tuition for public colleges, expanded social security and the importance of privacy. He was attacked for being a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, which is actually to his credit, and voted against the war in Iraq, i.e., he doesn't believe in useless,destructive and stupid wars. It was suggested that, as a senator from a rural state, he is not as much of a supporter of gun control as he should be but he did make an important point about that: many people who need to see mental health specialists do not do so because either they cannot afford it or their insurance will not pay for it.
I was slightly disappointed that with all the references to inequality there was no reference whatsoever to labor unions, whose shrinking size and power correlates with O'Malley's repeated statement that 70% of us are making the same or less than we were ten years ago. Nor was there any reference to art or books of any kind; Clinton repeatedly referred to experts but never identified them. Perhaps it is too much to expect busy politicians to read books or go to the opera and ballet performances, though I think they could benefit enormously by doing so.
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