From Las Vegas to Charleston in a week: Democratic candidates for president had to spin from pretending to care about unionized casino workers to pretending to care about rural black Southerners. It’s quite a journey, but it’s all a part of the last debate before the South Carolina primary and then Super Tuesday.
Didn’t watch? Don’t worry about it. We’ve captured all of the yelling, shouting and hollering right here in the best tweets of the night.
So who’s ready for the tenth—yes, tenth—debate of this cycle?
Aren’t you super-HYPED for tonight’s South Carolina Democratic deba–oh god i’ve wasted my life
— Esoteric Jeff (@EsotericCD) February 26, 2020
This will be awful <glues himself to tube>.
— 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Paul Kinkel 🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@PaulKinkel) February 26, 2020
We started out with immediate attacks, with Bernie going after Bloomberg in a battle of old New Yorkers who think they know how to run your life.
— S.L.M. Goldberg (@slmgoldberg) February 26, 2020
Sanders said that Bloomberg was to close to China’s dictator.
Sanders called out Bloomberg for supporting Xi
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) February 26, 2020
Bloomberg countered that Bernie was also beloved of dictators.
Oh god. Centrist pizzagate about Russia from Bloomberg, right from the top.
— Damon Linker (@DamonLinker) February 26, 2020
Oh brother. I’m watching my first debate since the first one, what a freak show.
Bloomberg practiced that bit all week lol.
— EdAsante (@EdAsante77) February 26, 2020
Elizabeth Warren wanted to make clear that she really though Bernie Sanders was a fine fellow.
Geeze, how thirsty is Elizabeth Warren for Bernie VP slot?
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) February 26, 2020
Though she couldn’t help but note that she was still better than him at their job.
Elizabeth is going after Bernie on his ability to actually pass laws. This is important as I wasn’t sure if Elizabeth was going to target him or Bloomberg primarily. She had a great debate last time.
— Andrew Yang🧢 (@AndrewYang) February 26, 2020
when your sister is politely but firmly dragging you. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/EXqUCcjj9P
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 26, 2020
Meanwhile, Biden jumped on Sanders for having been a supporter of Second Amendment rights for so many years, though Joe did magnanimously concede that Bernie wasn’t personally responsible for anyone’s murder.
lol @ Bernie’s “thank you” when Biden said he wasn’t blaming him for the deaths.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) February 26, 2020
Buttigieg is right. Russia is not interfering on behalf of any one candidate. They are interfering to weaken America. That’s their goal. Let’s not fall for it.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) February 26, 2020
They came back to the point from last debate about the stop-and-frisk program in New York while Bloomberg was mayor. His answer this time was smoother, but still didn’t really make any sense.
“I cut it back by 95 percent” says Bloomberg about stop-and-frisk. This is absolutely a lie. Judges cut back the program despite his protests.
— Kyle Smith (@rkylesmith) February 26, 2020
Pete Buttigieg added his own measured commentary.
Buttigieg, an obscure small city mayor, says he comes to this debate he with humility.
— Michael Brendan Dougherty (@michaelbd) February 26, 2020
“Lived experience” yes Pete, we get it, you are woke
— Brad Polumbo (@brad_polumbo) February 26, 2020
Then Amy Klobuchar got a question…about Mike Bloomberg.
Has Amy Klobuchar said one word so far?
— Damon Linker (@DamonLinker) February 26, 2020
Did Amy not get to say anything for 18 minutes?
— Jim Swift (@JimSwiftDC) February 26, 2020
The action turned back to Warren, who tagged in and went after Bloomberg, for some reason.
Elizabeth Warren running hard to be Bernie’s VP by going only after Bloomberg.
— Esoteric Jeff (@EsotericCD) February 26, 2020
Getting to the White House by becoming VP to the oldest, sickliest viable candidate? Yep, Warren Has A Plan For That.
She attacked him for allegedly telling an employee to get an abortion.
Unclear if Dems are booing Bloomberg for his comments or Elizabeth Warren for not killing her baby
— F. Bill McMorris (@FBillMcMorris) February 26, 2020
I GASPED https://t.co/8GNQLSnULF
— Caroline McCarthy 🧢 (@caro) February 26, 2020
(Bloomberg denied having said it.)
True or not, it would surely buy Warren the same headlines as it did in the last debate, when she attacked Bloomberg viciously and won zero delegates in the Nevada caucus.
Man, Warren and the moderators are doing a heck of a job knocking around the guy who hasn’t won a single delegate.
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) February 26, 2020
Elizabeth Warren is the dog who caught the car.
— Megan McArdle (@asymmetricinfo) February 26, 2020
There was some more yelling.
The last 45 seconds was a dumpster fire WTF
— Lindsay Wigo (@LindsayWigo) February 26, 2020
Bernie shouting at O’Donnell and King: “Moderator! Moderator!” I’m sure the ladies love being shouted at like they’re in a diner. #DemDebate
— Chris Stigall (@ChrisStigall) February 26, 2020
The candidates have figured out the moderators are not in charge.
— Ramesh Ponnuru (@RameshPonnuru) February 26, 2020
Bernie got challenged on how he would pay for all of his promises.
Bernie can’t do math. We need Yang!
— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) February 26, 2020
Biden got a chance to speak, but used it to go after Tom Steyer, whom everyone forgot was there.
Joe Biden is SALTY tonight. It’s a good look for him.
— Esoteric Jeff (@EsotericCD) February 26, 2020
He took a page from Trump’s book and gave him a nickname.
Tommy Come Lately
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) February 26, 2020
More hollering followed.
#democraticdebates pic.twitter.com/YBEpmAB0YU
— Zachery Tyson🥃✍️🇺🇸🕵️♂️ (@ZaknafienDC) February 26, 2020
this debate feels like a fight broke out at shoney’s #DemDebate2020
— Ed Wiley (@EdWiley) February 26, 2020
The audience seemed to be on Bloomberg’s side. Suspiciously so…
Did Bloomberg pay people to be in the audience?
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) February 26, 2020
Bernie’s getting rattled by the booing.
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) February 26, 2020
They’re not saying boo, they’re saying Blooooomberg
— Liam Donovan (@LPDonovan) February 26, 2020
This is not Bernie’s room pic.twitter.com/lWVNhNjeNF
— SalenaZito (@SalenaZito) February 26, 2020
Biden took another swing at Bernie on guns.
Joe Biden says that “150 million people” have been killed by gun violence since 2007.
That seems a bit high…#DemDebate pic.twitter.com/ghIyyRT1Mu
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 26, 2020
#Bernie asked about votes on guns and, as the oldest living 8 year old responds by saying “But Joe voted for bad trade deals!” #DemDebate
— Chris Stigall (@ChrisStigall) February 26, 2020
Bernie was first elected with NRA support, but he explained that they totally hate him now, giving him a D- in their last report card.
He has a D- in mathematics, too.
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) February 26, 2020
Klobuchar tried to split the difference, but no one was here for moderation (unless they were paid by Bloomberg).
I saw “Uncle Dick in the Deer Stand” open up for Kenny Chesney in the ’80s. #DemDebate
— Paula Bolyard (@pbolyard) February 26, 2020
The conversation turned to education, when Warren explained that unionized public schools are the only safe place for your children. Your children, not hers.
So weird that Warren lied about sending her own son to a fancy private school
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) February 26, 2020
Elizabeth Warren: My secretary of education will be someone who has taught in public school.
Translation: I will never, ever do anything that is bad for teachers, even if it might help kids. If the kids want help, they can become teachers.
— Megan McArdle (@asymmetricinfo) February 26, 2020
Obama was a big supporter of charters…until the second he got into the Oval Office.
Then he defected.
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) February 26, 2020
Bloomberg spoke up for charters, and got some possibly unpaid applause for it.
Nice to hear charter schools applauded at a Democratic debate.
— Matt Lewis (@mattklewis) February 26, 2020
Bloomberg with half the courage of his convictions about charter schools, a key element of his actual accomplishments.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 26, 2020
Then he tried to make a joke, and that was too much.
Bloomberg made a funny. 🙄
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) February 26, 2020
Bloomberg going for a laugh line. pic.twitter.com/wATmXwLovZ
— F. Bill McMorris (@FBillMcMorris) February 26, 2020
Buttigieg said something.
Wow, Bloomberg is good tonight. And Bernie is doing so-so.
— Kyle Smith (@rkylesmith) February 26, 2020
It’s so funny every time Mayor McMayonnaise mentions his “Frederick Douglass Plan” like it makes him any less of a McKinsey consultant.
— Esoteric Jeff (@EsotericCD) February 26, 2020
By now, things were getting a little nuts.
The moderators tonight pic.twitter.com/gt8BMOjUyi
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) February 26, 2020
Biden and Klobuchar argued over who wrote a bill that was proposed after Joe left the Senate.
Did Biden write every bill ever?
— Carlos Lozada (@CarlosLozadaWP) February 26, 2020
Biden wants you to know he wrote *all* the bills. #DemDebate2020
— Melissa Braunstein (@slowhoneybee) February 26, 2020
They talked of the coronavirus, but no one had anything really important to say. Hey, they’re politicians, not scientists.
We are at the “the coronavirus is Trump’s fault” portion of the debate. #DemDebate
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) February 26, 2020
This led to more talk of China.
Hey, Joe Biden just mentioned the Uighur concentration camps in China. pic.twitter.com/R5qBTIa95K
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) February 26, 2020
When Bloomberg says we have to deal with China, he’s really talking about how he needs to protect his own wealth and business interests there
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) February 26, 2020
Then the tour moved on to Israel, where Sanders said he’d maybe move the American embassy back to Tel Aviv because Netanyahu is bad.
Bernie pivoting from “Castro is good” to “Bibi is bad.” Playing the hits.
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) February 26, 2020
The only time Bernie invokes his Jewishness is to defend anti-Semites and trash Israel. Jews have taken notice of that.
In addition, his smear of AIPAC, a moderate bipartisan group, has been widely condemned by elected Democrats.
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) February 26, 2020
Warren said where our embassy goes is … not up to us?
Senator Warren? The embassy is ours to move, that part is actually up to us.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 26, 2020
It was Lord of the Flies at this point, except for one man who still followed the rules of civilization.
“Why am I stopping? No one else stops!,” Biden says, finally getting it.
— Kevin Robillard (@Robillard) February 26, 2020
Joe Biden comes to realization that he is a habitual rule follower. It’s okay, Joe. You’re not alone.
— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) February 26, 2020
As the time drew to an end, the moderaters asked: what is the biggest misconception about you, and what is your personal motto.
What a stupid question.
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) February 26, 2020
My motto is don’t ask inane debate questions😉
— Mindy Finn (@mindyfinn) February 26, 2020
The answers were a lot like the “what is your biggest flaw” question in bad job interviews.
This is so cringe oh my god.
— Brad Polumbo (@brad_polumbo) February 26, 2020
Nobody:
Not a single soul:
Elizabeth Warren: The biggest misconception is that I don’t eat enough
— Billy Binion (@billybinion) February 26, 2020
Joe Biden has like 26 mottos. He’s a walking motto.
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) February 26, 2020
Warren quoting the Bible reminds us that her real calling is Unitarian minister.
— Alice F. Queens (@AliceFromQueens) February 26, 2020
After another, pointless commercial break, the CBS moderators allowed the debate to end. after all the brouhaha, what was the big takeaway?
My husband during this #DemDebate : Are they all insane?
Me… pic.twitter.com/vpNYQw1iTh
— The OG ToniB(TFSTTFG) (@tonib) February 26, 2020
