ISIS Paris Attack Will Test Democratic Presidential Candidates in Debate: 4 Questions
The terrorist attacks in Paris have altered the tone and substance of Saturday night's televised debate among Democratic presidential candidates. CBS, host of the event, is scrambling to shift the questions, given what is unfolding in Europe, reports The Times.
"In the hours after the deadly attacks in Paris, CBS News significantly reworked its plans for the Democratic presidential debate it is hosting here on Saturday night to focus more on issues of terrorism, national security and foreign relations," wrote Times media columnist Emily Steele.
"These people are vying to take over this office. This is exactly what the president is going to have to face," Steve Capus, executive editor of CBS News and the executive producer of "CBS Evening News," told Steele in an interview Friday night after news of the attacks broke.
While the debate hasn't officially started, each of the Democratic candidates has already taken to Twitter to address the attacks:
That's all from them so far. (Meanwhile, Republican candidate Donald Trump has already taken to Twitter, targeting President Obama's leadership. "We need much tougher, much smarter leadership - and we need it NOW!" he Tweeted in the wake of the attacks.)
While Saturday's debate probably won't draw the viewership the GOP did earlier in the week (perhaps by design), with just three candidates to fill up two hours of debate time, moderators will have a chance to draw out a detailed response to the crisis.
Aside from Paris, a lot has happened since the last time the Democratic candidates met for their first nationally televised debate in October. The field of contenders has been cut to three from six. Lincoln Chafee, Jim Webb and Lawrence Lessig (who didn't appear in debate No. 1) have all dropped out of the race, leaving former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley as the only ones left, a fraction of the dozen or more still running on the Republican side.
Frontrunner Clinton appears to have gained stronger footing in the race. Vice President Joe Biden's announcement that he would not be making a third run at the Oval Office removed a major obstacle from her path to the Democratic nomination. She made it through an 11-hour hearing in front of the House Select Committee for Benghazi by many accounts unscathed, and she has continued to rack up endorsements.
According to RealClearPolitics' averaging of national polls, Clinton is currently polling at 54.2%, compared to Sanders' 32.6% support and O'Malley's 2.4%.
The stakes will be high for all three candidates on Saturday, though for different reasons. Clinton, the frontrunner by a large margin, will still have to explain and defend her foreign policy record. Sanders had planned more attacks on Clinton, but it remains to be seen how that will play out in light of the Paris attacks. O'Malley, the foreign policy lightweight of the group, may be asked to demonstrate his acumen.
The debate will air on CBS News Saturday at 9:00 p.m. EST. Will it produce the type of ratings GOP frontrunner Donald Trump on SNL last weekend? Of course not. But Hillary has proven she can draw audiences, too -- just ask late night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. And, following the Paris attack, there could be added interest in what White House contenders have to say about foreign policy and other related issues.
If you're tuning in Saturday -- or even if you aren't -- here are four questions things to keep in mind for the second Democratic debate.
1. How Will CBS and the Candidates Handle Paris?
With news of the Paris attacks barely 24-hours old, both the CBS moderators and the candidates will have much to think about in how they handle questioning -- and answering questions -- about the attacks.
While the debate is being held on a Saturday night, a time when fewer may be watching as compared to weeknight debates, it is the first on a broadcast network, CBS. Moderators John Dickerson, anchor of the CBS News program "Face the Nation," Nancy Cordes, CBS News congressional correspondent, Kevin Cooney, anchor for a local Des Moines affiliate, and Kathie Obradovich, a political columnist at The Des Moines Register, will be pressed to find the right tone in delivering tough but appropriate questions about the attacks.
The candidates will have the same challenge.
Republican candidates have already come under fire for politicizing the tragedy at this early hour. France 24's Mark Owen criticized Newt Gingrich for taking to Twitter to advocate for allowing citizens to carry concealed guns in public places, like the Bataclan music venue in Paris, where dozens were killed in the most gruesome of the city-wide coordinated attacks.
While the three Democratic candidates all advocate more gun control than Gingrich, his example shows that there could be fallout from expressing political beliefs that might inflame raw wounds of the Paris tragedy only a day after they've been inflicted.
2. What Might Hillary, Bernie or Martin in the White House Really Look Like?
The Republican debate stage has been so crowded that getting any real substance out of the conversation has proven difficult. Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina essentially spoke in campaign slogans at Tuesday's debate. Trump's responses largely fluctuate between re-explaining his bankruptcies and repeating the words "make America great again" and "win."
On Saturday, moderator Dickerson has promised to "be a window" for voters and said he hopes to explore the issue of "the choices that presidents have to actually make in office."
With just three candidates and two hours to fill, Dickerson will have his work cut out for him.
"The reason to watch the debate is to try to understand what policies individuals will implement. We often think of debates as this horse race, but really, they're much more important for understanding what people will do once in office," said Hans Hassell, assistant professor of American politics at Cornell College. "Candidates actually are very consistent in following through with the promises they make on the campaign trail and in the debates."
As to what candidates will be discussing, they will likely continue to poke at issues they have been highlighting on the campaign trail and emphasize their differences.
"Clinton will bring up gun control as an issue that's very important to her. Sanders I'm sure will continue to bring up the differences between him and Clinton on their stances on corporations. I'm sure Martin O'Malley will continue to highlight his stances on the environment," said Hassell. "They are trying to control the agenda to highlight the issues that they think are critical to them gaining traction."
Dickerson told The Des Moines Registerthat he plans to shine a spotlight on the economy, particularly in regard to stagnate wages and the rising costs of health care, education and retirement.
"There are some serious issues here that touch everyday lives," he said. "It's a big deal, and if it doesn't get discussed and adjudicated during the campaigns, it's not just going to go away."
3. Are We Still Feeling the Bern?
Several weeks ago ahead of the first debate, onlookers were talking about the possibility that Senator Sanders could take Iowa and New Hampshire and pose a real threat to Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Today, much of that chatter has subsided.
"Everybody was saying there was just no enthusiasm for [Clinton], even someone who initially was written off as a movement figure but not an appealing candidate was starting to beat her in polls and in critical states," said Mark Rozell, professor of public policy at George Mason University. "That's all changed since the latest Democratic debate and the Benghazi hearings."
And if Sanders wants to reaffirm his place in the race and continue to challenge Clinton, he's going to have to get tougher than he was at the last debate.
"He has to show that he's seriously in this to win, not just to make a statement," said Rozell. "He can't do that by saying the things on stage that actually help her."
He inadvertently delivered perhaps one of her biggest victories of the night during the first debate, remarking on discussion of the ongoing probe into the former Secretary of State's email use: "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails."
4. How Long Can O'Malley Hold Out?
O'Malley's chances of landing the Democratic nomination don't look good right now, with the former Maryland governor polling in low single digits.
The candidate has struggled to make a significant dent in the polls. According to a report from the Associated Press, just two DNC superdelegates (delegates who can support the candidates of their choice at the Democratic National Convention regardless of what happens at primaries and caucuses) plan to support O'Malley.
Clinton, on the other hand, had 359 superdelegate backers. (It's worth noting that Sanders actually only has eight.)
"Honestly, it's unclear what the role is for O'Malley," said Emily Ekins, research fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. "I think a lot of people wonder if he's angling for the VP slot. Ultimately, we're seeing a face-off between Clinton and Sanders."
O'Malley didn't get much of a bump off of the first debate, and on Saturday, he may need to do more if he wants to continue as a legitimate candidate.
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This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.