36th Debate

First of all I want to thank the Democrats Of The Desert for hosting me at last night's debate. They were very nice to me and the 2 pizzas I bought were not a factor at least I hope. Now on to the grades.

Raul Ruiz

I thought Dr Ruiz started out slow. He made a classy move by opening up with a handshake. As the debate went on he got better and better. He should have pointed out more about the connection from Brian Nestande to the Paul Ryan budget. The 700 billion dollar figure Nestande quoted was actually 70 billion a year for 10 years and would be used from over charges from insurance companies. I think the Doctor should have pointed out that Medicare is government health insurance. Dr Ruiz did well in pinning Nestande on gay marriage, despite the attempt of Kris Long to save him. So much so that Nestande had to issue a statement this morning saying his position had evolved. B-

Brian Nestande

He started out well but then started to hit every right wing checkpoint he could including Benghazi. The Salton Sea license plate was beyond absurdity. Plus his use of the term Democrat instead of Democratic was childish. His ending seemed to be a rerun of Mary Bono Mack 2 years ago. B-

The Moderators

Always tough and in full disclosure I know all 3 of these people and have on panels with them. I felt they let Nestande come back to questions that were asked and answered.

Karen Devine I thought she did very well. She had to herd cats including her co-panelist Kris Long. I will give her an A minus.

Erica Felci

Erica did well up until the end with her, “What bill that your opponent sponsored would you vote for?” question, A bizarre moment B-

Kris Long

Kris, Kris, Kris. The debate is not about you. The question about a Democratic mailer was a cheap shot and the legalized marijuana question silly. Throw in the fact he seemed to be mugging for the camera, and he gets a D.

All in all I rate this a tie and since Dr. Ruiz is the front runner, tie goes to him