Saturday Night Live: The Final DNC Debate
Posted: December 19, 2015 Filed under: 2016 elections 208 Comments
Tonight is the final DNC debate in 2016.
The rivalry between two of the campaigns has taken a turn for the nasty and we’re waiting to see exactly what will develop. The Debate starts at 8 pm eastern on ABC and will also be streamed live from New Hampshire.
Tonight, ABC News hosts the third Democratic presidential primary debate featuring Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley who will duke it out on stage at St. Anselm College.
It’s the first and only Democratic debate held in the primary state of New Hampshire of the 2016 election cycle.
Moderating tonight will be “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir and Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz. The debate will focus on national security and foreign policy in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks.
Debate coverage begins at 8 p.m. EST, but keep checking back for updates from the ABC News political team as the candidates prepare for tonight.
Supposedly, Sanders will go on the attack which seems odd given his campaign was just caught filching data and strategies from the Clinton campaign. I’d rather think he’d be apologetic and contrite. Here’s a good bit of analysis on why the data pilfering matters from Washington Monthly’s David Atkins.
After a spat lasting just over 24 hours, it appears that the top news story of the day is already resolving itself: the DNC has come to an agreement to return voter database access to the Bernie Sanders campaign after top staffers were caught snooping into the Clinton campaign’s records.
The brouhaha over this little fiasco has been intense, and made worse by the fact that only a few thousand people in the United States understand anything about the voter tools involved. Few journalists—to say nothing of armchair activists—have enough campaign and field management experience to truly understand what happened. That ignorance has led to wild accusations and silly reporting from all sides, whether from conspiratorially-minded Sanders supporters or schadenfreude-filled Republicans.
The first thing to understand is that NGPVAN is a creaky voter database system that looks, and feels like it was put together in the 1990s. It has been the mainstay of Democratic campaigns all across the country and has intense loyalty among national campaign professionals—though it should be noted that the California Democratic Party uses one of its more robust and more expensive competitors PDI (PDI, hilariously, sent an email this morning to its users with the subject line “At PDI Data Security Is Our Top Priority.”) I myself have extensive experience running campaigns on both platforms, both as a campaign consultant and as a county Democratic Party official in California.
The DNC contracts with NGPVAN, meaning that firewalls between competitive primary campaigns within NGPVAN are incredibly important. But they also have been known to fail. When that happens, campaign professionals are expected to behave in a moral and legal manner. But they would also be stupid not to, since every action taken by an NGPVAN user is tracked and recorded on the server side.
The other important piece of information to note is the difference between a “saved search” and a “saved list.” NGPVAN’s voter tracking has the option of beingdynamic or static, meaning that you can run dynamic searches of voters whose characteristics may change as NGPVAN’s data is updated, or you can pull static lists of voters who currently fit the profile you are seeking. Most voter data pulls within an NGPVAN campaign will be dynamic searches—and in fact, that is the default setting. You really only want to pull a static list if you’re doing something specific like creating a list for a targeted mail piece—or if you want a quick snapshot in time of a raw voter list.
However, merely pulling a search or a list doesn’t mean you can automatically download all the information on those voters. You can see topline numbers. You can take a few screenshots—though it would take hundreds of screenshots and the data would be nearly useless in that format. To download the actual data, you would need to run an export—a step that requires extra levels of permissions only allowed to the highest level operatives. Despite the breach that allowed them to run lists and searches, Sanders staffers apparently did not have export access.
However, the access logs do show that Sanders staff pulled not one but multiple lists—not searches, but lists—a fact that shows intent to export and use. And the lists were highly sensitive material. News reports have indicated that the data was “sent to personal folders” of the campaign staffers—but those refer to personal folders within NGPVAN, which are near useless without the ability to export the data locally.
Even without being able to export, however, merely seeing the topline numbers of, say, how many voters the Clinton campaign had managed to bank as “strong yes” votes would be a valuable piece of oppo. While it’s not the dramatic problem that a data export would have been, it’s undeniable that the Sanders campaign gleaned valuable information from the toplines alone. It’s also quite clear that most of the statements the Sanders campaign made as the story progressed—from the claim that the staffers only did it to prove the security breach, or that only one staffer had access—were simply not true. It’s just not clear at this point whether the campaign’s comms people knew the truth and lied, or whether they were not being told the whole truth by the people on the data team who were still making up stories and excuses to cover their tracks. I suspect the latter.
Daniel Politi–writing for Slate–believes Datagate will impact the debate tonight.
Once again, a last minute turn of events is shaking up a Democratic presidential debate. Last time around, it was the Paris terrorist attacks. Now, the candidates will be facing off amid an unusual level of acrimony over claims that Bernie Sanders staffers stole data that belonged to Hillary Clinton’s camp. Now the big question is how the issue will play in Saturday night’s debate.
Clinton could very well choose to go on the offensive and confront Sanders about the breach. But that carries risk considering Sanders’ team filed a lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee because it had suspended the campaign’s access to voter information after the breach was revealed. Access was restored late last night, but not before Sanders’ supporters got even more ammunition to claim that the DNC unfairly favors Clinton, as Slate’s Jim Newell points out. Immediately after the data controversy, Sanders sent out a fundraising email, citing the suspension as the latest example of how the Democratic Party has “its thumb on the scales in support of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.”
So if Clinton goes too far with her criticism it could play into Sanders’ underdog image, which could in turn help him win over support. This is particularly the case considering the Sanders’ team has complained the DNC scheduled the debate for the Saturday night before Christmas to assure a low audience, points out Yahoo News.
Considering all these variable it seems more likely that Clinton will decide to strike a middle ground and criticize Sanders’ staffers while defending the candidate himself, notes NBC.
I guess we’ll see!!
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You’re welcome!!!! Glad you’re here!!!
It would probably be worth watching on SNL, but the real one? No way!
So Bernie is going to complain about the Democratic Party favoring Clinton. Well Bernie, she is a Democrat and you’re not.
Oops, Cokie just set me straight, apparently is he a Democrat now, he just became one this year.
I just heard Cokie Roberts say he became a Democrat this year to Georgie Porgy.
I need proof. I haven’t heard him say that.
un huh.
Last time, the DNC gave Clinton delegates to Obama, and invalidated two primaries which she would have won by large margins. She didn’t sue anyone, though.
Well said.
Exactly.
Yes, this would be an opportunity for Clinton to sue the DNC, rather than Sanders
Right fucking on.
Bravo
Gawd I hate the stupid focus group nonsense.
I thought the debate was supposed to start at 8:00. Instead we have to listen to focus group junk and “The Cokie and Donna Show”. Save me.
Same here.
Okay, that Tad Devine tweet convinced me that the Sanders camp is milking this whole thing for publicity.
Is anyone seeing the debate? I have the ABC live stream and nothing.
It hasn’t started yet.
I’m on free air and we are still in talking heads mode.
Thank you ABC!
I taped this, because I have to go to an event soon. You mean I have taped a half hour for nothing?! Actually, as opposed to what the Sanders campaign says, Hilary’s poll nunbers have gone up after each debate. What damages her numbers are these blatantly anti-Hillary faux pundits which try to distort what people actually saw with their own eyes. Sanders should call for less debates and more talking heads segments.
just started
Bernie didn’t even crack a smile.
HRC repugs are bad, must protect our gains, look forward to this discussion.
Hi everyone! It’s littleisis! I thought I’d join you for the live blog! (I’m changing my username 🙂 )
Hey, it’s great to see you!
Likewise 🙂
Hey !!! Good to see you!
💕💕💕
Glad you’re on board.
Yes so good to see familiar names her tonight.
Hi doll!
The first job of the president is to preserve and protect the Constitution.
O’Malley, Jihadis are bad, I visited a mosque, the danger of unscrupulous leaders no fascist pleas for big mo uths
Sanders, the economy is rigged. finance campaign system is corrupt climate change, destroy ISIS but through a coalition.
Bernie’s yelling again.
Here we go with the data scandal
Geez, I have to durn down the TV cuz Bernie keeps hollering.
Bernie just hit me with a spitball. He’s in angry mode early.
Lets just get this over with right now. Sanders what’s up? DNC hired vendors 2 month ago our staff found info on our computers. 2 days ago the same thing have and this time they did the wrong thing, we fired that person. DNC shut off our info. Sanders appologises.
Bernie just apologized to Hillary. Says he supports an independent inquiry.
Hillary says we need to move on from the data issue.
Bernie was ASKED to apologize to Hillary. She being the lady she was very gracious.
Clinton we go forward and independent inquiry should be done. Move on, USN’s don’t care.
O’Malley, that is why politics don’t get done and way too much time spent on this. and Sanders agrees.
I thought Bernie and Hillary did fine, but I’ve had it with Martin O’Malley.
I just wish Sanders didn’t always look and sound so angry.
Why does everything have to be “American led?
Good question.
Cause we have the planes,they go first.
Clinton keep country safe Defeat ISIS dismantle their global network. air campaign , Kurdish troops take down their internet. Work with tech companies. work with Muslim American groups not demonize them.
Why is O’Malley getting another chance before Bernie?
Think he just jumped in.
He’s out of control. They’re trying to calm him down but it’s not working.
Desperation is showing. He’s really cutting in. Glad every one called him on it.
Marty, at 4% what the hell aew you still doing here?
Bernie says we have to deeshtroy ISIS. He’s trying not to sound like an idiot when it comes to foreign policy.
Of course he’s bringing up the Iraq vote, saw that one coming
uh huh……….
How do we stop lone wolf attack? Sanders Crush and destroy ISIS. Hero is Jordan Abdulluh. Muslims should lead that ground attack.
Hillary keep on TRUMP tonight! Go Girl.
Bernie voted against the war in Iraq in 2002. It’s now 2015. Get over it.
She looks very good tonight.
Very. Here is the best remark from the monitors: Bernie you asked where were the rules in response to Martin jumping all over the board, now you MUST follow the rules here! Hell yeah, follow the fucking rules Bernie.
More guns will not make Americans safer. Create deeper closer communications within our country. The rhetoric coming from RNC and especially Trump is inciting this fire.
Sanders, 300 million guns in this country, bring together sensible gun safety. He recognizes the US wants to strengthen rules, mentally ill or criminal and will abide by it.
O’Malley what would you do with already pruchased guns, —-duh
Jeeze. O’Malley is really desperate. He’s filibustering.
Props to Martin for calling ISIL by their proper name
I keep losing the stream. There must be a lot of people watching. I might have to rely on you guys to know what’s happening.
Clinton just turned guns into a fine consensus argument!
Clinton, don’t don’t let Trump be an ISIS recruiter.
Keep it up, Hillary Trump the ashol
How is this thing going? I can’t get a live feed anywhere.
She is magnificent!
Ditto, and I like her loud, getting ready to go face to face with Trump.
Hillary hammering Trump. She’s so wonderful 😭😭😭
Trump is going to go after her big time/
Ugh, let him. He’s appalling.
Sanders we have a dangerous moment in US, and while the 1% are getting richer and Trump is blaming the “Other”
Tech and encryption, Clinton, we need a “Manhattan Project” to create a new system. Otherwise we always have to balance and depend on the neighbors to call out when they see problems
Clinton clearly has little/no idea how computers and the internet work.
She knows a hell lot more than Bernie, who wasn’t aware that his employee, who had 20 years in computers, go in the back friggin door. She definitely understands that.
O’Malley, we need to speak to what unites us as a people…freedom of worship, etc.
New Hampshire governor wants to halt immigration, Clinton? Clinton we need to carefully review vetting tough and go forward. Prioritize widows orphans.. it already takes 18-24 months.
O’Malley -Caldean Christians are being targeted.
Sanders…you voted to send troops to Afghanistan why not Syria? We can’t be the world police. This a war for the soul of Islam so the Middle East must step up. Saudi Arabia must do Syria instead of Yemen.
It seems as if O’Malley’s plan is to each time say something different, or focus on some other aspect, than the other two candidates. A kind of differential marketing, or egotism. I don’t know what his long-term goal is. He’s certainly not going to be VP
Agreed.
Clinton.. We were attacked from Afghanistan that’s why we went there. In Syria its different, ISIS wants us there as a recruiting tool. we do have to form a coalition and not alienate the very countries you are trying to help.
Clinton are you prepared to increase the war once you are president? That’s a false question because I would focus on the the coalition.
O’Malley no safe havens. Martha, this will not be the last place where countries fail.
OOHH, Clinton, I helped in 2012 to construct the agreement that is now being addressed. they are currently working to de-conflict the Syrian-Russian air space
Bush and Cheney opened a can of worms over there and no one actually knows what to do.
That is the bottom line to all this mess.
Sanders- I disagree, that Assad should be removed.- Clinton, I just said that.
Sanders said that 5 times.
Clinton you think both Assad and ISIS should be worked on at the same time. Sanders thinks ISIS should go first. Clinton unless you work on both you won’t get all side to agree. Sanders we must look to ISIS first because that is our first priority.
O’Malley, leave the cold war behind us. Clinton was gleeful when Gaddafi left. We must focus on destroying ISIl.
O’Malley is going ape sh*t
Assad has killed 250 thousand Syrians. We have a strategy and finally UN Council behind us. If the US does not lead there is not another leader behind us.
Clinton was yelling on that one.
Good, cause they aren’t listening.
Hillary is the only candidate in either party who has any idea what she/he is talking about with regard to foreign policy issues, or any experience to back it up. The rest of them just say whatever pops into their heads, or what they think might excite the voters.
Very true.
Yeppers.
Sanders we have rigged economy. Tell the billionare class pay fair share, 15bucks. Equity for women real unemployment 10% rebuild infrastructure. Best educated tax on wall street to make education free.
O’Malley, make invest choices. increase education funding. infrastructure. 100% clean energy. 15 strategic goals. new agenda for cities.
Oh, please, some moderator ask Sanders how he is going to get any of this past the Republican Congress. Oh, I know, a revolution.
A revolution, in which he isn’t even there.
70% consumption economy if the game is rigged, its good we three are talking about it. raise incomes, incentive profit sharing. equal pay for equal work transparency. college affordability and drug affordablity. Should corporate america love Clinton? Everybody should!
Clinton Jobs in small business.
OMG, she mentioned Market Basket!
I loved that!!
Sanders, should corporate america love you ? nope and wall street even less. 6 financial institutions do all the credit cards and mortgages, bring back Glalss Steagall, Greed is destroying the economy.
O’Malley, My way don’t make wages go up or capitalism or cronies. Clinton was shamefull on last debate by hiding her relationship with 911.
Clinton, there are 2 hedge funds against me right now. 3% of my donations come from corporations, most come from small like teachers. Too much I can’t get it all.
Yes.
I think Hillary has been great tonight. This is her best performance yet.
Now Sanders is going to whine and complain.
Doesn’t Bernie have a super pak?
No, but there are some groups doing the same thing for him. I’ll get you the link.
From The Atlantic:
Bernie Sanders’s Super PACs
Yes, I see the nurse’s union is putting up signs all over the place:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/politics/elections/super-pac-nurses-back-sanders
Sanders, My name was invoked. I helped lead the effort against Clinton, RNC etc to get rid of Glass Stegall.
Hillary Clinton is the most intelligent, most prepared, most experienced candidate on any candidate stage.
She is the best suited for this job and the most qualified by far.
Wtf does Hillary have to with GS, she wasn’t president. Geez
Clinton what is broken in Affordable care act and how to fix it. Out of pocket is too high and drugs are through the roof. Medicare to necogiate costs. Martha costs up 27%. Clinton yes they are glitches. Part of it is the States that did not sign on and everyone has to pay.
Sanders, Yes we took care of pre-existing conditions, but we spend 3 times UK and 50% more than France for the same service. We must pass health care for all.
Sanders cost of college education. We should have well paid teachers instead of foot ball fields and presidents. Put a spcualtion tax on Wall Street. Make public colleges free. Like high school and reduce existing debt.
I’m going to post this link again for anyone who didn’t see it on the previous post.
Four Questions Bernie Sanders Needs to Answer, by Jennifer Palmieri
I don’t think he answered those questions, but by morning two more staffers were fired! And I see the pundits are out with Bernie saying he is sorry, but not in the context that it was offered up. Regardless of that, the Sunday morning reports, are all about DNC not be fair, and that HILLARY was to harsh on Trump, and where were those videos?
Debbie Wasserman Schulz again pointed out the issue of concern, and CNN asked her to prove those videos! Give us a break, like CNN, MSNBC, and all the other media groups haven’t ever interviewed Trump on the subject of Muslims, like nobody has any videos of Trump speaking at the debates, like the international community have never heard Trump uttering his hateful speeches, like nobody knows he wants Muslims out of country, and not allowed in. There was the host this morning on CNN, acting like nobody sent youtubes out to friends, and family, and other news sources all over the world. Are we that stupid?
For him to say she went too far, is bullshit.
What do you think?
Completely full of shit. Donald Trump should be condemned. She called out his obvious racism and xenophobic policy suggestion. He’s a horrible human being that every one should condemn. Kasich and Jeb are doing it too. Kasich made an ad even.
Exactly!
Sorry, I just can’t look at Bernie Sanders without seeing Larry David.
Bwahahaha!!
I’m getting really sick and tired of hearing about what O’Malley did in Maryland.
O”Malley A block grant progam. an income program for students a tax on high volume trades.
Clinton new college compact, States must put back into the system. I don’t believe in free education but do think it should be made affordable for low income. I have looked at Sanders it really does transfer all costs to the State and it’s trillions.
It would make middle class pay more.
I like that she doesn’t think we need to pay for rich kids too.
Yeah, we already pay for rich kids education, with all the tax breaks their parents have.
Clinton I am committed to not raising of middle class taxes. $200 thousand or less.
Should pay family leave and Sanders wants middle class to pay $1.60 a week. Clinton says she has another way.
I have a really hard time believing he could enact all these great plans with the middle class only paying $1.60 a week
O’Malley want to balance the budget.
Marty, please STFU! I am begging you!
He is relentless! Imagine have him as president lecturing us every day?
I’m muting him.
He’s irritating a lot of people. I’ve been keeping an eye on my twitter and face book feed and it’s a frequent complaint.
Hillary has shown that she’s been in the fight to better America for years. Her evaluation of the issues at home and around the world, shows that she is ready to fight for years to come. She can handle the job, she has the skills, and she will influence decisions that we would never have to be ashamed of.
I absolutely agree!
Clinton we have systemic racism we need to fix the Ferguson effect. Community effort. Rebuild trust in policing
O’Malley inmprove how we police the police. more open, more transparent.
I’ve got a Min Pin who loves to get those rats. I propose a city rat dog handlers position, and paid rat dogs.
Yeah, Marty, but Baltimore still has rats as big as dogs.
lol
And he’s responsible for the law enforcement situation there. He was a law and order mayor who cooked the books to make his policies look successful.
Sanders, we have more people in jail 80 billion a year locking ourselves up. Major reform of a broken criminal justice, not shooting unarmed African Americans, take marijuana out controlled substance law. More jobs more education not jails.
Heroin, Clinton Feds to offer 10 million to fix it. Too many opiods being prescribed that needs to change.
O’Malley agrees with overprescribing.
Glad they’re talking about Heroin, one of the biggest problems out there right now
My typing is terrible, especially in this environment.
Thanks for the play by play. Great to be in the company of such witty and astute political commentators again.
Hey, thanks for coming. It’s nice to see you!
Nice to see you too!
Clinton, overthrow of Gaddafi, we offered a lot more than they wanted to Libya.
O’Malley we have a lack of intelligence, and 150 miles of ISIL dominated coastline in Libya.
Marty is a bastard. He worked in Chris Stephens.
Agreed, he is clearly trying his best to wound.
Clinton’ is it time to change the role of Presidential spouse? Clinton whoever is part of the family is engaged I will probably pick the flowers and China, but he will have is own role.
Sanders complemented Clinton’s role of First Lady. His wife will be great as based on her past experience and as forceful advocate for teenagers and children.
After the debate, on CNN, they had a panel of pundits……….including David Alexrod (who hasn’t helped the situation regarding Sanders/DNC)………..The question was asked what do you think about Hillary’s response to role of First lady, saying she would select flowers, and china for hosting dinners. Damn near everyone put her down for saying this, and said she was a real feminist, or that she has no time for that. I’ll try to find that segment, but I damn well know that I myself have a thing for arrangements, and flowers, and I don’t go overboard with gathering them up, but I set my table, and I set my atmosphere, and I like to put a flower in a little bowl next to the bed, and put flowers were I damn well want to. I don’t ask my husband, but he clearly likes to buy me flowers to arrange. I also collected pottery for years, and loved California pottery. I’ve had 6 different patterns by different artist, and I loved to select the set to use with the company I had and the event. So Hillary having a interest in flowers and china is a good thing, shows me a side of her that I too share with her. It’s not to say she going to spend time on flowers and china, and ignor the job as president. But listening to the panel, they pissed me off, because they decided to put her “in a box” and label it. Which is bullshit.
Yes bullshit; flower protocol and dish selection is highly specialized, as we know from reading the adventures of First Ladies. She will make sure that diplomatic protocol is in order as it relates to her last job.
Example: no white flowers for the Chinese as they represent death.
O’Malley my wife is accomplished as a lawyer and judge; she will decide if she wants to continue working katie will do whatever she wants to do.
I don’t remember candidates recommending their spouses as qualifications before.
WTF are they thinking?
I thought MSNBC was going to have debate follow up, but it’s still prison break videos.
What is that, a joke?
Chris Matthews said they were going to be on all night discussing the debate.
Maybe now, I just thought it was funny that is was prison break videos.
I just want to say in regards to Hillary’s recommendations in regards to Libya, it was not her decision making, it was the President, it is he who is held responsible for those decisions. HE is the decision maker, and next in line is the Sect. of Defense, not the SOS! At that time we might look back and see what the hell the republicans were doing, and they kept saying that our President was LEADING from behind.
Les we forget, it was not easy, and for Martin to come in and say what he thought Chris Stevens was doing, well, never mind. R.I. P. Stevens.
Sanders, my father came from Poland, grew up in rent controlled, mother died early but her kids went to college. I know what it is like to grow up worried about money and I want a future of promise.
I’ve never heard Sanders speak about his parents before. It was heartfelt.
O’Malley we make a better country by building, not by fear and surrender of freedoms Address climate change and get beyond these times.
May the force be with you!!!!!!!! I love it!!!!!!!!
Clinton- on january 2017 if a Repug is in the WH we know that many things will be at risk. This is a watershed election. I and we will do what it take to make sure every child has their god given chance to thrive good night and may the force be with you!
“May the force be with you!” Love it!
That was so goddamn brilliant in so many ways.
Put both your hands on your computer screen with me, and say Hillary, use the force!
Done!
I’m with you, Fannie and Beata, too.
Donep
O’Malley is a Democrat in ideas, but in presentation, he’s a slick salesman; almost Republican with the anecdotes and the sloppy reach for the heartstrings. Done.
Maybe this is really about the next election cycle. “A different generation”.
So as soon as we are on local commentary they are talking about the data breach again. It’s really stupid to keep this up.
Channel 10: New Hampshire
Who would be VP, not O’Malley. HRC might pick a latino, but she/he must likeable. In the end HRC’s negatives are almost as high as Trump’s and VP must balance that. No real answers.
Was baiting Trump the right strategy? No, because they still don’t think he will be the candidate.
Still talking Rubio.
They’re trying to brand the Republican party and ensure that Hispanics and other minorities think all of them are like that.
After invoking Rubio, I don’t think I can take the talking heads any more. Nite all.
Job well done Hillary, and a good night to all.
Indeed, Fannie, job well done.
“And may the force be with you” #micdrop
Yup. Exactly.
Very, very late catching up. For a while I couldn’t take current events any more and had to take a break. What good commentary!
Dems have adults for candidates. Republicans have toddlers.