Hope Was In The Air

     You didn't happen to watch the Democratic debate the other night, did you?
     Well, don't feel bad, nobody else watched it, either. Or just about nobody. Or at least just about nobody I know, and I run with a pretty political bunch.

    So if hardly anybody I know watched it, I figure hardly anybody at all must have watched it.
    I nearly didn't watch it myself. Ever since the first debate back in August, which I found to be a nice getting-to-know-you event (see post from 6/28/2019, "The Air Is Hummin'), I haven't watched much of the subsequent debates, which, after the first one, seemed more like tiresome affairs with a dozen or so people vying to get a word in edgewise as opposed to imparting any relevant enlightenment.
       And besides, there's so much alarming, consequential news constantly coming at us, day and night, night and day,

...that it's hard to scrape up enough left-over interest in current national events not of the highest level of heart-thumping urgency. Which the Democratic debate somehow didn't seem to be.
    However, with expectations low and attention span at half-mast, I decided to watch at least the first few minutes of the debate.
      And I'm glad that I did. Because, from the first few minutes onward, this one was a really good debate - at last.

     With only six candidates on the stage:

     Joe Biden,

Elizabeth Warren,

 Amy Klobuchar,

Bernie Sanders,

Pete Buttigieg,

...and Tom Steyer,

...there was time for each of them to present and enlarge upon their plans in detail, and everyone had plans: plans for dealing with Iran and the middle east; trade plans; plans for affordable health care, child care, and higher education; plans to address climate change, environmental  issues, and the economy.
     And everyone spoke so coherently. Lots of straightforward “yes’s” and “no’s” to questions. So much meat and potatoes. So satisfying.
       And there was so much civility among the candidates, and so much agreement on the issues and on policy. Sometimes the candidates even referenced or agreed with or emphasized each other’s ideas. 

     There was a sense of collegiality among them.

       They even shared an occasional joke.
      And though the candidates generally spun their ideas in their own way and in their own direction, there was general agreement over goals and principles. 
      Nobody went after each other. Nobody’s fangs were bared or claws were out. I liked it.
      I especially liked that Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders cordially agreed to disagree over whether Sanders once told Warren that a woman couldn't be elected President, and when questioned by one of the moderators on the subject neither took the bait to fight.
​        (Of course there is speculation that the two took the fight out behind the school yard for a moment after the debate was over, but in view of how smoothly they played off any contention during the debate I think we should just let that moment go.)

​     Listening to these candidates debate felt like, after having been subjected for three years to a steady menu of head-banging, heavy death metal hard rock,

...suddenly hearing the smooth, dulcet tones of fine classical music.
     Nor did any of the candidates waste time excessively slamming Donald Trump, but rather used their time to talk about their own ideas for bettering our country.
       And what good, sensible, ideas. I found myself suddenly feeling optimistic and hopeful that big ideas were possible, big ideas that really could reform health care in this country, save the planet from climate change, pull us back from the brink of war with Iran.     
      And suddenly optimistic and hopeful that someone up on that stage could deliver us from Donald Trump.