Debate coach: In South Carolina, an underdog came out on top

Editor’s Note: Todd Graham is the director of debate at Southern Illinois University. His debate teams have won five national championships, and he has been recognized three times as the national debate coach of the year. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter. The views expressed in this commentary belong solely to the author. View more opinion at CNN.

Color me disappointed that the Democratic debate in South Carolina on Fat Tuesday didn’t begin with a parade. No matter, the debate was the parade. Unfortunately, due to disorganization and underpreparation by the moderators, it was a circus parade.

Todd Graham

The moderators lost control of the debate within minutes and never got it back, including a strange nonconclusion ending to the event. Somehow, I still found a way to grade everybody through all the nonsense and cross talk.

A-

Tom Steyer

He began by agreeing with Bernie Sanders that the economy is not working for the majority of Americans and finished the same answer with a criticism of President Donald Trump. It’s a smart debating technique to find areas of agreement with your popular opponent while reminding the audience of a common enemy.

While Steyer was labeled a “Tommy come lately” by Joe Biden for his work in prison reform (Biden was playing off “Johnny come lately”), Steyer still came out looking strong with what he’s done to correct racial injustice by starting a bank to help minority-owned businesses. Indeed, Steyer’s theme that he’s fought for all types of justice – economic, climate, racial – was quite persuasive. Finally, his criticism of flag-waving Republicans siding with our enemies (he was talking about Russia) was particularly effective. He was interrupted by the moderators for going over time once, but other than that, Steyer was the most effective at using the time he had in the debate.

B+

Bernie Sanders

Sanders got talked over a lot in this debate, and it was to be expected. His front-runner status made those interruptions almost inevitable. However, he handled himself well, never appearing to get too angry or frustrated. And that’s a tough thing to do.

I liked Sanders’ nuance in the debate. He admitted that while casting thousands of votes, he’s made some bad ones, including on gun policy, but made clear that his position has now changed. His defense of the educational system in Cuba was also smartly nuanced. Sanders argued that everything in Cuba isn’t automatically bad, just like everything in United States history (such as overthrowing other governments) isn’t automatically perfect. For the most part, the criticisms leveled against Sanders weren’t unified enough to stick.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 19: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) (R) makes a point as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg raise their hands during the Democratic presidential primary debate at Paris Las Vegas on February 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Six candidates qualified for the third Democratic presidential primary debate of 2020, which comes just days before the Nevada caucuses on February 22. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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B

Elizabeth Warren

Warren began the debate hot, with an opening that acknowledged Sanders’ strength in the primary because of the popularity of progressive ideals. It was a clever way to gain traction with the audience, knowing she would soon turn to discussing her own progressive ideals. She maintained her steam throughout the night with sharp arguments – like that Bloomberg is a risky choice.

On the downside, Warren stopped her own momentum by bringing up the elimination of the filibuster in the Senate. It’s been a real buzzkill for her, and she’d be better off focusing her answers, well, anywhere else. There’s just not enough time in these responses to lay the groundwork for the argument she’s trying to make. After that, Warren didn’t have much of an impact in the back half of the debate.

B-

Pete Buttigieg

This was a tough grade to figure out. There were times during this debate when I very much liked Buttigieg. He was terrific on the topic of education, mentioning his experience being married to an educator. Mostly, the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor had his sights set on Sanders. Buttigieg argued persuasively that Sanders at the top of the ticket would hurt all other Democrats running for office. His other effective criticism was that Sanders’ “revolution” doesn’t bode well if the man won’t even support a simple rule change to support a Senate filibuster, repurposing the talking point that had been ineffective for Warren for his own advantage.

But there were also times during this debate when Buttigieg did poorly. He interrupted everyone way too often, especially Sanders. At one point, Buttigieg seemed determined to not even let Sanders speak. Because of this, Buttigieg came across at times as pushy, which interfered with his message.

MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE - FEBRUARY 07: Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg participates in the Democratic presidential primary debate in the Sullivan Arena at St. Anselm College on February 07, 2020 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Seven candidates qualified for the second Democratic presidential primary debate of 2020 which comes just days before the New Hampshire primary on February 11. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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B-

Amy Klobuchar

Klobuchar’s best moments were before the first commercial break. Her specific criticisms of the cost of Sanders’ “Medicare for All” plan were the sharpest of the bunch. Some of her strongest points were in support of rural America, where she talked about wages, housing, and education. And Klobuchar was excellent while opining that she, not Sanders, will follow through and get things done.

On the downside, after the first hour, she failed to find a rhythm with her answers and meandered away from any central focus. Many of her jokes fell flat (Klobuchar and Bloomberg should give seminars on how not to tell a joke). Finally, Klobuchar occasionally got interrupted by the moderators before she could finish her point, which was particularly noticeable on the final softball question.

C

Michael Bloomberg

Bloomberg started badly by arguing without evidence that Sanders was getting help from Russia to win the primary. You can’t make bold claims like that in a debate without backing them up right then and there. Eventually Bloomberg settled in and gained momentum, becoming a stronger debater as the event rolled into the second hour. He successfully defended his record as mayor of New York on issues ranging from education, jobs, housing, and even reminding us that many black officials endorsed him.

Some new attacks of Bloomberg found their mark. For instance, Warren mentioned his funding of right-wing candidates with some success. But Bloomberg didn’t roll over in this debate, answering the criticism sufficiently with counterexamples. On the downside, his forced humor was off-putting, and he stumbled over some of his answers, never finishing his thought on several occasions.

C-

Joe Biden

Before the first commercial break, I thought that Biden was doing well and would get a top grade. Then, for the last hour, his repertoire consisted of yelling, pointing, and complaining about his speaking time. At one point, Biden said to the moderators, “Why am I stopping? No one else stops.” Anger and complaining. That was the last hour, and it’s not the most effective debating strategy.