O'Malley surprises Hill County Dems

Amid the loud music, crowds and poker tables, Hill County Democrats gathered at PJ's Restaurant and Casino Saturday night for a debate watch party.

Brenda Skornogoski, chair of the Hill County Democrats, said that two debates between the party's presidential candidates had already been televised, and she and Karen Datko, secretary of the Hill County Democrats, had been planning on hosting debate watch parties starting in November for quite some time.

For the first half hour, the debate, hosted by CBS News and the Des Moines Register, concentrated on Homeland Security and the United States-led fight against the Islamic State, often called ISIS. The debate came just days after six coordinated attacks by Islamic terrorists left at least 129 dead and 350 injured in Paris. The chaos has renewed debate about the U.S-led air campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, in which France has taken part and many believe, was the motivation for the attacks.

Skornogoski said the debate was "a whole new ballgame" following the bloodshed in Paris.

"And that's changed the debate," said Skornogoski. "It's changed the content, the questions."

All three candidates, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, expressed their condolences and spoke of their need to confront ISIS.

Clinton by far came off as the most hawkish,

"We need to have a resolve that will bring the world together to root out the kind of radical jihadist ideology that motivates organizations like ISIS, the barbaric, ruthless, violent jihadist, terrorist group," said Clinton.

But for most of the watch party viewers, it was the message of Sanders and O'Malley, emphasizing the need for more human intelligence, necessity of anticipating the consequences of U.S actions in the region and the need for Arab nations to take a larger role, that generated the most agreement.

Patrick Ulano of Havre, a Bernie Sanders supporter, said he would like to have heard more about what motivates the fundamentalism of those who make up the ranks of ISIS, a group he believes is fueled by a short-sighted and "iron-fisted" approach the United States has taken in the Middle East.

"We've gone to other countries and basically taken things out without thinking about the consequences of our actions," Ulano said.

But it was the performance by O'Malley, a candidate usually known for his stiff demeanor who is often eclipsed by both the poll numbers of Clinton and the large crowds at rallies for Sanders, that caught most by surprise.

"I'm going 'O'Malley, wow,'" said Skornogoski, who up until the debate said she was leaning toward supporting Sanders, but is now less sure.

After the first half hour, the debate moved toward domestic issues, touching on a range of topics including income disparity, taxes, health care, reducing the cost of college and immigration to name a few.

Ulano said that despite the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the U.S should move toward the sort of single-payer health care system being advocated by Sanders.

"The idea the market can decide what prices health care can be is ludicrous," said Ulano, saying that people may have the time and ability to compare prices of most goods such as cars, but when someone's health is involved, there is a greater urgency involved.

Though many commended her for her years of public service and advocacy, many said they had a feeling that Clinton was too beholden to special interests.

At one point in the debate, when her willingness to confront Wall Street was called into question, Clinton responded by saying 60 percent of her donors were women and that she helped resurrect Wall Street following the 9/11 attacks when she was a senator from New York.

Both answers drew jeers from local Democrats.

Susan Rawn of Havre, a self-described "early feminist," said Clinton's constant invocation of her gender amounted to identity politics.

"That is not what feminists are about," said Rawn, a Sanders supporter. "Feminists are about women getting equal treatment, not preferred treatment."

She also voiced unease at Clinton's close ties to the banking industry, citing Clinton's refusal to join her other two Democratic opponents in backing legislation that would reinstate Glass-Steagall, New Deal-era legislation that limited the financial ties between commercial and large investment firms. The legislation was repealed in the late 1990s, during the administration of Clinton's husband, President Bill Clinton.

"She's backed by dozens of big banks, big companies," Rawn said. "She is part of the establishment. I think we've had enough of that."

Most among the crowd said Clinton was polished and that O'Malley did better than expected, but many said their hearts were still with Sanders.

Skornogoski, though, said many Democrats are frustrated with what they see as the anointing of Clinton by the party elite.

"We're feeling left out," Skornogoski said.