My top 5 Democratic debate takeaways

I wasn't sure I would do it. While staying abreast, of course, of what is going on politically, I have had no interest in the last year of steeping myself fully into the mix-mess. I ended up doing it, though: I watched the second half of the first Democratic presidential primary debate Wednesday night and all of the second debate on Thursday. Not much has changed since my semi-leave of absence. There I was again, caught up and commenting on social media.

Twenty candidates had the opportunity, 10 on each day, to answer questions about various issues. That's a trip in and of itself.

It's nearly impossible to hear much from any one person who is sharing the stage with so many. Some are standing around silent, making me wonder if they would be better served doing something else at that time. Others -- my sense is these are those who were considered the more viable candidates -- were allowed to push their way in or talk longer or more often than others.

The talking over one another and biting -- metaphoric, of course (at least for now) -- reminded me of a catfight. This was perfect for California Sen. Kamala Harris, who used this as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the bad behavior of her opponents:

"America does not want to witness a food fight; they want to know how we're going to put food on their table." Cute. And I'm not sure she's right. I think there's something in Americans that delights in these "food fights." It's entertainment.

I've often joked that years ago, God delivered me from soap operas and replaced them with political debates.

Here are some things that stood out in particular during the two nights:

1. When I returned home from church Wednesday night, the first debate was already in progress. It seemed that everyone who answered after I tuned in was speaking Spanish.

I love Spanish. A friend even gave me a Spanish-English Bible recently, which I enjoy. So don't misunderstand. It just struck me that the answers I first heard were in Spanish. I couldn't help but wonder if you had to be able to speak Spanish to participate in a debate for the U.S. presidency. But this was in Miami, and we all know the pandering that goes on in politics. I guess it's like the pandering that goes on when politicians speak to a black audience. All of a sudden, they develop this southern black dialect and carry hot sauce in their purses. All of a sudden, they "don't feel no ways tired" -- pronouncing it "tied." Ask Hillary.

2. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was pressing too hard. Almost from the start, she tried to jump in to comment.

I sort of wondered if she was doing what I learned to do early in my college career: If you haven't done all the required reading, begin to comment early on in the class discussion. That way, your professors won't call on you later when they get to the chapters you did not finish because you've already talked too much. It's a brilliant strategy. But Gillibrand kept trying to talk, kept pushing, and the moderators didn't seem to take her seriously. It was like, "Yeah, yeah, OK. We need to move on."

3. Most candidates were scratching to speak and scratching harder to speak longer than their allotted time. Not former Vice President Joe Biden. He's the only candidate who would stop in the middle of his answer and ask, "My time is up?"

I nearly fell off my seat laughing. It's like he found himself in the middle of nowhere with his mouth running and wanted to bail himself out by playing the gentleman interested in following the rules. And, "By golly, if the moderators won't cut me off, I'll just cut myself off 'cause I'm just nice like that."

4. We all know most politicians speak out of both sides of their mouths, but this was just glaring: The candidates' thoughts about immigration didn't reveal a commitment to following our laws. However, former Rep. John Delaney, when chiming in on impeaching President Donald Trump, said, "No one is above the law, and this president, who is lawless, should not be above the law."

I'm confused. Why is this not the case with immigration? Look, I know immigration is complicated, but all I'm saying is be consistent. Did you really mean no one is above the law -- or were you just making conversation?

5. Kamala Harris again. Talk about skillfully using the race card. When the issue of race emerged into which she was not allowed to interject, she pounced: "As the only black person on this stage, I would like to speak on the issue of race." And everything halted. It was like the parting of the Red Sea, and she walked right through.

She was indeed allowed to speak. But of course. Who wants to be accused of being racially insensitive?

I don't know if she will make a good president, but she certainly makes good use of big moments. She even spanked the former vice president by calling attention to his history regarding segregation.

Two nights of debates revealed what we are in store for until November 2020. If nothing else, it confirmed much of what this stuff has become: pandering, hypocrisy, jockeying, comedy -- you know, the usual mix-mess we call U.S. politics.

Adrienne Ross is owner of Adrienne Ross Communications and a former Southeast Missourian editorial board member.