Seth Meyers’ closer look at the Democratic debate winners and losers

Seth Meyers called out the theatrics of the Democratic debate and analyzed the candidates’ performances.

The Democratic debate was just as big of a night for late night shows as it was for the candidates running for president. With only slightly less late night shows than Democrats on stage, it was important for everyone to stand out somehow. Seth Meyers used his trademark “A Closer Look” for his debate coverage.

While fellow Emmy nominee Stephen Colbert focused mostly on Bernie Sanders, Meyers covered as much of the field as he could during “A Closer Look.” There are plenty of Democratic candidates that the public are not familiar with or couldn’t recognize. Meyers used that to his advantage in crafting his jokes.

Meyers also included CNN on his list of targets, questioning why the network took such a theatrical approach to its broadcast. The opening of the debate seemed more like the start of the Super Bowl than a political event.

Meyers frames Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as the parental figures of the group. He portrays Sanders as the cranky old man who won’t put up with any backtalk from John Delaney. Warren will “turn the car around” if everyone can’t get along and by that, she means avoiding Republican talking points.

Meyers keeps this idea going by recapping the ways in which moderate candidates like Delaney and Tim Ryan challenged Sanders and Warren. And much like kids who try to challenge and defy their parents, it did not go well.

The end of the segment questions why CNN gave so much time to Delaney and Ryan who are not serious contenders for the nomination. Perhaps it was in the interest of fairness and equal time but for Meyers, it was just another way in which the entire debate was run strangely.

Meyers still credits the candidates for differentiating themselves while on stage. It is something Meyers himself can appreciate as night after night, he separates himself from the other late night hosts. Yes, they are all covering the same stories but Meyers sticks to his sense of humor and makes sure his voice stands out from the rest. “A Closer Look” lets him do this time and time again.