Thursday's Democratic debate was superior in every respect to Wednesday's. It seems there is an advantage to being on the panel on the second evening: a significant opportunity to scout out the journalists asking questions, to survey the audience and to gauge the look and feel of the venue.
But even if the second part's actors hadn't had those built-in edges, they all benefited from an almost palpable uptick in intelligence and sincere passion, led by the two clear winners: Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana. Both displayed an almost effortless eloquence and command of rhetorical devices.