Some viewers of Thursday night’s Democratic debate took to social media to comment on the moving background behind the seven presidential candidates who faced off in Los Angeles, calling it "distracting."
The seven candidates — former Vice President Joe Biden
Joe BidenPoll: Bloomberg stalls after Vegas debate Bloomberg campaign: Vandalism at Tennessee office 'echoes language from the Sanders campaign and its supporters' Democratic strategist says Biden 'has to' get second place in Nevada MORE; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Peter (Pete) Paul ButtigiegPoll: Bloomberg stalls after Vegas debate Bloomberg campaign: Vandalism at Tennessee office 'echoes language from the Sanders campaign and its supporters' Buttigieg to join striking South Carolina McDonald's workers next week MORE (D); Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann WarrenPoll: Bloomberg stalls after Vegas debate Bloomberg unveils billboards to troll Trump ahead of campaign stops John Legend joining Warren in South Carolina next week: report MORE (D-Mass.); Sen. Bernie Sanders
Bernie SandersPoll: Bloomberg stalls after Vegas debate Prominent Texas Latina endorses Warren Bloomberg campaign: Vandalism at Tennessee office 'echoes language from the Sanders campaign and its supporters' MORE (I-Vt.); Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Amy Jean KlobucharPoll: Bloomberg stalls after Vegas debate Washington Post fact-checker gives Bloomberg 4 Pinocchios for 'deceptive editing' in campaign ad The Hill's 12:30 Report: Dem anxiety grows ahead of Super Tuesday MORE (D-Minn.); entrepreneur Andrew Yang
Andrew YangHillicon Valley: Intel officials warned lawmakers Russia interfering in 2020 | Pompeo condemns Russian cyberattack on country of Georgia | Tech activists see Kickstarter union as breakthrough | Pentagon agency suffers data breach Manhattan DA investigating new abuse claims against doctor accused by Evelyn Yang March For Our Lives co-founders endorse Sanders MORE; and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer
Tom Fahr SteyerThe Hill's 12:30 Report: Dem anxiety grows ahead of Super Tuesday Five takeaways from new fundraising reports for 2020 Democrats Buttigieg and Biden haven't invested in any ads in the crucial Super Tuesday states: WSJ analysis MORE — debated issues ranging from President Trump
Donald John TrumpComey responds to Trump with Mariah Carey gif: 'Why are you so obsessed with me?' Congress to get election security briefing next month amid Intel drama New York man accused of making death threats against Schumer, Schiff MORE’s impeachment this week to climate change and trade. As they talked, the names and logos of debate's hosts PBS NewsHour and Politico streamed behind the candidates.
Some were quick to complain about the moving text. Attorney Michael Avenatti tweeted: "I don’t know who came up with the idea to have a moving background behind the candidates tonight, but it’s terrible."
I don’t know who came up with the idea to have a moving background behind the candidates tonight, but it’s terrible.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) December 19, 2019
Washington Post writer Neil Greenberg tweeted: “How distracting is the background during these debates? Very. Extremely. I can’t talk I have vertigo."
How distracting is the background during these debates?
— Neil Greenberg (@ngreenberg) December 19, 2019
Very
Extremely
I can’t talk I have vertigo
Amanda Terkel, HuffPost Washington Bureau Chief, tweeted: “I’m a no on this moving debate backdrop.”
I’m a no on this moving debate backdrop
— Amanda Terkel (@aterkel) December 19, 2019
Others chimed in with their thoughts on the now-viral background behind the candidates.
Overheard at the @DNC : “Hey, I’ve got an idea...let’s take a bunch of unlikable candidates and make their debate even more unwatchable by adding a distracting and dizzying background!” cc: @PBS @politico
— Jon Blumenthal (@JonBlumenthal) December 19, 2019
@NewsHour / @politico: STOP moving the background behind the Democratic candidates at tonight's debate.
— Sharon Carbine (@SharonCarbine) December 19, 2019
The motion is SICKENING – literally! Person behind this problem is a destructive idiot.@PBS @JudyWoodruff @Yamiche @IAmAmnaNawaz @TimAlberta @CNN @MSNBC @ChrisCuomo @maddow
Who’s the doofus who thought it would be a good idea to have the background constantly moving on the Democratic debate? #DemDebate
— Roger Simon (@politicoroger) December 19, 2019
#DemDebate on a stylistic note, this PBS/Politico background at the debate is doing too much should’ve been a majority solid (not moving text) color imo
— Tamanisha J John (@TamanishaJohn) December 19, 2019
