Glenn Harlan Reynolds

Opinion columnist

So I watched the Democrats’ debate Tuesday night, all three hours of it, which probably makes me a loser. But here are some winners and losers, as I saw them.

Winners

Former Vice PresidentJoe Biden: He’s old, but he looked energetic and spoke clearly. He made a few errors — who’s “clipping coupons” in “the stock market”? But in general, he was forceful and seemed knowledgeable. In particular, he nailed Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on how her health care plan would increase taxes on the middle class. And he was surprisingly sensible in dismissing “court packing” schemes. His final remarks were a bit over the top, but after three hours I’d probably have been raving, too.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii: When she challenged her colleagues who wanted an “end to endless wars” but who were also criticizing President Donald Trump from withdrawing troops from Syria, she didn’t back down, and blasted The New York Times and a CNN contributor for calling her a “Russian asset” for criticizing what she called the “regime change war” in Syria. She then challenged Warren, who says we shouldn’t have troops in the Middle East at all, on the issue. On this and other issues, she was firm, clear, and was willing to buck the herd. And in her closing remarks, quoting Lincoln, she said, “I don’t see deplorables, I see fellow Americans.”

Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana: He made mincemeat of former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who dodged a question from Anderson Cooper on how he would enforce a ban on assault weapons. Beto was left looking flustered and trying to claim that Mayor Pete was insensitive to victims of violence, which was a bad look for him.

A liberal's take:Bernie Sanders is big winner in Democratic debate: Scorecard from columnist Jason Sattler

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont: A guy who can have a heart attack and come back a few weeks later, yelling louder than anyone else for three hours, is winning. He was asked about his health, and he answered loudly, and then charmingly thanked his post-attack well-wishers. And he scored on Biden with his remarks about bipartisan support for the Iraq War.

Losers

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas: Numerous fellow candidates criticized him for his “hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15” remarks. Between that and the drubbing that Mayor Pete administered, he had a very bad night.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts: Overall, her manner was noticeably stiffer and less comfortable than the other candidates, and O’Rourke, despite having a bad night, landed a telling shot when he accused her of “being punitive” and pitting one part of America against another. It was a fair charge, and it hurt; she looked flustered as she limply said she didn’t think she was punitive. Also, as several of her colleagues pointed out, she repeatedly dodged questions about whether she would increase taxes on the middle class. She also dodged Kamala Harris’ question about Trump and Twitter. And her delivery reminds me more and more of Hillary Clinton, which seems unpromising.

FormerHousing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro: Several times I forgot he was even on the stage for 30 minutes or more.

Tom Steyer: Everyone on the stage was hating on billionaires, and he was the only billionaire on stage.

Russian President Vladimir Putin: I don’t think this many Democrats have stood on a stage and promised to stand against Russian infiltration in my lifetime. Seriously, it’s a huge pivot from when President Barack Obama mocked Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012 for calling Russia our "biggest geopolitical threat."

Honorable mention

Andrew Yang: He responded to Sanders’ federal jobs program by noting that “most Americans do not want to work for the federal government.” True!

Final observation: The crowd was surprisingly quiet, but all the biggest applause lines related to abortion.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds, a University of Tennessee law professor and the author of "The New School: How the Information Age Will Save American Education from Itself," is a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors.