It is fairly easy to understand Bernie Sanders. After all, he's barely changed his positions for decades, he still personally prefers to avoid getting personal (especially about himself), and he's proudly a self-proclaimed Independent Democratic Socialist. Since there isn't a Democratic Socialist Party, technically he's a registered Independent running for president on the Democratic ticket with a Democratic Socialist agenda. But he's Bernie, and it's the Democratic party, so one plus one equals two and a half when it comes to a Revolution.

Webb and Chafee are gone; one too complaining and strident, the other just oddly weird.

O'Malley helped himself by being present and forceful, a friendly lefty who turned Baltimore mayoral issues into neighborhood crime control success.

Sanders held his own and then some - he stuck to his platform without being defensive, didn't buy into the moderator's desire for conflict and came across as genuine and compelling.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people.

That's true. Unless you get pistol-whipped or somebody throws it at your head really hard, the gun won't kill you. What tears through flesh, arteries, organs and bone leaving a person dead or dying is the bullet.