"What I believe in is love." and thoughts from today's Democratic Debate -- Part 2

You are looking live at Des Moines, Iowa, site of the 458th Democratic Presidential debate. OK, again not live, since I have better things to do at 9:00 am. Obama says he's out of the rest of the debates (other than the "official" debates), but I'm not! I'll be here for all of them.

The first part of the debate is discussed here. Part two starts now...

• Well hang on a minute George. Why don't you tell us what's been going on for the last 30 seconds, or roll some video of what we missed. Don't tease us like that.


• So the first video question was from a farmer in overalls, and the second question was from some guy standing in front of what looks like an elementary school bulletin board, speaking so fast that they needed to add subtitles. Those were the two best questions ABC could get?


• Mike Gravel, when have you lied to your constituents? I haven't been truthful about just how lousy my opponents are.


• Biden says he's never not told the truth, in fact he says too much. How about you start with this answer.


• Kucinich also hasn't ever lied. Your nose is getting longer, Dennis.


• Obama says he doesn't talk enough about the cost of energy efficiency. Whatever. This is obviously a stupid question. No one wants to answer it.


• Edwards said it was when he voted for the war and didn't speak about his concerns. Hillary is saying the same thing, but without the sincerity. She just can't say she made a mistake without qualifying it. Can't do it.


• Richardson says he makes a mistake a week, but despite that, he'll be a great president who loves America and the constitution.


• Dodd says he's upset that he didn't filibuster the Military Commissions Act. And he got a hearty round of applause.


• I'm distracted by the fact that Dodd has snow white hair, and heavy dark brown eyebrows. I wonder if he'd look better or worse if his eyebrows were white as well.


• George qualified his question on education with the admission that no one was talking about it. I've got to say I'm not paying attention.


• Except that Richardson seems to be the only one who got real support form the crowd, with his suggestion that he has a one-point plan for No Child Left Behind and his proposal to add 100,000 math and science teachers.


• Gravel is reinforcing the idea that he is bat-shit crazy.


• Whoops, ABC just flashed the closing credits on the bottom of the screen as Biden started talking. Guess we know the producer wants to get out of here as soon as possible.


• How can you ask a yes-or-know question about the banking and mortgage crisis? What kind of a stupid idea is that. We could have an entire debate on this issue.


• It sounds like Kucinich wants the federal government to take over the mortgage industry. I'm not sure that would be a better idea.


• What was the decisive moment in your life:
• Kucinich: living in a car as a child.
• Obama: Going to college.
• Biden: The civil rights movement.
• Richardson: When my wife agreed to marry me.
• Gravel: When I realized that representative government was broken.
• Edwards: When he saw his father watching PBS. (no really)
• Dodd: Decision to join the peace corps. (He now has the fly on his head).
• Clinton: The women's movement. What a boring, pandering, unfulfilling answer.


• I want to know what Richardson resented. In his last answer, he started to say that he resented...and then Stephonopolous cut him off. I'd have liked to hear what he was upset about.

I'll be interested to see what everyone else thinks about the debate. For the first time, I thought Richardson did very well, and was the "winner." He was able to set himself apart on the war and on education, and his opponents were on the defensive in response to his positions (especially on the war).

If there was a loser (other than Gravel, who might as well be running for president of Saturn), it was Edwards. I think he's losing traction a little, despite the fact that the arena was obviously stuffed with his supporters. I also thought Clinton was a little less impressive than usual.

Until next time...

Tags: Election 2008 Democratic Primary Bill Richardson Chris Dodd Joe Biden John Edwards Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Dennis Kucinich

"What I believe in is love." and thoughts from today's Democratic Debate -- Part 1

You are looking live at Des Moines, Iowa, site of the 458th Democratic Presidential debate. OK, again not live, since I have better things to do at 9:00 am. Obama says he's out of the rest of the debates (other than the "official" debates), but I'm not! I'll be here for all of them. And away we go...

• Hey Hillary, Obama's not ready, right? Ho ho, ha ha. I'm not going to criticize a naive, inexperienced candidate on this stage, George.


• Senator Dodd, you've said Obama's completely out of touch. Should he be president? What kind of stupid questions are these to start? Why ask the seven candidates what they think about the eighth? What is that supposed to prove?


• Richardson takes the early lead! You've got Obama who represents change and Clinton who represents experience. Both are important, which is why you should vote for me.


• Obama with a nice line about the bumper cars at the fair. After talking about Pakistan, he says "there is one more thing I believe..." I hope to hell that he believes in more than Pakistan and just one other thing.


• George pins Hillary on nuclear weapons. I wonder if George feels like he needs to be tougher on Clinton, since he worked for the former president. Kind of like a father who coaches his son and is tougher on him so that he doesn't appear to be playing favorites.


• Looks like this is going to be the Hillary and Obama show.


• Hey, Obama has a fly on his forehead. Wonder if that's an indication that he's full of shit?


• Senator Edwards finally has a chance to speak and he starts by guffawing about hope and optimism? Clunk. He says "actually" when he's talking about his points. I find people who talk in those kind of terms to be a little shady.


• Michelle says Mike Gravel is "out of his mind." I like him because he gives me a chance to catch up with the blogging.


• Richardson seems engaged for a change.


• Again, here we go with the Clinton-bashing from Stephonopolous. Why would he ever start a question with Karl Rove's premise. Is it at all possible that Rove is talking badly about Clinton precisely because he is most afraid of her, not as some sort of objective observer? If Rove says Clinton is unelectable, I immediately suspect that he thinks she is the most formidable.


• Obama says he believes he is the best person to lead the country. Edwards counters that he "has a different view." Well no kidding, Mr. Obvious. If you didn't disagree, you would drop out and support Obama wouldn't you? I just don't see how this Washington lobbyist thing gains enough traction to help him.


• Clinton is right about Rove's obsession with her, as am I. Pardon me while I pat myself on the back.


• I guess all we are going to do for the next five minutes is argue about the influence of lobbyists. I guess the fact that the game is being played on Edwards turf right now is a good thing, but I just don't think this a huge issue.


• Chris Dodd is right about "situational ethics" where candidates think their donors are good and the opponents' donors are bad, but no one is listening because he is Chris Dodd and he sounds and talks like a generic senator.


• Hey, Kucinich is there! And he's pissed that he hasn't spoken for the first 15 minutes. He's talking about health care, but he's still pissed. He doesn't seem as happy as he has in previous debates.


• Tee it up for Richardson...and whiff. Don't use words like tri-partite. You turn people off by using big ambassador words. He should have started by saying he will bring the troops out, not adding that as an addendum to the end of his question.


• Hillary, help a brother out, yo! Michelle is tired of her not being specific on how she'd take the troops out. This is good for Richardson, in that he gets to stand out as the only one of the "top tier" who is committed to a quick withdrawal. Anytime every candidate is debating one candidates, position, it's a good thing for that candidate.


• Gravel wants to ally with Iran and Syria and let them have Iraq. Hoo boy!


• Richardson wants to know what the purpose of Clinton's and Biden's "residual force" is. Good question. Turn it on them. He overtalked the question, and lost some of the impact of it, but that's what he needs to do, force them to explain why troops need to stay.


• And even better news for Richardson: Obama agrees with Edwards, Clinton and Biden. The point has been made: Richardson is the only member of the top tier who is willing to stand up to take our troops out. He has to be thrilled with how this is going.


• Stephonopolous pinned Obama down on specifics, and Obama is starting to stammer a little. I don't think he wanted to get pinned down.


• Kucinich is still mad. He blames the "Democratic Senate" for going along with the war. Were the Democrats still in charge when the war was authorized? I'm going to half to look that one up.


• Do you believe in a personal God? Hillary says she can't hear the question. Sounds like she's trying to buy time to come up with an answer. That is not going to go over well with the religious folk (not that they were going to vote for her anyway).


• Dodd says we don't do anything "without [God's] approval." None of these guys sound convincing so far.


• Gravel: "What I believe in is love." Hasn't that been obvious throughout the debates? He is really a big cuddly teddy bear.


• Richardson seems sincere. Biden also seems sincere. And he's a martyr.


• Obama is speaking now. I've got to say, I'm looking past him. I can't wait to hear Kucinich's answer. Obama would pray for strength and wisdom. That's actually a pretty good answer.


• Kucinich: "I've been standing here for 45 minutes praying to God that you would call on me." Now that is the most candid answer of the night!


• Oh come on, they get a guy with overalls to ask a question? He can't be real, can he? He's got to be straight out of central casting.


• Chris Dodd wants the Internet in every farmer's home. That'll do it.


• Edwards has a number of supporters in the hall. I think he could advocate the torture of all dogs under 35 pounds and get a hearty round of applause.


• Obama always says that "every proposal that has been talked about is a good one" before adding his two cents. Every single time.


• Richardson gets 20 seconds to finish this segment. Much as I'm rooting for the guy, he couldn't recite his social security number in 20 seconds. And he gets cut off.

More to come.

Tags: Election 2008 Democratic Primary Bill Richardson Chris Dodd Joe Biden John Edwards Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Dennis Kucinich

"This is a ridiculous exercise." and other thoughts on tonight's debate

You're looking live at The Citadel, South Carolina, for the first "official" debate of the Democratic Presidential cycle (although I don't imagine this one will be any more important that the previous million debates). This is the You Tube debate, where the questions have been submitted by You Tube users via Internet video.

I'm highly skeptical of the format. Hopefully, CNN will choose questions that deal with important issues, not trivial ones. And hopefully the questioners won't be total goofballs. And how should the candidates respond. Do they thank Hotguy69 for his question? Do they look into the monitor to respond?

I think the candidates have a very high chance of looking incredibly foolish. I hope it doesn't turn out that way, but I fear that the whole thing will be gimmicky and diminish all of the candidates. If it had been up to me, I'd have chosen the questions in advance, and them brought the questioners to the debate to ask the questions live, not using video at all. Maybe that's how they'll do it. I guess we'll see...

• OK, this is already goofy. They're all looking up at some goofball in a hat using his fingers to do quotation marks while he lectures the candidates to answer the questions asked. He is condescending.
  
• And apparently Biden tried to stuff the box, busted...
  
• Anderson Cooper is tumbling so often, I wonder if he's been drinking.
  
• See, this guy from Utah might have a great question, maybe not, but the giggling girl in the background and the "Oh, I'm running out of tape!" makes the whole thing seem like a joke.
  
• Dodd talks like a senator. I can't get past that to hear his answer. I guess that's my fault, but I can't get into him at all.
  
• At least this is fairly fast paced...Kucinich standing up for his anti-war "strength through peace" message at The Citadel. Good for him for not standing down.
  
• Michelle: Hillary's make-up looks awful. I agree. She looks really pale, almost unhealthy. She did make sure to note the questioner's name, however.
  
• Rob Porter is a smarmy ass. Hillary, are you a liberal? She prefers the word "progressive" and considers herself a "modern progressive." I suppose.
  
• Gravel whacking Obama for his contributors and their bundling.
  
• If you had to pick a GOP running mate, who would it be, Joe Biden? Chuck Hagel, Dick Lugar. Edwards? Hagel, but let's not talk about that, let's talk about change. Takes a nice whack at Bill Clinton's "triangulation" strategy.
  
• Chris Dodd, with a funny video about white hair and rabbits. Not bad.
  
• Will, just ask the question! Reparations for slavery? No dipping and dodging (although dippin dots night be tasty). Edwards...No. but let me talk about something else. Power to the people.
  
• Obama doesn't answer the question at all, but says we need more money for poor minority schools in "The Corridor of Shame." Sounds like someplace David Vitter has visited, maybe he could help.
  
• Kucinich is for reparations, and the bible.
  
• Another question for Dodd, apparently all of his grumbling about face time in the earlier debates has paid off. Speaking of which, I wonder if Richardson will get to say anything tonight. Oh, there he is...And he fumbled the answer, saying we need to remove the red tape that helps people rebuild.
  
• I think Obama is saying that he's black enough to not get a cab in Manhattan? Maybe? He kind of muffed what could have been a good line. It sounds like he and Clinton are going to get most of the questions again. Clinton with a much better answer, talking about how she doesn't have any choice but to run as a woman and she's proud of it. Obama should take these questions head on.
  
• Edwards is patronizing Obama and Clinton. Yuck. Stick to the question. He says will be a better advocate for women because of his stance on economic issues. Clinton trying to keep up, but Edwards has set the bar on this issue, and Clinton is trying to meet his standard. I think he wins.
  
• Why do they make gay people look stupid? I suppose they did the video themselves, but if there were so many questions about the topic, why get the one that has goofy people asking it.
  
• Kucinich yes, Dodd no. Richardson, no, because it can't be achievable. I like that honest answer. Essentially, he's saying that the country will only go so far, but that we should push them as far as they will go, making gay relationships as close to traditional marriage in the eyes of the law as is possible.
  
• Edwards, why is it OK to use religion to deny gay marriage, when it was wrong to use religion to uphold slavery? Great question. What a fantastic question. And Edwards does not answer it. He's boxing it around. "I don't believe gay marriage is right, but I wouldn't use my religion to affect my decision as president" or something like that. I'm so confused. He's not making any sense.
  
• That Clinton campaign video is awful. Show me something about you, not a list of what is wrong with the current administration. We already know that. At least Dodd put some thought into his video. This was clearly thrown together at the last minute by some intern with something better to do.
  
• That is absolutely fantastic! Wow! Edwards hit's a home run with that video. I love it.
  
• Richardson gets a question right in his wheelhouse about Darfur, and he's taking a good swing. Talking about his experience at the refugee camps in Darfur, and how he'd do it. It's the first time he's sounded passionate in any of the debates. He needs to do more of this.
  
• Biden trying to go one step farther and putting American troops on the ground. Clinton trying to say no to US troops without explicitly saying no. Anderson Cooper pins him down.
  
• Are we watching the same blanking war? How do we pull out now? He asks us four times. Did the questioners have to use all 30 seconds? If you can ask the question in 10 seconds, then turn off the cameras. Biden says he's the only one telling the truth here, that it will take at least a year to pull out the troops.
  
• Another good question. Are Democrats afraid to end the war because they don't want to be blamed for losing? Clinton says we've been trying, but the Republicans are blocking them. Kucinich says "the Democrats have failed" on Iraq.
  
• Dodd talks in big senatorial words "nation-state", "sexual orientation".
  
• Richardson: "The lives of our young troops are more important than George Bush's legacy." He'd pull them out with no residual force.
  
• Gravel says yes, in fact, the soldiers in Vietnam and Iraq are dying in vain. Obama says that no, I don't want to answer the question, so I 'm going to tweak Clinton for asking about withdrawal four years after she should have asked.
  
• Should women register for selective service? Dodd appears exasperated that the question was given to him, and sighs audibly. He does, but since he's against the draft, it doesn't really matter. Clinton says the same thing, but she seems more secure with her answer. Both of them talk about public service on the same level as military service. Kind of reinforces for some people the idea that Democrats don't quite hold the military in the highest regard.
  
• God Bless America! Can Obama answer even one question directly? The question isn't about the Tuskegee airmen, it's about women in selective service. And when he does finally get to it, he smushes it saying something about maybe not in combat roles. Just a bit chauvinistic, eh Barack?
  
• Would you meet with despotic leaders with no reservations? Obama, yes. He's been getting an awful lot of face time tonight. Hillary, no. She falls into his trap, by suggesting what conditions might exist in order to meet. Edwards agrees with Hillary. I don't. We shouldn't worry about whether someone else will use us for propaganda. We're the most powerful nation in the world.
  
• A good tussle on Iraq. Richardson will pull out all forces in six months. Biden says it's not possible. At least a year, and we've got to keep a residual force to protect the civilians remaining. Clinton agrees with Biden.
  
• As an aside, Hillary "hopes to goodness" that the questioner's youngest son doesn't die in Iraq. It's OK to say "God" Hillary, especially in this context. Again, she's reinforcing anti-Democratic stereotypes.
  
• Richardson just recycles one of his campaign commercials, instead of coming up with a new video. Funny ad, but kind of weak.
  
• Who was your favorite teacher, Mike Gravel? The guy who taught me to speak. Too bad you don't let me use that skill, Anderson!
  
• This question from Trona, California is stupid. Or the presentation is, at least. For what it's worth, I've been through Trona, CA on the way out of Death Valley, and let me tell you, it might be the most desolate, god-forsaken place in America. Richardson is winning over the crowd with a passionate answer on No Child Left Behind. It always helps to have the crowd cheering in the background.
  
• Public or Private School for your kids? Good question, but I wish they would follow that up by asking each candidate why they made that choice.
  
• Anne works for Planned Parenthood and wants to know if the candidates have talked to their children about sex using medically-appropriate terminology. Talk about throwing a bomb! Let's see who squirms and who doesn't...Edwards is stammering and staggering. Yes. And off to Obama for comment on the Romney criticism.
  
• See, this is what I don't like. I don't want to hear an Amos and Andy skit, I want to hear questions. And what the hell is with the snowman? I'm sorry, but that's not funny, it's embarrassing. Not that I think any of these guys (and gal) should be "above" this kind of stuff but they're running for President of the United States, not the senior class.
  
• What the hell? Gravel says we're going to save money on energy by changing the tax structure? Speaking of taxes, Dodd at least has the nuts to say he'd raise taxes on corporations that add to pollution.
  
• Nuclear power? Edwards no, we should be looking at cellulose-based biofuels. Obama yes, we should look at it "as part of the mix." Nothing with Obama is ever yes or no, it's always yes, but...no, but. Clinton is "agnostic about nuclear power." Thank goodness.
  
• Richardson is in favor of optical scan balloting across the nation. I have voted with them a number of times here in Massachusetts and I completely agree. It's the only way to go.
  
• Biden also recycles a campaign commercial for his "You Tube style video." Meh.
  
• Who is Kucinich texting P-E-A-C-E to?
  
• Raising the Social Security tax threshold is "an option on the table," according to Obama. Everything is "an option on the table," nothing is yes or no, just "an option on the table. What do you stand for.
  
• The problem with the question from the guitar guy (besides the fact that having a guy sing a question is stupid) is that all of the taxes he complains about are local taxes, not federal taxes. It sounds like he needs to take it up with his city council and state legislature. These candidates can't help.
  
• And now I'm just about totally offended. Here are a series of questions where the questioners are exploiting the infirm and disabled to make their points. I am against human props. This is becoming uncomfortable. If I were the Republicans, I'd cancel the You Tube debate in September before the sun rises tomorrow.
  
• Dodd is getting frustrated about the format, and the fact that Obama and Clinton seem to get to respond to every question.
  
• Richardson will probably take some heat for a semantic flub in his answer about health care for undocumented workers. In an effort to explain that everyone should get health care (including undocumented workers) regardless of their status, he said "every American deserves the right to quality health care." He could get hammered by the far right for suggesting that undocumented workers are Americans, if the far right cares at all about Richardson's candidacy.
  
• I think the question about a Clinton-Bush dynasty is a good one. It is one of the reasons that I am hesitant to vote for her. I don't think it's healthy for us to have the same political machines in Washington year after year. Think about it, anyone who began working in politics in the last 27 years has worked either with a Bush or Clinton in the White House. That would be almost everyone.
  
• I think Clinton would have the quarter say "In Goodness we Trust," based on her answers tonight.
  
• Edwards says he won't impose his faith beliefs (seems redundant) on policy decisions. I think that's a little bit disingenuous. One's beliefs always influence their decisions.
  
• Wow. Biden just called that gun nut a gun nut. I'll bet that will get a lot of press tomorrow. Nice of him to say what he thinks.
  
• Dodd loves Elizabeth Edwards. And Edwards doesn't like Clinton's coat. I'm glad someone said it. This is a stupid question. Biden tells the truth "This is a ridiculous exercise." I agree.
  
• Anderson makes a funny. Can't find anyone left of Kucinich. Pretty good.

That's it. This was a stupid format. Even so, there were a few really good questions. If they had gotten rid of the silly crap and asked more good questions, and it could have been a pretty good idea.

Winners: I thought this was Richardson's best debate, even though he stumbled a bit, he was much more passionate and less wonky than he had been previously. He seemed to connect with the audience for the first time. I also thought Biden did well. He spoke honestly and could barely hold his contempt for the format and some of the questioners. I'll bet there were a number of viewers (like me) who felt the same way. Edwards was OK too.

Losers: I though Obama was awful. He just cannot give a straight answer. I didn't think Clinton was as good as she has been (I thought she won the last two debates).

Tags: Election 2008 Democratic Primary Bill Richardson Chris Dodd Joe Biden John Edwards Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Dennis Kucinich Mike Gravel

"Barack got tested for AIDS" and other thoughts on tonight's Democratic debate

You're looking nearly live at Howard University for tonight's Democratic primary "forum" (why not just call it a debate). And awaaaaay we go...

The security force is wearing bright yellow "CSC Event" t-shirts. This is the same company that provides security at sports stadiums across the country. Hopefully the audience has been tailgating all afternoon and is well oiled. Somehow I doubt it.

Although it looks like Patrick Kennedy is in the audience. Perhaps there was tailgating after all.

And there is New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez. I suppose if they are going to spend the first 10 or 15 minutes introducing this guy and that, they can at least keep us entertained by letting us celebrity-watch.

One of the questions going into tonight's event is whether or not this event is tailor-made for Barack Obama. I don't think that's fair to Obama. In fact, I think the pressure is on him to a certain extent. If he doesn't win, the media will frame it as a major failure.

Al Sharpton in the house.

Hooray Deval. The 2016 presidential race starts tonight. This little speech is the best one he's given since before the election. Although he is a little too fast on the intros.

Fashion Notes: Mike Gravel appears to be wearing Khakis and Loafers. Richardson has a silver tie from the Regis 2000 collection. Hillary appears to have a huge belt. Now, on to the issues:

The question: Is race the issue of the 21st century?

• Joe Biden answers by whacking his senate counterparts on support for Sam Alito and John Roberts.
  
• Richardson with a nice answer about being authentic, that dealing with race is more than appointing Supreme Court justices. Take that Joe Biden!
• The best Edwards can do is to repeat his tired old "Two Americas" speech? Weak.
• Obama's answer sounds like he's trying to walk a tightrope. On the one hand, he's talking about "our struggle" in reference to racial issues, on the other hand, he's got a little of that "shared responsibility" code that white voters want to hear. I think he's going to be tip-toeing all night.
  
• Mike Gravel will end the war on drugs. John Edwards is trying not to laugh at him.
  

The question: Why do black graduates have high unemployment than white dropouts?

• Joe Biden says it's because we don't start teaching "disadvantaged youth" early enough.
  
• Richardson: did you know we fixed this in New Mexico?
  
• Edwards is stuck on poverty. The question wasn't about poverty, it was about the an education gap. Although I appreciate his talking about improving the conditions in rural communities as well as inner-city neighborhoods. The conditions in disadvantaged rural communities are often overlooked.
  
• Gravel actually seems to be connecting. Although after saying the Democrats haven't done any better at fixing the education gap than the Republicans, and that the black community needed to take responsibility themselves, he then ticked off a bunch of ways the government could provide money if we weren't at war.
  
• It takes a village. Thanks, Hillary.
  

The question: What is the plan to fight AIDS?

• Richardson doesn't sound like he has a plan. I think he's making it up has it goes. Needles. Condoms. Penetrating minority outreach in communities. Kind of an unfortunate juxtaposition there, Governor.
  
• Edwards, on the other hand, knows his stuff and has a plan. That's the way to answer the question, Bill.
  
• Obama doesn't have a plan, but does have a nice turn of a phrase "The African-American community has a disease" of poverty which leads to poor health care, education, wages, etc. That's the key for Obama: get people to hear his theme, not snoop around for a position.
  
• Gravel still fighting the war on drugs.
  
• Does Chris Dodd actually get traction with anyone? I just can't listen to him. He's probably a really smart guy, but all I hear is "blah, blah, blah." And what the hell was that arm wave?
  
• Hillary is right about the lack of interest in the subject because it's a minority issue, although the phrase "outraged outcry" is a little awkward. Her answer is the first one all night that has really connected.
  
• Joe Biden: "Barack got tested for AIDS." Barack doesn't look happy about that revelation. Isn't that a HIPAA violation or something?
  

The question: Do the rich pay enough in taxes?

• John Edwards gets the question first. Talk about a batting practice fastball for Mr. Two Americas.
  
• Barack won't say that the wealthy should be taxed more, just that the "Bush tax cuts" should be repealed. Come on, man. This was an easy one.
  
• Gravel wants to abolish the income tax in favor of a national sales tax. Huh? Wha? Where did that come from?
  
• It's a little ironic to hear Biden talk about how "regular people" have it tough when he helped pass that awful bankruptcy bill that protected big banks and made it tougher on families in debt to get relief. I don't believe him.
  

The question: More whites are arrested, more blacks in jail. What's that about?

• There's Barack with another line. "Justice is not just us."
  
• Kucinich wants to end mandatory minimums and the death penalty. I'm with Dennis.
• Now Donna Brazile is laughing at Mike Gravel.
  
• Chris Dodd wants to eliminate the difference between crack and powder cocaine. I suppose that could be taken out of context, eh?
  
• Biden: Hey, don't blame us, it's the states' fault.
  
• Richardson isn't going to get anywhere now that they've cut the answer time down to 30 seconds. He can't answer a question that briefly.
  

The question: Would you guarantee a right to return to New Orleans?

• I wouldn't, but I'm not running for president. Just because they built a city under water 150 years ago doesn't mean we should do that again. And no, I don't have a plan for what we should do with everyone who was displaced.
  
• All of the candidates appear to disagree with me, it's just a question of who can do more for New Orleans (Clinton has proposed a TEN POINT PLAN! Beat that, Biden!)
  

The question: Outsourcing a problem or Global Economy?

• Other than Gravel--who suggested the problem is that of businesses needing to pay for health care--everyone thinks outsourcing is a problem.
  
• As an aside, this is the second time Biden has started his answer with "I agree with everything that's been said." Which has to be a lie if he thought about it, since Gravel didn't agree at all with Dodd and Clinton.
  
• Maxine Waters appears excited about Kucinich ending NAFTA. I'll bet she'll be waiting an awful long time for that.
  

The question: What does our inaction in Darfur say about America's moral leadership?

• Dodd suggests we take unilateral action to stop the killing. I'll bet that won't fly with most Americans.
  
• Clinton and Biden want a "no-fly zone."
  
• Richardson still wants to boycott the Olympics. Now there is a no-fly zone.
  
• And Mike Gravel says that none of the other Democrats have the moral judgement to be president. I guess that's as good a place as any to end the debate.
  

I thought Hillary and Kucinich did well. Biden did not. Obama connected, but was light on specifics (as usual). I'll bet many will include him with the winners My man Bill Richardson had solutions (except his awful answer on AIDS), but he's got to find a way to get them across in 30 seconds.

Tags: Election 2008 Democratic Primary Bill Richardson Chris Dodd Joe Biden John Edwards Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Dennis Kucinich Mike Gravel

"9/11 led us down a cul-de-sac." and other thoughts on last night's debate

You're looking not-so-live from St. Anselm College. I watched the Sox-Yanks game last night instead of the debate, so sue me. Here we go...

• Dennis Kucinich is from the city of champions. He's also standing on a box.
  
  
• For what it's worth, Wolf Blitzer should also have a box.
  
  
• Whoa, that dude in the front row is seriously cross-eyed.
  
  
• Obama with the old line about needing to fight them there so they don't come home, or some sort of bunk. This is the thing that Bush has been most successful at. He's been talking this way for so long that even the Democrats have co opted some of his language.
  
  
• Kucinich: "9/11 led us down a cul-de-sac." I don't know what that means.
  
  
• Biden says we can save 2/3 of the soldiers lives if we give the troops V-shaped vehicles. I'm guessing there is some context to that suggestion, but without it he sounds like he's getting his ideas from watching the Jetsons.
  
  
• Hillary's answer on her votes on Iraq was much better than Obama's. I don't know why, but Obama doesn't do well in this format. In the debates to date, he has appeared unsure on his feet. I'd expect more.
  
  
• Obama is apparently so nice that he can't even attack John Edwards without stumbling over the punch line. And he's allowed Clinton to take the high road in this section. She sounds much better in the early going than she has in the other debates.
  
  
• Senator Dodd has this way of tailing off and not finishing his thoughts. Ted Kennedy does the same thing. I wonder if it's a product of the ability Senators have to "revise and extend" their remarks.
  
  
• This question about genocide in Iraq is a silly one. If we should stay there or anywhere) because of the possibility of genocide, then we will be everywhere. I mean, you could argue that genocide is possible in any society.
  
  
• Why do we need 67 votes to end the war? To sustain a veto? It seems like if the senate wanted to cut funding, it would only take 60 votes to break a filibuster. If the president vetoes it, then it's on his head.
  
  
• As Clinton is dodging and weaving around the question of why she didn't read the National Intelligence Estimate, Michelle just said "I hate it when they go around and around and don't answer questions." She then curled up with a blanket and a pillow.
  
  
• Michelle on Mike Gravel: "This guy's a nut job."
  
  
• Richardson's problem is that he is trying to talk about his broad ideas and policies, and not answer Blitzer's narrow questions. Wolf wants him to respond specifically to the word "amnesty," while Richardson is trying to outline his entire program.
  
  
• What the hell is Biden talking about? He's started about four different thoughts trying to answer this question about immigration.
  
  
• Barack thinks we need to toughen the border with Canada? I swear, he's making this stuff up.
  
  
• I hate this "raising your hand" shtick. And Obama is right, the "official language" question is a stupid question. This debate so far has been full of "gotcha" questions and code words, not real discussions about policy.
  
  
• Hillary seems much less shrill and much more in control tonight. She's also touching the right bases on health care when she talks about the insurance companies and big Pharma wanting to keep the system as it is.
  
  
• Wolf does not want to let Richardson lay out anything resembling a complex plan about health care or anything else. He hates long answers. Please, let people talk about there ideas. Now he's trying to cut off Chris Dodd, too.
  
  
• Obama's statistic about 25% OF California's drivers not having insurance despite the state requirement has to be wrong. There is no way the number is that high. Massachusetts is a mandatory state, and I can't imagine there are many of us who don't have insurance. In fact, if you lose your coverage, you lose your registration.
  
  
• Would a gay Arabic linguist in fact be a cunning linguist if she were a lesbian?
  
  
• You know things have changed when a Democrat like Hillary Clinton is more comfortable quoting Barry Goldwater than a Republican would be.
  
  
• Richardson starts his answer about gays in the military with "I'd do what we did in New Mexico." Forgive me if I'm wrong, but the governor of New Mexico can't do anything about the military, can he?
• And there's a picture of Wolf Blitzer's ass. Not a good camera angle.
  
  
• Hillary is more uncomfortable about the question about her husband than she has been about any of the others.
  
  
• Chris Dodd says the question about how to lower gas prices is "a question that deserves complex answers." When a senator starts his answer with that line, you know he has no idea what he's talking abut and is going to try to filibuster his way out of an answer. Dodd is now admirably demonstrating the art of saying nothing.
  
  
• I think I'm going to jump off at halftime. I'm tiring and the Red Sox game has just started.
  
  
• Richardson doesn't think the oil companies are gouging us. That may not play well with the base.
  

That's it for me. First impressions were that Hillary was the winner. Obama and Dodd were losers. Richardson may also have been a loser in the sense that he seemed to be clashing with the moderator on every question.

Tags: Election 2008 Democratic Primary Bill Richardson Chris Dodd Joe Biden John Edwards Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Dennis Kucinich Mike Gravel

The first debate, the day after

Some reflections on last night's Democratic debate, starting with the "front-runners" and moving on down the list.

Barack Obama: I though Obama was a mess. Let's count the ways:

• He misspoke about the legal troubles of one of his supporters, saying "This donor engaged in some ethical behavior and I have denounced it." Had President Bush come out with that, he'd be roundly lampooned from coast to coast.
  


• Obama couldn't name two allies of the US, coming up only with Japan and "the European Union as a whole." And I'm not sure the "European Union" is even an "ally." Britain is. And what about Canada and Mexico, our allies in NAFTA.
  


• He Dukakis-ed the question about what he would do if America was attacked in another 9/11 style attack, talking about emergency responses, good intelligence and dialogue with the nations of the world or some such dispassionate wonky something-or-another. He tried to recover later, talking about "enemies out there that have to be hunted down" after a question about energy conservation, but he had already missed his chance.
  


• Speaking of which, he blew that one too, talking about planting 3,000 trees when asked what he had "personally" done to make a better environment.

Obama's strength is his ability to inspire people to action and talk in grand themes. He'd better get a handle on the facts, however, or he is only going to get so far in this race.

Hillary Clinton: I keep reading and hearing today about how well she did. I didn't think she did badly, but I wasn't convinced that she believed that she could become president. Maybe I was getting too caught up on her specific words instead of her ideas, but the way she prefaced her answers and referred to the presidency belied a certain uneasiness. She often started her answers with "Let me start by saying" which sounds like she is seeking permission to go forward. She talked about what "we need to do" or what "I'm in favor of" but didn't talk about what "I will do as president." Maybe that's too semantic, but I want to know what she will do.

John Edwards: A strong performance, the best of the "top tier" of candidates. He could have done a better job with the question about his pricey haircuts (I didn't think he should apologize, it is what it is), but he did a nice job of turning that into his "son-of-a-millworker" story of being too poor to afford breakfast at a local restaurant. (As an aside, it looked like he had a few hairs out of place in the area where his hair was parted. I wondered if that was on purpose.)

I liked his specificity on health care and his willingness to acknowledge his error in authorizing the war in Iraq (Hillary Clinton should take notes on that one). Finally, discussing God, his wife, and his father in the context of who he considered his "moral leader" was fantastic and poignant.

Bill Richardson: I think his performance was a classic case of the candidate who sounds great on the radio, but doesn't seem so good on TV. His answers were full of specifics and seemed honest and sincere. He clearly has the best grasp of foreign policy issues. He presented nearly all of his views as specific items he would accomplish, as opposed to Hillary, who spoke of what she favored, not what she would do. I thought he sounded presidential.

But man, he sure didn't look it. To say he appeared awkward might be an understatement. He was the farthest from the moderator, and it was clear that he couldn't hear some of the questions well. he was caught on camera a couple of times leaning forward to hear with his mouth open, like a slack-jawed octogenarian who was missing his hearing aid. He also seemed jittery early. "The poor guy looks nervous," my wife noted. "Look at him shaking." I don't think Poor Guy was the impression he was hoping to give.

Joe Biden: If I had to pick a winner, it would be Senator Biden. I have always liked Biden: I think he is the smartest guy in the room most of the time. Like Richardson, he also has a good handle on foreign policy, and he was nearly as credible as Richardson on the subject.

But more than that, he appeared presidential. He hit the question about his propensity to over talk and make gaffes out of the park, and he continued to be succinct throughout the night. He didn't over talk and he didn't over explain. He appeared confident and in command of the issues. The only time I thought he slipped on that was when he clarified that he's owned a shotgun instead of a pistol (who cares?), but I thought his overall performance (substance + style) made him the winner of the night.

Chris Dodd: Senator Dodd was there. Nothing he said last night stood out to me, to the point that I had to go back to the debate transcript to get an idea of what he said, and even with that, none of it resonated. I've always thought of Dodd as a senator's senator. Nice with the oratory, I touch of insincerity that is ingrown through decades of talking and filibustering and talking some more. That is probably an unfair characterization of him, but nothing last night dissuaded me from that perception.

Dennis Kucinich: Kucinich is much improved from the 2004 cycle. He appears more confident, and doesn't appear nearly as far "out there" as he did in the last cycle, when the war with Iraq was still popular. He wasn't afraid to mix it up a little with the other candidates--especially Obama--and may have presented his positions as strongly as anyone. He's not going to win, but much like Grace Ross in the Massachusetts gubernatorial debates, he has the chance to move the debate to the left with is command and conviction. He needs to drop the props, however. And he and his young wife ought to leave the cuddling for the bedroom instead of the spin room.

Mike Gravel: Former Senator Gravel raised his standing from zero to crotchety old curmudgeon, so I guess he would also have to be listed among the winners. What did I learn tonight? First, it's not pronounced "GRA-vuhl"--as in crushed stone--it's "Gruh-VELLE" as in, um, French crushed stone? No? Beyond that, he is just sucking time away from the other candidates. He's entertaining, and he might get one of the higher-rated candidates to screw up if he can engage one of them, but he's really not helping.

Tags: Election 2008 Democratic Primary Bill Richardson Chris Dodd Joe Biden John Edwards Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Dennis Kucinich Mike Gravel

"Some of these people frighten me." and other thoughts on tonight's presidential debate

Like opening day or the last day of school, today is a great day. That's right. The first debate of the presidential election season. By the time the next 18 months have passed, we'll be tired of all of this. But not tonight.

Don't you just love it?

Let me get my biases out of the way right off the bat. If the primary were held today, I'd be voting for Bill Richardson. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the best candidate. That may change over the course of the debates, but for now, he's my man. John Edwards (who I voted for in the 2004 primary) will also get my consideration. Other than that, the rest have a lot to prove.

So without further ado, let the proving begin...

You're looking live at South Carolina State University. Following this commercial for the college (masked as a historical overview), we'll get going. There's only one given tonight: there will be a question about the confederate flag.

• Bill Richardson looks shell shocked right out of the gate. I wonder if he realized he was on.
  
  
• That local anchor is right out of central casting.
  
  
• Can Richardson hear, does he have a cold? He appears slack jawed. He's got to act like he's on camera all of the time.
  
  
• First question is on Iraq. Clinton: "Let me start by saying..." Just say it. It's your time, we'll let you do anything you want.
  
  
• Biden: "This is not a game show. This is not a game." And then he says Bush needs to "get on the game plan." I don't think he generally remembers what he's saying from one minute to the next.
  
  
• John Edwards conspicuously has a couple of hairs out of place. I wonder if that's on purpose.
  
  
• I don't understand why politicians can't just say they were wrong. I don't think this "If I knew then what I knew now" stuff washes very well.
  
  
• This is what I like about Bill Richardson, he is the only one who has spelled out a specific plan. Michelle just said "the poor guy looks nervous. Look at him shaking." He does sound a little nervous. Talking too fast.
  
  
• Gravel wand to "make it a felony" to stay in Iraq. Huh?
  
  
• So Mr. Anchorman is just there to read emails? Great. Looks good doing it though. He can't hear either.
  
  
• Why is Clinton getting a "rebuttal" to Obama's point on Iraq? I didn't hear Obama say something that needs to be rebutted? I hope this isn't going to turn out to be the Obama-Clinton show.
  
  
• I think Obama meant to say the donor was involved in "unethical" behavior. He doesn't sound ready to answer the question.
  
  
• Don't apologize for how you pay for your haircuts. Do what you do. But he did an excellent job turning around the question to his "son of a millworker" story.
  
  
• What is the deal with the hedge fund questions? Is this a big deal? Is this is big problem? I could have listed 100 things that I'd like to hear them talk about, and hedge funds wouldn't be one of them. And if the idea of this segment is to look at the elephants in the room, it seems like there's a lot more to ask Clinton about than hedge funds.
  
  
• Michelle on Chris Dodd: "He has no chin." Lance on Chris Dodd: He sounds like "the most Washington" of all of the candidates. He talks like a senator.
  
  
• Senator Gravel: "Some of these people frighten me." The answer to the question of who hasn't taken nukes off the table is John Edwards, if not others. Michelle: "I agree with his position, but he's a bit of a fruit loop."
  
  
• Biden is muffing his abortion question. Does he not remember the first names of the supreme court justices? Putting a Trojan horse into what? I'm not sure I have the first idea what he was talking about.
  
  
• Why would you cut off the question about each candidate's favorite justice? Let 'em all answer. In fact, I wish they'd have let them each of them choose any justice (including past justices) and explain their answer. That might have been the most interesting question of the night.
  
  
• Five gun owners out of eight. Dodd looked like he had to think about it. Biden hasn't owned a pistol, just a shotgun. Can't you just raise your hand and shut up? You don't have to explain away everything. You own (or have owned) a gun. OK.
  
  
• Edwards is right, they have not had the chance to talk about specific issues. Good for him for talking the opportunity. Now the others are following suit. Hopefully the debate will become more substantive.
  
  
• "Let me start by saying..." again Senator Clinton, just say it. She sounds like she's yelling. I wonder if she realizes that she is using a microphone. I think that's one of the reason she turns some people off. She sounds shrill.
  
  
• And Mr. Anchorman asks the confederate flag question! Do I know my stuff or what? Obama clearly did not want the question. Put the confederate flag in a museum. Okey-dokey.
  
  
• Biggest mistake: Kucinich fired the police chief of Cleveland live on TV on Good Friday. Good answer. That would in fact be a mistake.
  
  
• Edwards blamed the high price of gas on over-consumption and asks Americans to increase consumption and "be patriotic on something other than war." What about the oil companies? Shouldn't we also ask them to be patriotic?
  
  
• Obama can't list three allies. European Union, Japan. And that's just two.
  
  
• Wow. Biden just listed Putin's Russia as one of the three greatest threats to America. Good for him for saying it. I couldn't agree more.
  
  
• Richardson is so credible when he talks about foreign relations. It's obvious that he has a handle on what's going on. I'm not sure he's doing a great job of appearing presidential, however.
  
  
• Four candidates raised hand acknowledging "Global War on Terror." Gravel looked unsure, as though he was sheepishly trying to order a drink.
  
  
• Obama is fumbling a question about how he would respond to simultaneous terrorist attacks. He sounds wonky, not presidential. Edwards on the other hand, immediately said he would react "swiftly and strongly."
  
  
• Clinton doesn't seem to sound like she can envision herself as president. She says things like "a president should," "I think we should," etc. She doesn't say "I will do" this or that. Maybe that's not a big deal, but if she can't envision herself in the job, how does she expect me to see her as commander-in-chief?
  
  
• Joe Biden couldn't answer the question of what he would propose to deal with climate change that would be "hard." Passing legislation to fund this or that or to mandate this or that is not hard.
  
  
• Obama fumbles another question. He and his friends planted three thousand trees. He mentions energy-saving light bulbs only after being prompted by Brian Williams.
  
  
• Kucinich and Gravel getting into it with Obama over Iran. Apparently Obama joins Edwards as candidates who won't take any options off the table.
  
  
• I thought Edwards did a great job with the question of who his moral leader is. He seemed thoughtful and sincere, and articulated his answer well.

More to come after I've had some time to digest it all.

Tags: Election 2008 Democratic Primary Bill Richardson Chris Dodd Joe Biden John Edwards Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Dennis Kucinich Mike Gravel