I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a debate featuring questions exclusively from regular folks appearing via YouTube clips. I assumed CNN wouldn’t pick ridiculous questions from the 3,000 submissions, but it remained to be seen whether this novel approach would produce a more engaging event.
On the whole, I thought it was a success. Some of the questions were off the beaten path, and a couple were so far out there that they couldn’t find the beaten path, but the unorthodox format kept things lively and interesting. Even some of those questions that probably wouldn’t have been at the top of my list — if you had to pick a Republican running mate, who would it be? — were provocative and offered valuable insights into the candidates’ perspectives. I’ve grown to dislike this buzzword, but this debate had an “authenticity” that we usually don’t see in these debates.
Who won? It’s usually pretty tough to gauge how an audience is going to respond. I thought Clinton continued to shine in these debates, last night was Obama’s best performance yet (I think he’s improved steadily in each of the four debates thus far), Edwards was fine, Biden and Dodd continue to show that Senate experience leads to good debating skills, and Richardson, who seemed to stumble in previous debates, did a lot better last night.
I’m finding Kucinich and Gravel less and less engaging. Last night, for example, after a question about Congress failing to change Iraq policy, Kucinich said, “The Democrats have failed the American people.” Why Kucinich wants to recite and reinforce right-wing talking points is unclear.
Gravel, who got less speaking time than any other person on the stage, made the case for not being invited back. He attacked candidates for accepting contributions from “bankers on Wall Street” (which Ben Smith suggested may have been anti-Semitic), only to endorse the most regressive, far-right taxation plan imaginable. Don’t go away mad, Mike, just go away.
Other thoughts from my notepad:
* Obama’s subtle shot — Because Hillary is the front runner, the other candidates are going to have to take her on directly sooner or later. Last night, it was subtle, but Obama said at one point, “I think it’s terrific that she’s asking for plans from the Pentagon, and I think the Pentagon response was ridiculous. But what I also know is that the time for us to ask how we were going to get out of Iraq was before we went in.” This is going to get less subtle as time goes on.
* Best Question — “I’m Reverend Reggie Longcrier. I’m the pastor of Exodus Mission and Outreach Church in Hickory, North Carolina. Senator Edwards said his opposition to gay marriage is influenced by his Southern Baptist background. Most Americans agree it was wrong and unconstitutional to use religion to justify slavery, segregation, and denying women the right to vote. So why is it still acceptable to use religion to deny gay American their full and equal rights?” Edwards’ response was kind of weak, and the low point of the night for him.
* Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton — A gentleman from Illinois asked Hillary, “With Bush, Clinton, and Bush again serving as the last three presidents, how would electing you, a Clinton, constitute the type of change in Washington so many people in the heartland are yearning for, and what your campaign has been talking about? I was also wondering if any of the other candidates had a problem with the same two families being in charge of the executive branch of government for 28 consecutive years, if Hillary Clinton were to potentially be elected and then re-elected.” I thought Hillary might struggle with this one. She didn’t.
“Well, I think it is a problem that Bush was elected in 2000. (APPLAUSE) I actually thought somebody else was elected in that election, but… (APPLAUSE) Obviously, I am running on my own merits, but I am very proud of my husband’s record as president of the United States. (APPLAUSE) You know what is great about this is look at this stage and look at the diversity you have here in the Democratic Party. Any one of us would be a better president than our current president or the future Republican nominee. So I’m looking forward to making my case to the people of this country and I hope they will judge me on my merits.”
* Biden vs. Gun Guy — Jered Townsend in Clio, Michigan, asked whether his “baby,” a very big machine gun, would be “safe.” Biden responded, “I’ll tell you what, if that is his baby, he needs help. I think he just made an admission against self-interest. I don’t know that he is mentally qualified to own that gun.” Soon after, he added, “I hope he doesn’t come looking for me.”
* Obama vs cab drivers — Anderson Cooper: “Senator Obama, how do you address those who say you’re not authentically black enough?” Obama: “You know, when I’m catching a cab in Manhattan — in the past, I think I’ve given my credentials.” Clever and quick. Nicely done.
* “Hair” — Each of the candidates got a chance to show their own YouTube clips, and Edwards’ campaign did an amazing job turning around the stupid “controversy” about his haircuts.
* The Dodd clock — The Dodd campaign ran its helpful clock-watching feature, measuring which candidates got the most time.
* The people’s choice — For what it’s worth, focus groups from CNN and Frank Luntz each said Obama won, a SurveyUSA instapoll said Clinton won, and a New Hampshire focus group said Edwards won. I guess this means there was no “clear” winner?
What’d you think?