Some reflections on comments made by MSNBC (on their bi-weekly Super Tuesday) pertaining to the July 20, 2007 Democratic debate at the Citadel:
Charlie Cook of Cook Political Report said that it's easy to overrate the importance of any of these debates, that one way of viewing a debate is whether it upset the order of the race. It did not, as he pointed out. And as to the importance of the debates: the most searing memory I have of the GOP debates thus far is Senator McCain, more than once, forcefully defending the war in Iraq. He's wrong on the issue, of course, but he appeared confident, committed, and principled. And he has sunk like a rock.
Patrick Buchanan argued that the fellow from Michigan who brandished his rifle and referred to it as his "baby" represented real Americans that Democrats have to appeal to. No, Pat. Democrats have to appeal to gun owners and to those NRA members (not synonymous)for whom gun control is not their primary concern. But most of these would refer to a gun as their "baby," and they will not vote Democratic anyway. For the vast majority of Americans, some other issue such as national security, fear of terrorism, high taxation, immigration/illegal immigration, mediocre education, inadequate health care, or Social Security ranks higher. If registering your weapon, or not being able to obtain one if you're mentally ill (well, in some states), is your primary concern in life, you either should be congratulated for living a blessed, secure and sheltered life- or you're a criminal.
Host for the hour Andrea Mitchell and journalist Eugene Robinson agreed that John Edwards should not have criticized Hillary Clinton's jacket when, toward the end of the debate, each candidate was asked to say something he/she liked and disliked about the candidate to his/her left. They disapproved of a male candidate being negative about the clothing as, Mitchell put it, the only female candidate. But the former North Carolina Senator was obviously merely trying not to take too seriously a question which should not have been taken seriously. (In fact, Joe Biden would term it a "ridiculous exercise.") And Edwards was not asked to comment on anyone else. We may be on the verge of "making history" (as Senator Clinton and her supporters are not shy in emphasizing), but we still must be condescending toward women, treating them differently, more deferentially, than men. Or at least that's the way Andrea Mitchell and some who consider others to be sexist would have it.
1 comment:
I love how CNN choose to not have the youtube videos be fullscreen. Interesting that they also choose to not have the videos play directly to home viewers, but instead they choose to only show them indirectly through a shot of the display screen.
I also loved Anderson's vain attempts to contain the answers, and his failed attempt to answer the education question for some of the candidates.
Surprisingly, I have to say that as this race has developed, my impressions of many of the candidates have changed.
I am liking Obama less and less as time goes on. Not only in this debate, but also in his repeated comments made today to counter Clinton's criticisms, we hear one thing: Iraq was a mistake and I didn't vote for it. Over and over again, he is using this as a way to gain leverage. This is a valid point, but i think we get it. You were against it, the others were not until the war went sour. Because of his persistant emphasis of this point, especially when it is not particularly relevant to certain questions, I can only conclude two things:
1. He is fighting hard to win the far left ant-war base
2. He is not confident in his record, purhaps because he is relatively new, and only has this to stand on
Biden continues to impress me. He has the experience, the necissary strength (at least in appearance), and the intelligent, and stand-out answers that should help him gain support. But of course, this is the democratic primary we are taking about, and talk of going right into Darfur, and talk of spending some time getting out of Iraq is not always welcomed with open arms. In addition, he is also funny, passionate, and less rehearsed than any of the top 3. I still have a bad taste in my mouth from his stonewalling of Alito during his confirmation, but if it wasn't for that, I think I'd like him completely.
So am I the only one on Obama and Biden?
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