Editorial: Obama Wins Democratic Debate

The CNN-Youtube Democratic presidential debate came and went.  Our editors have voted, and we agree that it was Barack's night.  In what was definitely an improvement from his past performances, Obama was always prepared when confronted by his Democratic opponents, whereas in the past he tended to lose his temper.  Tonight he also appeared very presidential, pragmatic and charismatic.

Here was how we thought each of the candidates did -- from best to worst.  Remember, we are grading on effectiveness:

1. Barack Obama - Independent, thoughtful, charismatic and trumped Hillary on looking "presidential."
2. John Edwards - Really struggled on the gay marriage issue.  Other than that, he did what you can usually expect out of him.
3. Hillary Clinton - Not a lot of substance.  She sounded smart and confident -- and in this country, that is usually what people pay attention to.
4. Joe Biden - Whether you agree with him or not, he came across as pragmatic on how to withdraw troops.  He called upon the other candidates to "be honest."
5. Bill Richardson - Once again, it took him about 30 minutes to get situated and comfortable.
6. Dennis Kucinich - At least he kept himself from laughing after "Snowboy" asked the question about global warming.  Oh, and don't forget to text peace "73223."
7. Mike Gravel - Although he thought outside the box, he was slammed by Obama after he criticized the Illinois Senator on campaign finance, even though Obama does not accept money from lobbyists or PAC's.
8. Chris Dodd - Was anyone listening?

Comments

[stan]

i totally agreed with your assessment, Obama is for real not fake....he is the winner tonight.

[Jon]

For the most part I agree with your analysis. Heres my take on the candidates, how they did, and the chances for some of them in the generals.

Obama:
Great answers on the range of issues. I like him enough to vote for him in the primary and general so far. I do have a question for everyone however. What about the south? He isn't a northerner and he isn't Caucasian, will he have enough support in other parts of the country to overcome this? I think we still have so many people from the baby boomer generation who remember a time when black people did not have rights and actually liked it that way.

Clinton:
In my view her answers seemed canned. I did not like her answer one her willingness to meet right away with countries that have been ignored in the past.
I really have a hard time with Hilary on Iraq and other issues. It will be interesting to see if I can hold my nose and vote for her if she is the general candidate. I'd love to see a female in the white house, it is long long overdue. Hillary has a lot of baggage though and I don't know if I agree with her policy enough.

John Edwards:
Decent answers on many of the questions. I could vote for him I suppose but I really don't like his stance on Gay rights. I think hes afraid to say that Gay people deserve rights. Since he is running for the highest office in the US I can't say I don't understand his fear.

Joe Biden:
I think he is trying to make the case they we can't just pull out tomorrow. Fair enough. I don't agree with him that the US can stick around for a political solution. The Iraqis don't seem to be in that mindset at this time.

Bill Richardson:
I am beginning to warm to Bill. He has experience on the world stage and I think he has a world view that would be an asset to the US. I like his Iraq plan. Get out, now and all of them. Unfortunately the rest of the US wants to be THE country in the world rather than a country of the world.

Dennis Kucinich:
I like him. The Dems went into power with a clear mission given to them by the American people in 2006. End the war. The Dems need to tighten the purse strings and he called them out on it. As a Liberal I'd have to wake up an pinch myself if Dennis was ever nominated.

Mike Gravel: He's not wrong on many things but he is too heavy on the emotion. I think he was right when he said Vietnam deaths were in vain. I believe the Iraq deaths are in vain. This does not mean that the troops who died did anything wrong but that the administration asked them to give the ultimate sacrifice for reasons that lead to nowhere. It hurts to say so many of the other candidates(who have a chance at office) wouldn't say it. One other thing about Gravel. He should spend the little time they give him answering the question instead of complaining about not having enough time.

Chris Dodd:
He said he wanted troops out by April of next year. I can support that if thats the way it has to be. Dodd is hard to pin down so I can't say much more about him.

About the debate itself
I loved this format for the most part and I don't want to see another traditional debate. I hope the Republicans get some questions that will put them on the spoke just as much.

The Questions
The Black enough, Woman Enough question
It was asked because it is what a lot of people are wondering. I think Obama and Hilary answered well. The "catch a cab" remark was a nod to the black community while the broader answer was saying that while Obama is black he was to be president of all Americans.

The War
I find it sad that the candidates who will say frankly yes or no to leaving 100% are the ones who will not get anywhere near the white house. This speaks to the unrealistic expectations of the American public in the general election. The top candidates know they have to keep it ambiguous because they know they have a chance in the general election.

Are you a Liberal?
I find it sad that none of them could say yes even if they wanted to. America has been brainwashed to believe that liberalism is a bad concept and word.

The Snow man and Snow boy
I hated that video. The core question about global warming was great but the presentation made the issue too cute and light for a debate. Its makes it too easy to ignore the issue and not take it seriously.

Who won in my view?

1. Obama
Obama won with me because he was on point and didn't fall into any traps.

2. Clinton
She would be the natural runner up. Shes coasting on major support in the polls and while she disappointed me and others with some of her answers she didn't really get stuck in any potholes either.

Honorable Mentions
Bill Richardson:
World Experience, answers on Iraq withdrawal.

Dennis Kucinich:
Calling the Dems out on spinelessness, Iraq stance.

[George]

Todd, Why do you think Hillary was third most effective? I dont know about her - she's completely useless as far as im concerned. i have no clue why she leads any poll much less every poll.

Jon,
I agree with you mostly. As for the Obama in the south question, this will develop over the next year. He's a wonderfully engaging guy and can certainly win over a ton of people. That said, I think he'll win the election even if he loses every single southern state, although I think that is next to impossible.

[Jon]

George,
It will be interesting. I hope you're right if Obama wins the nomination. I'm nervous about Hilary making it through though.

Oh btw an edits I saw after the fact. I was excited and trying to get my thoughts into the post while they were fresh.

I meant to say about Obama that "He isn't a southerner". Obama isn't technically a northerner either since he was born in Kenya. It will be interesting to see what the right wing spin cycle does with that information. As for me I like a more international view of the world so I like the fact he was born somewhere else.

[David Guilbault]

All of this live, instantaneous commenting, reacting, judging, attacking, defending, parsing, sniping and analyzing is what is wrong with public and political discourse in these times. Thoughtful, considered opinions are the rarity. How about we all listen carefully to the candidates, watch their speeches, read their positions, study their backgrounds, consider their policies, understand their motivations, recognize their attributes and THEN offer our supporting or opposing judgments?

[Jon]

David,
People have been doing this for years. They'd sit around and talk about the news and politics even before the radio was around. Now we have networks so we can talk to more people. I don't see your point here? Its ok to talk about it later rather than sooner? Fine if you need that time take it, but some people know what they want and have a world view that has formed over the course of their lives and this campaign. What makes you think that we haven't done the research? It sounds to me like you're not ready. Thats fine but don't say others are wrong because they have an opinion. After all you are instantaneously commenting, reacting, judging, attacking,and analyzing. Thats most of your list my friend.

[George]

10 people chatting live about a debate is what is wrong with political discourse?

That's a wonderful point. Criticize those who actually care.

[Ron]

Jon,

Obama wasn't born in Kenya; his father was. Barack was born in Hawaii...which technically isn't a northern or southern state either. And he spent much of his childhood in Indonesia, which does give him a much needed perspective on life outside the US.

[Mary Jane]

The YouTube debate was a sham. Anderson Cooper was a joke. It was not a fair debate. It was biased in favor of Obama. Get the transcripts. Clinton did a great job at the YouTube debates despite the bias of the moderator, Mr. Hip Cool Anderson Cooper. I couldn't believe what I was watching. Cooper let Obama ramble on and on, and never once called "time" on him. Cooper called "time" on all the other candidates and called time on Clinton at least three times. Get the transcripts off NY Times.com and see for yourself. Obama's opportunity to speak and express himself far outnumbered the opportunities for Clinton and the other candidates. Get the transcripts. Do a word count for yourself and then count the number of times Anderson called "time" for Clinton and the other candidates, while never once calling "time" on Obama. And I haven't heard any serious criticism of Cooper's biased, random and unfair methods of moderating the debate -- a few bloggers here and there, but no outcry! It was like everyone was mesmerized by the YouTube aspect. Wow - YouTube!! Everyone was so caught up about the YouTube video questions, they took their eyes off the manipulator, oops, I meant, moderator. All of us deserve a better debate format than the one we got with CNN & Anderson Cooper. At worst, Cooper was deliberately biased in favor of Obama, for whatever reasons, and at best, Cooper was just plain incompetent ... hip, cool, but incompetent! That Clinton did so well under those biased conditions against her, continues to speak volumes about her own skills, ability, experience and competence to become our next President! Go Hillary!

[Brice]

My friends,
I have faith in this man. A faith that goes far beyond the divisions and diffences that plague America. Because I know that with his leadership he will gather us all, children of America, yearning to make this land "as good as its promise", around the fire of social, moral, and economical prosperity.Dramatically, the falme of hope that this land can become one day as good as its promise has been extinguished in the hearts of the American people, in the face of the turmoil brought upon them over the past decade. Now, as if by magic, this flame has been revived, and it is time to dream again that the promise will be fulfilled. In addition to mastering the art of rethoric and his experience as a community leader, Barack has been gifted with all the skils required to lead the nation. He is humane, sympathetic,far-sighted, respectful,competent, and charismatic. His leadership in and his service to the community are authentically movitated by love. He epitomizes the profundity of these words by Dr. Cornell West," You cannot lead if you cannot love, and you cannot love if you cannot serve." He represents what is best for America: Change. Change in the way we look at each other; change in the way we treat each other; drastic change in the way we envision the future of our children; drastic change in the way we deal with our enemies; acute change in the way the world look at us; change in our dreams as we sleep at night. yes, we want to dream again, no longer be assaulted by nagging nightmares! We want the whole world to dream with us and for us as we strive to make the world a better place to breath. With his immense talent and vision, he outshined the other contenders during the last debate. Go Barack!!!