Opinion: John Edwards Wins Democratic Debate

When you say, "Look how great it was during the 90s," and then refuse to release your records from that time, you cannot expect to get off easy.  On immigration, on Iraq, Iran and Social Security, both John Edwards and Barack Obama finally took a stand.  As I write this, many of the pundits are writing that Obama won the debate.  I would say that overall John Edwards got the edge -- although barely.  He was much more forceful, and came across as the more charismatic one.  Obama was strong as well, and had a moment when he physically turned towards Clinton and accused her of doublespeak.  Both Edwards and Obama were very strong.  Hillary Clinton played rope-a-dope, and survived only because of how far ahead she is in the polls.

Here's my debate rankings:

1. John Edwards: The line directed at Hillary, "We should be in tell the truth mode," pretty much summed up how Edwards confronted Hillary without hesitation.
2. Barack Obama: Close, but not first place.  Took Hillary to task on Social Security, the former First Lady's double-talk on immigration and schooled her on Iran.
3. Dennis Kucinich: As one commenter on this site wrote, if Barack Obama took the positions that Kurinich took in this debate (with the exception of the UFO answer), he would be winning in the polls.
4. Hillary Clinton: Clearly on the defensive the entire time.  Not an implosion.  But her Washington establishment roots and history of lying was exposed.
5. Chris Dodd: Much stronger than his other debate performances -- but that's not really saying much.
6. Joe Biden: Nothing doing there.
7. Bill Richardson: Not really impressive at all.  He defended Hillary Clinton, which was not smart because he needed to create a distinction with her.

One more note.  You can thank Hillary Clinton and all the other Senators who voted for the Iran bill for the recent spike in oil.

Comments

[goper]

i must say u dems are strange in your vitrol for clinton. it's so powerful and strong ur hate for her I often think this is a republican website. shhhesh

[Chief Editor: Todd]

Or, maybe we are just upset because Hillary Clinton acts like a Republican.

[goper]

With all due respect Todd, what if "God forbid" she is the nom will you vote for an independent or simply not vote next November?

[George]

Or maybe this is a Democracy and not a DUOcracy. You can have the Bushes and the Clintons. I want someone new in power FINALLY.

[goper]

I'm by no means trumpeting Clinton as the best choice. However, how would u explain her massive lead in the national polls? I guess what I'm asking is do u really think Dems nationally are morbid or sleep walking in their support of her? Again, I'm not even a fan of her but the hate on this site is incredible.

[Chief Editor: Todd]

goper, how is it hate? I don't hate Clinton. I'm not really sure whether I'd vote for her in 2008. If Giuliani or Romney were the nominee, I definitely would vote for Hillary. If it's not one of those two, then I'll have to think long and hard about it.

Clinton is doing so well in the polls because her campaign message has clearly been better than Obama and Edwards. Also, there is something called name recognition. You will see the numbers get a lot closer in the last month before Iowa.

She still might run away with the nomination. But that won't stop me from pointing out how much she is part of the Washington establishment -- the same establishment that has wrecked this country so far this decade.

[goper]

Thanks for the response Todd. It's nice to see that u guys encourage debate like this. I look forward to see what the Wednesday pundits will have to say.

[S.W. Anderson]

Good analysis. I agree that Edwards edged out Obama, making a clearer and more forceful distinction between himself and Clinton than did Obama. Which is not to say Obama did badly, just that he did not do quite as well as Edwards.

I disagree about Clinton playing rope-a-dope. As the frontrunner, she's a target for all the rest. I thought she handled herself quite well — despite Chris Matthews' carrying on about her taking a stand on the N.Y. driver's licenses for illegals issue. If she had dodged that, I'm sure he would've slammed her for not taking a stand.

FWIW, a favorite of mine, Joe Biden, may have uttered the most memorable line of the evening, rightly branding Giuliani as the most clueless presidential wannabe since George W. Bush.

[Tyler Bezio]

Edwards was right on through the entire debate, from start to finish he stayed focused and knew exactly where he stood on every issue, and had no problem making that clear. Edwards '08!

[George]

Edwards is great. He admits blowing his vote on the most important issue he'll ever vote on. What a talent. Wooo hooo. I'm so inspired by him.

Can Al Gore get in yet? Is this the field we get to choose from? God help us.

[Chief Editor: Todd]

Going back to the earlier discussion on this site, progressives need to pick their guy -- either Edwards or Obama -- and go with that person. But I think we should wait until just after the next debate....since it's coming up.