***OFFICIAL POST DEBATE WRAP UP****

[The empressof all]

I'm going to leave this one open folks... Have at it. Play nice

[Labors of Hercules]

1. Well, Richardson and Gravel drove me nuts tonight.

Biden should have been given more time and Hillary stole the show.

[Party Line]

10. Agreed

Both of them were really irritating tonight.

[Quixote1818]

32. Richardson impressed me tonight

I thought he gave in-depth, grown up answers. He is not my favorite but I found myself nodding up and down on most of his answers.

I am leaning toward Edwards right now but I have to say Hillary and Obama definitely looked presidential.

Here is where I stand:

Edwards
Obama
Richardson
Clinton

[rhiannon55]

48. Did you mean "definitely"?

Although "defiantly" is good, too...:rofl:

[WinkyDink]

2. I'll just say: I'm proud to be a Democrat!

[Labors of Hercules]

5. Totally!! WOOHOOOO!

:woohoo:

[glarius]

57. This is the first time this Canadian has seen an American political debate that impressed me.

Past debates I've watched have seemed to be mostly about sound bites. This was different.
All the participants were articulate and thoughtful in their responses and came across as trust worthy and able....with the exception of Gravel of Alaska, who for the most part was unintelligible.
As a Canadian, I would be happy to see any one of them (excepting Gravel) as the new President. Lord knows, the world sure needs a replacement for Bush! :hi:

[Colobo]

3. Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton

It works both ways! :)

[Cameron27]

14. hahaha

I posted the same thing :-)

[William769]

20. Those two were clearly the winners tonight.

[Coexist]

28. Winners? They were the only two allowed to talk.

[William769]

30. And for good reason.

[Coexist]

41. agree to disagree sir.

[William769]

45. I was being sarcastic.

I believe they all had a fair amount of time with the exception of one, the clown.

[Coexist]

52. not really.

http://chrisdodd.com/node/1377

[Blackhatjack]

4. Elizabeth Edwards on now being interviewed with Larry King on CNN

[Clark2008]

22. When did she throw her hat into the ring?

[Blackhatjack]

104. Come on now... try to keep up. You really should know the candidates by now....

... but if Elizabeth Edwards were running, she would make an excellent President!

[bigwillq]

6. Thanks for creating all of the debate threads.

:toast:

:hi:

I am at work and was unable to watch but the threads kept me informed.

[LEW]

7. I liked this debate format

and am so glad the dems have so many good candidates to choose from. Don't know if I totally made my mind up tonight but, it is a good start and can't wait for the next debate in July.

[Blackhatjack]

8. Elizabeth Edwards is a great asset to the Edwards campaign...

[JerseygirlCT]

34. Frankly, I've always liked Elizabeth better than John

She's so much more genuine!

[The Count]

83. The ONLY asset as far as I can tell

[Cameron27]

9. I'd be ready to support

a Clinton/Obama ~~ Obama/Clinton match-up if it comes to that.

[rhiannon55]

55. Interesting how they were standing next to one another

Made me imagine it's 2009 :patriot:

[Catchawave]

11. Great Job empress !

Thanks for taking the time to keep the threads running smoothly :toast:

[Labors of Hercules]

12. I Hate the Media..

CNN continued coverage: "Reagan was the great communicator"... comparing to Obama. :wtf:

[justgamma]

13. Right-wing talking points.

I can just see the Pukes debate questions. Such as, "Edwards said that the war on terror is a bumper sticker, do you agree?"

[alfredo]

15. I watched the viewer response graph. That was very educational.

You can see what was a winner and what wasn't.

It always jumped up when Hillary or Obama spoke.

[ellisonz]

16. No Child Left Behind was not mentioned once.

[LWolf]

35. I noticed that.

I hoped the substitute teacher would bring it up, but it didn't happen. Richardson, while he talked about a plan similar to DK's, didn't address it, either.

[ellisonz]

46. And education would not have been discussed at all if it were not for Richardson.

Disgusting.

[WinkyDink]

60. Eh. It's not really a Federal issue.

[LWolf]

76. It is when NCLB controls the board. n/t

[ellisonz]

93. Unfunded Mandate.

It's a simple question: If you were elected POTUS would you or would you not support continuing NCLB? What would you do differently?

:eyes:

[DesertRat]

17. Why was Obama given so much time to talk?

[femmocrat]

18. C-Span is having a viewer call-in right now.

"Democrats only" the screen says.

[LWolf]

19. Not much changed for me.

While I like Gravel, I don't think he should continue. He has plenty to criticize, but not enough to say about what he will do differently.

Biden...no change in my opinion, although I appreciate the way he stands his ground.

Clinton...no change in my opinion. No thanks.

Obama...no change in my opinion. No thanks.

Edwards....:grr: I want to like him. I really do. I think he has potential. If I were to flip on someone, he might be the one. IF he wants to carry his "we ought to be leaders and tell the truth and admit mistakes" idea all the way and acknowledge that he was not the "first" to submit a health care plan.

Dodd....He's ok. Not my pick, but I don't actively oppose him, either.

Richardson...I actually really like him. I have a large difference with one thing he said; I don't like the "pro-growth"/continuous growth model. It multiplies problems as well as income. I'd like balance and stability. Other than that, I like him.

Kucinich? He didn't very many turns to speak, so I found his delivery a little rushed, but he's still the best on every issue. He's still got my vote.

[Hamlette]

25. I was quite the opposite, Dennis completely lost me

not that I ever thought he had a chance, I did consider a protest vote for him but his answer on OBL was wrong.

I also warmed a bit to Hillary. I didn't like her before tonight but she done good.

[kikiek]

44. I think Dennis was endeared to me when he said NAFTA, WTO need to go. Also univeral

health care plan and non profit aspect to it is a big deal for me. It's one of the biggest bitches I have so it was refreshing to hear someone mention that!

[LWolf]

75. He is strongest on labor, health care, and

many other issues, including his record and stance on Iraq.

He deserves more than a place at the fringe edge of the stage and a fraction of the time allowed for others.

[loudsue]

99. Dennis is the BEST on all the issues. That's why the media keeps painting him as a no-go.

If Kucinich was President, he'd break up the big media conglomerates and make this country a Democracy again.

Can't have THAT, now, can we?

:kick::kick::kick:

[kikiek]

103. Funny my husband who didn't know who he was picked him as his favorite. I was surprised for various

reasons, but pleased. We will see how this all works out. I am afraid our country is in this perpetual fear mode that will prevent him from office. It is a shame.

[LWolf]

78. I thought that was the best answer on the stage.

It is consistent with his position, choosing to utilize non-military means to bring people to justice whenever possible. He also said that anyone committing crimes against other nations should be brought to justice. I thought the reference was clear.

[lonestarnot]

82. Dennis is not afraid to tell the truth.

[Individualist]

27. Same here

Kucinich IS the best on every issue.

[mvd]

36. I thought Dennis had no bad answers and..

I think he articulated without attacking the others as much.

[bilgewaterbill]

56. DK is my man! He has executive experience, too. Mrs. DK is hot! nt

[Extend a Hand]

67. I thought Dennis was great tonight

I wish they would've let him talk more. I'm voting Kucinich unless Al Gore gets in the race.

[LWolf]

74. He is great, and his answers were great.

I, too, wish they'd give him more time. I'm with him all the way in the primaries.

[burrowowl]

96. Amen!

The only REAL Democrat running!

[mvd]

21. Overall a better debate, though Wolf was a boring moderator, and..

I thought CNN twisted the questions at the bottom. Gravel went way down with me, but Obama went up.

[Labors of Hercules]

23. Hillary went way up with me.

[mvd]

31. I like Hilary, but her answer about us being safer was..

just way off and might have been a mistake that can be used against her.

After the debate, my favorites remain Kucinich and Edwards, but I feel better about Obama if he's the nominee.

[ElizabethDC]

43. As a Hillary supporter, I must say I disagreed with her on that answer

but I think her strong performance in the rest of the debate more than made up for it.

[Patsy Stone]

24. The woman in the audience

introducing the people and their questions was a bit too Oprah-esque for my taste. Wolf was as dull as dishwater.

[onehandle]

26. I choose the Democrat. nt

[flyarm]

29. EDWARDS WENT WAY UP WITH ME!!..HE WAS CLEAR AND CONCISE AND A LEADER! EOM

[William769]

37. He did not impress me with his first priority as President.

[The Count]

86. You must have missed Obama's slap. Or chose to ignore it like all the rest of the facts

[madmunchie]

112. Too bad his record on decisions while he was in Government

suck.

[thatsrightimirish]

33. Good Debate

I thought Edwards was very aggressive and that worked in his far. Obama's answers were excellent and it showed that even though he may have as much experience as Bush, he is WAY stronger.

Hillary's Cheney line was funny and her answers on Iran were correct.

I actually thought Dodd had a break though performance tonight as well

[mvd]

38. I didn't catch what she said about Iran

Good to see that though.

[NastyRiffraff]

39. My take

First, the loser tonight was Wolf. What an ass!


The other big loser: Gravel. Some people here liked him when he was "funny." When he isn't...not so much. I don't think he'll be in for long.

Winners: Clinton, Edwards, Obama. This is possibly in part because they got the most time, but Clinton, especially, wasn't taking Wolf's crap. All of them came up with good answers.

Kucinich, Richardson, Dodd: None of them got enough time, but when they did, they didn't seem sharp, at least to me.

That said, I think we actually have a good field this time.

[flyarm]

it seemed obvious to me wolf has his 3 picks,.the rest were almost ignored!!

and that bothered me..Dennis had his hand up many times and wolf ignored him..i even thought Biden was pretty ignored..

it was obvious..three candidates are picked by wolf and cnn..and they are saying fuck the others..that truely bothers me..

fly

[Blackhatjack]

61. Dodd was right, he was virtually ignored the first hour....n/t

[flyarm]

40. DUPE HAVING PROBLEMS POSTING ON DU TONIGHT!!

[WilliamPitt]

42. I missed the Kucinich answer on Osama/missiles.

Saw references in the debate thread. Can someone fill me in? Thanks.

[Solon]

49. He said he doesn't believe in assassination politics, and thinks Osama, if alive, should be...

brought before an international tribunal to answer for his crimes.

[dweller]

62. excellent answer

just what i expect from DK.

dp

[Solon]

68. My only problem with his answer is that he should have pointed out that it wouldn't have worked...

Trying to kill ONE person using a missile is like trying to use a sledgehammer to fix a dent on your car.

[StudentProgressive]

69. Unfortunately the rest of the folks were given a chest-thunmping moment there

:(

[Solon]

71. Yeah, it was a chest thumping moment, created, I believe, to make Dennis appear weak...

The fact that the hypothetical was completely ridiculous, and impractical, seems to be beside the point.

[StudentProgressive]

90. Wolf Blitzer created it too during the AUDIENCE SESSION

Why did he interject his own questions? This is a freaking conspiracy.

[Solon]

92. Wolf is a hack, that much was obvious...

You don't require a conspiracy when the one guy running the show is the one behind the questions.

[cui bono]

101. That's why the question included the fact that the missile would kill

innocent people.

[Telly Savalas]

72. But he also said something to the effect that anybody breaking international law

in a manner that resulted in thousands of deaths should be tried for war crimes. He didn't name any names, but it was pretty obvious who he was talking about.

[Solon]

91. I really liked that part, and it would go a long way towards the international legitimacy that...

all the candidates are harping about.

[ellisonz]

51. DK said absolutely not.

He wants him brought before the World Court.

[ChiciB1]

47. Sticking With Edwards! I Like The Fact That He Was Willing To

actually open himself up for "criticism" when he knew it would be coming! I think he was gracious in his answers to Obama and think he has more "heart" when it comes to PEOPLE!

Obama was better than the last time out, and I will say Hillary did well too! I agree with Kucinich on many issues, but folks it ain't gonna happen.

I'm glad to see that Obama really improved from his last performance, but even if Hillary came across as a winner, I don't really trust her for some reason. I don't mean to put her down, but I can't shake the feeling. I also like Biden, but it's Edwards in the end!

[ellisonz]

54. It's her Manchurian appearance...

thank you Jonathan Demme RIP.

[Debi]

50. Joe Biden just said Wolf did a good job

What debate was he at?? :shrug:

[Egnever]

77. The same one you watched

I dont like wolf at all but that debate was awesome and in large part it was because Wolf was ready to go after the candidates and try to pit them against eachother that it turned out to be such a great debate IMHO

[MiniMe]

100. What is he supposed to say? Wolf, you suck?

[Wiley50]

53. I'd like to be able to disect the best parts from each of them

and sew them together into a perfect candidate

One big surprise for me
was on the subject of earmarks
when Biden brought up publicly financed elections

best thing I've ever heard him say

[amandabeech]

73. I agree with Biden on the publicly financed elections.

It would solve a bunch of problems, IMHO.

If he's serious about it, I could overlook some other problems with him, like his bankruptcy vote.

I wondered whether that's one on which he would have gone the other way absent $$$ and overall clout.

[stevedeshazer]

87. That impressed me as well

Great answer. I just wish he'd act on it, having been a Senator for freaking ever.

[Blackhatjack]

58. There was a lot to like all around tonight... I thought Gravel came across not positive enough...

Just My Opinion.

[The Count]

88. yeah, cuz everything is soo happy and pink - and we need to sing & dance...

[Blackhatjack]

106. Excuse me, did you take a wrong turn and observe a different debate tonight?

You must have bad tv reception if you think our Democratic Candidates portrayed 'everything is soo happy and pink...'

[slick8790]

59. Interesting

Biden: Way up, I find him very likeable and very concise and sure of himself on the issues that matter.
Hillary: Surprsingly, slightly up, just because of her big nose-thumbing to CNN's ridiculous hypotheticals
Obama: Seemed like he spoke a lot but didn't say much.
Kucinich: Never really liked him to begin with, but the OBL answer lost it forever.
Gravel: Slightly down. I think he has a lot of things to say that need to be talked about, but...some things just don't click
Edwards: Still my pick.

[Hekate]

66. Hillary was great at standing her ground on those "hypotheticals", wasn't she?

I liked that. She's a very bright and accomplished woman who takes a lot of hits for being "hard" -- but by gods she's going to need to be tough and analytical to be president. And she is.

I pretty much liked all of them beforehand, and still do. Bush isn't fit to wipe the shoes of the least of them. We have a good team.

Hekate

[Hekate]

63. "First 100 days" answers put me off.Traveling the world for diplomacy comes after undoing every...

...one of Bush's signing statements. The president should send out other people (like Bill Clinton) as diplomats immediately -- and stay home to restore our civil liberties.

I enjoyed it though, and so did Mr. H. At one point I left the room and he called me back to say that Hillary was sitting in the middle of two guys jockeying to be each other's VP, which was his take on a rather intense but cordial exchange between Edwards and Obama. He thought it looked like if either one became the presidential nominee, the other would be happy to be the running mate.

Hekate

[Labors of Hercules]

64. Edwards dropped in my estimation.

I kept thinking that He was fighting hard for himself, but not for the ideals he was proporting. He came across as self serving, throwing up points in opposition to the other candidates NOT because he really believed in them, but simply to make points against them.

[flyarm]

80. and i thought the opposite..i thought he came on as a leader!!

Ewards is far left of Hillary or Obama..on Iraq..and i am far left!!

I am damn sick of the middle bullshit!!

fly

[Quixote1818]

109. You should read Paul Krugman's article: Obama in second place

He disagrees with you

http://welcome-to-pottersville.blogspot.com/

[pinto]

65. Overall, I hated the sound bite format, but I thought Biden was the clearest of the group. And,

I thought all made some good points. Some clear differences, some clear agreements. Some tiptoeing through the minefield that is Iraq. Some tiptoeing around immigration. I liked the clear support, even given the various approaches, to affordable/available health care. And I liked the occasional nod to a competitor on specific points. Interesting. I would have liked some blunter proposals on Iraq - we're up against the wall there - but everyone seemed to have a moment.

[jillan]

85. Yeah - that's why I like Biden

Even when I don't agree with him, he speaks his mind.
I never feel like he is playing politics.

[graywarrior]

70. The camera stayed on Clinton & Obama, plus they were placed in the middle.

They are choosing the winners for us...again.

[LWolf]

79. I'm not voting for their choices. n/t

[flyarm]

81. me either!!..and wolf kept going to his picks!! fuck him!! where is Gore??????

I want Gore!!

and i am willing to wait for my President!

fly

[stevedeshazer]

84. There was a clear loser who is completely unelectable

Wolf Freaking Blitzer.

I'd be happy to vote for anyone else on that stage tonight.

By the way, Joe Biden was really good, better than I expected, and I'm no fan pf his.

[ChiciB1]

89. I Found The "Raise Your Hands" Stuff To Be Juvenile!! I Had Enough

of that kind of stuff! I don't understand why it's needed, it's what I was asked when I was a kid!

OK, now children let's all vote and raise our hands!! Not something we should have to be expose to.

[Martin Eden]

94. Ranking the performances:

This is not how I'm ranking my choices, but how well I think each candidate did relative to their status in the race:

1. Clinton
2. Biden
3. Edwards
4. Obama
5. Dodd
6. Kucinich
7. Richardson
8. Gravel

Personally, I will vote for either Obama or Kucinich in the Dem primary (unless Gore enters the race). But I think Hillary did very well in this debate. I can't vote for her or Biden or Dodd or Edwards in the primary because they voted for the IWR in 2002. It doesn't matter that Edwards has repeatedly recanted that vote -- it showed incredibly poor judgement at the time.

[proud patriot]

95. I didn't think Biden was ery good tonight

he sounded plastic to me

[mvd]

97. I agree - this is how I'd rank them

1. Kucinich
2. Edwards
3. Obama
4. Clinton
5. Dodd
6. Richardson (he was last in the first debate, so he went up)
7. Biden
8. Gravel

[Martin Eden]

107. I though Biden demonstrated he knows his stuff

Several weeks ago when MoveOn hosted an Iraqi forum for the Dem candidates, I thought Biden's plan for how to leave Iraq with the best chance for stability was the most realistic of the plans offered by the candidates.

I've never been a fan of Biden but I think he's pretty competent, and that came across to me during the debate.

[peabody71]

98. BIDEN and KUCINICH WERE THE MOST IMPRESSIVE!

Sorry but they were the only ones beside Edwards on occasion who showed the drive, commitiment and ideas to make ANYTHING happen.
I think just about everyone missed the point. It's about action not image!!

But I still think the dream tiket to be Gore/Obama the GO TICKET.

[Vinca]

102. I watched the entire debate and came away wishing Kucinich

was a viable candidate. He's the only one who truly reflects how I feel and it bothers me that he's virtually shunned by the other candidates on the stage. Universal healthcare, especially. The others are for universal insurance, not universal healthcare.

[Tesha]

105. He's viable if you'll vote for him (and make a contribution if you can). (NT)

[peabody71]

108. KUCCINICH has my VOTE!

He reflects how I feel and he will ACT not talk about it.
I will be true to myself not simply strategic. Those days are over.

[Vinca]

110. I'm going to vote for him in the NH primary - maybe he'll do better

here than I expect since he got the best applause after his remark on universal, SINGLE PAYER healthcare.

[Tesha]

111. Saturday, he had the crowd at the NH State Democratic Convention roaring...

> I'm going to vote for him in the NH primary - maybe he'll do better
> here than I expect since he got the best applause after his remark
> on universal, SINGLE PAYER healthcare.

Saturday, he had the crowd at the NH State Democratic
Convention roaring essentially throughout his speech;
he probably got the most steadily-enthusiastic response
of any of the candidates (or their proxies). When he
called for the impeachment of Cheney, he got one of
the loudest responses of the day.

See:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=166x1406

This doesn't mean all the DLC-types in the crowd will
actually sacrifice their self-interest and vote for the
guy, but his ideas obviously resonated well with a *LOT*
of politically-savvy people.

Tesha