Tonight’s debate took place at the Citadel and was hosted by Anderson Cooper. CNN dismissed a video question by a five-year-old about Social Security. “Does a five-year-old really care about Social Security,” Anderson asked.
I hope so. More to the point, I hope the candidates care.
Tonight’s
CNN/YouTube debate was billed as the first debate of the campaign season. I wonder what the last five debates were about then, two of which were in South Carolina.
Senator Clinton claimed her eight years as First Lady as part of her 35 years as an “instrument” of policy. She also described herself as a “modern progressive.” Senator Obama subtly attacked her by pointing out where his funding doesn’t come from (i.e. PACs and lobbyists). Former Senator Gravel reprised his role as grumpy old man channeling Admiral Stockdale, attacking Senator Obama’s funding in response.
One of the more interesting questions was which Republican would each candidate pick as a running mate if they had to. Senator Biden picked Senator Hagel. Former Senator Edwards ducked the question after acknowledging that Sen. Hagel was a good choice. It’s too bad we didn’t hear answers from the rest of the candidates as well.
Kucinich wins the prize for first Dem on the stage to mention the Bible when he said he was for reparations for slavery. Edwards, Gravel, and Kucinich all attacked the “big money” that special interests bring to bear on politics in Washington. It’s refreshing to hear that kind of talk from career politicians and attorneys on the staff of large hedge fund corporations.
The next most contentious issue came from two questions on gay marriage. One of the questioners was a reverend who questioned the appropriateness of using religious beliefs to justify discriminatory practices. The candidates who had the chance to answer were very upfront about their beliefs, which was laudable. It seemed there were two issues being separately addressed – the issue of equal treatment under the law and the use of the word “marriage.” All of the responses affirmed a belief in equal treatment, but some (notably Senator Obama) expressed that the equal treatment should be called “civil unions.” He stated his belief that it’s up to the individual denominations to decide whether those unions are marriages or not.
After the first break, the first topic was about the genocide in Darfur. Governor Richardson spoke in favor of UN troops, but noted that the UN troops would take 6 months to get there. Despite this, he balked at sending U.S. troops. Sen. Biden responded that America is the only nation that can intervene. To summarize Sen. Biden, “where we can, we should; and in Darfur we can.” Senator Clinton named every other organization (NATO, EU, AU, and UN) but flatly said U.S. ground troops do not belong in Darfur. She did say that America is probably the only country that can logistically support the intervention.
Memorable quotes never go away, and Senator Obama invoked press secretary Tony Snow’s quote about it being hot in Baghdad in the summer. Senator Biden made a claim for being the only one with the experience to end the war in Iraq with a political solution. Congressman Kucinich held up his hand as a dutiful student, but was not called on by Professsor Cooper. When he got his chance, Mr. Kucinich said his solution was to quit funding the war, period. Governor Richardson wants to bring all the troops home in the next six months.
An interesting question was asked about whether women should register for the draft. Senator Dodd said yes.
(Cue camera pan to female Citadel cadet) Senator Clinton also stated her support for women registering for the draft. Everyone seemed to favor women registering for the draft but opposed the using the draft in the very next breath. Apparently, it’s only safe for women to register when we don’t actually plan to use the draft.
A more poignant question was asked by a veteran whose oldest son also died serving our country. He asked the candidates how many of their family are serving in the military. They all gave answers about the timeframe to bring troops home. Notably, none of the candidates mentioned family members currently serving in the military, though a few pointed to past glories.
After the second commercial break, there was a cute question about each candidate’s favorite teacher. It gave Senator Edwards the chance to drag out his “daddy worked in a mill” line. Governor Richardson spoke in favor of scrapping the No Child Left Behind Act. Senator Biden said he voted for the act in 2001 because of his faith in Senator Kennedy but regrets the vote and would scrap the act. There was a question about whether the candidates would send their children to public school or private school. There was a question about teaching sex education to children. This gave Senator Obama the chance to rebut Governor Romney’s recent characterizations of his remarks.
Then it was on to global warming. I remember the ruckus around the first Democratic debate in South Carolina when it was revealed each candidate flew there in a separate private jet. For the record, at least six of them took a private or charter jet to this debate as well. Congressman Kucinich opted to move the country away from oil consumption. Senator Gravel was in favor of changing the tax structure of the country.
All in all, the candidates did much better about actually answering the questions asked. I attribute this to Anderson Cooper’s skillful mediating.
