NYT: Traditional Sparring in Non-Traditional Debate

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/us/politics/24cnd-debate.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Traditional Sparring in Non-Traditional Debate
Josh Haner/The New York Times

Democratic presidential candidates were asked questions on Iraq, Darfur, gay marriage and alternative energy in videos submitted to YouTube.


By PATRICK HEALY and JEFF ZELENY
Published: July 23, 2007

Facing an unusual series of video-recorded questions from Americans — by turns toughly worded, highly emotional, and simply offbeat — the eight Democratic presidential candidates sparred tonight over race, gay marriage, Darfur and troops in Iraq, while also still finding ways to trade the verbal jabs that typify traditional debates.

The televised debate was unusual from the start: A man speaking on a homemade video — and not the usual television anchorman — opened the forum, sponsored by CNN and the video-sharing Web site YouTube, by imploring the candidates to answer directly and not “beat around the bush” — the last word delivered as a play on President Bush’s surname.

At times the candidates were direct: Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio castigated his fellow Democrats for keeping troops in Iraq, saying it was because of politics and fear, while Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware said of children in Darfur, “Those kids will be dead by the time the diplomacy is over.” Some candidates, like Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Mr. Kucinich, used the word “you” repeatedly — a popular phrase in the YouTube universe — to refer to American voters and to the people asking the questions by videotape.

Some questions put the candidates on the spot in a very personal way, as when they had to respond to whether they sent their children to public or private schools and whether they would be willing to be paid the national minimum wage if they become president. But at other times candidates lapsed into more robotic responses; Senator Christopher Dodd — greeted in one question about political change with a “whatsup!” — gave a lengthy recitation of his decades of service in Washington. And then there were the trademark criticisms, some directed at Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, who is ahead in most national opinion polls.

Former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina described himself at several points as the candidate who could deliver “big change” or “bold change” in Washington. Mrs. Clinton and Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, also often talked about change.

“How do we bring about big change?” Mr. Edwards asked before the audience, gathered at the Citadel in Charleston, S.C. “Do you believe that compromise, triangulation will bring about big change? I don’t.” The political idea of “triangulation,” taking ideas from both Democrats and Republicans while also sometimes playing one party off of another, is often associated with former President Bill Clinton. (Mrs. Clinton did not reply to the use of that word.)

more...