The Fix: Democratic Debate: Edwards Backs Up Obama

[MadBadger]

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/01/democratic_debate_roundup_1.html


Democratic Debate: Edwards Backs Up Obama
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) cast off the magnanimous, above-the-fray approach she had used up until now in the campaign, aggressively challenging Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) over which of the three can truly bring about change.

"I think I am an agent of change," Clinton insisted. "I think having the first woman president is a huge change."

While that line drew spontaneous applause from the audience inside the debate hall, it may be too little too late for Clinton. A majority of voters in the Iowa Democratic caucuses said a candidate who could bring about change was their top priority in making their pick, and Obama won overwhelmingly among that bloc of voters.

Given the short period of time between Iowa's caucuses and New Hampshire's primary, it will be difficult for Clinton to change the underlying dynamics of the race in such short order. Obama is at ease when talking change and he showed it again tonight; "Regardless of what the Republican candidates are talking about I think there are a whole hosts of Republicans and Independents who have lost hope in their government," he said. "We can draw those independents and some Republicans into a working majority for change."

Clinton's tactic to disrupt Obama in New Hampshire is to raise questions about the consistency of his record. Time and again, she sought to take the offensive against Obama, beseeching voters (and, more obliquely, the media) to look more closely at alleged contradictions in his statements on health care and the influence of special interests. She even noted that Obama's New Hampshire chairman is a lobbyist. "Words are not action and, as beautifully presented and passionately felt as they are, they are not action," she said, directly taking on the lofty rhetoric that has installed the Illinois Senator as the frontrunner in the primary.

Obama, to his credit, immediately pushed back -- insisting that she was underestimating the power of words. "Words do inspire," he said. "Words do help people get involved."

The problem for Clinton is that Edwards has decided that his best chance to be one of the last two candidates standing is to knock her out in New Hampshire. Edwards' campaign believes that if he can do that -- perhaps with a close third place finish -- Clinton will be a non-factor and allow him to debate Obama over which man is the true change agent.

Edwards repeatedly cited his agreement with Obama and savaged Clinton as a defender of the status quo, making it very difficult -- as we noted earlier -- for Clinton to score a direct hit on Obama. Edwards' argument throughout the debate was that while he and Obama differ over the proper method to bring about change, he and Obama are far more capable to bring about that change than Clinton.

/snip/

We're fascinated to see how Clinton's performance tonight will play with New Hampshire voters. As we wrote in The Fix analysis of the first 45 minutes, Clinton was far more animated and aggressive than she had been in all the past debates combined. When she attacks, Clinton always faces the risk of drawing a negative reaction from voters. That said, Clinton seemed to show tonight that she was willing to fight for it and that could potentially resound with New Hampshire voters who, unlike their compatriots in Iowa, tend to like a bit of combativeness in their politicians.

* Obama seemed to come into this debate determined to show that he is presidential and he did that nicely. He avoided engaging Clinton on a personal level and insisted that their policy disagreements were legitimate and fair game. That is the strategy of a confident candidate.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. This is kind of like "Survivor - NH"

[stillrockin]

4. Yeah, Hillary, the tribe has spoken!

:thumbsdown:

[EFerrari]

2. My sat is down in the storm.

So frustrating.

:grr:

[frogcycle]

3. Obama's worst moment:

"Obama, to his credit, immediately pushed back -- insisting that she was underestimating the power of words. "Words do inspire," he said. "Words do help people get involved.""

That was really lame. One step away from "sticks and stones..."


In fairness, I think they were all exhausted and should be cut a little slack.

I mean, I KNOW Richardson knows the Soviet Union is no more and am giving him a break on that slip. So Hil got a bit testy and Obama was not on top of his ame. Big deal

The substance of their messages was largely unchanged, and the fatigue caused minor hiccups in three out of four...

did I say that?

Actually, Edwards was on his game pretty well.

[stillrockin]

6. You know, I was a governor of a state . . .

:bounce:

[BenDavid]

5. Oh, so it tis the old double team, but a funny thing happened

while edwards was teaming with HRC, she scored on both of them. All I can say is, so it takes two men to try and defeat one woman? WOW! And about this HRC moment. So, it's allowable for a man to show passion or be pissed when he gets things said wrongly, but HRC is suppose to just sit there and smile wide. Hell NO! I was proud she showed passion or pissed or whatever you obama folks wanna call it. Hell, your guy tonight looked like he was a member of the national organization of Morticians.....Damn! What a lackluster performance. Always said that obama giving a speech is great but when he is in a sitting like tonight or one on one he is as incoherent as bush, and tonight again proved it.....

Ben David

[stillrockin]

7. HRC is owned by corporations. End of story.

B-)

[Anouka]

8. Bad Line: the focus on 'me' and not 'US'

"I think I am an agent of change," Clinton insisted. "I think having the first woman president is a huge change."


The first woman president should be incidental, in spite of being monumental. Hillary doesn't get that.

Obama, who (in my opinion) is seeking something far, far more extraordinary than 'first woman', *does* get that.

Jack Kennedy, first Roman Catholic president of the United States, got it too. He also got that,

'ask not what your country can do for you,
ask what you can do for your country.'

reading that line from Hillary above, about how her being the first woman president is being an agent of change... that was her opportunity to speak about what she could do for her country. the positive changes that she was going to bring to all of america. her opportunity to put the 'US' back into 'U.S.' ... not a moment to talk about 'I'. perhaps it plays better live, than on paper. but people talk about Obama being nothing but platitudes and inexperience.

I expect something more from experienced Hillary, at this point, than 'the change I bring is being a woman'. She's been a DC insider for two decades. If all the change she brings is being a woman, after all that time, it's not enough.