The Democratic YouTube Debate

So, I just watched the YouTube Democratic candidate debates (http://www.youtube.com/debates). This is the first Dem debate I’ve watched this year. I’ve been avoiding them because I just feel that we’re so far out from the actual election that we aren’t going to hear honest answers that can be converted into policy. We’re far enough away right now that any of these people would have time to modify or transform their stances on any given issue if they feel it will give them a better shot at the candidacy or the white house. It’s disgusting, but true – I have avoided learning about these proposals because there are simply too many trial balloons in the talking points.

However, I really liked the idea of the YouTube debate so I strapped in and finally began my process of selecting a candidate. Here are some of my thoughts:

In general, I was a bit disappointed that the candidates did what they always do – they take each question and restate it as a question that they already have a canned answer for. You could tell who had no chance of winning because they were the only people making bold statements. Still, most of the answers felt flat and uninspiring – which is to be expected when you’re digesting trial balloons.

I was also very disappointed by the slap-dash treatment of environmental concerns – given the importance of this issue today, there should have been a much more coverage to better illustrate the differing viewpoints of the candidates.

My kudos to Anderson Cooper. He kept it rolling with no self-aggrandizement and, in a few situations, hammered at the candidates to force them out of vagary and into a clear statement of policy. Nice job AC!

Gravel – Wow, this guy’s a nutball. I assume he’s trying to look like the firey outsider, but the way he went after Obama made him look more like a junk yard dog. Also, his tax solution to climate change is insane and won’t work. Still, they gave this guy NO airtime and I don’t know why they bothered to have him on. Of course, he used half of his time complaining that he didn’t get more time. Lame ass.

Biden – I like Biden’s no-nonsense way of speaking. I loved his response to Darfur – “Why Darfur? Because we can!” Kick ass. His Iraq policy sounds like the only honest one to me, but it still creates a Yugoslavia-esque state that would be unstable at best.

Kucinich - Kicinich is just hard to take seriously. I mean come on, is DK really going to come into office and pass reparations for slavery? Whether you like the idea or not, it’s a dumb thing to stump on in my opinion. With each answer he tried to sound really inspiring but he was just trying too hard – he ended up looking silly in my opinion.

Clinton – Boy did she use her front runner status well. Hillary knew she had the room to act like a statesman and she did. I thought her answer to the “are you feminine enough?’ question was one of the best answers of the night. I have always felt that HC was a bit disingenuous – more politician than statesman. I think she did a good job of chipping away at that stumbling block in this debate. Her energy answer, while a bit safe, was on the right track.

Dodd – Beyond an above-average response to the race/Katrina question, Dodd showed himself to be a Washington insider looking for a better job. Having voted for the Defense of Marriage act, I thought his answer to the gay marriage questions was hypocritical.

Richardson – Whenever he spoke he went right to no-nonsense statements of exactly what he would do. No trial balloons here – he cut right to the promises. I was particularly inspired by his decisive comments on international leadership.I don’t think his “all out now” approach to Iraq is practical and I strongly disagree with his stance on gun control.

Obama – I was disappointed to see Obama dodge the reparations question. He said “We do need reparations for our public schools!” What a cheap shot. Everyone will clap for the schools and it was an easy out. I really liked the question about how will Obama address being “black enough” and while he had a great answer, it didn’t address the actual question. I loved his answer about meeting with foreign leaders. In all, Obama spoke well and I like his policies as they stand, but I was disappointed that he didn’t answer questions more directly. I think he’s playing it safe right now (which is probably a smart move).

Edwards – Edwards really played the role of the outsider more than I expected. While it may just have been rhetoric, I liked his rhetoric on challenging big business for control of this country. I like his strong stance on universal healthcare and thought that he made excellent (and accurate) comments on energy solutions.

Best question of the night – question 10 – Why is it okay to use religion as a basis to deny marriage rights to gays. This question was just REALLY well phrased and really skewered Edwards good. He looked like an ass. When Obama took up the question he talked about his civil union proposal providing equal benefits. As he spoke the words “separate but equal” drifted through my mind. Not good.

So, after this debate I am still not sure who I will vote for, but I can put them in order of how much I like them and their policies and vibe right now:

1. Barak Obama
2. John Edwards
3. Hillary Clinton
4. Joe Biden

These could change, dramatically even, once I put more time and effort into learning their policies. I guess I’m sucked in now. Let’s hope whoever we pick can whoop their Republican opponent something fierce.