Had two big exams towards the end of the week so I was unable to write about my experience at Tuesday’s Democratic Presidential debate in Philadelphia until today.
This was my first time in a Spin Room after a debate and it was as just as chaotic as I imagined. As the spinners walked into the lobby they were all immediately bombarded with reporters. It was nearly impossible to get to Clinton's or Obama's campaign in the beginning so I went to talk to Kucinich's campaign where I discussed the World Trade Organization with Dennis' wife, Elizabeth. As the night continued it became easier to talk with representatives of Clinton, one of which was Gen. Wesley Clark. I was also able to get a few comments from Democratic Chairman Howard Dean but there was really nothing of substance I could use in a news segment. After about a half-hour a few candidates begin filing in. First was Dennis Kucinich (ironically he would be the last one to leave the room at around 1 AM). Chris Dodd also stopped by to make a few comments as well as Joe Biden. I had the pleasure of seeing Biden backstage at Mendell Theater later that night - he was surprisingly more personable then I would have thought. Clinton, Obama, Edwards, and Richardson did not make any appearances in the Spin Room.
I know this may seemed biased but I’m attempting to remain as objective as possible when I say Dennis Kucinich seemed the most down to Earth personable candidate after the debate. Not only did he spend the most time out of any other candidate talking to reporters himself, as opposed to sending representatives, he was also the last candidate to leave the room. I overheard one Drexel student outside the lobby as I was leaving say, "I tried to get to Obama to shake his hand but he left too quickly." Kucinich on the other hand, waited until all the media left the Spin Room and then invited any student who wanted to have a picture with him into the room. As I left the debate he was still posing for pictures. Whether you agree or disagree with his policies he is willing to actually sacrifice his own personal time to listen to what citizens tell him. I'm not saying that the other candidates don't care about the people, but I was shocked to see how important it was for Kucinich to hear what every person in the room had to say – regardless of age. Just some first hand experience to think about come Primary time.
Now onto the debate itself. Obama looked like he got a lot better as the debate went on. It seemed like he started out a little tentative but got comfortable as things unfolded. Edwards came out as combative as usual which was not a surprise. For Obama to catch Clinton in the polls he is going to have to engage her in a debate directly the way that Edwards has been doing. Instead of saying "there is someone on this stage who voted a certain way and I tend to disagree" he should just say "Clinton voted this way and it was wrong." Obama just dose not seem to have that combative edge he needs to take on someone as feisty as Clinton. The sad part about it is Obama's doing the right thing. By highlighting his positives rather then attacking the other candidate’s negatives he is taking a sort of "political high road" over mudslinging. It really is disappointing that Obama's "be the bigger man" approach isn't working, because in my opinion it is exactly what this country needs in politics. Obama has promised he is not going to play "politics as usual" and he has valiantly kept that promise. Its ashame people aren't catching on, and its even more ashame that Obama has to chose between being the respectable politician he is and wants to be and being the muckraking politician he needs to be to beat Clinton.
Even if most of the debate remained cordial, it did get a little testy towards the end. Edward's and Obama's eyes both immediately lit up when Clinton gaffed the Eliot Spitzer illegal immigration question. They both saw this as the opportunity they were looking for and when politicians smell blood, they go in for the kill. Her inability to answer the question honestly really hit her hard. This is not going to do much in the polls, but her gaffe did something much more telling. If the final 20 minutes of the debate showed nothing else - it showed that a Clinton nominee is not inevitable. Before the debate she had pretty much ran a textbook campaign with no real slips. Even though her mishap during the debate will not do too much for her support in the polls it showed everyone watching that she is not immune to faulting. This is a sign that should invigorate the other candidates.
Taking the whole debate into account I think if I had to choose a winner it would be Joe Biden. Not only did he have the humorous one liner of the night with "The only things out of Rudy's mouth are noun, verb, 9/11," he also looked the most polished and presidential. He had a great command of the stage, looked very comfortable answering questions, articulated his policies well, and was able to avoid bluntly dodging questions. He didn't get to speak as much as Hillary and Barack but given the time he portrayed himself as an extremely strong and competent leader. It seems like he is gaining more and more support as Richardson is dropping in the polls. Should not be long before Biden moves into the number four spot if he continues to run a strong campaign and Richardson makes no adjustments.
On a final note, Tim Russert's question to Kucinich about a UFO sighting was unconscionable. I'll explain why next post.
This was my first time in a Spin Room after a debate and it was as just as chaotic as I imagined. As the spinners walked into the lobby they were all immediately bombarded with reporters. It was nearly impossible to get to Clinton's or Obama's campaign in the beginning so I went to talk to Kucinich's campaign where I discussed the World Trade Organization with Dennis' wife, Elizabeth. As the night continued it became easier to talk with representatives of Clinton, one of which was Gen. Wesley Clark. I was also able to get a few comments from Democratic Chairman Howard Dean but there was really nothing of substance I could use in a news segment. After about a half-hour a few candidates begin filing in. First was Dennis Kucinich (ironically he would be the last one to leave the room at around 1 AM). Chris Dodd also stopped by to make a few comments as well as Joe Biden. I had the pleasure of seeing Biden backstage at Mendell Theater later that night - he was surprisingly more personable then I would have thought. Clinton, Obama, Edwards, and Richardson did not make any appearances in the Spin Room.
I know this may seemed biased but I’m attempting to remain as objective as possible when I say Dennis Kucinich seemed the most down to Earth personable candidate after the debate. Not only did he spend the most time out of any other candidate talking to reporters himself, as opposed to sending representatives, he was also the last candidate to leave the room. I overheard one Drexel student outside the lobby as I was leaving say, "I tried to get to Obama to shake his hand but he left too quickly." Kucinich on the other hand, waited until all the media left the Spin Room and then invited any student who wanted to have a picture with him into the room. As I left the debate he was still posing for pictures. Whether you agree or disagree with his policies he is willing to actually sacrifice his own personal time to listen to what citizens tell him. I'm not saying that the other candidates don't care about the people, but I was shocked to see how important it was for Kucinich to hear what every person in the room had to say – regardless of age. Just some first hand experience to think about come Primary time.
Now onto the debate itself. Obama looked like he got a lot better as the debate went on. It seemed like he started out a little tentative but got comfortable as things unfolded. Edwards came out as combative as usual which was not a surprise. For Obama to catch Clinton in the polls he is going to have to engage her in a debate directly the way that Edwards has been doing. Instead of saying "there is someone on this stage who voted a certain way and I tend to disagree" he should just say "Clinton voted this way and it was wrong." Obama just dose not seem to have that combative edge he needs to take on someone as feisty as Clinton. The sad part about it is Obama's doing the right thing. By highlighting his positives rather then attacking the other candidate’s negatives he is taking a sort of "political high road" over mudslinging. It really is disappointing that Obama's "be the bigger man" approach isn't working, because in my opinion it is exactly what this country needs in politics. Obama has promised he is not going to play "politics as usual" and he has valiantly kept that promise. Its ashame people aren't catching on, and its even more ashame that Obama has to chose between being the respectable politician he is and wants to be and being the muckraking politician he needs to be to beat Clinton.
Even if most of the debate remained cordial, it did get a little testy towards the end. Edward's and Obama's eyes both immediately lit up when Clinton gaffed the Eliot Spitzer illegal immigration question. They both saw this as the opportunity they were looking for and when politicians smell blood, they go in for the kill. Her inability to answer the question honestly really hit her hard. This is not going to do much in the polls, but her gaffe did something much more telling. If the final 20 minutes of the debate showed nothing else - it showed that a Clinton nominee is not inevitable. Before the debate she had pretty much ran a textbook campaign with no real slips. Even though her mishap during the debate will not do too much for her support in the polls it showed everyone watching that she is not immune to faulting. This is a sign that should invigorate the other candidates.
Taking the whole debate into account I think if I had to choose a winner it would be Joe Biden. Not only did he have the humorous one liner of the night with "The only things out of Rudy's mouth are noun, verb, 9/11," he also looked the most polished and presidential. He had a great command of the stage, looked very comfortable answering questions, articulated his policies well, and was able to avoid bluntly dodging questions. He didn't get to speak as much as Hillary and Barack but given the time he portrayed himself as an extremely strong and competent leader. It seems like he is gaining more and more support as Richardson is dropping in the polls. Should not be long before Biden moves into the number four spot if he continues to run a strong campaign and Richardson makes no adjustments.
On a final note, Tim Russert's question to Kucinich about a UFO sighting was unconscionable. I'll explain why next post.
Me and Charlie (Turkish Daily News Reporter) 
Backstage during "Hardball" with Chris Matthews
CVA outside the Debate Hall
Media Filing Center
In the Spin Room with Howard Dean
Me and Dennis Kucinich
-tg
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