October 31, 2007
WH '08: Clinton Gets Hazing In Philly Debate
It was ugly, all right. And we're not just talking about the city.
The Democratic presidential candidates chasing Hillary Rodham Clinton sought last night [video] to portray the front-runner as George W. Bush with a better health plan. Did they succeed? And does it matter?
We ask the second question because of how close we are to the primaries and because of how gaping the Big Mo gap's become. Clinton tops second-place Barack Obama by 14 percent and 28 percent per Zogby and CBS News, respectively. Though everyone on stage at Drexel University might come to regret it later in the general election, last night seemed as good a time as any to air out the family business.
By that we mean the internal conversation Democrats have been engaged in practically since Clinton announced she was running for the Senate, a move widely viewed as a springboard to this moment. To the amazement of quite a few old political hands, the former first lady has managed to overcome many of her negatives. In the latest survey, CBS respondents gave her the highest favorability rating among the candidates.
So last night, as expected, Clinton was attacked more pointedly and with more aggression than we've seen in this field. Did anyone manage to land a punch? Yep. Is Clinton down for the count? Nope. Are we going to ride the "Rocky" metaphors for the duration of this post? You bet.
Takeaways from the Dilly in Philly after the jump.
I believe in Santa Claus, but I don't believe in you
No, that's not the title of the latest Toby Keith. (Though a girl can dream.) Edwards said it as he refuted the claim that Clinton's presidency would bring "change" -- one of those election-year buzzwords that's beaten into marshmallowy formlessness upon overuse.
"The question I think that voters have to ask themselves is, do you believe that the candidate who's raised the most money from Washington lobbyists, Democrat or Republican; the candidate who's raised the most money from the health industry," and "the candidate who's raised the most money from the defense industry, Republican or Democrat.... will she be the person who brings about the change in this country?" Nope, said Edwards. "I think that if people want the status quo, Senator Clinton's your candidate."
That was one of numerous times Edwards et al. sought to lump Clinton in with President Bush. Clinton tsk-tsked whenever this happened, pointing out that if she really was Bush's ideological twin, then why were the Republican candidates attacking her so much? There's a second, less often stated "change" question here, which is: Has Clinton herself evolved since her days as first lady?
Democrats, particularly those on the left, fear that Clinton is at core a purely political animal who will once again betray party principles upon taking office. Clearly, she's won over some skeptics, but another scandal-ridden Clinton presidency would be a devastating blow to the party's identity. Remember all that soul-searching the party was supposed to undergo following Al Gore's defeat in 2000? It never happened. Thanks to the rapid-fire succession of 9/11, the Iraq war and the unraveling of Bush's presidency, Democrats just haven't had time.
It's not personal -- it's just business
In contrast to the GOP field, all seven Democratic contenders on stage seem to genuinely like each other. For the reasons mentioned above, Obama and Edwards may be doing the party a favor by reminding everyone of what Clinton faces if she wins the nomination. Voters who are only reluctantly throwing their support behind Clinton should do so with the awareness that Obama may be closer to them on the war, or that Edwards' economic populism speaks more to the base than she does.
At the same time, Clinton's fellow Democrats should tread lightly, as Bill Richardson pointed out. "I'm hearing this holier-than-thou attitude toward Senator Clinton. That's bothering me because it's pretty close to personal attacks that we don't need," the former New Mexico governor said. "I think it's important that we save the ammunition for the Republicans."
Bottom line is Democrats risk significant bleeding in the party if they fail for the third time in a row to win the White House. Clinton's way ahead because she's viewed as the party's best shot at overcoming the GOP machine. By the way, now that Edwards is taking direct hits on Clinton -- after months of having wife Elizabeth do the dirty work (subscription) -- can he still play the innocent optimist?
Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd has a point when he openly questions her general electability. Then again, Dodd has yet to show he can convince his own party he should be president, let alone the nation at large.
The day the laughter died
You did it, America. We counted not a cackle, nor a guffaw. Time to put our Most Presidential Laughter From A Woman Contest to bed: Readers voted Candidate E the winner.
Biden's killer left hook
In a race full of Pander Bears -- they said it, not us -- Joseph Biden is one of the few straight-talkers whom the Washington establishment could actually see in the Oval Office. He gets borderline grouchy at these forums, particularly when candidates go off topic in hopes of scoring with the audience.
Last night, the Delaware senator delivered a future Democratic talking point on Republican front-runner Rudy Giuliani.
And the irony is... Rudy Giuliani, probably the most underqualified man since George Bush to seek the presidency, is talking about any of the people here. Rudy Giuliani. I mean, think about it. Rudy Giuliani. There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11. I mean, there's nothing else. There's nothing else. And I mean it sincerely. He is genuinely not qualified to be president.
So far, no one in the Republican field dares go after Giuliani on his pre- and post-9/11 record as mayor of New York. Democrats, meanwhile, have been amassing oppo for months, helped by anti-Giuliani firefighters and victims' families. Clearly, going after Giuliani on the nation's greatest modern tragedy is tremendously risky. Biden's just shown how it can be done.
Photo Illustrations: Reuben Dalke
Posted at 1:49 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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