The Democrats Have Spoken

And there you have it, the first presidential debate of the 2008 election.

I have to say, I really enjoyed the debate. Sure, there weren't a ton of fireworks (maybe a few roman candles fired off here and there, especially when the lower profile candidates started duking it out with the higher profile candidates towards the end over the issue of military force), and some parts of the debate proceedings were a tad tacky. For example...hand vote questions? Really? Couldn't you just go with 'yes' or 'no' answers from the candidates? I'm just scared we're on a slippery slope here, and by next year we're going to have the candidates answering word association questions ("Ok, this one's for you Senator Clinton.....'Monica'.) All kidding aside, it was really great to see all the candidates in one place and to really find out which of them, in this early stage, truly has the potential to last all the way to November 2008.

Here are my picks for the winners and losers of tonight's debate...

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Biggest Winner: Hillary Clinton...For someone who had nowhere to go but down, and was likely going to be the political target of the night, Hillary handled herself incredibly well. She had great poise, she communicated her views rather effectively, and she really proved why she is leading the Democratic contenders right now. Mr. Cooper made a great point in our post-debate discussion, namely that for the first time he actually feels like he could potentially vote for Hillary, and I completely agree.

First Runner-Up: Joe Biden...Biden really came across as a well-spoken, likable guy with some serious policy plans (including an Iraq political strategy unlike any other candidate). I really think events like these will help give the Biden campaign a much needed boost along the primary campaign trail.

Second Runner-Up: (TIE) John Edwards & Barack Obama...To describe both John Edwards and Barack Obama I'd say this: neither of them were overly-impressive, they each had a few minor problems, and, when all is said and done, they both ended up looking like adequate candidates. For Edwards I don't think this is a big deal because he has been relatively successful in his third place status, but for Obama, who has been hyped to the extreme from day one, this may end up being the theme of his campaign, namely that he doesn't live up to the hype.

The Small Surprise: Dennis Kucinich...This is probably because Mike Gravel ended up filling the role of 'looney toon' (more on this below), but Dennis Kucinich really held his own on a stage full of "legitimate candidates". Kucinich really presented himself as a serious candidate with serious positions, even if those positions tended to be radical ones. Would I ever vote for him? No, but at least now I'm listening.

Nothing Lost, Nothing Gained: Chris Dodd...In this debate, Dodd was really just a non-entity. Simple as that. He seems like a nice enough guy, though.

The Joke: Mike Gravel...Ohhhhhh boy. Get the straight-jacket ready, this guy is NUTS! He was successful in this debate if the American people want a self-absorbed crybaby for their president. Not to mention, I've now seen this guy deliver three interviews on MSNBC and on EVERY one of them he's cursed while answering questions. Very classy.

Biggest Loser: Bill Richardson...This, for me, is the biggest shock of the night. So many political pundits had Richardson listed as there "most likely of the lower tier candidates to break out as a result of this debate" pick. QUITE the opposite. He failed on every possible level, including having the appearance of being both angry and constipated (although, if he was truly constipated, I guess it would follow that he would be angry about that), observing horrible debate conduct especially with regard to time limits, and delivering answers that were just plain terrible! What a huge disappointment! I really wanted to see Richardson go further, but I'm afraid his campaign goose is cooked.

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What it all boils down to is which of these candidates "looked presidential". The answer, in my opinion, is: definitely Hillary, surely Biden and Edwards, and barely Obama. As for the rest of the pack: no way. So, my prediction is that we see Hillary, Obama, Edwards, and Biden still in the race come the day of the first primary election (assuming that none of them do anything in the meantime to self-destruct their campaign...and assuming Al Gore doesn't get in.) From then on, it all depends on how those early primary results turn out.

I conclude here with something I was really happy to see with tonight's debate: a sense of cordiality and respectable informality among the Democratic candidates. It's likely that as the primary dates get closer the candidates will get more ruthless, but it was very politically savvy of the mainstream and secondary Democratic candidates to come to this sort of unofficial campaign peace treaty so that they may demonstrate to the American people that civil discourse is not only preferable, it's actually embraced by the Democratic Party. I also bring this up to highlight my prediction that the Republican debate next Thursday is likely to be much less pleasant, mainly because these Republicans will have to answer questions in front of the general television viewing population of the country and not just some tiny republican base-filled event hall, and answers like "the surge plan is making progress in Iraq" and "we're fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them over here" just aren't going to cut it.