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A few glimpses of post-debate chatter from the UNLV Spin Room:
- No one has anything to ask Mark Penn. The Hillary strategist stands there surrounded by a gaggle of shifting, near-silent reporters. What is there to ask? Hillary acquitted herself well. The debate raised no questions about suppressing documents in presidential libraries. She didn't seem to exploit her gender. She hadn't blundered over drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants. In fact, in a funny twist, Penn himself brought up the subject of licenses, calling it the "big issue of the debate," presumably because this time it was Barack Obama who had given a less than concise answer. And her opponents hadn't furthered the charge that her vote on the Lieberman-Kyl amendment was tantamount to authorizing war on Iran. "The big change in the race was that they were going to attack her," Penn said. In that respect, they were "unsuccessful tonight."
- Edwards brain Joe Trippi would beg to differ. Hillary did stumble, he
says, by thinking she can "laugh off NAFTA" by joking that all she
remembers is "a bunch of charts." (Read the exchange here.) "Well, there are lots of human beings" who were hurt by the trade deal, and he thinks it's "really going to hurt her."
- Obama guru David Axelrod says the takeaway point of the debate is
that Obama is "a guy who can answer complicated issues." About that
iffy answer on driver's licenses? "He answered the question directly."
What about when Obama compared Hillary to Giuliani and Romney and the
audience booed? "I don't think [the audience] was a representative
sample of voters."
- A spokesman for Dennis Kucinich blames the media for the fact that his candidate isn't a frontrunner: "You heard all the people cheering for him. Do you ever wonder why that is?" I ask him why. "The media" created the Hillary-Obama-Edwards narrative. Kucinich trails in the polls because he's not getting enough attention in print. I decide to save my question--about whether Kucinich would be traveling to Rachel, NV, the UFO-sighting capital of the world--for another time.
- For every talking head in the Spin Room, there's a volunteer standing nearby, holding a big sign with the spinner's name on it. The kid holding the sign for Howard Dean, a UNLV student, told me he had beat out two other people who wanted to carry it. I asked him which sign was the most coveted. "This one or Rosario Dawson," he said.
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Sorry to focus so much on logistics, but does anyone else find this McLaughlin group seating arrangement really awkward? Biden remained sitting as he answered an audience member's question. Hillary stood up. Obama stood up, too, to rebut a remark by Hillary. At one point, Kucinich stood up and then sat down again when he realized Blitzer wasn't going to let him speak. Richardson stood there for an uncomfortably long beat, raising his hand, then sat down. I also fear too many people will now vote based on how and whether the candidates cross their legs. God invented lecterns for a reason.
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Spotted in the transcript of CNN's pre-debate discussion:
BLITZER: John, a quick thought from you, John Roberts?
ROBERTS: Well, it will be interesting to watch how John Edwards and Barack Obama comport themselves tonight. They know that there is a crack in Hillary Clinton's suit of armor. Can they get inside there and wedge it open just a little bit more? It is a natural for John Edwards to go in and try and do that. Barack Obama, he has a different personality.
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I'm curious to see the final breakdown of who talked for how long tonight. So far, it seems like this debate is a lot more egalitarian than most. According to Chris Dodd's talk-o-meter, Bill Richardson has wagged more jaw than John Edwards. Maybe Biden's earlier quip about "the three people who get to talk at these things" got through Blitzer's furry head
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Hillary definitely saw this one coming. Responding to Campbell Brown's question about whether she's been exploiting her role as a woman, she unleashed this threefer:
"I’m not exploiting anything at all. I’m not playing the gender card … I’m playing the winning card. ... They’re not attacking me because I’m a woman, they’re attacking me because I’m ahead. ... As Truman said, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Well, I’m very comfortable in the kitchen."
Sometimes, one zinger just isn't enough.
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Wolf Blitzer pushes Richardson to say he thinks human rights is more important than national security. Obama hedges, but somehow it doesn't sound like a dodge: "The concepts are not contradictory. They are complementary." For everyone who suggests Obama could be a different sort of president when it comes to foreign policy--I'm thinking this guy and this guy--this notion is key. He doesn't view safety and human rights as part of a zero sum equation. That none of the other candidates articulated it this way is telling.
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Vice presidential candidate candidate Bill Richardson sounds like he just came from a love-in: "John Edwards wants to wage a class war. Barack Obama wants to wage a generational war. ... I just want to give peace a chance."
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Obama, arguing that the driver’s license issue is a red herring, says that illegal immigrants “aren’t coming here to drive. They’re not coming here to go to the In-and-Out Burger.” Having just eaten a fantastically tasty In-and-Out burger—maybe one of the best I’ve had—I think Obama might be wrong on this.
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As Hillary says “I respect all of my colleagues on this stage," you can see Joe Biden shaking his head and laughing.
Blitzer then turns and asks for Biden to weigh in. "The American people don’t give a darn about anything going on up here tonight," he says. "They’re worried about whether their child is gonna run into a drug dealer," whether they can afford their mortgages, whether they’ll keep their job, and whether their children will get killed in Iraq."
It's worth remembering that these are twilight days for the B-list candidates. They'll only be around for so many more debates. Now's their chance to paint their second-tier status as something that in fact puts them above the fray. (When in reality they just don't have to get their hands as dirty.) Look for Biden and Dodd and Richardson to make the "can't we all just get along" argument more and more. Easy for them to say, so why not say it.
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"This pantsuit is made of asbestos tonight." That was Hillary's first line, responding to Campbell Brown's suggestion that Hillary has trouble taking firm stances on controversial issues. It calls out people's hyperattention to her every move, and diffuses crticisms she'd like to portray as nitpicky. Not bad.
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Because what happens in Vegas ... gets broadcast to the world.
Here's the lectern line-up, left to right: Biden, Richardson, Kucinich, Hillary, Obama, Dodd, Edwards
Seems a little odd to banish Edwards to the fringes, especially in favor of Dennis Kucinich.
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"Don't worry, we'll leave a tip."
-- A John Edwards aide reassuring the owner of Harrie's Bagelmania in Las Vegas, where Edwards stopped today to shake hands with supporters and purchase a plain bagel with cream cheese.
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LAS VEGAS, Nevada—As the Democratic presidential candidates prepare to debate here at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, let the parade of strained gambling metaphors begin. Hillary Clinton is called the "odds-on favorite," the race in Iowa is still a "crapshoot," and anyone who makes a risky statement will be "rolling the dice."
So, as long as we're in the business of Vegas-themed comparisons, it's worth pointing out that the candidates bear striking similarities to major Vegas hotels. They're multimillion-dollar operations, they soak up people's money, and they're designed to attract as much attention as possible. In fact, if the candidates were hotels on the Strip, here's what they would be and why:
Hillary Clinton—Wynn Las Vegas. Polished, buffed to a shine, extremely well-financed.
Barack Obama—Luxor. Massive, covered in lights, hugely popular ... but still just another hotel.
Mitt Romney—Planet Hollywood. Used to be called Aladdin, changed its name and theme in 2007.
Rudy Giuliani—New York-New York. Uh, New York.
John Edwards—Excalibur. Family-friendly, a little cheesy, looks like something out of King Arthur.
John McCain—Plaza Hotel and Casino. Old, broke (rooms go for $34).
Mike Huckabee—Hard Rock Hotel. Relatively new, musical, surprisingly fun.
Mike Gravel—Treasure Island. Loud, silly, largely ignored.
Joe Biden—The Flamingo. Showy, colorful, still around somehow.
Sam Brownback—Frontier Hotel. Recently imploded.
Dennis Kucinich—Tropicana: One of the smaller hotels, stands next to Hooters ...
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Dear Mr. Gravel,
I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk today. I just wanted to chat about your alternative debate that you're holding in protest tonight. I know CNN didn't let you into the televised forum because you didn't raise enough money, so I was hoping we could talk about the kinds of questions you were anticipating. I called and emailed your press person, but I never heard back from him. I'll try and tune into uStream.tv once the debate starts to watch you answer Wolf Blitzer's questions all by yourself. I never heard how your last solo debate went, either.
Stay strong out there, Mike.
Sincerely,
Chadwick Matlin
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John Edwards is determined to stop Hillary Clinton from becoming the Democratic nominee. So determined, it seems, that he's willing to risk his own candidacy.
The Edwards campaign unveiled a new Web site today that scolds Hillary's camp for its question-planting shenanigans. PlantsforHillary.com includes such biting content as "Top 10 Questions Plants Should Never Ask Hillary," including, "Why do you defend lobbyists?" and "How can you change Washington when you keep defending a broken system?" Take note, Wolf Blitzer.
Edwards' Web zingers are the latest evidence that he doesn't mind being the bad guy. Let's review Edwards' naughty behavior over the past two and a half weeks:
- An aggressive debate performance in Philadelphia, where he out-attacked Barack Obama after the Illinois senator had promised to make clearer distinctions between himself and Clinton.
- The release of his instant classic "Politics of Parsing" Web video, a brilliant portrayal of Clinton's flip-flops.
- He refused to say whether he'd support Clinton in the general election if she became the Democratic nominee.
Obviously, this is all politics. But these are attacks you expect to see from the GOP side. (Oh, wait, that already exists, too.) This is still the primary, where Iowa voters (supposedly) don't like to see such intraparty sniping and nominees are supposed to emerge with the backing of their party. Edwards continues to load his opponents with ammo, but how does he know his strategy won't backfire?
UPDATE Nov. 16 4:10 p.m.: Marc Ambinder has the scoop on why PlantsforHillary.com is no longer.