'Hillary's night'

MSNBC hosts and the usual suspects, in post-debate coverage that lasted until the wee, small hours of the morning, thought it was “Hillary’s night” here in South Carolina. The word most used for the senator and former first lady was “presidential.”

I agree.

Performance poll on the Democratic debate, which aired live from South Carolina State University. Unscientific results from MSNBC.com at 11:30 p.m.

Who stood out from the pack? In my opinion, Hillary. (46,392 responses): Joe Biden, 7%; Hillary Clinton, 20%; Chris Dodd, 1.7%; John Edwards, 13%; Mike Gravel, 9.2%; Dennis Kucinich, 6.7%; Barack Obama, 33%; Bill Richardson, 8.9%.

Who showed the most leadership qualities? I voted for Hillary. (45,948 responses): Joe Biden, 7.9%; Hillary Clinton, 23%; Chris Dodd, 2.4%; John Edwards, 14%; Mike Gravel, 3.6%; Dennis Kucinich, 4.7%; Barack Obama, 34%; Bill Richardson, 10%.

Who was the most convincing candidate? Again, Hillary. (43,746 responses): Joe Biden, 7%; Hillary Clinton, 20%; Chris Dodd, 2.3%; John Edwards, 15%; Mike Gravel, 4.2%; Dennis Kucinich, 5.7%; Barack Obama, 37%; Bill Richardson, 9.2%.

Who had the most rehearsed answers? I thought John Edwards. (43,177 responses): Joe Biden, 5.7%; Hillary Clinton, 43%; Chris Dodd, 3.5%; John Edwards, 11%; Mike Gravel, 2.8%; Dennis Kucinich, 4.6%; Barack Obama,
21%; Bill Richardson, 7.7%.

Who avoided the questions? I don’t think Barack avoided the questions, it just took him awhile to get to the answers. (42,310 responses): Joe Biden, 9.1%; Hillary Clinton, 37%; Chris Dodd, 5.6%; John Edwards, 9.3%; Mike Gravel, 7.2%; Dennis Kucinich, 4.3%; Barack Obama, 19%; Bill Richardson, 8.9%.

Who had the best one-liner? I had to go with Joe Biden’s “YES!” (42,333 responses): Joe Biden, 28%; Hillary Clinton, 12%; Chris Dodd, 2.9%; John Edwards, 11%; Mike Gravel, 9.4%; Dennis Kucinich, 6.6%; Barack Obama, 22%; Bill Richardson, 8.3%.

Overall, I thought the candidates seemed unified and cordial toward each other.

I can’t recall another debate where time limits so restricted meaningful discourse. Quoting the MSNBC cover story on the event: “The format of the debate … worked against the development of an extended discussion on any one topic. The eight candidates were given one minute apiece to answer questions on a variety of topics, with tightly limited rebuttals and no opening or closing statements.”

The questions, prepared by NBC News and posed by “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams, focused too much on hot-button topics rather than the issues that affect the day-to-day lives of Americans.

The “how many of you in your adult lifetime have had a gun in the house” question was original. Kucinich surprised me.

As for the post-debate “Truth Squad” segments, I thought the normally sharp-as-a-tack David Schuster was really stretching in some of his fact checks.

The food-for-thought nod has to go to the otherwise goofy Gravel: “You know what’s worse than soldiers dying in vain? It’s more soldiers dying in vain.”

The most disappointing performances, for me, came from John Edwards.

Barack is a great orator, but I didn’t think he was very fast on his feet. He seemed nervous. I first recognized his ability and charisma during his keynote address at the 2003 Democratic National Convention. It’s early, and he will get better.

My dream team? Hillary for president with Barack as her running mate. There, I’m on the record!

As I said it’s the wee, small hours, so I’ll reserve my reasons for supporting Hillary for a later post.

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