So I’m sitting in front of the TV with my glass of wine last night.
PunditGirl was all snuggled in bed, with dreams of scary pirates and chocolate candy dancing in her head.
I was ready for the latest installment of the Democratic debates. I’ve watched some of the others, but often it was with one ear on the audio while folding laundry or multi-tasking in some other way. Last night, I was fully focused and ready for the brawl!
Sure, I already have a preference as to who I’d like to see get the Democratic nomination for president, but I still want to hear what everyone has to say.
Except that Hillary didn’t really say anything. Dodd and Biden and Edwards and Kucinich and Richardson and Obama each had questions where they were clearly “on” with proposals and ideas — concrete visions for their priorities. Not for each question, of course — they are politicians, after all!
As for Hillary, lots of words came out of her mouth and she was pretty animated. But I’m not sure she really answered any questions in a straightforward manner.
The thing that really struck me was Hillary’s well-developed ability to talk in vague generalities and not get tied down to a position on most topics.
There was a lot of talk from her about appointing bipartisan commissions on Social Security and using fiscal responsibility to fix our budget problems, but nothing concrete. She kept assuring us she has “plans.” Tim Russert tried his best — and he is the master of pulling out past statements to nail down the candidates if there’s any flip-flopping — but where were the Clinton specifics?
You remind us often about your commitment to children and women, but could you mention in one debate just one specific program you have in mind? I really think that would go a long way to sway some of the undecided women out here.
Hillary, I want to be able to support you if you are the eventual nominee. And I want to be excited about talking with PunditGirl about your campaign — she’s a little worried about you because she thinks the “boys are picking on you.” But you’re not giving me a lot to work with here.
October 31st, 2007 at 10:55 am
I personally am very disappointed that Hillary Clinton is the first woman candidate that has a real chance at the nomination. I liked her very much when she was First Lady and I actually think I would have voted for her if she’d run right then, but since I’ve had a chance to actually see her in a political office for 8 years, I can’t say I have any faith in her. She’s just too compromising, too wishy-washy. Her voting record is too representative of how much she is not at all like the person I thought she was, which I guess was more like her husband politically but also a strong, decisive, do what’s right kind of woman. I think she’s become too much like a Washington player and she’s playing the game too well. As a woman, I’m so disappointed because I think she’s going to ruin the opportunity for us for a long time.
October 31st, 2007 at 12:32 pm
I wish I would have gotten a chance to watch last night. I am disappointed that she was so wishy-washy.
October 31st, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Checked out your blog on Work It, Mom. Very cool. Me likey.
Just had to say that.
October 31st, 2007 at 12:41 pm
I want to be able to support her too, but I’m so determined to get a Democrat into office this time I’m being a little dodgy on who I feel has the best chance. In other words, I want to throw my vote behind a winner and not take away from the person with the best chance in the primary…unlike the way the Nader votes helped Bush steal the first election. I know this is a sad, sad way to vote, but…it’s the way I feel.
October 31st, 2007 at 12:54 pm
You know what horrified me?
Did you hear her answer about Iran? She said she didn’t want to rush into war in Iran. That’s NOT the same as not getting into a war in Iran.
That terrifies me.
October 31st, 2007 at 1:00 pm
I didn’t get to see the whole thing but caught snippets. I heard her say several times, “Well, everybody knows…” and I actually said out loud, “No, Hillary, everybody does NOT know. You need to explain these things.”
October 31st, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Ummm when her husband was Prez wasn’t she the “liberal one” of the family? Now she has gotten to the right of Bill?
I don’t quite believe that and I have to agree 100% with you.
October 31st, 2007 at 3:01 pm
I couldn’t have said it any better…
October 31st, 2007 at 3:33 pm
And this is why she scares me so much. When did being the front runner give you license to be vague on all the issues?
October 31st, 2007 at 5:31 pm
There are some who would say, the second she takes office we are in Iran, and not leaving Iraq any time soon. She will say what she needs to say to get elected then run away with her own agenda. I think she just wants to make history, and is not taking the job seriously. I would just like to hear 1 plan, just 1. Every answer is about how Bush has screwed things up. If memory serves she helped him a bit with her votes cast.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:56 pm
I second what WordGirl says. Hillary also scares me in that she is, IMO, every bit as secretive as Bush and Cheney. When we have a desire to bring back transparency, I’m not sure another Clinton presidency would do that.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Biden. He’s smart, he’s entertaining, and even though he occasionally says things that are wholly politically incorrect, I love his general spontaneity and un-scriptedness. But, of course, his chance is as good as a snowball’s in hell, ya know?
I think Chris Dodd also did a great job. But again, snowball, hell.
November 1st, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Bossy’s Debate take:
Kucinich obliged the UFO question. Had to be the lowest point in debate history.
Bossy loves Biden: standing and listening while others are jotting down a hundred “talking points” like high school debaters. Biden is nimble and experienced and of course won’t get the gig.
More questions were lobbed at Hillary, or toward Edwards and Obama ABOUT Hillary; the high percentage of direct questions in no small way framed who the media thinks are the REAL potential candidates among the stage-standers, and Bossy thinks that’s a crime.
Bossy loves Barack O’Boyfriend and wants to have lots of his Obamay children, but he can’t shake the rhetoric right now. With the exception of his cute sentence starting, “Look,” the rest of his stuff is like Canned Candidate.
John Edwards had a strong night and has shed some of that awful southern homespun saccharine, although as usually he draws the line too broadly. Bossy would still vote HIS wife into the White House any day of the week.
Looks like Richardson is running for Vice President.
And Dodd is a dud.
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:23 am
man, J, I am SO scared that if she gets the nom and makes it to the big house she’ll take on the “fixing” of social security scam.
gah.
go JE!!!!
November 2nd, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Very well said. I couldn’t agree more. I don’t understand how someone who really doesn’t say much about anything is the front runner.
November 3rd, 2007 at 7:48 am
How do you become a front runner?
Money. Lots of it. And often…
HC is not my first choice but let there be no doubt I will support the Democratic candidate for President. Unfortunately, every hit any of our candidates take during the primary from each other – will be shown in ad form, time and time again from our Republican counterparts. We are feeding the beast rather than each Democratic candidate projecting and standing on “Their” platform.
fm