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E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
A Fiery Vegas Debate, But What Does It Mean?
Last night's Democratic debate in Las Vegas, the first one of its kind in Nevada, seemed immediately suited to Sin City. As several have already noted, including a dead-on analysis by The Washington Post's Joel Achenbach, the debate frequently felt more like a heavyweight title bout than a presidential forum. For the first fifteen minutes at least, after the sound of the proverbial bell, it was an Obama vs. Clinton vs. Edwards tag team rumble, with low blows flying, mud being slung, and Wolf Blitzer in the midst of it all, quietly egging them on.
The feistiest performance, however, came from the audience who made their distaste for the back and forth did-not-did-too bickering resoundingly clear. With interest in neither ratings nor soundbites, they cared more about answers to their questions than attacks on voting records and policy history.
Another deft performance, however, came from the ever-scrappy former Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich. After reading Scott Raab's adulatory profile of the primary longshot in this month's Esquire, it's difficult not to have a soft spot for Kucinich, who lives in a working class neighborhood in Cleveland, drives a Ford Focus, and can always be relied upon to fire up any debate he attends.
In true form, Kucinich called for the impeachment of President Bush, prefaced by the statement, “Just imagine what it will be like to have a president of the United States who's right the first time.” Later, in a discussion of racial profiling following 9/11, Kucinich drew applause for his immediate opposition to the Patriot Act. “That's because I read it,” he quipped. Maintaining his strong support for worker's rights and human rights, and his equally vehement opposition to violence as an instrument of policy, Kucinich once again set himself apart from the others on stage. It is that passion, however, and willingness to speak his mind that will most likely keep the Ohio Congressman out of the Oval Office.
As in a title fight, the strongest competitor, mostly agreed to be Clinton at this stage, came out on top at the Las Vegas debate. Debating, however, isn't everything. The battle for the presidential nomination will be decided by character, not by rhetoric. As Howard Dean said in a CNN interview following the forum, “People in America vote their hearts and values, not a long list of issues.” If he's right, which he probably is, then last night's outcome is an indicator, but by no means a foretelling of which way the race will go.