Officially the First, Democrats' Debate Feels Like Anything But
By Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 23, 2007; Page A01
The Democratic presidential candidates will line a stage in Charleston, S.C., tonight for their first official debate.
And already, debate fatigue is setting in.
The Democratic contenders have taken part in three "unofficial" debates this year, on top of numerous other "forums" sponsored by various political constituencies. The schedule is only going to get more demanding: After tonight's debate, sponsored by CNN and YouTube and the first of six sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, there will be a crush of events, culminating in one week in early August when unofficial debates are planned in Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles.
At the end of a recent gathering in Detroit sponsored by the NAACP, former senator John Edwards (N.C.) and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) were overheard discussing their desire to limit the number of participants in the process, as well as the number of debates themselves.
The conversation, which the two candidates appeared to think was private but was caught on an open microphone, captured what strategists, particularly in the top campaigns, have been saying privately all year. Other candidates outside the top tier, particularly Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio), blasted the discussion as a slight.
"Everyone is afraid to say no," said Democratic strategist Steve Elmendorf, who is backing Clinton but not working for the campaign.
"Some group is sponsoring it who is an important constituency, and they don't want to get in trouble," he said. "The staff all sit around and wring their hands and say, 'We wish we weren't doing all these.'...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/22/AR2007072200818.html?hpid=topnews
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
