2008 Woodie Awards
"This American Crucible": the Democratic slugfest
Kyle West
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Forum
This election has become a crucible of the American Experience, a test of our willpower and faith in humanity; if the candidates are to be trusted, our next president will be that voice and fire of change, not only in Washington but in the world at large as well. But this election isn't the only crucible we must face in the coming months and years, only the most recognized. Every week I'll be ruminating about our future in this column, so check back next week for a recap of the glorious leader's last State of the Union.
Packaged in shiny celluloid bites, the coverage of the upcoming election has become a maelstrom of analysis and infotainment. But because of our love of information saturation, it's gotten hard to tell who is really ahead or what the candidates are really saying.
The South Carolina Democratic debate this past Monday was a distinct departure from the previous debates, as the candidates went from vicious attacks to something that could almost be considered a policy debate and back. It was heated and interesting throughout, focusing mainly on fiscal responsibility, consistency, universal healthcare, race, and of course, Iraq.
Although these topics have become all too familiar since the politicking began, the candidates made a decent show of focusing their ideas and plans; thankfully the Iraq debate didn't stagnate. Without much tomfoolery, all three candidates gave a timeframe for withdrawal. Senator Hillary Clinton argued for two plus years, Senator Barack Obama argued for an immediate reduction of one brigade every three months with a complete withdrawal in a year and Senator John Edwards said he would move troops immediately, but only as fast as is safe for Americans and for the Iraqi government.
Where the debate sparked the most volatile attacks was on the issue of Ronald Reagan, of all issues. Why partisan tensions and anti-republican sentiments have a place in a campaign resting on bipartisanship and bridge-building is a question best left to the infotainment specialists at CNN, but the topic did provide a glimpse into the personal history of both Clinton and Obama. Prior to the debate, Clinton asserted that Obama believed the Republicans (read Reagan) had better economic policies since 1980. According to the CNN transcript, while on a tangent on the topic of fiscal responsibility, Obama responded to Clinton's thinly veiled attack,
Packaged in shiny celluloid bites, the coverage of the upcoming election has become a maelstrom of analysis and infotainment. But because of our love of information saturation, it's gotten hard to tell who is really ahead or what the candidates are really saying.
The South Carolina Democratic debate this past Monday was a distinct departure from the previous debates, as the candidates went from vicious attacks to something that could almost be considered a policy debate and back. It was heated and interesting throughout, focusing mainly on fiscal responsibility, consistency, universal healthcare, race, and of course, Iraq.
Although these topics have become all too familiar since the politicking began, the candidates made a decent show of focusing their ideas and plans; thankfully the Iraq debate didn't stagnate. Without much tomfoolery, all three candidates gave a timeframe for withdrawal. Senator Hillary Clinton argued for two plus years, Senator Barack Obama argued for an immediate reduction of one brigade every three months with a complete withdrawal in a year and Senator John Edwards said he would move troops immediately, but only as fast as is safe for Americans and for the Iraqi government.
Where the debate sparked the most volatile attacks was on the issue of Ronald Reagan, of all issues. Why partisan tensions and anti-republican sentiments have a place in a campaign resting on bipartisanship and bridge-building is a question best left to the infotainment specialists at CNN, but the topic did provide a glimpse into the personal history of both Clinton and Obama. Prior to the debate, Clinton asserted that Obama believed the Republicans (read Reagan) had better economic policies since 1980. According to the CNN transcript, while on a tangent on the topic of fiscal responsibility, Obama responded to Clinton's thinly veiled attack,
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