Floats Like a Butterfly, Stings Like a Bee

Coming into the final primary election battles tonight's 20th debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio was a heavyweight political fight for the crown as the Democratic nominee for president.

Hillary Clinton, the early favorite, was now down, late in the election campaign, and facing the slender quick maneuvering of Barack Obama. Obama comes in with 10 straight primary victories and has caught Clinton in the polls in Texas and creeping up on her in Ohio. This debate was the last chance for Clinton to slow Obama's momentum.

Round 1: Health Care

Hillary comes out with a flurry, attacking Obama for distorting her record on health care about who would be "mandated" to purchase health care. Obama counters with a neutralizing dodge that his plan is 95 percent similar to Hillary's but gives a couple of quick jabs that started a 16-minute tête-à-tête on health care, which favored Obama because it allowed him to run time off the clock without giving anything up.
Score of Round: Even.

Round 2: Jobs and NAFTA

At the beginning of this round Hillary threw a roundhouse punch that missed when she chided the commentators for always asking her the first question in the debates and asserting sarcastically that the media is soft on Obama offering him pillows for his comfort. Obama ducked the roundhouse and countered by showing he understands the complex needs of importers as well as exporters. And then Obama jabbed her in the jaw by quoting Hillary from 2004 saying that NAFTA was "good for New York and good for the nation." Hillary struck back that NAFTA worked in some regions of New York and not in other regions. Obama ended the round with his own flurry stating that infrastructure and green development can move in the direction of restoring the lost jobs due to NAFTA.

Unless you were in a coma in 1993 you know that the nation's labor unions screamed bloody murder trying to stop NAFTA and President Bill Clinton overruled the base of the Democratic Party and expended a lot of political capital in passing the "free trade" agreement that has proven to be a job loser for Ohio and the nation.
Score of Round: Obama

Round 3: Foreign Policy

Obama rushes out with a combination pointing out that he was against the Iraq war from the beginning and that John McCain is furthering Bush's policies in Iraq (bringing in McCain for the first time in the debate). He blocked the charges from Hillary that he plans to bomb Pakistan willy-nilly by stating that he would only attack Al Qaeda operatives inside Pakistan if as Commander-in-Chief he believed it to be vital to U.S. national security. With regard to Iraq, Obama said he would sit down with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and formulate a set of policies to begin extricating U.S. forces from Iraq. Obama said: "We will be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in."

The Bell Rings: NBC's Brian Williams cuts in stating: "Television doesn't stop."
Break to Commercial. An abrupt end to the round while Hillary was in mid-sentence.
Score of Round: Obama

Round 4: Campaign Style

Obama enters the round ahead on points and is thrown a question implying that he is more style than substance. Barack does the "Obama Shuffle" and begins to pummel Clinton by itemizing his accomplishments in the U.S. Senate including passing the toughest ethics reform bill in years and forcing Walter Reed Hospital to better serve wounded soldiers returning from Iraq. Hillary calls it "fun" after the clip of her ridiculing Obama and mockingly talking about a "celestial chorus" singing Obama's praises. Obama just leisurely bobbed and weaved and deflected her assertions of his stylistic flourishes in speechifying. And then Obama cut Hillary off at the knees by bringing up the fact that she voted in favor of the bankruptcy bill that benefited credit card companies and then stated publicly that she hoped it would be defeated, which sparked a hearty round of laughter from the audience. And then Obama ended the round by landing a right hook stating that uplifting oratory is no joke and is necessary to mobilize and inspire the American people to break the stranglehold of special interests in Washington.
Score of Round: Obama

Round 5: Public Financing

Tim Russert and Brian Williams tried to challenge Obama's alleged assurance that he was going to use public financing in the general election. But Obama fired back that it he was not yet the nominee and would not be so presumptuous to speculate about financing of the general election and countered by pointing out that the average donor to his campaign was $109. And then Russert and Williams brushed back Hillary with the pointed question about when, if ever, she would make her IRS records public. Hillary dodged and weaved and obfuscated.
Score of Round: Obama

Round 6: Farrakhan

At the bell, Russert asked if Obama "rejects" Louis Farrakhan's endorsement. Obama denounced the anti-Semitic remarks that Farakhan is known for and said that he wished to "rebuild" the relationship between African Americans and Jewish Americans that was vital to the success of the civil rights movement of the 1960s but has unfortunately become "frayed over time." Obama also said that the United States' support of Israel is "sacrosanct." At this point Hillary pressed Obama against the ropes demanding that he not only "denounce" Farrakhan, but "reject" him. Obama played the "rope a dope" and got out of a delicate dilemma by stating he would "denounce" and "reject" Farrakhan.
Score of Round: Hillary

Round 7: General Election Prospects

Obama, ahead on points, responds to a question about the Kosovo independence declaration and Russia's hostile reaction to it by stating he would use the framework set up by the Clinton Administration utilizing NATO and multilateral diplomacy to coax Russia out any precipitous actions in the Balkans. Obama emphasized that the United States would not work in isolation or take unilateral action. Obama praised the Clinton policies in the Balkans and Hillary's jabs were neutralized.
Score of Round: Obama

Round 8: Denouement

Responding to a "what do you regret" question, Hillary tried to backpedal on the Iraq invasion saying that as president she would not have gone in. She feigned a blow by rambling about a "retreat from democracy" in Latin America. (An underhanded reference to the twice-elected Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.) In response to the same question posed to Obama, he said he wished he would have stood more strongly against the Senate's ill-conceived decision to intervene into the Terry Schiavo case. Obama gave a finishing flurry of graciousness when he complimented Hillary for her public service and said that all he wanted to do is bring the nation together regardless of race, religion, and region and infuse the people with the "bias" to stand up to special interests.
Score of Round: Even

Barack Obama won the debate on points:
5 Rounds Obama;
1 Round Hillary;
2 Rounds Even.

Hillary Clinton had to score a KO in this debate and failed to deliver. Barack Obama was at his steady best and showed that his movement for change "floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee."

(Thanks once again to my colleague Dr. Stan Oden for his collaboration.)

Comments

[newunderground]

Obama the Black superman, who calls to the other guy, I'm O Bam A, catch me if you can! Try not to be such sore losers. It is not attractive. You will be welcome on the Obama train.

[zuzuzpetals]

Fabulous.

But I think he even won the "rejection-denounce" round. 6 for Obama.

I was slow to get on the Obama train, but he impresses me more and more with each passing day.

[bullseye]

Poor Hillary. Hillary does a very good job of showing her bitchy side. That in its self does her in. Hillary is the attack dog here, nasty. We need someone that is able to keep cool, can accomplish without showing anger and is willing to unite us with change. This country is run by big oil and the rest of the rip off artist like we have now. We need to fight back and I feel that Obama is the only one out of the bunch that looks hopeful.

[paulfromportland]

From the writer's analogy, he might have used a better line - Several years ago, a Laker forward threw an ineffectual sucker punch at an opponent - A LA Times Sports Writer wrote, "Kupchick moved like a butterfly; stung like a butterfly"

And, so it went with Hillary.

[BUSHsurvivor]

Or...looking at it in a realistic view...perhaps the media and others had set the expectations so high for Hillary when in REALITY there is only a 100 delegate separation between her and Barack. By the setting the bar so high for Hillary, it once again gives Barack a free pass.

But, when you really listen to his answers, you find no substance, no enlightenment...only bits of stump speeches written by his speechwriter.

Reality check...we care so much about our troops that we are willing to put them in the hands of yet one more inexperienced candidate.

Oh, can someone please tell Obama that if he continues to want to use Clinton's cabinet member Robert Reich's opinions that he should really check his facts about what Robert reich actually said and stop spinning it like a TYPICAL POLITICIAN.

[woodchips]

You call Obama inexperienced. If you to play the experience card, you've got to look at both sides. Many people keep harping on the experience factor, but what are the facts?

What is Hillary's actual experience? As far as I can tell, she has a lot of experience as Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton. Governor's wife, President's wife. All in all, she appears to have very little actual, relevant experience. For the record, I am not a Hillary hater, I just don't buy the "experience" thing and don't understand why more people aren't calling her on it.

If I'm wrong, show me. Where's all this "experience" we keep hearing about?

[CharliePfromHB]

Hillary Clinton and John McCain don't understand the "movement." To paraphrase..."Change will only occur when the people come together as a lobby stronger than the special interests and demand that we change energy policy, trade policy, international diplomacy, focus on terrorism, universal healthcare, and more. It won't be easy and will require citizens show the power of their votes. Exxon Mobile won't give up any of its $11 billion per quarter without a fight. Can the citizens in a democracy demand responsiveness from their government? Yes we can! We understand that we are the solution we've been looking for. Yes we can!" This is not about, as McCain says, "trusting government more than people." It's about people taking back government from the lobbys and special interests, and insisting that the entepreneurs and people with imagination can be freed from the shakles of the status quo and effect the positive changes required to improve world economics and ecology. The movement is about leadership, accountability, and transparency that will not only insist we improve our economy and the environment, but restore our checks and balances while we focus on terrorism. It's not naive wishfull thinking, it's recognition that the time to face our problems is now. It's about judgement and the strength to face both the bad people in this world, and our own denial that a planet of almost 7 billion people can't continue in business as usual fashion. The movement is the belief that the combined will and involvement (and sacrifice) of our citizens will be required to change the direction of our country and the world. Yes we can! If you can't say it, you can't do it!

[fullkelly]

Actually a vote for Obama is to say it is okay to disenfranchise the voters of Florida and Michigan. Obama does not want their votes counted.

[DietrichMoody]

Michael Savage is this you?

you know the radio host that said, Rep. Lantos Used Holocaust "As A Weapon ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/13/radio-host-savage-rep-l_n_86395.html

same kind of ignorant thinking.

[SeanGardner]

Where did you get this lie?

Obama, Edwards, and...HILLARY all signed on to the agreement that stated those states would not count because they were penalized for moving their contests up the calendar, which was against DNC rules.

But now that Obama beat her, and beat the bricks off of her, her supporters want to flood the blogosphere with nonsense that completely goes against the facts.

Nice try. but no cigar.

As we speak, Obama and Hillary have their negotiators talking with the DNC to see how Florida and Michigan's votes can count in this primary season, and how those states delegates can be represented at the convention.

Get your facts straight.

[RogerHWerner]

To be kind, you are full of crap. Obama is not the one who will disenfranchise Florida and Michigan voters; that was done by their respective state parties last year. Candidates never seriously campaigned for in either state since it was already understood that these delegates would not count (they signed agreements agreeing to this). Perhaps the best way to "count" these delegates would be divide them equally. They count but they are essentially meaningless. The delegates of these two states are a non-issue.

[pattikbsm]

If Florida and Michigan voters are not counted, I will reregister as an Independent. Although I am not from either state, if it happened to them, it could happen to me--I won't support a party that doesn't support me as a voter. You obviously support Obama as dividing them equally would give him an edge--he did not win these states! How would that be fair?

[newunderground]

You can't possibly be that stupid, so you must be disingenous. (that means you're essentially lying by making a false dichotomy)

[wrabbitt]

Well, being from upstate New York where nafta has destroyed nearly every job that was around ten years ago. We believed Hillary when she ran for the Senate, but, no one realized that the pat on the back contained a knife. She can do this to the whole country if she gets elected. There is a lot of things we can do without, but, a job is not one of them! Mandatory health insurance? Only on one condition Everyone in the country has the same care,Veterans, seniors,government workers, politicians, senators, congresspeople,prisoners, EVERYONE, i'm sure they won't lower themselves to get what we would get.

[fullkelly]

You seem to be in the minority in New York. LOL!

[wrabbitt]

why because i have health care.

[RogerHWerner]

I agree that EVERYONE gets the same healthcare...no execeptions, no options, no alternatives, so supplements, no alternatives.

[fullkelly]

Muhammad Ali's Rope-a-dope was his strategy. Obama, it appears, "hopes" to copy Ali's strategy with his "Hope-A-Dope" and all of his cult followers are the biggest dopes of all. The real leader of the cult just endorsed Obama saying, "obama is the hope of the world". Obama may draw thousands to rallies but Farrakhan is known to have drawn a million to a single rally.

[newunderground]

Will you please refrain from calling us a cult? I find that insulting.

[alb]

"His steady best", what exactly does that mean? As far as I could tell Sen. Obama either agreed with Sen. Clinton or said nothing. He never really commits to anything. He seems to walk around the question and answer without ever answering. Is he ever full throated about anything? Where is his passion and push back against the idiot Russert? At least Sen. Clinton nailed Russert on the stupid Iraq hypotheticals. I'm afraid I've missed the Obama boat, I hope he delivers for you in the General.

[MikeP33477]

Last night's debate proved me how easily fooled most people are. If Obama had voted NO on funding the of war, then his silly little bus in the ditch comment would have made better sense. But instead, all you Koolaid drinking folks are filling up your cups with his "just words" flavor. Why don't you Obama junkies get it yet? When you reject something you do it with conviction. When you denounce something you do it with pander.

Hillary could have made Obama look like a fool and passed on the Putin questions to him. Instead, she took on the leadership role and answered it as a commander in chief. Obama merely repeated her words like a trained parrot. If you noticed, potato head Russet didn't ask that question to anyone - Clinton TOOK charge. BRAVO to her!

A vote for Obama is a vote for McCain.

[ropadopa]

Sure MikeP when your argument is weak, just resort to name calling and one-liners. Do you really think we could starve the troops into packing up and coming home? A lot of reasonable Americans who oppose the Iraq war understand the simple reasoning that once the troops are deployed then we must give them all reasonable resources to enable them to function. Conviction does not equate to recklessness.

[slc20]

"President Obama".

:)

[FootFace]

Denounce (American Heritage Dictionary): To condemn openly as being evil or reprehensible.

Reject (same source): To refuse to accept, submit to, believe, or make use of.

Somehow, you seem to think that a denunciation is a watered-down rejection.

You are silly.

[studio2054]

http://ketchupandcaviar.com/2008/02/27/political-wankery-the-latest-debate-and-the-oh-snap-nihilism-of-our-public-discourse/
Excerpt:
Here is a word for all of these sighing Madam Bovaries of the political world, these political deconstructionists. They are nihilists. And because nihilism dominates our public discourse, Obama is incommensurable with it. He is a mystery. Here our the nihilistic premises that underly everything the political class in the United States has to say today:

* Nothing is significant beyond the question of whether it titillates us, whether it is fuel for our wankery. Everything is a matter of appearances, fashion, style. Nothing is about the signified, for there is no such thing as the signified. We skate lightly over the surface of things, and there is nothing underneath beyond self-interested motives.
* All is Will-to-Power. Therefore all motives are attributable not to sincere belief but to strategy. Everyone"s intentions are transparent. We live in a war of all against all. We are sophisticated because we are cynics who see that beneath the appearances to see that there is ¦ nothing ¦ except will-to-power.
* Yawn. When we are not stimulated by the appearances or by conflict, we quickly get bored.

[Arji]

Just as it is with those "who don't know they don't know", Clinton continues to dig her self deeper into oblivion. All the public has to do is sit back and watch her expose her true self. Her desperation will no doubt continue to bubble to the surface in the form of attack.

[Rescisco]

I hope the Ali comparison is accurate. To me, with respect to Iraq and foreign policy, the kid seems to have a glass jaw. It is one thing, and a very good thing, to have opposed the Iraq invasion from day one. But Barack has absolutely no coherent exit strategy, does not exhibit the capacity to articulate the way out of an unwinnable involvement or to redirect American anti-terror efforts away from the absolute stupidity of war against a tactic to a meaningful and intelligent international effort to reduce the threat of terrorism or address the causes etc. No, I see McCrank and the corporate war machine humming nicely along bothered not a wit by what I can hear them calling and successfully labeling "the shallow young man with the deep voice." Their distortions, their lies, their scare tactics will work one more time in the absence of a more meat on the side of reason and fact. After the slogans are uttered, I just do not see any indication of a deep understanding or a workable strategy. p.s. Same comments apply word for word (except for the substitution of shallow woman with the shrill voice where appropriate) to Hillary. We're in trouble again!

[mshawn]

http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070701faessay86401/barack-obama/renewing-american-leadership.html

Read this article from Obama on foreign policy. Seems to me that he has a profound understanding of the foreign policy and national security crises facing the United States, and his strategy seems sound and coherent.

[OutsideLookingIn]

"It is one thing, and a very good thing, to have opposed the Iraq invasion from day one. But Barack has absolutely no coherent exit strategy,"

I would hope that at this stage he doesn't. If and when he gets into office he can talk to the people at the coal-face, read all the classified documents, talk to foreign statesmen, take into account everything that needs to be taken into account then and not now, and come to decisions knowing they are going to count, maybe kill people and stand on his record.

Declaring now from the armchair of everyman how you're going to do it as President in twelve months time would be the mark of a fool. All we need to know is whether or not he is committed to doing it.

[eanderso]

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

[57andfemale]

If you can't see it, then you're not looking.

To say Obama has no understanding of foreign policy is just ludicrous. Prefer Hillary if you want to. Do you hear me saying Hillary knows nothing? Of course not. She is highly intelligent with depth of knowledge. But as a candidate, she is a disaster. And ultimately, it's no one's fault but hers: not her overpaid consultants, managers, the media. She chooses what she says, what she believes and how she projects herself. All the policy details in the world mean nothing if you can't communicate them effectively and get a working majority of Americans to pressure their legislators to pass them. She may be a decent administrator (frankly, I doubt that after seeing this campaign), but she is not a good executive: someone who can see the big picture and marshall through policies to achieve that vision. She's just not the right person at this time.

[Fabienne]

Hillary's foreign policy is based on what we have been doing for years and it has been very effective. She will continue our Cuban policy? Because the embargo has worked so well? She will not talk with our enemies until they meet her preconditions? Because this has resolved so many of our conflicts? If there were no other reason to vote for Senator Obama, his foreign policy ideas would be reason enough. He may actually lead us forward as part of a world community, rather than in opposition to it; Senator Clinton would keep the macho stance that has brought us to our present situation.

[rjcrane]

Obama won this debate not because he had better more uplifting rhetoric but because he showed that he understood the issues well enough to be President, including foreign policy issues. What he needed to do in this debate is seal the deal that he is competent and qualified to lead the country and he succeeded in doing this while preventing Hillary or his questioners from landing any fatal blows.

RJ Crane, topplebush.com

[DownwithFearMongers]

I'm gonna tell you right now how Obamas going to win against Mcain.By chaining Goerge Bush to his ankle and throwing him in the sea of discontent.Just like he did today.And Mcain can try to and swim up for air us much as he wants but eventually he'll tire out and Bush will drag him down to the bottom of the sea.