Biden, Richardson, Dodd and Edwards Deserve More Attention For Their Nevada Debate Performances

There actually were other Democratic presidential candidates on stage last night in the Las Vegas debate than Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

And, these other so-called second tier candidates often made more sense on the issues and had better responses than the two frontrunners.

When CNN analysts and guests discussed the debate the only names mentioned were Clinton and Obama.

Something is wrong with the debates and the after debate coverage when strong performances by respected senators and governors are dismissed out of hand because they are not frontrunners in the polls at the moment.

This is spring training when we find out what the candidates have to say and how well they might play in the major leagues.

It is very weird to hear people in the audience last night actually boo John Edwards because he criticized Senator Clinton. There should have been more criticisms in the debate on policy issues rather than less.

Every headline and commentary and blog today talks about Hillary holding her own last night and fighting back.

What is missing from analysis of last night's debate are the strong performances by Biden, Dodd, Richardson and Edwards.

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joe Biden looked to me like one of the "winners" of the debate in Las Vegas last night. Biden knows his way around foreign policy issues and he speaks his mind. He is colorful and showed a good sense of humor.

When he talked about speaking to Musharraf in Pakistan on the phone and telling him to take off his army uniform he sounded presidential. He knows the players in the world and wouldn't have to get up to speed if he became president.

Why is he constantly dismissed as only running to be Secretary of State in a Hillary Clinton administration? Why shouldn't people talk about Hillary being his Secretary of State and possibly Obama as his Attorney General?

Biden sounded more certain of himself on questions of foreign policy than Clinton and definitely more than Obama who appeared not ready for prime time in the debate last night.

Governor Bill Richardson seems to gain more confidence with each debate. He was impressive talking about what he has actually accomplished on immigration issues as governor compared to what his colleagues in the United States Senate have not accomplished on this issue.

Richardson actually went on the record saying that there are times that human rights concerns outweigh national security interests in American foreign policy, a controversial view not shared by most of his colleagues on the stage,

The loudest applause of the evening seemed to be when the New Mexico Governor said it was time to get rid of the No Child Left Behind law because it does not work.

Richardson, like Biden, also was more decisive and informative on his views on what he will do in Iraq as president than were Clinton and Obama.

Senator Chris Dodd also seems to have found his game plan in the debates and is much more forceful in his answers. The Connecticut Senator is hardly ever mentioned in any after debate analysis even though he gives thoughtful answers on issues ranging from banking to education to Iraq.

Dodd somehow seems to get lost or overlooked by all the analysts discussing the debates which is as wrong as overlooking Biden and Richardson's strong performances.

Even John Edwards, who is one of the frontrunners in Iowa in the new polls, gets less attention than Clinton and Obama.

Edwards has become the aggressive populist in the Democratic presidential race and more power to him for this new role. He is talking about ways to eliminate poverty and other issues that the frontrunners are not tackling.

Edwards is quite good in attacking mainly Hillary but also Obama on the issues. This is not mudslinging. This is how you catch up with the frontrunners and attempt to overtake them.

And, even Congressman Kucinich who seems to mention NAFTA in every answer he gives, spoke out about the positive role labor unions have played and are playing for the American worker. It is good for someone to bring up this fact as unions seem to be taken for granted by most of the Democratic presidential candidates.

Senator Barack Obama did not have a particularly strong night. He started out strong pointing out inconsistencies in some of the statements made by Clinton but then seemed to fade into a calmness the rest of the debate.

The Illinois Senator did not seem as coherent on his foreign policy views as either Biden or Richardson.

It still baffles me why Senator Hillary Clinton is receiving all this attention and the other candidates are relegated to the coach seats. The former First Lady is leading the polls but why is she getting all of the attention that should be shared among all her colleagues running for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The American voter is getting a disservice with the political analysts and journalists concentrating so exclusively on Hillary and Obama.

Listen more to the other so-called second tier candidates. Biden, Richardson, Dodd and Edwards have a lot of ideas worth listening to but they are being drowned out by the steady drumbeat of Hillary and Obama non-stop coverage.

Certainly other viewers realize that last night's debate in Las Vegas had other performers on stage other than Hillary and Obama.

What do the second tier candidates need to do to actually attract some attention? Their thoughtful views on the issues aren't doing it.

Hopefully, the strong performances by Biden, Richardson, Dodd and Edwards won't stay in Vegas but will inspire some new support for them from likely voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

Comments

[mscreant]

Go Bill Richardson!

[Phil Matera]

Unhealty media attention has been given to the so-called front-runners in the Democratic and GOP presidential races. In the Dem debates, most questions go to Clinton, Obama and Edwards, while Biden, Kucinich, Richards and Dodd get little attention. Not only is this unfair to the candidates who are spending a lot of time and money to make their pitch for U.S. President, but it is unfair to Americans and unhealty for America.

As voters, we deserve to hear everyone on all of the issues in order to give us the opportunity to determine who is the best candidate.

For me, I want to hear more from Joe Biden and Chris Dodd. When given the chance to speak, they speak passionately and intelligently about the issues that face our country. Both have also demonstrated that they have worked hard in the Senate to make our country and our world a better place.

Let's give *all* the candidates the fair chance that they deserve. It's also what Americans deserve.

We have already had two Presidential elections skewed against strong candidates by a money-hungry media that grovels in dirt and ignores the real issues. We cannot survive another incompetent President who is only President because the truth was obscured by an uncaring press.

Philip M. Matera

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

Imagine if these phony "debates," allowed the candidates to ask each other questions. I think the so called second tier candidates; Dodd, Biden, Richardson and Kucinich, are the qualified adults on the stage.

[Fewkes]

The media's treatment of all the second tier candidates should be much better. We are tired of only hearing about Clinton, Obama and Edwards. Gravel and Kucinich have views that distinguish them from the other candidates. It should be the media's responsibility to elaborate on all the candidate's views so that their viewers and readers can make an informed decision.

[DCMike]

Thank You for an excellant post and thank you to everyone who posted comments. It's very refreshing to read and learn from opinions without the vicious attacks that seem to stir around discussions of the big money candidates. I don't know who I want to vote for yet, but it's personally liberating to jettison the big three from my list. Suddenly, I don't have to choose from a short list of losers.

[Fan035]

I agree with you 100%. I don't understand why Biden and Richardson don't get more attention. Though I'd vote for Obama or Clinton if he or she were the nominee, I really feel strongly Biden and Richardson are every bit as qualified.

[rudyacuna]

Your reasoning holds up if you don't have an ideology. I am no fan of Richardson but he is the only candidate that has not demonized the undocumented worker -- and even he has not been as frceful on the topic as he should. As a Mexican American who has authored 20 books and countless articles my litmus test is the foreign born issue and I look at Clinton, Obama and Edwards to be opportunistic -- one notch above Pete Wilson/

[bringbackimus]

The MSM has been forcing Clinton and Rotten Rudy down out throats from the git go. They would like nothing better than to have a Clinton/Guilianni face off for the presidency, because it would truly be ugly and polorizing.
Senators Biden and Dodd deserve to be treated with respect, not as second tier candidates to the shameless Hillary Clinton.

[dora_rice]

I like Biden . I would vote for him if he shows some fire in his belly. He acts like he thinks, he won't win anyway. I don't want a president in the White House who is intimitated and wants the election thrown in his lap. Hillary is still on top.

[Ladyrantsalot]

I couldn't agree more. We are constantly told that Iowa and New Hampshire are good early caucussing and primary states because they are small, it's inexpensive to campaign there, and the people get a good, direct opportunity to hear candidates out. I'm fine with that. But in recent decades, the big money people and the ever-burgeoning national media have insinuated themselves even more into the process. Very early on, the bloviating elite of conventional wisdom have been shoving Hilary and Barack down our throats. I would actually love to hear more editorial and journalistic assessments of Richardson, who has both executive and foreign policy experience and seems to be articulating a vision most Democrats could live with. But it's all HilaryObamaEdwards all the time. The lemmings of conventional wisdom are wasting our time and ruining the primaries.

[darker]

America needs more than PERFORMANCES from politicians!!

We're "up to here" with "performances" by Bush-Cheney and their publicist and "news"-fakers.

Do thankthe republicans for making "mud slinging", OBFUSCATION, STALLING a tradition.

It wastes time, media space, your attention and is SMOKE & MIRRORS to prevent actual FACTS & TRUTH from reaching the public.

That is the abomination of our media-controlled ATTENTION.

[fortyfour]

the only real clear choice is Gov Richardson

[Poised]

The constant press coverage of Clinton and Obama is going to backfire. In this very important election, voters will look beyond the hype and vote for someone who solidly defines and offers clarity on the most important issues -- jobs, immigration, foreign policy, in that order. Edwards, Biden, and Dodd are thoughtful, smart, and doing very well, I think, and I'll support whichever one of them gets the party nod.

If Hillary or Obama are nominated, I'll probably vote for the other party's candidate if for no other reason than to avoid being over-influenced by the presstitutes.

[SoonerThought]

Biden will be giving the "anointed" candidates some serious heartburn. He is the best candidate, and what little time the media gives him increases his support among voters. Iowa will be very interesting to say the least. Go Joe!

[Witchitalineman]

I agree with your assessment. Particulary that Dodd, Richardson and Biden really did show their intelligence and experience. As an average voter (who does vote incidentally) I can appreciate the audience making it known that they are tired of Edwards and Obama trying to focus on Clinton as the issue. We need to get rid of no child left behind. Education should be at the very to of the policy issues being addressed. The economy, the war, social security, health care there are a host of issues which need to be addressed and answered by the candidates. I applaud the audience for letting it be known that they don't want to hear negativity but rather what they would do if elected.