The Las Vegas Democratic Presidential Debate

Some of the stuff that happened won’t stay in Las Vegas

You have to wonder if they all stayed up late the night before at the tables. This was a very disappointing debate. My choice going into this debate was Edwards and that won’t change based on one event, but it gave me a lot to think about.

Richardson was someone worth watching before this. He certainly wasn’t worth watching in this debate. Dodd looked better than Richardson and actually had some good answers. You could respond that anyone who has reached this level must have some abilities but I could point to our president to refute that assumption.

The surprises were Biden and Kucinich. They both had good answers and they were cordial and respectful with very little politician’s doublespeak. Kucinich fits my views better than any of the rest but I realize most of my goals are long term and can’t and shouldn’t be done except with long and careful planning.

Politicians must be trained to be over-talkers. It is very irritating when the moderator says thank you and they keep right on rolling. They do this to get more time than their opponents but they should realize that to win they have to make the voters like them. The person on the Las Vegas stage that was most likable was Joseph Biden.

The issues will require a little thought once we get past the first impressions. My impressions of the three front-runners; Clinton is too much of a political insider and will not be willing to make bold moves in opposition to the “boy’s club”; it appears Obama really doesn’t have enough experience; Edwards had a rough night.

There was much made of the Chinese trade problem. Some of the candidates claimed there were sufficient rules in place and they would enforce those rules. This was the only thing during the debate that gave me real pause for thought. Who among these people who want our vote would be willing to go against those who profit from Chinese trade?

Some of these candidates will be out before I get a chance to vote in March. The leaders should change very rapidly.