Most Impressive, Most Dissapointing, and why?

[SIU_Blue]

Okay, here's mine:

Most Impressive - Dennis Kucinich. (His answer re: impeachment set him aside in my eyes as the most courageous and willing to stand on principle. His lone stand did nothing but help him in my opinion.)

Most Disappointing - Mike Gravel (Not because of his questionable demeanor, but because he had a chance to wrap up the debate with an eloquent and pointed attack on the leadership of the Republican leadership and a strong endorsement of a united democratic front and instead sounded hasty and disorganized.)

Who was your most impressive and most disappointing candidate and why...

[LiberalEsto]

1. Hillary was worse than I expected

except for that last comment about the invisible middle class.

Dennis Kucinich was beyond fabulous.

[bigdarryl]

2. Not according to tweety

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Surprisingly Bad

I may be biased, because I'm not fond of her - but she struck me like a strident mom at a PTO meeting.

Also, she seems to have added an irritating Pennsylvania (western NY?) twang to her already-intresting variety of accents. Ugh.

[Tellurian]

37. Nah, Hillary got high marks from everyone so far..

even Tucker, who's never said a good thing about her in my memory. He said her answers were understandable succinct and articulate unlike Obama's abstract answers where he's all over the map running out the clock. I think he was the biggest disappointment to everyone except, understandably to his loyalists.

Yep, Tweety is talking her up again.. Tweety said she was impressive!

[illinoisprogressive]

3. I am not a fan of Hillarys but, thought she did pretty well.

I was disappointed by Gravel who came off and unstable.
I thought Obama was impressive.
I thought Edwards was not as strong as he could have been. good but, not strong.
Richardson was pretty good.
Kuchinich was kind of silly.

[PresidentObama]

4. Disappointing was Richardson. Most impressive....Hillary n/t

[MaineDem]

7. I agree; Richardson should have done better

He was disappointing. I expected Hillary to do better than I thought she did.

I think Edwards was the most impressive.

[mtnsnake]

6. I had higher hopes for Richardson & was most disappointed with him I guess

Kucinich totally rocked.

My own personal favorite, Obama, disappointed me in some instances and in others he was fine.

I thought Hillary was good, but I thought she would've been even better than she was.

I thought Edwards did pretty well.

[AnOhioan]

8. I agree on both your choices

Dennis stood alone and held the pocket copy of the Constitution "I took an oath to defend the Constitution" Great way to handle it. I am sure the American public took note that none of the other candidates raised a hand in support of impeachment.

Gravel was just out of control. He was like little kid whining about the adults.

[SIU_Blue]

11. The last question of the whole thing...

I was hoping they would ask anyone but Gravel, so that the last impression the viewers got would be coherent and intelligent. Not that Gravel isn't intelligent, he just sounded like he was babbling. I wonder what the other candidates, who all seemed very measured, thought during that first Gravel outburst.

I was also hoping this debate would help me settle the question of who I was supporting in the primary, but it's still up in the air for me.

[flyarm]

9. HILLARY'S YELLING HER ANSWERS TURNED ME OFF!!

being tough does not mean yelling or talking louder..

sometimes wispering makes people listen more carefully..

i don't say i didn't like her..but i yelled back ..stop yelling at me..sitting alone in my living room!!

just my 2 cents..fly

[ElizabethDC]

27. I didn't hear her yelling, but

her voice is very unpleasant-sounding. And I say that as a Hillary supporter. :7

[BeyondGeography]

10. Dodd impressed me; very organized with his answers

lots of substance. I thought he gave the best overall performance.

Obama held his own; I loved when he said the Confederate flag should be put in a museum. Don't think that wasn't noticed by the crowd. He was well-prepared but his answers didn't flow as well as Dodd's.

Edwards was pretty flat; I thought he'd come out a lot harder than he did. The moral leader pregnant pause was the worst moment of the night for any debater.

Richardson was very authoriative and clumsy at the same time. I liked most when he admitted he can be impatient...very sincere.

Hillary was mostly strong, some answers better than others, but her demeanor (i.e. the quasi-supercilious way she looked at the questioner) was downright odd at times. If you didn't like her going in, one look at her was probably enough to confirm your views. Sorry if that's a style-over-substance point, but there it is.

[OHdem10]

12. Hilary , Biden

Hilary was the most approachable and held her own
very well.

Biden for some reason impressed me tonight and
so did Dodd.

I do not have a favcrite.


Actually, everyone did well. It is too early.
Iappreciated the opportunity to see them all
together.

[ElizabethDC]

28. I agree with you

Biden blew me away. I thought Hillary did great, but then again, I'm biased because I'm already a supporter of hers.

[Ninja Jordan]

13. As a viewer, Gravel, Kucinich, Dodd, and Biden are wasting my time.

And to some extend Richardson. The sheer volume of candidates makes most of the early debates almost impossible to watch.

[AnOhioan]

15. Well that puts you in the minority here

Most of us thought all the candidates did a fine job, maybe you should put aside your preconceptions about the number of cnadidates we have and enjoy the fact that we have a strong slate.

[SIU_Blue]

17. I agree and disagree...

The volume of candidates does make the debate hard to watch. I disagree, however, that the "non-front-running" candidates are a "waste of time". Having said that, I don't know how to make the format better, maybe sets of debates with smaller groups?

[Forkboy]

20. I know...what this democracy needs right now is less candidates!

:patriot:

[Ninja Jordan]

22. 'fewer,' not 'less'

Let's accept reality: the big money candidates win; the others do not. Were we really enriched by Carol Mosley Braun or Dennis Kucinich's "contribution" in '04? I understand the sentiment, but it makes for bad television.

[Forkboy]

26. "but it makes for bad television."

Well there ya go.... :crazy:

You do realize that if the world ends you wont be able to watch 24 anymore,right?

[Ninja Jordan]

29. You do realize that Dennis Kucinich will never be elected president, right?

As in, never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever!

[Forkboy]

33. So?

They should be denied a voice because they bore you?

To quote a great friend of mine..."forget you".

:hi:

[Ninja Jordan]

40. Please put me on your ignore list. Thanks.

You bug the hell out me.

[Forkboy]

41. Then you put me on your's

Pretty simple.

[GreenArrow]

32. "makes for bad television"

Ted Koppel'd agree with ya!

[Forkboy]

35. By the way,"fewer,not less" is a quote even Bush couldn't say straightfaced.

[Ninja Jordan]

39. Huh?

The correct grammar is "fewer candidates," not "less candidates."

[mtnsnake]

24. Kucinich & Gravel are one of the main reasons it WASN'T a waste of time.

...especially Kucinich.

[TwilightGardener]

36. Agreed--they should limit it to 5 or 6 next time.

[IndianaGreen]

14. Most impressive was Edwards

while Kucinich spoke for me!

All the candidates did very well, even Hillary! :-)

[mnhtnbb]

16. Kucinich most impressive. Richardson most disappointing,

Gravel biggest joke.

[Forkboy]

18. Kucinich most impressive

I just agree with Kucinich the most,so he was the most impressive.

Biden was the biggest surprise.I expected a rather nondescript performance and he was very involved,with sharp and thoughtful answers.

Clinton and Edwards were safe,predictable and solid debaters.

Richardson was a bit...I don't know.He was ok,but won't change things for him much I think.

Gravel said a lot of good things (especially about treating the world as equals) but on the radio he came across as on the verge of starting a brawl with someone at any second.Usually the media plays the "goofball" angle on Dennis,but Gravel solved that problem.

The disappointment,though he still did well,was Obama.I know I'll hear it for saying that :) He started slow,which is understandable to me,and got better,but he just seems as safe as aspirin to me.I know he inspires a lot of people,and I think that's great,but he doesn't hit me at all yet. :shrug:

And if anyone says I just didn't like him to start with or other such silliness let me say this;Why would his performance disappoint me if I didn't want him to do good in the first place. ;)

On edit - I say Kuch was the most impressive,but objectively I'd pick Biden as the winner.

[a kennedy]

21. and why was Richardson frowning so much???

Dennis still is the one to beat with his philosophy I think, but as I've said before, he'll never get the nomination. :cry: :cry: :cry:

[primative1]

19. Thumbs up for Biden; Down for Richardson ...

The rest did about as I expected.

[Colobo]

23. Richardson dissapointed me big time...

[Bullet1987]

25. ...

Most Surprising: I really don't know. Clinton, Obama, and Edwards all played it safe. I guess Gravel because he seemed like he was ready to rip someone's head off!!

Most Dissappointing: Bill Richardson...this guy is supposed to be a dark horse? He just came off as boring to me.

[GreenArrow]

30. Kucinich came off best

I concur with his impeachment answer as being his highlight, that, along with his answer on the global Wart on Terra (TM).

Gravel was great -- cantankerous, and cranky, and he hit the nail squarely on the head over and over again (that is, when he was allowed to speak.)

Biden was his usual slimy self.

Edwards came across as rehearsed and smug.

Hillary did alright, and maybe came across as warmer than her reputation.

Dodd did not register. Dull. Should quit now.

Obama seemed nervous, was at his best when responding to Kucinich's challenge (even though he was wrong.)

Richardson also seemed nervous, and a bit wordy; if he can tighten his message, he can make inroads.

[ElizabethDC]

31. Impressive - Biden; Disappointing - Richardson

I think Biden did great and I was very surprised about that. I also thought Hillary was wonderful, but I'm already a supporter of hers, so I'm definitely biased on that one. Richardson was the biggest disappointment - where was that charisma of his?

[jillan]

34. Biden did great

But I thought Dodd did really well too.
Also thought that they did not get as much time as the rest.

Disappointing was Richardson. He has been a favorite of mine, but he came off too nervous.

[w4rma]

38. Edwards: "Be patriotic about something other than war" That's my favorite quote from this debate.

It really hits home.

Richardson was the most disappointing. I was never a supporter of his due to his economic positions which I believe hurt the middle class, but his performance was far worse than I expected. Which is just fine with me, actually.

[FrenchieCat]

46. I thought that was Edwards' campaign slogan......

Cause he always uses that line.....for a long time now! Google it, and you'll see.

[calimary]

47. I kinda liked the "who're we gonna nuke???!??!!?!" from Gravel.

I found him surprisingly refreshing, considering he was completely off my radar screen.

Impressed with Hillary - coming across very professional and business-like. Obama and Biden, too.

And Kucinich!!! DAMMIT, we need 21st Century thinking for 21st Century problems!!! And I LOVED how he took out his pocket Constitution copy. That IS what it's all about.

My great disappointment about how - when a show of hands was requested regarding Kucinich's IMPEACHMENT resolution - NONE of those so-n-so's raised his/her hand. WTF??? So what are they saying then - that it's somehow okay with them that we've had these gross and flagrant and repeated violations of our national trust, our Constitution, our laws, the truth? It's okay? Just let him skate? It's not worth pursuing? We've got other priorities? THERE IS NO OTHER PRIORITY. Because from IMPEACHMENT comes the solution to most of our other problems. ESPECIALLY the war.

[TheDonkey]

51. That's a great quote. Wow.

Should use that as a slogan.

[SaveElmer]

42. Not a clear winner...Hillary and Obama did best I think...

With Biden and Dodd not too far behind...

I was disappointed in Richardson...not in substance, but in delivery...just an off night for him I think....

Still my number two choice

[justinrr1]

43. Biden was excellent

Biden was excellent, Richardson did terrible and seemed to be flubbing around searching for answers. I think Richardson is one of our most accomplished candidates but so far he has proven to be a terrible campaigner.

[tofurkey]

44. Overall a good night for Democrats

Hillary got shriller and shriller as the night wore on, and I generally like her

Barrack was weak for him - yawn

Edwards seemed tired and noticeably Southern in comparison to the rest of the field

Kucinich did well to make himself better known and respected

Biden was funny and is a great debater -- and very classy that he gave props to Hillary

Dodd was surprisingly compelling

Gravel cracked me up and had me saying "thats true" when he spoke

Richardson came off as annoyed and dour


The event left me feeling good, even though the questions were pretty pathetic. It's clear we'll be choosing a strong candidate.

[lyonn]

45. Biden was cool, smart and clever

Just can't bash the others. It was an interesting debate, not breathtaking but interesting to see them all together. Pretty classy. Just visualize the repub group...... giggle.

[rhombus]

48. Richardson disappointed me the most

I don't know what happened, but his delivery style was odd. He was off his game and I think he had the most to gain from this debate but kinda squandered that opportunity.

[bling bling]

49. Most impressive - Kucinich. Most disappointing - Richardson.

Kucinich was fantastic. Though he seems more evolved in his thinking than this country is ready for. I think the other candidates have a better understanding of the unfortunate reality of our place in time and understand that there is a game that simply *must* be played if you really and truly want to be elected by Americans to be President of this country. Regardless, Kucinich was damn impressive. There's a place for him in this game. He won't be President but he's playing an important and necessary role nonetheless, IMO.

[TheDonkey]

50. Dissapointed by Obama

he's my favorite and though he wasn't a disaster really missed some possible homeruns. I didn't like how he came off as overly cautious in front of such a friendly crowd. I mean his confederate flag response was way off the mark. Would have been better left as the flag should be in a museum (period) yet he went on and on about something else.

I hope he learns from the tapes!

I was impressed with Clinton think she looked good. Biden is always pretty superb in these situations.