Craig Crawford: "...until someone finds a way to change things, Clinton owns this nomination race."

[ProSense]

Craig Crawford’s Trail Mix: Clinton Keeps Her Lead in New Hampshire Debate

Mon Jun 4, 6:27 AM ET

The worst case scenario for Sen. Hillary Clinton in last night’s New Hampshire debate would be that she did not win or lose ground against her Democratic presidential rivals. And that means victory for a frontrunner in any political campaign.

But Clinton did more than hold her own in the face-off aired by CNN. She won.

Due in part to her commanding center placing on the stage among eight contenders, the New York Democrat came across as the boss. Her opponents frequently paid their respects to Clinton and her husband — even when they were fumbling for ways to subtly criticize the former First Lady without sounding too harsh.

In two of the most telling moments of the night, Clinton all but took control of the debate as moderator Wolf Blitzer entangled other candidates with hypothetical scenarios about pursuing terrorists. In both cases she interrupted the discussion to defend her foes on the grounds that such speculative questions were out of line, gaining the applause of the studio audience — and admiring glances from the other hopefuls.

At those moments you could see that until someone finds a way to change things, Clinton owns this nomination race.

link

[Auntie Bush]

1. Craig Crawford knows what he's talking about and he's a left winger. n/t

[ProSense]

3. "they were fumbling for ways to subtly criticize the former First Lady without sounding too harsh"

What to think of the other candidates?

[napi21]

2. I agree with Craig, and I say "It's f-ing about time a DEM told any

moderator, hosty, or reporter "That's a BS question ans I'm NOT going to answer it!" Although she was not QUITE that blunt or crude, that's what she said. For some idiotic reason, Dems always seem to think they have to answer any question posed to them, and the Pubs have been using that "I'm not going to talk about it" tactic for YEARS!

I don't want the Dems to act like Pubs, but if your enemy has a good idea, you're stupid not to use it too!

[goclark]

4. Bingo! We have to wake up

and understand that it is not in our best interest to roll over for these idiots.

Good for her!

[ProSense]

6. "she interrupted...to defend her foes...gaining...admiring glances from the other hopefuls."

This article portrays the other Democrats as unable to hold their own and in some ways subservient to Clinton. I especially enjoyed their responses on thisissue.

[THUNDER HANDS]

5. she won, but it wasn't a landslide or anything

not that she had to win in a landslide, but she did quite well. I think she performed better yesterday than Kerry did in any of the debates he had in the primaries.

I think she is helped by the fact that her main competitor, Obama, is not really a great debater yet. He's getting better as he's getting used to this format and setting, but he's going to have to make up a lot of ground, quickly, if he wants to get to her level.

In a pure debate, forgetting poll numbers and money and everything else, I think her greatest challenge would come from Joe Biden - who makes the a lot of the same points she does, but does it with more force, clarity and (shockingly) brevity.

Both Edwards and Obama are great in front of crowds or in small settings, whereas Clinton is skilled in thinking on her feet and giving near perfect poliitical answers.

[ProSense]

10. That says it all:

I think she is helped by the fact that her main competitor, Obama, is not really a great debater yet.

One of the defined media frontrunners is an amateur at debates and the rest are fumbling over the Clinton aura. It was the Clintons' (Bill and Hillary) show.


Kerry would have run circles around Hillary, especially on the "we're safer" point.

[jobycom]

7. Kind of like "The Patriots are the team to beat until someone beats them."

Or similarly, "Die? Why that's the last thing I plan to do."

She's my front runner, too, at the moment, but that could change. It's a long race, and who knows who else might get into it. Gore, Clark, Kerry... Things will start getting serious around November, I suspect.

[wyldwolf]

8. K&R!

[Egnever]

9. until someone finds a way to change things

At the moment I agree with him. However we have a long way to go and a lot of good candidates. We are a long way from being able to declare a winner.

[ProSense]

11. Kick! n/t

[bigdarryl]

12. All these pundits like Crawford are always wrong when the voters go to the polls. most...

NH voters think Edwards won last nights debate.And liked his answer that he made a mistake authorizing this war so pundits like Crawford are full of shit this is nothing more than the MSNBC cheer leading for a Clinton to get back in the white house