# Dem candidates' first debate tomorrow (Pubs next week) **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 25, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645 "2007-04-25T20:58:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/21 "2007-04-27T23:08:40Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Piffle. He’s showing none of the signs of dotage that Ronnie had . . . [/QUOTE] Not **yet.** But if he serves even one term as POTUS, he’ll be 82 or 83 when he leaves office. Makes me nervous. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/22 "2007-04-27T23:10:13Z")
[QUOTE=BobLibDem] Hillary seemed a bit robotic to me, Obama wasn’t as nimble as he should have been, Edwards was unimpressive. Biden impressed me more than anyone else and I thought Dodd did well. Richardson didn’t seem to help his cause much and Kuchinich and Gravel were just there for comic relief. [/QUOTE] All very discouraging, overall. Depressing, even. Until one looks at the Republican field. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/23 "2007-04-27T23:52:15Z")
I did like Gravel’s anecdote about his first day in the Senate, looking around and saying “My gosh, how did I get here?” Six months later, he was looking around and saying “My gosh, how did THEY get here?” 🙂 But I’m still wondering what he’s doing here. Trying to be the new Harold Stassen, maybe? The random-fire format of this thing didn’t let anybody look good. It was all about the MSM looking for some juicy, twistable sound bites for the next “news” cycle. But all of the candidates, all, knew better than to give them any, and that bodes well for the field. The commentariat jackals are reduced to trying to make some long-retired old Senator nobody remembers look like he’s lost it, as if anybody cares either way. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/24 "2007-04-28T02:43:58Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] Crap, I forgot to DVR it. Hopefully, MSNBC will do a repeat instead of just non-stop punditry… [/QUOTE] Check your listings-- they’re showing it again over the weekend (twice, I think). ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/25 "2007-04-28T02:55:13Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] You know, reviewing all his debate statements on [YouTube,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gMlHv2lDqA) he doesn’t come off as crazy. Testy, but not crazy. Possibly the sanest one on the podium. And looking at his [political views,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Mike_Gravel) he wouldn’t make a bad POTUS. Except he’s too old. 77. That’s six years older than McCain! [/QUOTE] Meh, I was speaking more of his delivery and the structure of his answers. When he complained about not getting more attention, it would have been funny, if it had been a joke. As to policy, I also think the notion that we have no real enemies is silly. We may not face any existential threats, but we certainly do face serious threats. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/26 "2007-04-28T03:00:36Z")
I simply can’t understand the importance people attach to presidential debates these days. That you form or alter an opinion of a candidate based on an hour or so of public speaking is preposterous. Do your homework. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/27 "2007-04-28T03:47:57Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Analysis of the debate [here.](http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/?hpid=topnews) Paragraph-length snap reactions [here.](http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/) [/QUOTE] The CNN link is updated, so I’m not sure it still gives what it did when you saw it. But I think this was humorous: > [@](#): > > Clinton: Speaking Southern a virtue, not a vice > > GREENVILLE, South Carolina (AP) – Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she sees her sometimes Southern accent as a virtue. > > “I think America is ready for a multilingual president,” Clinton said during a campaign stop at a charter school in Greenville. Having a fake southern accent is a _virtue_? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/28 "2007-04-28T03:54:17Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper] I simply can’t understand the importance people attach to presidential debates these days. That you form or alter an opinion of a candidate based on an hour or so of public speaking is preposterous. Do your homework. [/QUOTE] Ha! We should be so lucky as to have all Americans form their opinions of primary candidates based on even the meager scraps of evidence offered up in the “debates.” I think a relatively small percentage (30%?) could accurately describe with any depth the positions of both candidates in a general election, much less a primary. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/29 "2007-04-28T18:36:24Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Having a fake southern accent is a _virtue_? [/QUOTE] :rolleyes: She used it in **one joke.** Which makes it a virtue if you can pull it off. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/30 "2007-04-28T19:27:44Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] :rolleyes: She used it in **one joke.** Which makes it a virtue if you can pull it off. [/QUOTE] I don’t get what you are saying. Was she supposed to be joking in that quote, or are you saying she only used the fake accent once? If the latter, that is not true. Read the whole linked article at CNN. If the former, how do you get that? The CNN article didn’t give any indication that it was a joke. Oh, and :rolleyes: right back at you, bub. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/31 "2007-04-28T19:40:02Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] I don’t get what you are saying. Was she supposed to be joking in that quote, or are you saying she only used the fake accent once? [/QUOTE] [Twice,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Rodham_Clinton_controversies#Affected_Southern_speech_patterns) it appears, and the first time was a [quotation from a hymn, not a joke.](http://mediamatters.org/items/200703060009) But it doesn’t indicate any dishonesty or pandering. In terms of American dialects, she **is** a polyglot. (So am I. I can do an entirely authentic Southern drawl learned from near relatives – but, except in a joke, I wouldn’t, because I hate it.) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/32 "2007-04-29T01:44:41Z")
FYI, the first Pub debate will be Thursday, May 3, at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA. All 10 announced candidates have been invited. There will be a second debate May 15 in South Carolina, but [Fox News](http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6589640,00.html) (with the state party chair) is vetting the list, claiming there’s not room for all 10. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/33 "2007-04-29T01:51:43Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] [Twice,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Rodham_Clinton_controversies#Affected_Southern_speech_patterns) it appears, and the first time was a [quotation from a hymn, not a joke.](http://mediamatters.org/items/200703060009) But it doesn’t indicate any dishonesty or pandering. In terms of American dialects, she **is** a polyglot. (So am I. I can do an entirely authentic Southern drawl learned from near relatives – but, except in a joke, I wouldn’t, because I hate it.) [/QUOTE] Some people may do it unintentionally. I’ve heard Oprah apologize to guests when she seems to imitate their speech patterns. She say’s she doesn’t realize she’s doing it. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/34 "2007-04-29T05:45:08Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] The CNN link is updated, so I’m not sure it still gives what it did when you saw it. But I think this was humorous: Having a fake southern accent is a _virtue_? [/QUOTE] Yeah it’s not like she spent any time in the south, like Arkansas or Washington DC. ---
**Author:** ![aclubs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@aclubs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aclubs)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/35 "2007-04-29T08:19:26Z")
Washington, DC is in the South? In other news, I wish I had recorded the debate. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/36 "2007-04-29T17:04:24Z")
[QUOTE=Caridwen] Some people may do it unintentionally. I’ve heard Oprah apologize to guests when she seems to imitate their speech patterns. She say’s she doesn’t realize she’s doing it. [/QUOTE] Yes, it can happen sometimes _in conversation_. A speech isn’t a conversation, though. Anyway, believe what you want. I didn’t want to derail this thread in that direction-- I just thought it was humorous. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/37 "2007-04-29T17:11:50Z")
[QUOTE=aclubs] Washington, DC is in the South? [/QUOTE] It is if you were born in Boston. 🙂 Seriously, though, you live in VA which is considered southern, and I suspect that at least parts of VA are north of DC (is that true?). Do DCers and Virginians consider DC part of the south? How about Maryland? I had a co-op job in college in Alexandria and that seemed like the deep south for someone like me who had never been south of NYC. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/38 "2007-04-29T17:46:39Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] It is if you were born in Boston. 🙂 Seriously, though, you live in VA which is considered southern, and I suspect that at least parts of VA are north of DC (is that true?). Do DCers and Virginians consider DC part of the south? How about Maryland? I had a co-op job in college in Alexandria and that seemed like the deep south for someone like me who had never been south of NYC. [/QUOTE] The DC metro area is a zone unto itself, with lots of people living there who are not from there. You don’t have to travel far into VA, though, to be in “The South”. Of course, a VA accent is not the same as a Georgia accent by a long shot. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2007, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/39 "2007-05-28T03:45:00Z")
I’m in the race too, now: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=8618794](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=8618794) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645/40 "2007-05-28T03:54:54Z")
Get in the \*debates \* and we can talk further. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dem-candidates-first-debate-tomorrow-pubs-next-week/401645.md?page=1)