2004 Presidential Election
There was a debate last night amongst the Democratic presidential hopefuls in Albuquerque. Here's a story from the AP [September 5, 2003, "Democratic Rivals Focus Barbs on Bush"]. Here's a link to Mike Littwin's take on the debate from his column in today's Rocky [September 5, 2003, "Littwin: Democrats gang up on Bush, not Dean, at debate"]. Says Littwin, "The way to the Democratic nomination, Dean has shown, seems to be by positioning yourself as far from Bush as possible. (Notably, Sen. Joe Lieberman, the candidate closest to Bush on Iraq and taxes, is also the one who went after Dean the hardest. The crowd gasped when Lieberman suggested that Dean's trade policy would mean that 'a Bush recession would be followed by a Dean depression.' Dean quickly responded, but that was basically it for fireworks.) There were two themes for the debate. One was the Hispanic vote, which is particularly significant here in New Mexico. There were several questions on immigration issues, although with little differences among the candidates. The PBS broadcast was offered in Spanish and English, and most of the candidates tried speaking Spanish, although Spanish teachers everywhere were probably wishing they hadn't. Dean was the most fluent, while North Carolina Sen. John Edwards got off the best line, saying the 'only Spanish (Bush) speaks when it comes to jobs is hasta la vista.' And, for the second theme, all of the candidates went after Bush in plain English, especially on Iraq. It's clear by now that Iraq has become the issue of the early campaign. And the timing, in this case, was good for the Democrats, with Bush on the defensive now that he's had to go to the United Nations and ask for help. With each casualty, with each story about how much money the occupation might cost, the stakes seem to be growing in this debate."
Coyote Gulch was impressed by Carol Mosely Braun. She seemed to be the most comfortable candidate and she used her time well articulating her vision for healthcare and trying to present a positive upbeat theme. It will be interesting to see if she can drive some of the conversation around the election.
Here's the coverage from the Denver Post [September 5, 2003, "Debating Democrats united against Bush"]. From the article, "Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority in the country. While a recent study showed a growing number are becoming swing voters, as a group they still lean toward the Democratic Party. Many of the candidates used a few key Spanish phrases and tailored their answers for the Hispanic community. Immigration was a hot question, especially the issue of amnesty for undocumented workers. All the candidates asked about the policy agreed that workers who have been in the country for a certain number of years, worked and paid taxes and refrained from criminal activity should be granted amnesty."
5:27:56 AM 
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