Welcome to the Thurday edition of the Edwards Evening News Round-Up (the title will become obvious shortly!). As usual with this campaign, it's been a rollicking day: from a new union endorsement to a 1,000 student rally, from a blast at the Bush mortgage plan to volunteering for Ohio's 5th District special election, with a little global warming thrown in for good measure. Here are tonight's stories:
- Des Moines Register Debate Wrap-up
- Call for an independent investigation of the CIA tapes destruction
- Interesting Diaries to Consider
Des Moines Register Debate Wrap-up
I could fill up several diaries with all the positive reviews coming in after this afternoon's debate sponsored by the Des Moines Register -- but while it is fun to see John Edwards get positive media coverage, I'm just going to pick out some highlights and direct you to where you can see many more.
Here's one of my favorites made while the debate was still going:
"2:11 pm ET: Fox News is doing running dial-testing -- and John Edwards is quite literally off the charts with that answer about the tax system being rigged."
ABC's Rick Klein
On education, TAPPED's Dana Goldstein says:
Edwards Is Great On Education
"I'm always impressed with John Edwards' discussions of education policy during these debates. He begins with the importance of early childhood interventions, he criticizes NCLB while holding out hope it can be reformed, and he highlights the privileges suburban schools enjoy that rural and inner city schools lack. He circles back to discuss free college tuition for qualified high school graduates."
And this one sums up why I became an Edwards supporter in the first place, as the Des Moines Register staff praised Edwards' answer on the New Year's resolution question, calling this part of the debate Edwards' Strength:
"Somewhere in America tonight, a child will go to bed hungry." said Edwards. "Somewhere in America today...a father will lose his job."
"All of us are going to be just fine," he said of fellow candidates. "What's at stake is whether America is going to be just fine."
He's good.
Posted 12/13/2007 2:19 PM CST on Des Moines Register
Here is the full answer on video:
The final question in today's debate was about Iowa and Edwards' response once again captures the essence of the reason why small states such as New Hampshire and Iowa play important early roles in our nominating process.
Instead of seeing us for a few seconds on television, the Iowa Caucus-goers see us up close in their living rooms and in town hall meetings which means they can judge what I and they believe is crucial to the next president, which is having somebody who is honest and sincere and can be trusted and having somebody who is driven in their gut by the fight.
To which I respond (with a h/t to Patricia W over at the JRE Blog):
Now, let me say first that I do not watch Fox News, don't like Fox News, and the same goes for Frank Luntz (though I do give him credit at least for being good at what he does, sort of like the Devil is good at being bad). That said, Luntz had a group of 29 undecided Iowan Democrats watching the debate today for Fox News.
Luntz: "I want you to raise your hands if you walked in here with John Edwards as your first choice. One, two of you. How many of you thought John Edwards won the debate? [Majority of crowd raises hand.] What was it about John Edwards – you didn't pick him – but what was it about John Edwards you thought stood out?"
Democratic voter: "I had John Edwards coming in number three, and he was very believable, he didn't beat around the bush, he talked about the strong interest groups that he's been fighting for all the time, and he has a plan. He came in there with answers."
"He was my third choice and now he's my first"
Over at CNN [note: this links to the CNN TV report video], they also had undecided Democrats watching (23 in this case) and they also chose Edwards as the winner of the debate. And while we all acknowledge that this group may not be representative of the caucus goers on January 3rd as a whole, when asked who they would caucus for if the caucuses were today, they gave the nod again to Edwards at 39%. Obama came in at 26%, Clinton at 22%, while Biden, Dodd, and Richardson all received 4% (in "whole person" terms, that's 9/6/5/1/1/1).
My personal award for the best wrap-up comment by a media pundit goes to Don Fredrick of the LA Times' Top of the Ticket political blog:
But win or lose, Edwards cannot be accused of mincing his words. And somewhere, the ghost of William Jennings Bryan must be smiling.
For a great round-up of the post-debate media news, go here. Also, over at TPM's Election Central, Greg Sargent sums up the reporting on Edwards' performance today:
Though the exchange between Hillary and Obama at the debate was most attention grabbing to the media, it was John Edwards who most impressed the voters who were assembled by CNN and Fox News to gauge reaction.
One last post-debate story though, the number one in my book:
Edwards' Winter Wonderland
JOHNSTON, IOWA -- How do you unwind after a an important political debate? Go sledding, of course.
That's what John Edwards did with his children Jack and Emma Claire following today's Des Moines Register Debate.
The "Main Street Express" pulled in at the top of a hill at Fort Dodge, a National Guard base in Johnston. Jack, 7, and Emma Claire, 9, jumped out of the bus with plastic sleds and Edwards and his wife Elizabeth followed.
...
After a couple trips by his kids down the hill, Edwards, having changed into jeans and a leather jacket following the debate, worked up the courage to grab a sled and give it a whirl.
He got off to a shaky start but after he picked his legs up a bit, he really started gaining steam and almost came to a crashing halt at the bottom.
...But as Emma asked if dad was game for one more, the Edwards' declined.
"I think I had my one trip," he said.
Just like those fun, snowfilled days back in Seneca, S.C., right Senator?
"Yea, exactly," he said with a laugh...
filed by CBS News' Aaron Lewis
Edwards: independent investigation for CIA tapes
In an interview with Radio Iowa in advance of today's debate, Edwards was asked about the recent news that the CIA destroyed video tapes of their interrogators using "enhanced" interrogation techniques such as waterboarding on prisoners.
"People need to get to the bottom of this and be held accountable," Edwards says.
That means an independent investigation of the matter, according to Edwards. "I'm completely supportive of an independent prosecutor," Edwards says. "I think that having somebody who is not from the (Bush) administration is the best way to get to the bottom of this."
... "The very idea that we're having a debate about torture in America is offensive in and of itself because America should not tolerate any form of torture and that's something I intend to do something about as president of the United States," Edwards says, "and the fact that these tapes have been destroyed just feeds the idea that there are things being done that have to be hidden."
Interesting and/or Notable Diaries:
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