After I enjoyed the debate and flipped the channel, a disconnect by the CNN commentators with their audience sounded through the airwaves, a crackle you could hear, loud and clear.
First thing, CNN crowed: Hillary was dominant. On Fox News, Frank Luntz queried his resident focus group to draw their reaction. Hillary or Obama, he asked?
A woman member's sure answer >> I'd like both of them, she said.
Next question, a follow-up, came to Luntz from Sean Hannity at home base: "Which of them would do they want at the top of the ticket?" he asked.
Luntz turned to the men and women sitting in front of him.
A show of hands, he asked for. "On top of the ticket, do you want Hillary?"
About 3 persons raised their hands.
Luntz sizes up the room, then asks,"How many want Obama running at the top?" Hands went up from all of the other 10.
I don't have the exact number of persons in the room, yet the weight of support was tilted visibly to Obama. It was no contest in this setting. So I punched the remote back to CNN.
Here was Jeff Toobin, commentator. He weighed in. "This debate was like Gladys Knight and the Pips," he offered. Hillary was like Gladys Knight, he said, and all the others were responding just to her. An instant pop-culture analysis of the 2-hour moderated discussion.
Next was a correspondent for CNN and she polled 24 persons from New Hampshire, an early voting state. There the ground had shifted, she said. Her flock was expecting Hillary to be triumphant but after it was done, they voted instead for Obama most favorably, with Biden 2nd.
Nevada was a different story. The 2 dozen polled there favored Clinton and Richardson ahead of all others.
Forgetting the instant poll, I'll venture my view. I can't say if Clinton is or is not unstoppable. I certainly would prefer her to launch for 2012 rather than 2008. Here's why. I have Bush-Clinton-Clinton-Bush-Bush fatigue and the rest of the nation must too. Bill's presidency was pretty good but not a barnburner. Truly if I have to picture Hill and Bill back near the top of the government, I'd like much better to see the 2 of them at the Naval Observatory/VP's mansion and let's get Obama and Michelle to step into the WH.
That's the way I look forward instead of back. Here's a poll.