I've been a Dem all my life. And I like debates and gotcha lines and zingers and soundbites just as much as the next guy. But I tell you I watched almost all of this debate and I dont think anyone "won." Everyone keeps telling me that this is now a race election or a gender election or its the Women vote vs. the African American vote. But I think its a 'crabs in a bucket' election now and it makes me sad.
I have heard the story told many times by many different people across the country, many who I doubt were crab fisherman, so I am sure there must be some truth to it. It roughly goes that if you catch a crab and throw it in a bucket thats small enough eventually it will figure out a way to get out and escape. But if you throw a bunch of crabs in a bucket and one starts to get out the other crabs will latch on to the top crab to try and escape with it.... effectively holding the crab down so that no one ends up escaping. The crabs togther will always hold eachother back when they really think they are going to get out by latching on.
I feel like I first saw it in the NH debate and I feel like I started to see it with Bill a bit as well (fairy tale speech). But now it just seems like everytime a candidate gets out ahead on an idea, either its co-opted or the other candidate is dragged back down. Is this just politics? Is this all just gamesmanship? Has it always been this way? Is this Rove - take the greatest strength and attack it head on and try and turn it into a liability?
Candidate has strong anti-war positon from the beginning?
Drag them back in the bucket.
Candidate has great anti-lobbying credentials?
Drag them back in the bucket. (I think I saw Hillary attack John Edwards on getting money from trial lawyers? Are Lawyers now lobbyists?)
Candidate has great record fighting for poor and economicaly disadvantaged? Yep but Hillary, she worked for Walmart!
Into the bucket.
Candidate has a vote here or a vote there that doesnt add up? Bring them back down in the bucket.
I feel queasy right now having just watched this debate(and no I wasnt drinking last night). Does anyone else feel this way watching all of our candidates dragging each other back down into the bucket? Or their surrogates? I've heard this is supposed to make them better candidates... make them stronger and tougher for the general election. But the disortions seem to be reaching an epic level. Its not just the Clintons, its not just Barack, its everyone. Edwards was right tonite calling Obama on it, everyone is doing it. And the media is only to willing to play into it and jump on every riff, every distinction, every knock-down that then becomes part of the discourse.
But its not just differences, its not just I voted yes and you voted no. It seems more than that to me (at least lately.) Its an attempt to muddy the waters in a kind of 'well everyone is doing it way' or in a 'so and so has lobbyists too' way or in a 'you changed your position just like you accuse me of changing my position' kind of way. I guess I had just hoped that we were better than this. Maybe I'm just young and naive'.
I feel like Barack may have had the best line of the night when he said no ones hands are clean ... seems that way more than ever after the debate I just watched.