Garling Gauge

Democratic Presidential Debate Firsts 10/30/7

Matt Rourke / AP

Devil’s Night Debate: Spar over drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, UFOs & a Romney Halloween Mask

Another Democratic presidential debate and the candidates are expected to draw blood. There’s always a ‘first’ in these debates, and tonight at Drexel University is no exception. Here we go!

Democratic debate firsts 10/30/7

• First to compare himself to Rocky Balboa: Sen. Barack Obama
• First to say “conversation and consternation” : Sen. Hillary Clinton
• First to mention her ‘super power‘: Clinton
• First to mention Sen. Jim Webb: Moderator Tim Russert
• First to say “Rush to war” three times in the same sentence: Clinton
• First to say she was “against doing nothing on Iran”: Clinton
• First to say “drumbeats”: Sen. Chris Dodd
• First to say “judgement”: Dodd (surprising! Not Obama)
• First to call President Bush irresponsible: Sen. Joe Biden (no kidding)
• First to say “Big nations can’t bluff”: Biden
• Second to mention “drumbeats”: Sen. Barack Obama
• First to mention carrots: Obama (he beat Hillary to the carrots this time)
• First to say another candidate is absolutely right: Clinton on Biden
• Second to mention carrots: Clinton
• First to use a sports analogy: Clinton
• First to mention weapons of mass destruction: former Sen. John Edwards

9:20 EST

• First to have several other candidates disagree openly with him: Gov. Bill Richardson speaking of his unique diplomatic resume’
• First to mention Europe: Richardson
• First to say the war in Iraq is illegal: Rep. Dennis Kucinich
• First to suggest President Bush should be impeached: Kucinich
• First to get a laugh from the audience: Clinton
• First to say we have been governed by fear [under Bush]: Obama
• First to brand the word “diplomacy” on his forehead: Richardson
• Second candidate to openly agree with Sen. Joe Biden: Dodd
• Candidate to openly agree with Sen. Joe Biden for a second time: Clinton
• First to say he’ll end combat missions in Iraq in his first year as president: Edwards
• First to call another candidate by his first name: Edwards (”Barack”)
• First to say candidates should be in “tell the truth mode” all the time: Edwards
• First to mention al-Qaeda: Clinton

9:38 EST Break

• First candidate to say Republicans are obsessed with her: Clinton
• First to mention the children (aww): Clinton
• First to suggest a Clinton presidency would continue Bush secrecy: Obama
• First to say he believes in Santa Claus: Edwards
• First to say he believes in the Tooth Fairy: Edwards
• First to say “Change is just a word if you don’t have the strength and experience to make it happen”: Clinton
• First to mention the Motor City: Obama
• First to say there is a Holier-than-thou-attitude towards Clinton: Richardson
• First to say he’d get rid of No Child Left Behind: Richardson
• First to say “I’m the only CEO in this race”: Richardson
• First to say we need to elect a Democrat to the White House: Dodd
• First to be convincing he could work well with Republicans: Dodd
• First to say “no one on this stage is pure”: Edwards
• Second to mention the children (aww): Edwards
• First candidate to be called on because he was smiling: Kucinich
• First to say he’s for a non-for-profit health care system: Kucinich
• First to say he’ll cancel NAFTA & the WTO: Kucinich
• First to say Rudy Giuliani is the most unqualifed man besides George W. Bush to seek the presidency “This man [Giuliani] is truly not qualified to be president”: Biden
• First to say he’s running to be the leader of the free world: Biden
• First to suggest Bush wanted to eliminate the national budget surplus in able to privatize Social Security: Clinton
• First to say the Social Security crisis is a Republican talking point: Clinton
• First to say “draconian”: Clinton (someone always does)
• First to use over 15 different hand gestures during one answer: Obama on social security (I’ll try to find video later)
• First to say he doesn’t pay much attention to what former Gov. Mitt Romney has to say: Obama
• First to provide a strategy for “swiftboating”: forcefully, rapidly, and truthfully: Obama

10:11 EST Break

• First to wonder if residences of Iowa and New Hampshire are “doomed”: Moderator Brian Williams
• First to suggest Americans will have to sacrifice and conserve: Edwards
• First to say “we might have to look at the strategic petroleum reserve”: Clinton
• First to openly agree with Sen. Joe Biden after the last person did: Obama
• First person to mention Detroit twice: Obama
• First to say we need to impeach both Cheney & Bush: Kucinich
• First to say we should uphold the Constitution: Kucinich
• First to say we need automobiles that get fifty miles per gallon: Richardson
• First to say we need an energy revolution: Richardson
• First to say we need a ‘Corporate Carbon Tax’: Dodd
• First to summon the name of Al Gore: Dodd
• First to say we didn’t need a surge in Baghdad we needed a surge in New Orleans: Edwards
• First to mention wetlands: Edwards
• First to mention that American soldiers are being maimed: Clinton
• First to mention pre-K schooling: Clinton
• First to say “a lot of moving parts”: Clinton
• First to mention the Cayman Islands: Obama (tax loopholes baby!)
• First to suggest that the American people are “distressed with the Democratic party”: Kucinich
• First to wear his gold watch upside down on his wrist: Kucinich
• First to mention impeaching Cheney and Bush for a third time: Kucinich

10:33 EST
Stan Honda /AFP - Getty Images

• First to say mercenaries supported Bush: Edwards
• First to mention Wal-Mart and Chinese toys: Edwards
• First to say he would support extending the school year: Richardson
• First to say teachers would get a starting wage of $40,000: Richardson
• First to say “A family is a child’s first school”: Clinton
• First to mention Sputnik: Clinton
• First to say we have a nursing crisis: Edwards
• First to say insurance companies also want a non-for-profit health care system: Kucinich
• First to bring up comprehensive immigration reform: Clinton
• First and only candidate to say illegal immigrants should not be able to obtain driving licenses: Dodd
• First to argue directly back and forth with Clinton: Dodd (over driving licenses for illegal immigrants. wth?)
• First to say the internet can be a cultural wild west: Moderator Brian Williams
• First to be called on for nodding his head: Obama

• First to say he saw a U.F.O.: Kucinich
• First to say he’ll be attending to people on Earth before thinking about life beyond the planet: Obama
• First to say as president he would shut down toy imports from China: Biden
• First to say he might be wearing a Mitt Romney mask for Halloween: Obama

End debate

Perhaps Romney will wear an Obama Halloween Mask

And the winner? This gauge points to Joe Biden. Strong and articulate without berating the other Democrats, Biden kept his focus on the future, his attacks on the Republican frontrunner, touted his extensive foreign policy experience, and had other candidates agreeing with him more than anyone else.

If you’re looking for a Democratic presidential victory, Biden is worth a hard look.

Take a look:

[flv]http://garlinggauge.com/videos/bidendrexel.flv[/flv]
Sen. Joe Biden at the debate

[flv]http://garlinggauge.com/videos/pileon.flv[/flv]
Much of the debate focused on frontrunner Sen. Hillary Clinton. Video from the Clinton camp.

*

• Debate transcript
• More Debate Firsts.
• More on 2008 Election, Politics

http://tinyurl.com/28vr23, http://www.obamamasks.com/
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/07_02/ClassicUFOL_468×366.jpg
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SJUI6O0&show_article=1

Stumble it!