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ABC Debate Backlash: It Wasn't About Clinton V. Obama

Not everything can be reduced to a primary pie-fight.
April 20, 2008  |  
 
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I had thought there was something of a consensus in Democratic circles about Wednesday night’s ABC-sponsored debate in Philadelphia. Dems hated it because Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos spent most of the debate obsessing over trivia and process, and when they got around to substance, they framed the questions in conservative ways. Republicans loved the debate, because it played out exactly as they wanted. Journalists and media critics hated it because it was a train-wreck.

Somehow, over the last few days, this consensus has been replaced by a new Clinton-Obama dynamic that doesn’t make any sense to me.

The Politico’s John Harris and Jim VandeHei argued the negative reaction to the debate has been driven by “Obama partisans … who are doing the whining.”

Steve Benen is a freelance writer/researcher and creator of The Carpetbagger Report. In addition, he is the lead editor of Salon.com's Blog Report, and has been a contributor to Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Crooks & Liars, The American Prospect, and the Guardian.

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