Who really won the first debate? With Poll!

If you missed the debate, you can still watch it on MSNBC. The big question, of course, is "who won?" In this format, unfortunately, there was no chance to prove a clear winner as no candidate had the podium long enough to say a serious answer. Some candidates did better than others, however.

Clinton: OK
She didn't stumble, and she didn't seem so boring that it was painful to watch her. Is that an achievement? Or does she need to do a very impressive performance to regain the momentum? We'll call it a draw.

Obama: Good
His answers were great. He had a couple of great moments, like when he corrected the moderator for taking his words out of context. Unfortunately the time contraints did not go well with his speaking style, so this was only a "good" performance instead of a great one.

Edwards: OK
Edwards failed to shine on any of the questions. He seemed to get lost in the noise, which isn't good for the candidate who's trying to break out of 3rd place. Still, although his answers were not stellar, his dilvery was still pretty good and he didn't make any huge mistakes.

Richardson: Poor
Richardson gave no good answer for why he thinks he should give other Hispanics better treatment because they are Hispanic. He also started breaking the rules of the debate towards the end and the answers he gave sometimes sounded like Fox News talking points.

Biden: Great
Biden spoke very well and had the best 1 liner of the night. He was asked "Can you assure voters that you will not be a gaffe machine on the world stage?" He responded with a simple "yes," and nothing more. The crowd went wild.

Dodd: Poor
Dodd's performance, like his candidacy, was extremely boring. None of his answers were special in any way, except for his answer to the question "Do you think there's a difference between civil unions and gay marriage?" Dodd started to answer by expressing a great story about how people would feel if it was their own children being denied rights, and how gay people deserve equality. He then ended the story by saying he supported civil unions, but not gay marriage. So first Dodd avioded answering the question, then he answered it wrong.

Kucinich: Poor
Kucinich knows he won't win and is there to "make a point." Unfortunately somebody else showed up and completely stole his spotlight...

Mike Gravel: Great
Unlike Kucinich, Gravel's performance will certainly be remembered and will get people talking. Most of what they say won't be favorable, but he got his ideas out into the public and that's all he could have hoped to achieve.

Post Debate Poll

Who won the first Democratic Presidential Debate?

Clinton
Obama
Edwards
Richardson
Biden
Dodd
Kucinich
Gravel

View Results

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