Ho Hum, Another Democratic Debate Tonight
Debate fatigue for the Democrats has set in,
notes the Washington Post, and it's a wonder it took this long. No one can even figure out if this is the third or fifth debate already and -- get this -- there are at least a half-dozen more scheduled before we even get to the key debates in Iowa and New Hampshire after the first of the year.
Each debate has its gimmick and tonight's on CNN offers questions from ordinary citizens, via YouTube. But, since CNN is picking the questions from those submitted, the concept violates the whole zeitgeist of YouTube in the first place, which lets the people decide what they want to watch -- not some cable TV executive.
The debates so far have had the effect of helping to consolidate Hillary Clinton's lead, since the press has had the same reaction to each one -- giving the verdict to Hillary, followed by Barack Obama. The real losers have been Joe Biden and John Edwards, who have put in some good performances but have been generally ignored in the media rush to make it a two-person race.
So the news tonight will be if the press has anything other than the expected reaction. Don't count on it.
