Post Debate Roundup: Matthew's Rankings

Okay, here are my rankings of the candidates after watching the debates, from best to worst.

#1 (Tie) John Edwards, and Mike Gravel.

#2 Barack Obama

#3 Dennis Kusinich

#4:Joe Biden

#5:Hillary Clinton

#6:Chris Dodd

#7: Bill Richardson

Here's why:

First off, Mike Gravel blew the rest of the candidates out of the water. Literally. He wasn't afraid to tell the others that they were as responsible for the war as Bush, for (most of them) voting for it in the first place. Also, Gravel set out a solid plan for what he would do in the first 100 days. The sheer and absolute outrage that I personally felt was how he was practically segrigated from the other candidates. In the second part of the debate, he was literally seperated from the other candidates by a whole table, in the far left hand corner of the "cresent" of the chairs. That was to me, so crass. An outrage even. Now, in terms of his electability, that's why he needs to be level with John Edwards. John, also, made some extremely good points. He was able to answer questions smartly and promply, and he's electectable, intelligent, and dammit people like him.


Barack came in a close second. His plans for the future, and his intelligence was admirable to say the least. His healthcare plan is paletable, and it seems he has his act, for the most part, together. He was able to answer the tough questions without getting tricked into some of the setup questions that (Former U-Boat Commaner) Vulf Blitza sneaked in.
Dennis Kusinich, is probably the ultimate liberal. And that helps him, and hurts him in the same swipe. One of the problems he had was when he was asked "If you were given the opprotunity to take out Bin Laden, with some civilian casualties, Dennis basically said "No." Wishing to take a more "Diplomatic" approach to it, putting Osama in front of a court. Now, everyone disagreed with him, be that a good thing or a bad thing. But, other than that, Kusinich made some eccelent points, which leads me to believe he would make the best Vice President this country has ever had (save, perhaps, for Al Gore).


Joe Biden.....well, Personally, I can never forgive him for continuing this war. But that aside, he had great conviction, and had some of the best One-Liners of the whole group, bringing me to agree with him on some (not nearly all) of his points. He made very good the case for continuing to fund the war, though I still greatly disagree with him. That said, One thing Biden has going for him is an amazing talent as an Orator. He would be one of the best speaking presidents this country would know for a while. But so did Gravel for that matter.


Hillary Clinton....again, I'm not very keen on her, but she did do a little better than last time. My problem with her is that her approach to many things are too conservative, and too indirect. If she can take a more affirmative stance on many things, then I may take a kinder look on her, but the biggest, most prominant, most screaming thing she has going against her (apart from her general un-likability) is that she is (yes...) a woman. And I of all people hate to say this, but America just isn't ready for a Woman to be president. I'm sorry. That's just a fact. As much as I think a Woman would make such a great president, with the mental capacity, reasoning, and dexterity that no man could possibly possess, it's just not Hillary. (Yet, anyway) That, and she needs to STOP saying "I was the senator of New York) again, and again, and again, and again. Hillary, WE KNOW!!!!!


Chris Dodd, for me, was one of the more dissapointing candidates. While many points he had were good, and valid, there were a few instances where he just didn't answer the questions, either intentionally or accidentally, some very important questions were practically dodged by Dodd. Now, this is reconcillable, but for now, I'm pretty dissapointed with Dodd at the moment. I truly hope that for the next "Debate", he can rectify his mistakes.


Bill Richardson... now here was someone whom I really really wanted to do well. But after the debacle of a debate he gave the first time, I was really hoping (even moreso) that he would do better. Alas, even after things seemed to be going well, he had to screw it all up, by saying that the first thing he would do as president, would not be ending the war, would not be balancing the budget, eliminating corruption, or re-establishing America's rightful place as Moral center for the world, not even ending the geonocide in Darfur, which all other candidates said they would in a heartbeat. no...none of those. He said the first thing he would do is "Reform Education." WHAT?!?!?!?!?! With a Campaign of Extermination going on in the world around you, with Darfur, Iraq, you want to worry about EDUCATION?! Yes, I agree, the education system needs reformation, but my god, man! One would think that some other, slightly more pressing issues would take PRIORITY over reforming EDUCATION! Bill Richardson, my advice to you is either get your act together and work out a more solid and workable plan for your presidency, or get the hell out of the race. And I really, truly hate to say that, since Richardson is an immensly qualified man to lead this country. But if you keep royally screwing up debates like this, then don't expect to get the nomination.

That's my say. I welcome other opinions as well.