2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: News
News Analysis | Damage control and hope for unity
Colin Kavanaugh
The substance of last night's presidential debate at the National Constitution Center appears unlikely to change the tone or dynamic of the race, with five days before Pennsylvania's primary.
After the debate, campaign officials were busy responding to questions about mistakes their candidates have made in recent weeks - which were featured prominently in the debate.
Other Democrats, however, expressed optimism that despite the hotly contested primary, the party would be able to unify itself before the general election in November.
Recently, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has been troubled by his comments that small town voters are "bitter" and "cling" to guns and religion. He later explained that he had "misspoken" and that it was a "gaffe" and addressed the issue during the debate.
In a state where 40 percent of the Democratic electorate is rural or working-class, analysts have said those comments could hurt Obama, as voters go to the polls on Tuesday.
"When you make a mistake, you own up to it," said Geoff Garin, the chief strategist for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign. He added that Clinton has "owned up" to her misstatements regarding her 1995 trip to Bosnia, in which she said she landed under "sniper fire" when in fact, she had not.
Throughout the first full hour of the debate, both candidates were hammered on a string of recent controversies, with the first issue-based question not occurring until the end of the first hour.
Obama supporter and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, whose district includes Penn, said the ABC moderators were seemingly trying to get "gotcha" moments out of the candidates.
But the controversial first hour did give each a chance to position themselves toward Pennsylvania voters.
Clinton harped on Obama's "bitter" comments, saying that Democrats should try to "respect" rural voters rather than alienate them.
David Axelrod, chief strategist for the Obama campaign, said Pennsylvania voters are "smarter than pundits give them credit for" and care less about the "bitter" remarks.
After the debate, campaign officials were busy responding to questions about mistakes their candidates have made in recent weeks - which were featured prominently in the debate.
Other Democrats, however, expressed optimism that despite the hotly contested primary, the party would be able to unify itself before the general election in November.
Recently, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has been troubled by his comments that small town voters are "bitter" and "cling" to guns and religion. He later explained that he had "misspoken" and that it was a "gaffe" and addressed the issue during the debate.
In a state where 40 percent of the Democratic electorate is rural or working-class, analysts have said those comments could hurt Obama, as voters go to the polls on Tuesday.
"When you make a mistake, you own up to it," said Geoff Garin, the chief strategist for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign. He added that Clinton has "owned up" to her misstatements regarding her 1995 trip to Bosnia, in which she said she landed under "sniper fire" when in fact, she had not.
Throughout the first full hour of the debate, both candidates were hammered on a string of recent controversies, with the first issue-based question not occurring until the end of the first hour.
Obama supporter and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, whose district includes Penn, said the ABC moderators were seemingly trying to get "gotcha" moments out of the candidates.
But the controversial first hour did give each a chance to position themselves toward Pennsylvania voters.
Clinton harped on Obama's "bitter" comments, saying that Democrats should try to "respect" rural voters rather than alienate them.
David Axelrod, chief strategist for the Obama campaign, said Pennsylvania voters are "smarter than pundits give them credit for" and care less about the "bitter" remarks.
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