Democratic presidential hopefuls (L-R) New Mexico Gov. Richardson, former Iowa Gov. Vilsack and New York Sen. Clinton at a candidates forum in Carson City, Nevada.
Maybe in 2012. In only the third month of what we will be a 15-month primary process, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are already in a battle over who has the meanest supporters. After David Geffen, the Hollywood producer who held a fundraiser for Obama this week, blasted Hillary Clinton in the New York Times as "ambitious," called her husband "a reckless guy" and said the pair "lies" with "such ease, it's troubling," Clinton's campaign attacked Obama for allowing his supporters to practice the sort of "slash and burn" politics the Illinois Senator preaches against. Obama's campaign responded by attacking the Clintons for letting Geffen stay in the Lincoln Bedroom after he raised millions of dollars for Clinton's reelection, and blasted one of Clinton's supporters, black South Carolina state senator Robert Ford, who has repeatedly suggested that having Obama at the top of the ticket would doom Democratic candidates all down the ballot, because he is black.
At the Nevada forum — which all the major candidates attended except for Obama, who skipped it to campaign in Iowa — the jabs were more subtle than the Clinton-Obama tussle. But it was clear that, despite Richardson's wishes, the Democratic candidates will not be going soft on one another as this campaign heats up. Each of the candidates gave a brief speech and then took three questions from moderator George Stephanopoulos. Here's a look at some of the differences that emerged.
The War Vote. "We've had six years of a President who will take no responsibility for anything that he has done, six years of a president who is incapable of admitting he is wrong, incapable of admitting a mistake," said John Edwards in his short speech. "It's time for a different kind of leadership. We need a leader who will be open and honest with the American people, who will tell the truth when they make a mistake and take responsibility." In case anyone missed the swipe at Senator Clinton's refusal to apologize and say she was wrong to vote for the war, the former North Carolina Senator answered a question about whether Clinton has backpedaled enough from her vote, by saying, "I think it's between her and her conscience. It's not for me to judge."
Paying for Health Care.Nearly every Democrat spoke of his or her desire to institute a universal health care plan. Edwards, taking another swipe at Clinton, noted he would start instituting a plan on his first day in office. Clinton said only that all Americans would have universal health care by the end of her second term. Edwards added that anyone who didn't call for tax hikes to pay for such a program "might have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn." That prompted Richardson and former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to adamantly dispute that. "I don't think the solution for the Democratic Party should always be we either tax more or spend more," Richardson said.
Ending the War.Virtually no Democrat thinks the others are doing enough to stop the war. Edwards said, "It is not enough to debate, give speeches and pass non-binding resolutions." Biden, the author of one of those non-binding resolutions opposing President Bush's troop surge in Iraq, said, "Don't talk about capping, do something." Clinton, Obama and Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd have proposed capping the number of troops in Iraq. Biden now says that the key is passing a law that revokes the authority President Bush has to fight the war, allowing troops in Iraq to only perform certain functions, such as protecting the borders. Dennis Kucinich wants Congress to cut funds for American troops to force Bush to bring them home, while Clinton wants to stop funding for Iraqi troops, who she says aren't doing their jobs.
But those differences aside — trust them, the Democrats all want to get along. Clinton, asked if Obama needed to renounce Geffen's remarks, said, "I'm going to leave that up to the other campaign." Biden, who started off his run a few weeks ago by blasting Obama, Clinton and Edwards' ideas on Iraq in an interview, said, "Sign me up, no negatives," shortly after Richardson's appeal. Of course, campaigns are about illustrating differences, and Richardson's Mr. Positive approach can be tough to sustain. Just seconds after his plea for civility, Richardson noted, "Governors actually do things." Undoubtedly, the many U.S. Senators who are opposing him had a hard time hearing that as a compliment.