Sen. Hillary Clinton received screams from the crowd and a partial standing ovation Thursday night when she said the country's current view on the AIDS epidemic would be radically different if the disease afflicted young white women the way it does young black women.
"Let me just put this in perspective. If HIV/AIDS were the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of 25 and 34, there would be an outraged, outcry in the country," Clinton said to the mostly black crowd at Howard University during the third Democratic presidential debate.
It was the emotional line of the night, during a lackluster, poorly organized debate shown on PBS, which failed to crystallize or elicit differences between the 8 Democratic contenders.
The Format
First, the semantics. The debate got off to a ridiculously slow start, with lots of pomp and circumstance by the university and PBS that didn't need to be televised. Like PBS doesn't already have a boring reputation? What a way to lose potential viewers off the top!
Another problem: Each candidate got to answer every question. And throughout the debate, the candidates reiterated the same points made by their rivals and often said, "I agree with everything just said." It was a waste of time, and made for bad TV.
As David Gergen put it, "this was a lovefest, not a slugfest." And will the issues of African American voters raised tonight carry into the candidates platforms or campaign stump speeches? Probably not in Lilly white Iowa and New Hampshire. But time will tell.
Now, a capsule of the memorable moments of a debate that will be soon forgotten.
Education & Poverty
"If I'm president I'll do away with the war on drugs," said candidate Mike Gravel, making the case that drugs are a public health issue, not a crime issue.
To combat poverty, John Edwards outlined more specifics than others. He wants to significantly raise the minimum wage and strengthen the right to organize.
"When you've got a bill called No Child Left Behind, you can't leave the money behind," said Sen. Barack Obama.
Dennis Kucinich wants to cut the Pentagon budget by 15% to free up education dollars. "Stop cutting war, start funding education," Kucinich said.
Gravel said that was too modest. "I think we cut a little more than 15%," Gravel said. "21 million Americans could have a 4 year college scholarship for the money we've squandered in Iraq," said Gravel.
"The people on this stage are all guilty," Gravel said in a reference to the war in Iraq.
Sen. Clinton gave a response we've heard before. "I really believe it takes a village to raise a child," Clinton said.
HIV/AIDS Prevention
Bill Richardson looked sweaty, hesitant and even lost at some times in this debate. But none of his answers baffled me more than his initial response about how to prevent a 17-year-old African American from contracting HIV/AIDS.
"We have to use needles . . .," Richardson said. Huh? Richardson then got his footing and went on to credit President Bush for his work and funding of battling AIDS in Africa.
Edwards gave some specifics on how to combat HIV/AIDS. Fully funding a cure. Fully funding the Ryan White law. Making sure Medicaid covers AIDS drugs and treatment. He got good applause for this.
Obama talked about how the more African Americans fall into poverty, the more likely they are to contract diseases. He offered a broader cultural look at battling disease.
Gravel offered . . . ending the war on drugs? Again.
Clinton gave her boffo answer that brought women to their feet.
Sen. Joe Biden said he is working to get black men to understand that it is not "unmanly" to wear a condom, and to get women to understand it is ok to say no to men's sexual advances. Kinda of an odd ball statement. But he was trying to talk about changing the culture in the black community as well. Then, as Biden always does, delivered this sugarplum:
"I got tested for AIDS, I know Barack got tested for AIDS. There's no shame in being tested for AIDS," Biden said. "It's an important thing. The community's engaged in denial," he said.
Obama's quick response:
"I got to make clear. I got tested with Michelle when we were in Kenya and Africa. So I don't want any confusion here about what's going on," Obama said in response to laughs from the crowd.
Funniest moment of the night.
Taxing the Rich
Most candidates agreed that repealing the Bush tax cuts would be a priority, although both Clinton and Obama were very careful with their answers. They know what they say now on taxes will be held against them by Republicans in a general election.
Obama said "blacks don't want charity, they want fairness."
"None of you are going to live in your lifetime to see our system of taxation changed based upon what you've heard here," said Gravel.
Sen. Chris Dodd promised to give tax breaks to companies who decide to stay or locate in inner cities. Richardson said he would reward companies that pay higher wages, and offered a tax holiday for technology start-ups.
Blacks & Criminal Justice
"The justice system is not colorblind," said Obama. "It requires some political courage because often times you are accused of being soft on crime when dealing with these issues," said Obama, responding to a question about racial disparities in the justice system. (Again, he's thinking general -- outloud).
"We need to seek to end mandatory minimums. We know who's serving those mandatory minimums," Kucinich said.
Sen. Chris Dodd said mandatory minimum sentences have been a disaster. He wants to eliminate the distinction between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. "That will make a big difference on who goes to jail in this country," Dodd said.
Right to Return To New Orleans?
Most candidates said they would support a law that would give residents "the right to return to New Orleans." Clinton didn't directly answer. But she did use strong terms to castigate the Bush administration. She said the administration has neglected the rebuilding of New Orleans with almost "criminal indifference."
Edwards wants to allow the people of New Orleans to rebuild the city, by giving them jobs and insurance -- instead of bringing in multi-national companies to do the rebuilding.
Outsourcing Jobs
Biden said eliminating tax breaks alone won't keep jobs in America. Richardson said the focus should be on raising science and math standards in our schools.
"One of my first acts in office will be to cancel NAFTA and the WTO," Kucinich said. "A Democratic administration started NAFTA. A Democratic administration will end it."
Genocide in Darfur
Another big tough girl moment for Clinton here on what to do to stop the killing in Darfur.
"We should have a no fly zone over Sudan. Because the Sudanese government bombs the villages . . . We should make it very clear. We're putting up a no-fly zone, if they fly into it, we'll shoot down their planes. It's the only way to get their attention," Clinton said.
Biden emphasized the U.S. should put American troops on the ground to stop the carnage.
"I believe that fighting genocide is more important than sports," Richardson said about his suggestion to boycott China's 2008 Olympics if the country doesn't agree to do more on the Darfur issue.
"We have to look at Africa not just after a crisis happens," said Obama.
"If Darfur had a large supply of oil, this Administration would be occupying it right now," Kucinich blasted.
And then this parting shot from Gravel . . .
"We have to have a president that has moral judgement. Most of the people on this stage with me do not have that judgement and they've proven it by the simple fact of what they've done," Gravel said.
All in all, because no one won; Clinton won.
But outside the Clinton comment on AIDS and the Obama-Biden exchange, this debate was a snoozer. The reason to have these debates is to offer distinctions for voters trying to learn about who to choose. Debates are important, but so are the formats you govern them with. This one needed some work.
The Republicans are supposed to do this format on PBS on Sept. 27th. Really? We will see if they show up to an audience or panel that may be ready to attack.
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