The value of thorns

I was struck by how little Howard Dean had to say the other night at the televised debate. John Kerry didn't seem to have too many opportunities to speak either.

My "spin" on the evening was that the seven other candidates had more "face time" with the cameras than either Dean or Kerry.

If you agree with the popular feeling that the press is trying to reduce the field, perhaps giving candidates Sharpton, Moseley-Braun and Kucinich more airtime before they disappear was the right thing to do.

Does anyone actually time the debates to see if all candidates have an equal opportunity to speak? I'd be curious to know if my observations are correct - or whether they're just another gut feeling that's an important part of my personal Primary Politics decision-making process.

You can tell you've been caught up in that process when you can watch coverage from the "spin room" following the debate and identify the major (non-candidate) players in the crowd - before they appear on-camera. Extra points should go to those who can match the news reporter to their media service without a logo to help.

The feedback I received from people I spoke to said that the debate would have been pretty boring without Kucinich, Sharpton and Moseley-Braun. Their comments added spice to the event. There's always room for a few thorns in a room where debates are happening.

I used to work at The Union Leader. It was long after Bill Loeb was gone, but there was a Bob Dix cartoon of him that hung in the offices of many old-time Union Leader employees. The quote that was featured read: "I don't care what people think...as long as they think."

That's how I view the candidacies of Kucinich, Sharpton and Moseley-Braun...they often say what needs to be said but too often isn't. Having them as part of the primary process provides balance for those of us who walk down the middle of the road.

I had the opportunity to talk to another friend this morning about the debate and how she is doing in her decision-making process. She had attended several of the candidate forums that Every Child Matters did in Durham earlier this fall. She showed an initial interest in Dean, but she told me this morning that the more she hears about and from Dean, the less she feels that he will be her final choice. After the debate the other night, she indicated that she's beginning to take a closer look at Lieberman as best representing her views.

Add one more to the "undecided" column for the next round of polls.

I introduced our 18-year-old daughter to primary politics last night. I had been invited to a Chili Tour stop on the Kerry campaign and was surprised when she accepted my invitation to join me. At first, she thought she would be the youngest person in the room, but there were the toddler and babies who accompanied their parents - as well as several of her classmates from high school. She even recognized someone from the school television station who was there filming the event.

It was obvious that despite the polls, the press hasn't given up on Kerry. C-Span was airing the event live and CNN was there with a full camera crew as well. It drew quite a crowd of area residents, but I would still say there had to be one media type for every 10 people in the room.

My daughter's first grade teacher stopped by the table to say hi. She said she came because she had heard Kerry at the debate the night before and wanted to hear more.

We sat at a table of retired firefighters. A local firehouse was hosting the event as part of the firefighters' endorsement of Kerry. I questioned the man next to me as to whether the fact that the union had come out in support of Kerry would make a difference in his vote. He indicated that the endorsement caused him to take a closer look at the man, but that when it came right down to it, the final decision would be his and it wouldn't be based on someone else's opinion, it would based on his own.