Democratic Debates: MSNBC Tonight

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Setting the Stage: The First Democratic Presidential Debate


Later today in Orangeburg, S.C., eight Democratic presidential hopefuls will gather for their first debate of the 2008 primary campaign. The Fix will be there -- live-blogging the key exchanges, best one-liners and outstanding performances.

While we're still months before any actual voting, tonight's debate is a first major test for each of these candidates. Never before in this campaign have all eight shared a stage and had the opportunity to engage one another on the issues of the day. Momentum can be built or stunted depending on a candidate's performance tonight.

But before we get to the actual event, we need to set some parameters about what to expect out of each of the candidates. Who comes into the debate with the most to prove? Who has the most to lose? Who's the best raw debater in the bunch? Who has to be aggressive tonight?
Below you'll find The Fix's best guesses at what each candidate will say and do during the debate as well as whether they come in with high or low expectations.

Let's Set the Stage...

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Any time the Democratic candidates gather, the senator from New York will be the focal point. Clinton enters tonight's debate with high expectations -- she has cast herself on the campaign trail as the candidate most ready to lead the country; tonight she needs to show why. Clinton also comes into the debate with two major factors in her favor -- experience and gender. Clinton is perhaps the most scrutinized politician in recent memory and is used to performing publicly under the klieg lights. She is also the only woman in the field, a fact that allows her to stand out from the seven men on the stage and also complicates any attempt to attack her? Remember when Rep. Rick Lazio (R) decided to confront Clinton during a debate in 2000 to force her to sign a pledge to bypass accepting soft money donations? Viewers saw Lazio as threatening and unsenatorial. He never recovered.

Barack Obama: Of the Democratic field, Obama is the most gifted orator. But can he succeed in the rough and tumble and back and forth of a presidential debate? Obama faces an interesting challenge tonight: He has pledged to run a new and different campaign that rises above partisan bickering, yet he must find a way to effectively counter any attacks by his rivals on his record. Can he find a way to do that without sullying his pristine reputation as an "unpolitician"? During his 2004 Senate race, Obama showed his aptitude as a debater and his willingness to throw a rhetorical elbow or two as he faced down Alan Keyes (R); Obama's task was made easier in that race, however, as polls showed him with an impregnable lead over Keyes before, during and after the debates.

John Edwards: For the past week or so, rival campaigns have made sure to remind reporters that Edwards was not only one of the most successful trial lawyers of his generation but is widely regarded as one of the premier debaters in the party. Ah, expectations setting. There's certainly a grain of truth in all of that spin -- Edwards proved his debate skills during the 2004 Democratic primaries and then in a high-profile showdown with Vice President Dick Cheney. Prior to the announcement of Elizabeth Edwards's cancer recurrence, Edwards had been the most willing among the top-tier candidates to draw direct contrasts with his rivals. Will he do the same tonight?

Bill Richardson: As anyone who has spent any time with Richardson knows, the New Mexico governor is immensely personable and charming. And as anyone who has spent any time with Richardson also knows, he tends to go off message rather regularly -- much to the chagrin of his campaign advisers. All of those traits are likely to be on display tonight. Richardson needs to use this debate (and the myriad others scheduled in the coming months) to show viewers that he belongs in the first tier with Edwards, Obama and Clinton. How can he do that? By highlighting his experience as a chief executive (the only one left in the field) and contrasting what the three senators have said versus what he has done.

Joe Biden: Biden is among the most well-spoken members of the Senate, he must find a way to translate Senate-speak into sound bites for the debate tonight. Biden is likely to question the frontrunners on their plans for a way forward in Iraq. He has repeatedly stated that he alone in the field has offered a viable plan for the future of the country. Biden must stay focused tonight. At times, his mind seems to wander while his mouth continues to move -- never a good trait in a politician.

Chris Dodd: The Connecticut senator is our dark horse in tonight's debate. He's a fiery speaker who knows that he's got to peel off supporters from Clinton, Obama and Edwards in order to move his numbers. That's a combustible combination that could make Dodd the story of the night. Dodd's strongest weapon? His status as the only Democratic presidential candidate to cosponsor legislation offered by Sens. Russ Feingold (Wisc.) and Harry Reid (Nev.) that would remove funding for the war in Iraq next March. Dodd is also likely to push the frontrunners on specifics as he has touted himself as the candidate of ideas -- most notably on energy policy.

Dennis Kucinich: Kucinich has absolutely nothing to lose in the debate tonight. He is clearly the most liberal candidate in the field (as evidenced by his effort this week to launch impeachment proceedings against VP Cheney), and he is likely to try and bait people like Obama and Clinton into discussions of his policy proposals. They won't bite.

Mike Gravel: The best news for Gravel is that he will be one of the eight people behind a podium tonight -- ensuring that far more people know who he is after the debate than before it.

Make sure to check The Fix early and often during tonight's debate, which starts at 7 p.m. ET and is being carried live on MSNBC. We'll bring you the best moments and instant analysis of the event. And then tomorrow we'll be back with a rundown of debate winners and losers.

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