I Can Horse-Race Too

Let me briefly give you my impressions of how the candidates performed at the CDP Convention. I'm going to rank the candidates in order of accomplishment. Let me say first that there wasn't the massive change in the dynamic at this convention, the way there was in 2003 with Howard Dean's "What I Want To Know" speech. Ultimately the weekend did not change the race fundamentally. And because of the lack of regional changes in state polling, I think that California's new presence in the primary election is still outsized. Nevertheless, I suspect this is how it may go around the country, so here goes:

1. Edwards. And this was the only speech that I missed, the only candidate I didn't see the entire convention. But this is a good recap of his speech and its effects on the delegates. There were less people in attendance on Sunday than Saturday, but those who were there got the most specifics, the most progressive policies, and the most truth. He's willing to cross the third rail by admitting that he may have to hike taxes and not focus so insistently on the deficit.

Democratic presidential contender John Edwards said Sunday he would consider raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy to fund programs such as universal health care.

Edwards has long said he wants to repeal the tax cuts on upper-income earners enacted during the Bush presidency, but Sunday he seemed to go further, by saying he was open to raising them higher than they were before George W. Bush took office. He also said he would consider taxes on “excess profits,” including those made by oil companies.

Edwards said it was more important to level with voters than to worry about the political consequences of advocating higher taxes.

“It’s just the truth,” Edwards said during a news conference following his speech to the California Democratic Party convention. “It’s the only way to fund the things that need to be done.”

I think people appreciate honesty after the past 6 years. And they appreciate someone unafraid enough to take a real stand. And I know I appreciate his call to send the President the same emergency supplemental bill over and over again until teh President gets it. He's internalized the entire critique I've been making about how the President is the one defunding the troops by vetoing the bill. Edwards is of course great on health care and poverty as well. Edwards bringing up grassroots supporters to stand behind him on stage, as opposed to Obama and Clinton having electeds there, is symbolically very significant as well. And he privately met with supporters as well, where he affirmed his strong support for clean money. What's not to like? Not much, as so many people on the floor told me that they were converted by his speech.

2. Obama. This is his wheelhouse, giving a high-profile speech and getting a chance to show off his rhetorical talents. He performed to expectations there, even though much of it would have been familiar to anyone who's heard him speak before. Obama was the only one who didn't give a press conference after his speech, which is interesting. And any caucus where he appeared was locked down and closed off. I'm also a little nervous by the fact that his biggest supporter in the state is Steve Westly. I don't mind Westly so much, but I don't want to see his campaign team anywhere near Obama. Sen. Gloria Romero, another supporter, is great, however.

Obama was strong on the war and doesn't have to explain his vote, so as I said before, if 2008 is about Iraq, he has a major leg up. And he offers a new vision of hope to so many young people, many of whom showed up to see him speak and were a major presence inside and outside the convention center.

3. Richardson. I thought he did extremely well in the hall, actually far better than he did in our blogger meeting, where he looked down a lot and failed to really connect. It seemed like he was practicing his speech for us, reeling off a litany of resume stuff and policy proposals. But in the hall, he was more conversational and funny, like when he told the story of telling his mom he was running for President and she said "President of what?" And he hit high notes with his positions on Iraq and immigration. That said, his gaffe in the press room, saying that Whizzer White couldn't have voted on Roe v. Wade because "wasn't he in the 60s? Roe was in the 80s, right," will be a major hurdle in this party. But in the room, people didn't know that.

4. Clinton. I've given my thoughts on her speech, and they stand. Like I said, I think she has more delegate support than everyone believes, but Iraq remains a stumbling block, possibly fatal. And her stance on immigration, that the undocumented should be taken out of the shadows so they can be tracked and watched as potential terrorist subjects, stuck a really bad chord.

5. Kucinich. Had major support in the room. The sing-songy-ness of his speech just was so whacked out; I saw him speak in 2003 and he now seems like a parody of that guy. But he absolutely had the attention of the hard-core progressive crowd, particularly when he focused on his call to impeach the Vice President. However, these are the type of people who tend to scream and yell but don't quite organize as much as other activists.

6. Dodd. Chris Dodd is a serious, experienced, thoughtful lawmaker and I love him. He made a lot of time for us bloggers and he gave a very nice speech. Not that many people saw it, and those that saw it clapped politely. It's unfortunate; he's a good guy who would make a great President.

7. Gravel. He didn't speak on the floor, but at the Chairman's Welcome Reception on Friday night (which had salt-water taffy when I got there and not much else). I ran into a fellow delegate during his speech, a former political science professor and contemporary of Gravel's. He said to me, "I didn't know this guy was still around!"

Enough said.

Incomplete. joe Biden. Didn't show up. Too busy in South Carolina trying to convince them that Delaware was a slave state and that makes him a real-deal Southerner. His booth was pathetic.