Yearly Kos - The Great Debate

BlogHer spoiled me! I haven't posted as much as I had hoped to during this conference for a couple of reasons. The session rooms weren't set up well for live blogging -- no power source, no tables to work from -- as was the case at BlogHer. They made it very convenient for bloggers. Also, the connection at the hotel seems really slow.

The leadership forum today was excellent. Great exchange between the candidates, moderators and the audience. It was overall a respectful crowd, with only a couple of hisses -- the first for a comment Richardson made about supporting line-item veto.

The mood was upbeat, and there was definitely a lot of excitement in the room. It was as if the audience knew that one of the individuals they were listening to WOULD be the next president.

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Christopher Dodd, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, and Mike Gravel were there. All of the candidates, with the exception of Kucinich, met with their supporters in private sessions to answer their questions.

The moderator opened the session by wishing Obama a Happy Birthday, followed by the audience breaking out in song!

The only real contentious moment came when John Edwards and Barack Obama double teamed Hillary Clinton over the issue of accepting money from Washington Lobbyists. When asked directly about whether or not she would accept contributions from DC Lobbyists, Clinton didn't try and duck the question. She answered straightforwardly that she would accept money from them saying "they represent nurses" and other professionals that deserve representation.

The attack seemed to focus on heath care, to which Clinton added that her position has not changed on health care, and that she would not be pressured into changing her position by the groups giving her money.

I attended the Clinton break out session, and I will say that her answers to the questions poised by the group were excellent. The first question focused on education, and she outlined very precisely what needs to be done and how she would address the issue.

I will share with you that after the session I happened to overhear a conversation by a couple of women who had not entered the room as Hillary supporters, but who were very impressed with her message. One of the women said she would definitely be able to support Hillary if she were to win the nomination.

I've had the opportunity to hear the Senator in person on a number of occasions, and I will say that I think much of the criticism of her is unfounded. She is very engaging.

I honestly do think the 2008 election is the Dems to lose. The country is clearly fed up with Bush & Company, and the Republicans seem to be imploding. Should Rudy or Mitt win the nomination, does anyone honestly think the religious right will turn out for them?

It's way too early to absolutely predict what will happen, but listening to these candidates today made me very hopeful!