Candidates Trade Punches at Dem 'Prizefight'

MADELEINE BRAND, host:

Some final thoughts on last night's debate now from Nevada from our humorist Brian Unger in a special Unger Report. He reviews the debate as CNN promoted it: a prizefight.

BRIAN UNGER: At the first bell, it looked like fight night. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton traded light punches over health care.

(Soundbite of debate)

Senator HILLARY CLINTON (Democrat, New York): There's a big difference between Senator Obama and me. He starts from the premise of not reaching universal health care.

(Soundbite of overlapping voices)

Senator BARACK OBAMA (Democrat, New York): No, I understand. But, look, I'm not...

Mr. WOLF BLITZER (CNN): Senator Obama, we're going to have a lot more - go ahead, go ahead.

Sen. OBAMA: I will be very brief on this issue.

UNGER: Brief? After a right hook on health care - no retaliation, no jab, no razzle-dazzle? This fight feels staged. Then this combination from John Edwards.

(Soundbite of debate)

Mr. JOHN EDWARDS (Former Democratic Senator, North Carolina): She says she will turn up the heat on George Bush and the Republicans, but when the crucial vote came on stopping Bush, Cheney and the neocons on Iran, she voted with Bush and Cheney.

UNGER: Edwards kept on swinging at Clinton on Social Security, as an anti-change insider. This was looking like a Vegas bout. But then...

(Soundbite of debate)

Sen. CLINTON: When somebody starts throwing mud, at least we can hope that it's both accurate and not right out of the Republican playbook.

UNGER: And with that...

(Soundbite of debate)

Sen. CLINTON: For him to be throwing this mud and making these charges I think really detracts from what we're trying to do here tonight.

UNGER: The fight was over.

(Soundbite of bell)

UNGER: And these, the heavyweights of the Democratic Party, decided to, well, stop fighting for this reason Chris Dodd proposed.

Senator CHRIS DODD (Democrat, Connecticut): We Democrats have a job to do and that is to unite this party, attract independents, Republicans who were seeking change, to join us 12 months from now and elect a Democrat into the White House and to hold on to the House and Senate, that's number one.

UNGER: This, the Democratic playbook for debates: unite the party, attract independents and Republicans who are seeking change. Wow, how about just winning the debate?

The rationale for winning is supported by two considerations. First, only one Democrat will win the nomination, not all seven. It's not a composite candidacy, a fusion ticket. It's a contest in which one wins. When differences are subtle, it's like trans-fats and saturated fats. It's all bad.

Second, the Republican playbook is what these candidates should be studying. It's the fight they should be rehearsing, because the fight for the title will be an ugly, mudslinging, below-the-belt bout, the kind we've seen in elections past. Take a look at Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney. They look mean. They even have mean hair. And all the Democratic debate solidarity will be a weapon the Republican nominee uses down the road. So instead of...

(Soundbite of debate)

Sen. DODD: Let's stop this mudslinging. Let's stop this going after each other on character, on trust...

UNGER: It's time for these Democrats to either duke it out or let Dennis Kucinich speak.

And that is a special Unger Report. I'm Brian Unger.

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