Analysis of the CNN/YouTube Presidential Debate
COLLINS: The YouTube debates. Voters drove the discussions with their questions, but is the groundbreaking format headed in the right direction? Let's talk about it. Donna Brazile is a Democratic strategist now serving as a CNN political analyst. Hi there, Donna.</s>DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning.</s>COLLINS: And Bill Bennett is a former member of the Reagan administration and is a CNN contributor. They both join me -- hi there, Bill -- from Washington today.</s>BILL BENNETT, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey.</s>COLLINS: Hey, guys, I want to begin just with the obvious question here. Do you think the format really changed the face of debates this year? Donna, let's start with you.</s>BRAZILE: I thought it was a very interesting and intriguing format to allow ordinary citizens the opportunity to question the candidates. The questions were very, very good. I wish we had more time to hear some of the answers, especially on issues like Katrina and health care. But overall, I enjoyed the debate. I thought it was the most entertaining of all the debates. And I thought having people in the audience, those who posed questions to the candidates, gave a little extra surprise during that period of time.</s>COLLINS: A little extra umph, huh. Bill, how about you?</s>BENNETT: Yes. I know, a little punch, a little -- a little zany, having students rather than the professors ask the questions. But I have to tell you, I think it would have been chaotic without the moderator. I thought Cooper -- Anderson Cooper did a great job. He kept his distance. He wasn't in people's faces like Chris Matthews was. He tried to get them, you know, to give more responsive answers, and yet he was respectful at the same time. He was very good. I think that the YouTube genre makes people feel they have to be cute when they're doing their own things.</s>COLLINS: Yes. Maybe perform a bit.</s>BENNETT: But I liked -- the straightforward questions seemed to me to have authenticity, which is what they were, authentic questions from real people. And I think it can be developed and become part of debates. I thought it was OK.</s>COLLINS: All right. And as long as we're talking about that, let's get to one of the questions if we could. We knew that Iraq was going to be in several of these questions.</s>BENNETT: Yes.</s>COLLINS: So let's go ahead and listen to some of the discussion.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a mother of an American soldier deploying to Iraq for a second time, I would like to know if the perception is true that the Democrats are putting politics before conscience?</s>SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Since the election of 2006, the Democrats have tried repeatedly to win Republican support for the simple proposition that we need to set a timeline to begin bringing our troops home now.</s>SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I opposed this war from the start because I anticipated that we would be creating the kind of sectarian violence that we've seen and that it would distract us from the war on terror.</s>REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, it is politics. The Democrats have failed the American people.</s>COLLINS: Well, there you heard at least in the response to that question Kucinich giving a yes or a no. But still, they are politicians. There's still quite a bit of skirting of the questions. Donna, did anybody break ground here?</s>BRAZILE: Well, I thought Senator Obama did. I mean, look, he posed a question to Senator Clinton. He said essentially, when you voted to authorize the president to go to war, why didn't you request an exit plan at that point? So I thought he had an opportunity to really shine last night. And he did. Senator Edwards was testing his message of being a champion for the ordinary person. But look, I still come away with the feeling that Hillary Clinton scored as well. She came across as presidential and commanded the facts. In her answer on the so-called exit strategy, or when will we get out, was to say essentially the Republicans need to come with the Democrats. And then she said we need to have an orderly, careful and safe exit plan. So, overall, I thought it was a good answer to a very tough question.</s>COLLINS: Bill, on the issue of Iraq, who stood out in your mined?</s>BENNETT: I thought she was the best last night, actually, in almost everything. Joe Biden I thought was very, very good. He had the air of a guy who says, well, I'm not going to make it, so I might as well tell the truth, you know. And -- but he was good, particularly, I thought, on Darfur, very straightforward. But I thought she was in command. I think she's sounding better, looking better. This is a good format for her. She veers to the center a little bit. It's an old Clinton style, as much as they can, without trying to alienate the left. She's being attacked from her left, which is I think slightly where they want to be in the general. So it's a tricky game. But she was in command. And I think she's looking like the nominee right now.</s>COLLINS: I think the Democrats last night also really trying to draw some attention to the diversity of their candidates as well. Listen in with me, if you will. Race and gender certainly discussed last night.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, MODERATOR: Senator Obama, how do you address those who say you're not authentically black enough?</s>COOPER: Hey. It's not my question. Jordan's question.</s>OBAMA: Well, you know, when I'm catching a cab in Manhattan in the past, I think I've given my credentials.</s>CLINTON: I'm the most qualified and experienced person to hit the ground running in January 2009.</s>JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Anybody who's considering not voting for Senator Obama because he's black or for Senator Clinton because she's a woman, I don't want their vote.</s>COLLINS: So, will all of that rhetoric really matter on Election Day? I mean, how much does diversity really matter to the voters, do you think? Donna?</s>BRAZILE: It matters a great are deal, especially in the Democratic primary, where African-Americans can make up to 25 to 30 percent of the vote in each population in some of the key early states, as well as Latinos. So it matters a great deal that these candidates understand these issues, can talk about them and converse with the general public. But look, Senator Obama last night I thought hit a home run when he talked about his own experiences. An African-American. But at the same time, Senator Clinton didn't shy away from the fact that she is the only woman in the race. And, of course, Bill Richardson is a Latino. So we're proud of this diversity in the Democratic Party. And let's go out there and try to recruit other people.</s>COLLINS: Bill, you think it matters?</s>BENNETT: Well, it matters to some people. Look, Obama gave a good answer about catching a cab. I thought Hillary gave a good answer. I thought Edwards gave a kind of creepy answer -- oh, don't vote for me if you wouldn't vote for them.</s>COLLINS: Yes. I don't think he's going to give any votes back.</s>BENNETT: He's a little too much. Just a little too much. You know?</s>BRAZILE: But he made fun of his hair this time.</s>COLLINS: Yes, he did. Hey, quick, guys...</s>BENNETT: He better. He's the last one not making them.</s>COLLINS: Quickly before we let you go -- Bill, I'll start with you -- winner and loser from last night?</s>BENNETT: Hillary Clinton. Biden did well, but Hillary Clinton is in command, I think.</s>COLLINS: OK. Donna?</s>BRAZILE: Clinton and Obama. And Biden did very well. Mike Gravel, boy, it's time to let him go at some point.</s>COLLINS: You think it's time to hang it up for him.</s>BENNETT: Well, he was for school choice and an audience of National Education Association. So he got one cheer from me.</s>COLLINS: I bet he did. All right. Very good. To the both of you, thanks so much, guys.</s>BRAZILE: Thank you.</s>BENNETT: Thank you,</s>COLLINS: Donna Brazile and Bill Bennett this morning. Thank you. And we do want to hear from you. What did you think of the debate? Send us your thoughts about the YouTube debate. You can go to cnn.com/ireport and let us know. Then check in tonight at 11:00 Eastern to see what people are saying. And don't forget, Republicans will get their turn to talk to the voters as well. The GOP presidential candidates will gather in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the CNN/YouTube debate coming your way September 17th. So go ahead and start sending in your questions for that.</s>HARRIS: Hi.</s>COLLINS: Hi. Hi. I'm Heidi, he's Tony.</s>HARRIS: One of the stories we're following this morning, more than a million people stranded by flooding across England this morning.</s>HARRIS: The stories we're following this morning, more than a million people stranded by flooding across England this morning. The historic flooding also threatening to spark a public-health disaster. Nearly 350,000 people have no clean drinking water, the precious commodity under Army and police guard right now. Some distribution centers have been set up, but not everyone can get there.</s>GAIL SUTTON, GLOUCESTERSHIRE RESIDENT: It's a hassle without running water, and obviously no drinking running water either, which on the radio they keep saying, oh, they're saying they're giving out bottled water, but we can't get to get the bottled water. I went out this morning to fill buckets and bottles up from the</s>HARRIS: Oh, boy. I can just imagine. A massive Red Cross effort under way right now. Workers bringing supplies to thousands of stranded residents. The situation could actually get even worse. More rain is expected across southern England tonight.</s>COLLINS: Awful situation there.</s>HARRIS: Still ahead in the NEWSROOM, the NBA in the middle of a possible point-shaving scandal. A former referee under investigation. Is the league in some real trouble here? We will talk to Hall-of- Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Heidi, he's a friend of the program.</s>COLLINS: Excellent.</s>HARRIS: We love that about him.</s>COLLINS: He looks taller.</s>HARRIS: We love him anyway. Kareem, next in the NEWSROOM.