Friday Roundup: Maybe These Debates Aren't So Bad After All

The Democratic presidential candidates didn't quite have a debate last night. Instead, the Logo candidate forum on GLBT issues sponsored by MTV Networks' Logo channel and the Human Rights Campaign was just that: a forum in which each candidate got around 15 minutes to take questions from the panel and from viewers.

The Logo forum had its moments across the spectrum, from the moderators asking Kucinich if there was anything on the HRC agenda he didn't support to a weird moment when Melissa Etheridge asked Bill Richardson if he thought homosexuality was a choice, and he answered that he thought it was. Etheridge asked again for clarification. His campaign later released a statement saying that Richardson doesn't believe "sexual orientation or gender identity happen by choice." In retrospect, the crowd gave good receptions to Edwards, Clinton, Obama, Gravel, and of course, Kucinich. The crowd reaction to Richardson was, er, less than positive at times.

There was a lot of talk about the historical nature of the event, and I think that while I might be getting a little debate burnout, the issues that are actually getting discussed for significant amounts of time in these debates are remarkable. Just yesterday I heard some TV newsies talking about how surprised they've been by the Democratic debates. Initially, the schedule seemed like a grind, and it appeared the debates would all be the same. The surprise has been that the debates have been pretty good, and the candidates and topics have both been surprisingly candid. It is also kind of interesting that these debates, in effect, are the campaign news right now, so the news about the Democratic primary race recently has been pretty substantive, about policies and issues. The wonk in me is pretty excited about that.

In local news, Wendy Davis is going to run against SD 10 Senator Kim Brimer. She announced her resignation from the Fort Worth City Council for that purpose last night. The news on that race is now coming fast, and before more comes out, I will point you again to the Lone Star Project poll detailing Brimer's potential vulnerability.

Hey look! Another editorial about how terrible Perry's community college veto was! When I first read about the veto I thought it was a bad business, concocted by some half-bright rich boys to further ruin the soup for the little guy. Maybe for amusement. This story, since then, has sprouted serious legs, and has become one of those political wonders that may hang around the neck of Perry until he is run out of the country and into political exile. Well, maybe nothing quite that dramatic, but these are strange days, and stranger things have happened.

If you remember the pledges and rhetoric on how the TYC reformation was going to result in unprecedented transparency, you'll be slightly disconcerted to know that TYC officials are actively trying to find out who is leaking information to the press. In many public agencies, that's called "disclosure."

Mitt Romney is going to win the Ames straw poll this weekend, and if he doesn't, he's done something seriously wrong, since he has pumped a lot of money into the effort, and the other top-line candidates won't be there. This is one of those situations where winning doesn't help him much but losing would be devastating, hence the investment even after McCain and Giuliani bailed. Everyone else wants you to believe they will come in second.

Finally today, some news about the news. Americans are catching on to some of the problems with modern mainstream media: specifically, that it is biased, and often wrong, and that its deliverers often care little for what they report. At least that's how the public feels about it, according to a new poll. This was a long time coming, and while it won't make FOX News' ratings tank any faster than they already are, I can always hope this indicates a hopeful trend of increased awareness among the general public. Fridays, after all, are for hopes and dreams.