And the answer to Hillary Clinton's 'question' contention is???

MSNBC's David Shuster (back from exile after his ill-considered Chelsea Clinton crack) did the grunt work and came up with the information we've been awaiting: Over the course of the last 10 Democratic presidential debates, starting with one in Philadelphia on Oct. 30, it's close to a draw in terms of who draws the opening question.

To be precise, the initial query was posed to Hillary Clinton six times, to Barack Obama four.

Perhaps the most aggrieved party should be John Edwards, who was still on stage for seven of these faceoffs and never once got to spout off first.

A closer look at Shuster's data does buttress Clinton's contention in Tuesday night's debate in Ohio that she's been asked to replay first an unusually large number of times.

In four out of the last five debates, the opening questions have been directed at her. Also, Shuster's research did not include the onerous task of trolling through transcripts to determine how often, as the debates proceeded, Clinton was singled out for the first response.

As we suspected, her comment about the flow of the questioning -- as well as her segue to last weekend's "Saturday Night Live" skit poking fun at the press for supposedly fawning over Obama -- has been much-remarked-upon. And the critiques ...

are almost entirely negatively.

Longtime Clinton-watcher Ron Fournier of the Associated Press opined that, "After trying to save her sinking candidacy with awkward turns of flattery and sarcasm, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton resorted to a new tactic in Tuesday night's debate: self-pity."

Fournier, as you can read here, went on to characterize Clinton as "sounding more like a put-upon third-grader than a presidential candidate."

MSNBC's "First Read" political note had this to say: "Clinton really flubbed that 'SNL' line. Like the 'Xerox' one from last week, it seemed rehearsed. And to echo NBC's David Gregory, what's wrong with getting the first question? It allows one to set the tone of the debate."

Roger Simon of Politico.com wrote that the SNL reference showed "how presidential campaigns can repeat their mistakes rather than learn from them."

Simon's piece (headlined "Hillary Clinton plays the victim card") continued: "The audience mumbled at this scripted and snarky line, just as an audience booed her in the last debate when she accused Obama of wanting 'change you can Xerox.' "

Perhaps the toughest take comes from Michael Goodwin of the New York Daily News.

He described her remark about debate questions "one of the strangest complaints I have ever seen in a presidential debate," adding that, "The self-pity behind the complaint was shocking and unappealing." And he termed the SNL gibe "a foolish rehearsed line."

Summarizing, he wrote: "Wow. Woe is her. What a blunder. This is political malpractice of the first order." (you can read the rest of the commentary here).

Not exactly the reviews the Clinton camp might have hoped for. But who knows what regular voters in Ohio and Texas make of all this. Perhaps, if the barrage continues, there will be a repeat of the New Hampshire scenario and Clinton will benefit from the sense that she's getting piled on.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[One Two]

The answer to the "question" question is: why is she whining about it? Going first provides here the opportunity to frame the debate in a way that best suits her message and clearly she's not capable of setting the tempo--much less keeping up with one.

[Murry]

I admit that MSNBC's treatment of Hillary in that debate was rather harsh. Yet, I do not really feel sorry for her. Politico.com's chief political columnist, Roger Simon, accuses her of playing the victim card. That's true in my opinion. First, she was the one who insisted on having additional debates. Second, she knew in-going that MSNBC was not favorable towards her after she chewed out two of their anchors. Third, she was the one performing the theatrics against Obama over the weekend, hence providing the footage for the debate. Lastly, she should have just acted presidential instead of whining about the situation. Can you imagine her acting this way at a real presidential press conference? "Why do I always get the first question?" "Sorry, I don't like to answer hypothetical questions." "Well, Saturday Night Live agrees with me!"

[Sara]

"Disgraceful, unethical & condescending" are the first 3 words that come to mind regarding the treatment of Hillary Clinton by most of the media! This political campaign is not a game or a show for the entertainment of the media. The future of our country is at stake & it is imperative that we get serious & elect the most qualified candidate for the most important job in America & the world. Senator Obama is not nearly as knwledgeable as Senator Clinton which, in my opinion & that of dozens of my friends & family, is extremely obvious. By her answering questions first gives him the benefit of her extensive knowledge which makes it easier for him to respond to the same question. I was very glad that Hillary finally spoke up about getting most of the questions first.

[vicki almeter]

Sara,
Your dead-on about Senator Obama being able to "steal" from Hillary's vast knowledge and experience by giving him his answers. What was telling to me was even with Hillary choosing to answer the foreign policy question first (the question Tim Russet is so proud of tricking Hillary into answering first) Obama still couldn't come-up with information on foreign policy and fumbled badl. He didn't know the information...I could see it by watching his face and llistening to what he did say. I just sat back and said to myself, "America I hope you are paying attention to this one...the guy is lost...and more American lives will be lost if he is put into office and he knows this little about the world's hot spots".

The other thing I took from what Hillary was saying about always being asked the first question was that there are alot of people who find it "fun" to put a woman on the hot seat all the time. It is like...test the lady to see if she is tough enough, smart enough and if she succeeds just keep piling it on. Being asked to answer the question first puts a person in the position to come-up with all the facts while at the same time having to articulate it clearly (not easy).
Ms. Clinton was connecting to all those women out there who have delibertly been put in positions on purpose to foul them up.

[zammy calderon]

To the blogger named Vicki;

"fun to put a woman on the hot-seat." There are two people in the debate, one happens to be a woman. She's being scrutinized, just as any man would if he were to be asked the first question. Lady, get a grip, you asked for equal opportunity, you've got it. Hillary is a POLITICIAN who happens to be a woman, not a woman-politician. Nobody told a "girl" to play with the MEN. She decided to play the game and run for president , expect everthing -no holds bar-from the opposition. Nobody, particularly women who support Hillary, said a damn thing when she was ahead. Don't use the "she's a woman" and "whine and cry" to justify her failure to stay ahead in the polls. It is called politics and every "man" for himself. Any man in a heat of battle knows the rules, knows the players and then attempts to win the war. He knows the opposition will do everything it can to bring him down whether his techniques to win is ethical or not. No special treatment for the opponent, despite the gender. She's just getting a dose so many women fought for, equal opportunity. Well, this is the "other" side of the coin lady. Feel it?

[eric]

Vicki....so you think they are deliberately fouling Hillary up because she's a WOMAN?....Yeah, when I was looking for employment years ago, I was turned down many times. I thought they were deliberately turning me down because I was African-American ! Maybe I was right, maybe I wasn't...bottom line Vicki, me feeling sorry for myself gets OLD. And this "because she's a woman" crap gets old too.

[Ms. Taylor]

Just like in American Idol, all contestants will tell you that being picked to go first is a Disadvantage.

This fact, is a no brainer...