"Clinton vs. Edwards: A February Turning Point"

Demo37 on MyDD:

Every so often something happens in a presidential campaign that so dramatically changes the remaining days of the campaign, that it can rightly be called a turning point. Just such a turning point occurred last week in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Yet, few in the mainstream media even noticed the turning point. Nevertheless, it happened, and it will have profound implications for the remaining days of this race.

The turning point occurred at the very first candidates' event, held on February 21, 2007, in Carson City, Nevada. You might recall that this forum had a somewhat novel format: one by one, the presidential aspirants were asked to enter the stage, give a short, two minute speech, sit down for three questions, then conclude their appearance with a short, one minute speech.

The first candidate to appear was Dodd. He was then followed by the present frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, and here is where the turning point occurred. Let's go to the tape, in this case, the C-Span recording of the Nevada forum, which can be viewed here.

Hilllary Clinton enters at the 13:00 minute mark, and at the 19:36 minute mark, she is asked about her plans for bringing universal health care to America. She begins with what is presumably an expression of understandable humility:

You know I have a little bit of experience in trying to reform health care. And I still have the scars to show for it. I needed some health care after that was over.

She proceeds to capably describe the widespread frustration with the high cost of health care today, and concludes with this extremely significant statement at the 22:27 minute mark.

Well I want to have universal health care coverage by the end of my second term. And with everybody working on that. I think we can do it.

Whoa! Did I hear that right? Not today? Not in your first 100 days as President? Not in your first term? Not by the end of your first term? But, AFTER she serves four years, presumably manages to get re-elected for a second term in 2102, then have it in place at the end of your second term in 2016? This is a VERY significant political statement that deserves attention. I want to analyze the significance of this political formulation in some detail later, but first, let's continue with the tape.

Curiously, after Hillary Clinton is finished answering her three questions on stage, she simply exits the stage without giving her closing statement. What? Did she forget the format of the event? Or, did she simply decide NOT to give it? Baffling. Nobody reported on this (Have presidential events become this informal? Kind of like dress down Fridays?) Vilsack follows on the heels of Hillary Clinton.

Edwards is next, and he enters the stage at the 35:32 minute mark. Edwards, to his credit, recognizes the significance of what has just happened, and he adjusts his prepared two-minute speech accordingly. At the 38:16 minute mark, Edwards says this:

We cannot stand silent when 47 million of our own people, who desperately need health care, have no health care coverage.

I am proud of the fact (and George may ask me about it) that I am the first candidate to come out with a detailed, substantive truly universal health care plan, for every man, woman and child in America.

And I want to say to you, I don't want to wait six or eight years to have universal health care. I want to start putting universal health care in place as soon as I am sworn into office in January of 2009, which is what America needs. We can't wait.

And so there it was for all the world to see: a major, SUBSTANTIVE difference between the candidacies of Edwards and Clinton opened up in Nevada, on February 21, 2007.

Howie P.S.: Many interesting comments and observations follow the above.