NEW HAMPSHIRE DEBATE: CHANGE WON AND THE STATUS QUO LOST IT
ABC’s “The Note” | “‘Any Time You Speak Out Powerfully for Change, the Forces of Status Quo Attack,’ [Edwards] said. Suddenly Clinton Was Alone, Angry, and Lecturing.” “A savvy play -- Edwards could have been expected to jump on Obama, who with a win in New Hampshire on Tuesday could take a giant step toward sealing the nomination. But that wasn’t in the Edwards game plan, not this night, not at this stage of the campaign: ‘Any time you speak out powerfully for change, the forces of status quo attack,’ he said. Suddenly Clinton was alone, angry, and lecturing. The words themselves don’t do the moment justice, but here they are: ‘I want to make change, but I've already made change. I will continue to make change. I'm not just running on a promise of change. I’m running on 35 years of change.’” [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=3105288&page=1, 1/6/08]
New York Observer’s Jason Horowitz | “Edwards’ Razor-Sharp Counter-Attacks…Had the Effect of Absolutely Enraging Clinton.” “Hillary Clinton finally got angry. It wasn’t pretty…Edwards went for the throat, casting himself and Obama as a united front against the salvos of Clinton, the insider. ‘Both of us are powerful voices for change,’ he said. He added, devastatingly ‘May I point out that we finished first and second in the Iowa caucus,’ and, ‘I didn’t hear these types of attacks from Senator Clinton when she was ahead, but now we do.’ Edwards’ razor-sharp counter-attacks allowed Obama to seem more measured, but had the effect of absolutely enraging Clinton. She fumed that while her two adversaries talked a good came about change, she had actually accomplished it. ‘I want to make change, but I have already made change,’ she said, almost screaming.” [New York Observer, 1/5/08 (https://www.observer.com/2008/edwards-sides-obama-clinton-gets-really-mad)]
TIME’s Ana Marie Cox | After Edwards’ Comments: “Hillary: Angry, Attacking, Frustrated. This May Be the Moment We Look Back on and Say, ‘That’s When She Lost.’” After Hillary Clinton lost her temper in response to John Edwards’ statements on change, Ana Marie Cox wrote, “Hillary: Angry, Attacking, Frustrated. This may be the moment we look back on and say, ‘That’s when she lost.’” [https://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/01/hillary_angry_attacking_frustr.html, 1/5/08]
TAPPED’s Tom Schaller: “R.I.P., The Clinton Era, 9:34 P.M. Est.” “Wow. Get your kids out and put them in front of the TV: The Clinton Era officially ended at 9:34 p.m. EST when Edwards paired with Obama to bury Hillary as a non-agent of change. Wow, again.” [https://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=01&year=2008&base_name=rip_the_clinton_era_934_pm_est#103558, 1/5/08]
TNR’s Michael Crowley | “Hillary Was Sharp-Edged and Angry Sounding at Times Tonight--Most Notably…at John Edwards.” “Hillary was sharp-edged and angry sounding at times tonight--most notably the Medusa look she blasted at John Edwards when he got Barack Obama's back and tarred her as a reactionary agent of the ‘status quo.’” [https://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stump/archive/2008/01/05/dem-debate-insta-reaction.aspx, 1/5/08]
Newsday’s John Riley | After Edwards’ Comments: “Hillary Responds Furiously…Edwards Has Tilted the Debate.” “A key moment early in the debate. Hillary attacks Obama for being inconsistent on health care. Obama says he hasn't been. They go back and forth. Then Edwards gets a chance. He says -- he disagrees on some policy questions with Obama, but they are both agents of change. ‘Both of us are powerful voices for change. Anytime you speak out powerfully for change, the forces of the status quo attack.’ And: ‘I didn't hear these kind of attacks from Senator Clinton when she was ahead. Now that she's not, we hear them.’ Hillary responds furiously. She says she has been an agent of change her entire life! ‘I want to make change, but I've already made change! I'm running on a record of 35 years of change.’ But: It seems like Edwards has tilted the debate.”
[https://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2008/01/nh_dems_debate_edwards_sides_w.html, 1/5/08]
Daily Kos | “The Key Moment Tonight Was Probably When Edwards…Declared That Clinton Didn't Attack Anyone When She Was Leading, and Now She's Attacking When Her Campaign Isn't Doing Well.” “The key moment tonight was probably when Edwards, responding to Clinton's attack on Obama, declared that Clinton didn't attack anyone when she was leading, and now she's attacking when her campaign isn't doing well…Edwards probably had the best performance of the night.” [https://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/5/232338/5059/787/431432, 1/5/08]
Newsday’s John Riley | “Hillary Was Hurt Badly When Edwards Sided with Obama and Called Her an ‘Agent of the Status Quo.’” [https://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2008/01/nh_dem_debate_afterwards.html, 1/5/05 @ 10:46 PM, 1/5/08]
NBC’s Chuck Todd | Clinton “Was Dealt a Real Bodyblow” by Edwards; “That Exchange Will Be the One Played Over and Over Again, and It's Not Good for Clinton.” “[Clinton] was dealt a real bodyblow when Edwards decided to defend Obama from the Clinton attack early on in the debate; that exchange will be the one played over and over again, and it's not good for Clinton.” [https://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/05/551919.aspx, 1/5/08]
ABC News | After Edwards Compared Clinton to the “Forces for Status Quo,” “Clinton Shot Back… Raising Her Voice…She Almost Shouted.” ABC News reported, after Edwards compared Clinton to the “forces for status quo,” “Clinton shot back, emphasizing, ‘Making change is not about what you believe or about making a speech, it's about working hard.’ Raising her voice, she said, ‘I want to make change, but I've already made change. I'm not running on a promise of change. But on 35 years of change and we don't need to raise false hopes of people in our country about what can be delivered.’ And she almost shouted: ‘I think that having a first woman president is a huge change.’ The back and forth got so heated that fourth-place candidate Bill Richardson quipped, ‘I've been in hostile negotiations that are a lot more civil than this.’” [https://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=4091841, 1/5/08]
New Hampshire Presidential Watch | “The Press Center Is Eating Up John Edwards’ Attack on the Status Quo.” “The press center is eating up John Edwards’ attack on the status quo.” [https://nh2008.blogspot.com/2008/01/press-hearts-edwards.html, 1/5/08]
Boston Globe | Edwards’ Comment “Prompted [Clinton] to Reply Angrily.” “Former senator John Edwards of North Carolina, who finished slightly ahead of Clinton in Iowa, aligned himself with Obama as a like-minded opponent of the status quo, gesturing pointedly to Clinton. That prompted her to reply angrily that she had spent her career working for change, not just talking about it.” [Boston Globe, 1/6/08 (https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/06/clock_ticking_in_nh_candidates_target_undecided?mode=PF)]
NBC's Chuck Todd | Double Team Defense from Obama and Edwards Was Potentially Devastating for Clinton. “Clinton got her dig in on Obama (and it was a very fair hit) but the double-team defense from Obama, Edwards (and even Richardson) was potentially devastating for Clinton; it did her no favors.” [https://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/05/551758.aspx, 1/5/08]
