This is a good move for Barack Obama, I believe:
Senator Barack Obama announced today that he will no longer be attending most presidential campaign forums, saying the schedule has become too unwieldy and is taking away time to campaign in early-voting states.[...]
In a message posted on the campaign's Web site, Mr. Plouffe said Mr. Obama will still participate in televised debates sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, including one scheduled here Sunday. But beginning next week, he will not accept invitations from the wide variety of organizations and groups that are planning to hold forums highlighting their particular area of interest.
I agree that there have been way too many Democratic debates. Also, I believe that pandering to one special interest group after the other is both inherently demeaning and also poor strategy by the Democratic Party (among other things, it plays into the stereotype of the Democratic Party as nothing more than a collection of special interest groups). In addition, the presence of fringe candidates such as Mike "Grandpa Simpson" Gravel has made these debates unwieldy and absurd at times. Finally, Obama's relative weakness in the debates - which he himself admits, by the way - has been glaring in contrast to Hillary Clinton, who remains entrenched in first place in many national and state polls. For all these reasons, I think it's smart for Obama to skip these forums and to try and shake up the race - before it's too late.
Now, the question is whether other major candidates - Edwards, Clinton, maybe Richardson - will back out of the debates as well. If so, would the debates go on with the minor candidates - Gravel, Kucinich, Dodd, Biden? And what would the top-tier candidates do with their time instead? Raise more money? Attend more steak fries in Iowa? It will be interesting to see what happens now that Obama has made his announcement.
I generally think debates are good. They give the voting public a clearer view of the candidate's competence, ability to think on his or her feet, and provide unscripted moments that are important for voters to witness.
I'm also uncomfortable with how easy it is to package a candidate and mislead the public when all you have are 30 second sound bytes.
Having said all that, it's really time for Obama, and all the others, to get out there and meet the voters and focus on their actual campaigns. Especially in Iowa and New Hampshire, where politics is still retail.
Also, for all that I favor debates, let's face it, somebody can be an excellent debater and still not necessarily be the best candidate - or even the best president. Debates show the public important things about the candidates, but they don't show everything.
And your point, Lowell, about it starting to appear that the Democratic Party is a collection of special interests that must be catered to is not a good image. And it's not an accurate one either. It's definitely time for our candidates to focus on reaching out to the rank and file Democratic primary voter by doing some standard "press the flesh" campaigning.
It's also time for all of them to take a break from debating before the public just gets bored and tunes out any way.
But I, for one, have learned an awful lot about the candidates that I wouldn't have known otherwise, and I think so have those voters who have really paid attention to these debates. When they have to stand up there all alone with only their knowledge, character, and courage to rely on for support, then that's where you're going to see the wheat separating from the chaff.
As to Gravel's presence, I'm happy enough to see him there - he occasionally raises important - and uncomfortable - points that I'd like to see addressed.
Finally, as to Obama being weak in the debates - too bad! Buck up, man, and get in the game. Deciding to avoid public forums isn't really what I want to see in the folks I support.
Plus, they do need to play to their constituency for both money and votes.
As to Republicans calling Democrats a collection of special interests, I would say: now isn't that the pot calling the kettle black! And every time they say it, we should remind voters that their party too is made up of "special" interests, though of the decidedly less savory persuasion.