Like it or not, the massive pushback against ABC fueled by outrage over Wednesday's debate has been an impressive mobilization of the left, especially online. As Ben Smith puts it:

[The debate] triggered the most furious outrage I've seen from the huge, and growing, Obama activist base, which in this case merged with the liberal Netroots -- which aren't always on the same page -- to generate a volume of complaints about the first 45-minutes of questioning that are pretty impossible to miss.

It's just a small glimpse, I think, of the level of heat the media is going to take in the general election, and John McCain doesn't seem to have any equivalent.

As I've written before, it's really important that the blogs serve as a check against the media no matter who wins the nomination. It was after all out of the vacuum of any media accountability that the blogs emerged. So I'm excited to see the Courage Campaign (for whom I do part time work) launching an action in Los Angeles today. From their e-mail blast:

Did you watch ABC's prime-time character assassination of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton last night?

The day after this disastrous "debate," Americans are shaking their heads in disbelief at what they witnessed, sarcastically speculating whether ABC News decided to launch an early roll-out of the Republican "swift boat" campaign. Editor & Publisher called it "perhaps the most embarrassing performance by the media in a major presidential debate in years."

Their idea: giving ABC a taste of their own medicine.

Please join us at ABC's headquarters in Burbank on FRIDAY to protest and pass out flag pins to ABC employees leaving their Disney corporate office. Your mission: Ask ABC/Disney employees whether they can pass their own flag-pin litmus test: "Are you patriotic enough to wear a flag-pin?" [...]

At 4 p.m. please join the Courage Campaign and your fellow activists at ABC's Disney Studios in Burbank in front of the West Alameda Gate, between S. Buena Vista and S. Keystone Streets. We're going to protest ABC's debate disaster and ask their employees to pass the flag-pin litmus test until about 7 p.m.

If you're in LA and would like to join the protest, please RSVP here.

Personally, while I found the debate cringe-inducing and pretty disgusting the way the moderators disproportionately targeted Senator Obama and that it took more than 45 minutes to get to a substantive question, the fact is these issues, as trivial as they may seem, are on the minds of many Americans and there's value in giving him a platform to address them. Having said that, I think ABC absolutely deserves the drubbing they're getting and I wish I could be there in Burbank to hand out flag pins with the fine folks at Courage Campaign. So join them if you can (RSVP HERE.)

There's more...

Predictably, both campaigns have sent out e-mail blasts trying to exploit last night's debate as a fundraising pitch. The funny thing is the asks of the two candidates paint very different pictures of the debate.

Hillary Clinton's pitch:

Last night, Senator Obama and I had the chance to express some substantive differences on issues that affect people's lives every day: the war in Iraq, the mortgage crisis, Social Security, and rising gas prices.

Huh? Okaaay. She goes on...

I know when I stand up at a debate like last night, I'm speaking not just for myself, but for everyone who has supported me in this race. I know I wouldn't be here without you, and I can't tell you how proud I am to stand with you.

This race should be decided on the merits of our ideas -- not the size of our campaign coffers. This race is still tight because people are responding to our shared values and vision. It's so close that a contribution you make today could be the difference between winning and losing. Your generous support has helped make a difference in our campaign and I am grateful for all you have done. Making another contribution today could be the difference between winning and losing, and I would not be asking again if it were not so critical.

Sort of begs the question: are we talking about the same debate here? Notice that it's not an anti-Obama ask at all. Hell, it even takes the high road, figuring, I guess, that there was nothing left to do that Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos hadn't handled already.

The same can not be said of Obama's take on the debate, however. Here, the subject is "Gotcha" and it bemoans the lack of substance of the questions and the way in which they typified the "gotcha" style politics.

Did you see the debate last night?

If you did, you saw more gotcha politics and distractions than questions about the pressing issues affecting our country.

In fact, it took more than 45 minutes before Barack was asked about the economy, health care, or foreign policy.

But then it takes a turn and shifts to what has been a stealth attack on Clinton for months: that she is dishonest and will say and do anything to win. Notice how the e-mail conflates Clinton with the moderators here.

Regrettably, Senator Clinton seemed all too comfortable with that type of debate. She's running a 100% negative campaign in Pennsylvania, taking every opportunity to make personal and discredited attacks against Senator Obama. [...]

Senator Clinton's false, negative attacks are exactly the kind of say-anything, do-anything politics that the American people are tired of.

It of course ends on an up note with the central rationale for Obama's campaign:

Barack Obama wants to end the politics of division and distraction in Washington so we can bring about real change for ordinary Americans.

But by any objective measure, this e-mail qualifies as "going negative" as he the Obama campaign has for months using this very line of attack. I guess people don't really see this sort of criticism as an "attack" per se since so many simply think it's true, but it's permeated the subtext (and the text more recently) of the Obama campaign's portrayal of Hillary Clinton for a while.

The upshot: the idea that Obama hasn't gone negative on Clinton is a joke, but the fact that people don't think he has is a credit to him. Clinton wishes she had figured out that killer app against Obama.

There's more...

Although it was somewhat redeemed in the final half hour, I feel like taking a shower after that debate. It was tabloid hour on ABC, and certainly Obama did get the bulk of the more disgusting questions. Check out this post over at ABCNews.com: over 4,000 comments, the bulk of which seem to just rip ABC.

As for the candidates' performances, neither was particularly inspiring and neither had his or her best night, although Obama did get plenty of opportunities to plead for an end to the issues of distraction and division and to call for a new style of politics and seemed to be the conscience of the audience as he called out the moderators. I think Clinton was stronger during the last half hour but not enough to tip the balance in her direction; certainly not enough for this to be a game changer.

It would almost be a shame for this to be the last debate, to go out on such a poor note.

What did you think?

Update [2008-4-16 22:45:18 by Todd Beeton]:I gotta think Ben Smith is onto something:

How much money will Obama raise off his supporters' perception that this debate was unfair?

Update [2008-4-16 22:54:57 by Todd Beeton]:And this tidbit from Chris Bowers, who's also here:

It appears that live focus group polling of undecideds favored Obama during the first round of questions that basically was a series of hit-jobs against him, while Clinton polled better in the focus group when it shifted to issues in the second half. Hmmm... perhaps her campaign should learn something from that.

Indeed.

There's more...

You can read the early posts of this thread over the fold.

Update [2008-4-16 21:42:42 by Todd Beeton]:On gas prices, Clinton wants to investigate market manipulation. Obama wants to Q: Senator Clinton, you've said it's appropriate to use former presidents. How would you use President Bush? Uncomfortable laughter. "I'll have to give that some thought...It's a way to unify our country...I was glad President Bush asked my husband and former President Bush to help in the aftermath of the tsunami...but I'd have to give that one some real thought."

Obama: "I'd be more likely to ask the president's father than the president himself...This president himself has fed the divisions in our country."

Charlie Gibson: How are you going to make the case to the superdelegates at the convention?

Clinton: "We need a fighter back in the White House. We need someone to take on the special interests...I have a plan to give that money back in tax cuts to the middle class, who deserve it, who feel invisible and that they're not even seen anymore. We're going to tackle the problems that have been waiting for a champion to get back in the White House...It's going to be challenge but it's absolutely what we need to do. I'm ready to be the commander in chief. 35 generals and admirals believe that I am the one to take us out of Iraq, go after alqaeda and rebuild our military again. And I will turn around this economy...You can count on me. You know where I stand. You know that I will fight for you and together we will take back our country."

Obama: "When we launched this campaign, I felt that we were at a defining moment in history...The American people have lost trust in their government...The bet I was making was a bet on the American people, that they didn't want spin and PR out of their elected officials but they want an honest conversation...Change doesn't happen from the top down, it happens from the bottom up...My bet's paid off. The American people have responded in record numbers...If we're going to deliver on healthcare, improve education and deliver on the economy, we're going to need to form a new poliical coalition in this country and that's what we've done in this campaign."

There's more...

The ABC debate is about to begin. All the signage here is branding this as "Clinton Vs. Obama." You can watch on ABC if you're on the east coast. If it's streaming live, which I doubt, I'll post a link but follow along with those of us watching right here if you can't.

Beginning of the liveblog is over the fold. So far, Obama is getting some really tough questions and is acquitting himself very well. I'm glad he's expressing some exasperation. Clinton for her part is given the opportunity to amplify things or question his explanations, but doesn't look much more comfortable with the questions than Obama does.

Update [2008-4-16 20:52:49 by Todd Beeton]:Question for Obama from a woman via video: "Do you believe in the American flag?" OK, so, more tension then.

Obama: "I revere the American flag...I would not be standing here if not for this country...I could not help but love this country for all that it's given me. What I've tried to do is to show my patriotism by the way I treat veterans...by trying to bring our troops home...by talking about bringing economic fairness to this country...I will continue to fight for those issues.

On the issue of the flag pin: "I wore one yesterday when a veteran gave one to me. I've never said I don't wear flag pins or refuse to wear them. This is just the sort of issue that distracts from Americans' problems."

On William Ayers of the Weather Underground:

Obama is getting understandably exercised: "He lives in my neighborhood, he's a man I know, he's not someone I've received an official endorsement from or exchange ideas with. The idea that just because I know a guy who did something 40 years ago, that somehow that reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense, George."

Clinton: "I believe that Senator Obama served on a board with Mr. Ayres, and continued to do so after 9/11 and after his purported comments [that he wishes the Weather Underground had done more], which many New Yorkers found offensive...I think it is, again, an issue that people will be asking about...This is an issue that certainly the Republicans will be raising."

Obama: "Let's not forget that Senator Clinton's husband pardoned two members of the Weather Underground."

Man, this is getting ugly. Senator Clinton was asked if she'd like a chance to respond and balance out the time that each of them had spoken. She passed. A merciful commercial.

There's more...