There are a few things working against the Witch Doctor in the beta demo.
1) He lacks mobility. The Barbarian has Leap, the Demon Hunter has her Vault, and the Monk freaking teleports. The Wizard is the only other hero at this point to lack a mobility skill at Lvl-13.
2) He lacks burst. With Barbarians leaping and cleaving face with 160+ dmg, Monks teleporting in and roundhouse kicking heads with 100+ dmg, Demon Hunters spamming the screen with Rapid Fire, and Wizards firing their LAZORS, the Witch Doctor doesn't get to contribute much to the action with his Lvl-13 skillset.
With loads of spammable attrition spells and impressive CC, he will definitely shine at the higher difficulties, but for now, in the "You Can 1-Shot Everything Because You Outlevel It By 5 Levels" beta demo, he won't seem too impressive.
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That said, theorycrafting on the forums has already said that the Witch Doctor will be a very valuable contribution to any party due to his toolset of buff skills. Cynically speaking, this can be compared to the Necromancer's role in Diablo 2 where he earned the moniker, "Curse Bitch" because that was his most valuable role in a party. Whether or not the Witch Doctor will be relegated to this status is unknown until the live game comes out.
WD: "I bring the voodoo!"
Barb: "Shut up and buff us, bitch."
Cheers.
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