Be warned, this may just be my longest post ever.
Wow, CNN has been pimping this debate like they invented the Internet! Let's see if this new-tech town hall format makes for a more interesting or provocative debate.7:01 - Anderson Cooper, CNN's silver fox, sets the stage. What makes this the "first official debate" of the Presidential season? What have the 87 last debates been?
7:02- intro montage. Does a 5-year-old care about Social Security? Did CA elect Schwarzenegger in the hopes they were getting a cyborg?
7:05 - Giggly guy asks "what makes you different?" Dodd, Obama, blah blah blah.
7:07 - Massachusetts guy asks Kucinich "How would America be better off with YOU as President than we would be with Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama as President?"
Ooh, I like the directness. Kucinich talks about being anti-war - gives a shout-out to the Citadel hosts. Hillary speaks, says that Dems are united together for change, touts her 35 years of experience. Obama talks about how he doesn't take PAC money, national vs. special interests.
7:10 - Irvine, CA Rob asks Hillary "How would you define the word liberal, and would you use this word to describe yourself?"
Yeehaw!!! I love it! She answers talking about how it used to mean that you were for freedom, but the meaning has been turned on its head... now used to describe pro-big-government. She said she prefers the word progressive, considers herself a modern progressive.
Good answer, overall. I'm still a liberal, dammit, but I'm also a progressive!7:11 - Anderson asks "throw a rock" Gravel his views.... he attacks Obama's fundraising! Calls him on certain contributors, especially some foreign-owned bank. Obama defends himself, says he promotes transparency and disclosure of campaign fundraising.
7:13 - A guy asks about bipartisanship, and "if you had to pick a Republican member of Congress or Republican governor to be your running mate, who would you be?" Joe Biden says Chuck Hagel, and Lugar for Sec of State. Then he blah blahs about his bipartisanship. My guy, John Edwards, doesn't answer the running mate question but tries to reframe it - saying all these questions are getting at how do we bring about big change, he says he fights big corporations and special interests.
(Ah, shucks, I wanted his answer on a running mate!)7:15 - Chris Dodd's own candidate video, focusing on his white hair = experience.
7:16 - Will from Boston asks about slave reparations for African-Americans, says he knows candidates will "run around the question, dipping and dodging." Edwards says he's not for reparations, but talks about how in Charleston African-Americans are paying higher mortgage rates than white homeowners, which goes back to the need for equality and economic change. Obama then says "the reparations we need... are investments in schools" and gets all folksy about his visits to SC communities.
Anderson asks if anyone on the stage is for reparations, and Kucinich starts talking about the Bible and inequalities and that America needs a President who fights for injustice. After a rant, he says he IS for reparations.
7:19 - Dodd gets a question from a young woman about the role of race and class in Katrina's aftermath, and whether he thinks there would have been better response if it had hit an affluent, white community. Dodd bashes Bush a bit, talks about how shameful the response was. He believes there would have been a more rapid response if it hit a white neighborhood. He talks about the "neglect of an American President." Richardson is asked to comment on the fact that the Gov of LA and Mayor of NO were both Democrats. He again hits the "inexcusable" button.
7:20 - Obama is asked about criticism that he's "not black enough" and Hillary's asked about "not being feminine enough." Obama makes a crack about not being able to get a cab in Manhattan, then talks blah blah again about health care and education - closing the disparity and gaps to improve race relations. Hillary says she couldn't run as anything other than a woman, that she's proud to be running as a woman, excited about the potential for breaking the glass ceiling. BUT, she's not running
because she's a woman - she's running because she thinks she's the best qualified person to run the country, and trusts that the American people will vote based on who would be best for the nation.
Good answer, Hill!7:25 - Anderson asks Edwards about Elizabeth's comments on Hillary.
Ouch!!! Dangit, Edwards tries dodging the question again. That's 3 times now! He said "Anyone who is considering not voting for Sen. Obama because he's black, or for Sen. Clinton because she's a woman, I don't want their vote." But then he kinda dodges again the question about Elizabeth, but Anderson tries to nail him again... but Edwards does say that he thinks he has "the strongest, boldest ideas" when it comes to issues that could bring about change for women. Hillary is asked to comment, and
she's pretty classy, commenting on her respect for Elizabeth and her work on actual legislation and change she's worked on that helps women. She gets in a great line: "But, I think it's terrific we're up here arguing about who's going to be better for women, cuz isn't that a nice topic to hear?"
7:28 -
Hooray! A video question about gay marriage. Kucinich of course says yes, he's for it, citing the Constitution and its promise of equality. Dodd talks about wanting to give his children the best opportunities - but he's for civil unions, not marriage. Richardson says he would promise what's
achievable - pushing for legislation like anti-discrimination, hate crimes laws, improving the military, etc.
7:30 - A minister asks Edwards about claiming religion is the reason why he's against gay marriage. The minister nails it, saying most Americans agree it was WRONG to say religion was the reason to promote slavery, oppression, etc, so WHY is it okay to use religion to oppose gay marriage? Edwards talks about his own moral conflict about the issue, but that he's pro-civil-union. He mentions Elizabeth is pro-gay marriage.
I don't like this growing habit of having Elizabeth fight his battles for him. Hooray -the Reverend is in the audience, and got to talk directly to Edwards, saying he didn't answer the question the way he wanted. Edwards again says he is not for gay marriage, but thinks it's absolutely wrong for a President to use a faith-based reasoning to oppose civil rights.
This is the issue that's always torn at me in my support for Edwards, and he did not do well tonight.Anderson asks Obama to compare the arguments against interracial marriage to gay marriage. He says it's up to individual denominations if they want to recognize marriage or not, but that civil rights should be conferred by the government. Again with the civil unions.
7:34 - Hillary's candidate video, which has the theme "Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman."
Commercial break, first one. Wow, this is exhausting! I'm gonna take a break from verbatim so I can eat my dinner. So far, though, I do not think Edwards is doing so well. I like Hillary. Obama hasn't won me over yet, but I do think Richardson is becoming more and more impressive.7:38 - Edwards campaign video, uses "Hair" as the theme song, but shows images of Katrina. The punchline is "What Really Matters?"
Oh, burn!A question about Darfur. Richardson nails the answer, Biden shows his frustration and is pretty aggressive.
These are clearly the guys with foreign experience. Gravel talks about needing to improve our global role. Hillary says we need to be acting, not talking.
Anderson puts up a photo of a Citadel alumnus who was killed in Iraq, the first US serviceman who died in Iraq. 12 Citadel alums have died in Iraq or Afghanistan so far, and more than 2,000 have served since September 11.
A question on Iraq. How do we pullout now? Obama says he opposed the war from the start - there is no military solution. Slams Tony Snow.
(Right on!) Biden says it's time to tell the truth. If we started today, it would take 1 year to get 160,000 troops out. Says he's the only one who's offered a political solution, he's the one who wrote the legislation everyone's quoting.
Another question on Iraq and the 2006 midterm mandate, from the mother of a soldier. Are Democrats putting politics before conscience? Hillary says Dems have tried repeatedly to win GOP support for a timeline, there is no military solution but the Iraqis will not accept a political solution. Says the Pentagon dissed her for being unpatriotic, but we need to stand up against the Administration. Kucinich says yes, it is politics causing the delay. He wants to cut funding for the war to bring the troops home. Dodd says we have to have a timetable, but pursue diplomacy, which this Admin doesn't do. He ties Darfur to Iraq, saying we've lost our moral leadership in the world and no one listens to us anymore. Richardson says he's different -- wants to bring all the troops home by the end of 2007 with no residual forces.
Gravel is asked about his previous statement about the deaths of Vietnam being in vain.
(Ouch.) Gravel thanks the guy for the question cuz he doesn't get many of them, then complains the debate hasn't been fair. He stands by his statement, though, which I don't really understand. Obama is asked if the soldiers in Iraq are dying in vain. Obama says the soldiers are doing exactly what we're asking them to do, nobly -- slams Hillary for supporting the war in the beginning. Edwards is asked about the troops in Vietnam - no, doesn't think they died in vain.
(Wow, he answered a question!) But then asks, what is going to be done to stop the war. Slams the Iraqi Parliament vacation, says we need to turn up the heat on George Bush.
(Sounds good, but what does that mean?)A question about whether women should register for the draft when they turn 18. Dodd says yes, though he's opposed to the draft but he advocates for unified national service - National Guard, Peace Corps, etc. Hillary says women should register, but also against a draft. She cites combat deaths of women in Iraq and Afghanistan. Piggybacks on Dodd with talk of a public service academy, and deferring student loans for people in public service. Obama talks about the Tuskegee Airmen, says that yes women should register for service. Edwards points out a woman who flew F-16 fighter jets in Baghdad, sitting next to Elizabeth, as an example of women who fight courageously. Gravel talks about his filibuster to end the draft in the US, slams Bush on Iran, says yes women should register -- "What's the difference?" Odd.
A question for Hillary about how a female President could work with Arab states that view women as 2nd-class citizens. Tough. Hillary talks about visiting 82 countries as First Lady and high-level meetings as a Senator. She believes there isn't much doubt she can be taken seriously
(oooh, audience applause), and cites other countries with female heads of state who are taken seriously. Audience likes her answer overall.
A question about diplomacy with leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea. Obama says he'd pursue diplomacy, cites Reagan and JFK's efforts with the USSR even when we were enemies. Hillary doesn't make the promise in the question, saying she would want to know more about background agendas before turning into propaganda for the regimes. She sounds pretty serious and experienced, here, making Obama look a little more rosy
(not in a good way). Edwards just piggybacks on Obama and Hillary's answers, then asks what the US should do to restore moral leadership in the world, more of his stump speech.
A question from a veteran who's lost his son about pulling troops out of Iraq, and asks how many family members they each have serving. Dodd talks about a timeframe for withdrawal next year, cites his National Guard service and his brother's service, plus his uncles and cousins at different times. Richardson again points out that there is a difference of opinion among the candidates - he wants a 6-month withdrawal plan. Biden hits that truth thing again, talking about needing to incorporate realistic withdrawal plans to protect and pull out the civilians. Biden's gettin' fiery, talking about voting your conscience for military equipment. Hillary talks about her 3-point plan, agreeing with Biden that a realistic withdrawal would take time. Again she slams the Pentagon and Admin for their lack of planning. Kucinich rejects the idea that we'll still be in Iraq in January 2009 - promoting his "text peace" plan, again citing all his "I opposed the war" votes.
Gravel's campaign video, with sound bytes on the major issues.
2nd commercial break = soda break. So far, I'm liking the YouTube questions. "Real people" are phrasing their questions in much more aggressive, more personal ways. I can't imagine Tim Russert or that Politico.com guy asking such heated, pointed questions. I do think it's keeping the candidates a little bit more on their toes, cuz it seems like there's just a little bit less campaign rhetoric than usual.Interesting - a commercial touting the raising of the minimum wage, talking about how it took a new Congress to bring about real change. It was paid for by some "Americans United for" something but I missed the full name!Richardson campaign video - focusing on how he's different than all the other candidates based on his real experience.
A question asking them about their favorite teachers. Oh, nice - gets to some real personal stories.
A video question with music and low-tech effects - about No Child Left Behind. Richardson says he would scrap it, based on experiences in his own state.
(Whee! I love when they take a real stand.) He talks about raising salaries for teachers and emphasizing science and math... AND a major federal program for arts in the schools.
Hooray!!!! Biden says voting for NCLB was a mistake, kinda blaming ??? Ted Kennedy in a backhanded way. He also namedrops Paul Wellstone. Talks about his wife who's a teacher and thinks it doesn't work.
A question about whether they would send their kids to public school or private school. Anderson tries to claim who did send their kids to private school and they all yell at him. Edwards' 4 kids all went to public. Hillary said Chelsea went to public school in Ark, but switched to private for security reasons in DC. Obama's kids go to private cuz he taught there, but said there are good public schools in Chicago. Then blah blah blah about needing to improve the system. Biden's kids went to private school - said his wife and daughter were killed??? - and his sister was head of a private school where the sons went as the family recovered. He believed in Catholic schools. Kucinich's daughter went to Columbus public schools. Gravel's kids went to both, and said we need competition in education to improve grad rates. Dodd's daughter goes to public school, and sounds like she's super-young.
A question from a Planned Parenthood employee about how they talk to their kids about sex. Edwards talked about the age gap between their kids and how you teach your kids at different ages. Obama is asked about a Romney slam and then slams him right back, talking about how even young children need to be taught sex ed in order to know when people are threatening or not behaving correctly.
A question done in a comedic style about whether Al Gore is going to run. Hillary is laughing! Does all this speculation hurt their feelings? Ah, a nice lighter tone.
Oh, an animated question with a snowman asking about global warming. Kucinich blah blahs.
A video question about how the US will decrease its energy consumption, using the example of special light bulbs. Gravel says we change our tax structure to tax based on what we
spend rather than what we
earn, which would reduce overall consumption. Dodd talks about hybrids, and a corporate carbon tax, says he drives a hybrid. Anderson asks for a show of hands on who took a private jet to get there tonight. Yeah, most of them! Gravel took the train.
:-) Hillary says we need to really address this serious question...
An Ann Arbor, MI guy asks about nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels and a path to energy dependence. Edwards does not favor nuclear, wants to move towards solar and biofuels. Obama says we should explore nuclear as part of the energy mix - says there are no silver bullets. Slams Dick Cheney's energy task force, the need to put national interests ahead of special interests. Hillary wants to take away the tax breaks for oil companies to create an energy fund - wants to improve fuel efficiency, explore new technologies, etc. Talks about how the issue of global warming has the promise of creating millions of new jobs.
A CA girl asks improving our election systems and standardizing our voting practices. Richardson wants the whole country to verify paper trails. Says we have close to 50% of our eligible voters voting - shameful! Wants same-day voter registration. Slams the Justice Department.
Biden's campaign video - about ending the war in Iraq, using an analogy of being stuck in a hole with Bush and Bush just wants to keep on digging.
Kucinich's campaign video - again, with the "text peace" thing.
A question about the national minimum wage, and if elected President would anyone be willing to work for the minimum wage. Gravel says yes he would, but that we need a living wage. Dodd talks about needing to educate his two young daughters, so no. Edwards and Clinton both say yes.
(Of course, they're rich.) Obama says "we can afford to... because most folks on this stage have a lot of money." He even says "You're doing alright, Chris!" when Dodd shrugs his shoulders and they slam Mitt Romney's money. Richardson says yes, but Biden says he got elected at 29 so he has a very low net worth. He'd do it, if he could get a 2nd job. Kucinich says he would do it.
A question about social security. Dodd opposes privatization. Obama is anti-privatization. More stump speech-y stuff.
Another question on social security and the upcoming retirement of the Baby Boomers. Will it cause a crisis? Should we raise taxes or cut benefits? Richardson says we need a bipartisan effort to fix Medicare and create major healthcare prevention programs. Stop raiding the SS trust fund. Create a universal pension plan, 401k.
A musical question about taxes. Biden says we need to change the tax structure, top 1% blah blah. We need more revenue to balance the budget, to pay for things - we either raise taxes or take away cuts, so we need to take away cuts.
Another tax question - if the Dems are elected, will taxes go up? Kucinich says no, we'll get rid of the Bush tax cuts and end the war, lower our trade deficit (ending NAFTA and the WTO?).
A montage of healthcare videos... fighting Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease, preventative health, breast cancer, lack of accessible insurance, people of disabilities.... how do their health plans help Americans? Obama and Edwards disagree on universal coverage, Obama blames industry lobbyists. Edwards says Obama's proposal is a very serious one, it just doesn't cover everybody. Talks about his poverty tour and an example of people who don't have access to adequate care in the richest nation in the world. "We should be outraged!" Hillary is asked how she would be different. Talks about how she tried in '93-94, and she learned a lot - having a plan is part of it, but in addition to that we need a sense of national commitment that universal healthcare is an American value.
Good answer, again, Hill.A question about healthcare for undocumented workers. Dodd insists everyone get a chance to answer questions about healthcare. Dodd promotes stem cell research. Talks about reducing diabetes by dealing with school districts with school lunch funded by soft drink and fast food companies. Richardson says yes, his plan would cover undocumented workers -- "in this country, it doesn't matter who you are." Also talks about getting rid of junk food in schools, mandatory phys ed.
A question for Hillary Clinton about the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton dynasty, and if the other candidates would have a problem with that.
She gives a great answer -- "I think it IS a problem that Bush was elected in 2000. I actually thought somebody else was elected in that election..." Talks about running on her own merits, but being very proud of her husband's record. Talks about the diversity in the Democratic party - any one of them would be a better President than the current one. Gravel speaks up for the ordinary working man, slams the Clintons and DLC for selling out to Wall Street. Obama says each question shows cynicism about the potential for change in America - says he has the capacity to overcome special interests, blah blah.
Anderson wraps up with 2 topics -- God and guns.
What do the words "In God We Trust" mean to the candidates? Biden talks about how his Catholicism taught him lots, including about the potential for abuse of power? Another question about the amount of time spent on evangelical concerns and how the Dems play lip service to the religious right. Edwards says we will lift up and embrace all Americans, whatever their personal beliefs. As President, the job is NOT to impose personal faith beliefs on the American people through policy decisions.
I agree! Obama is a proud Christian - but believes strongly in the separation of church and state.
(How far have we come that THAT is considered a bold stand???)A question about positions on gun control -- from someone who's pro-gun. Richardson has a high NRA rating. He says the issue is instant background checks. Also, addressing poverty to reduce gun violence. Biden kinda mocks the gun guy, which gets big applause. Biden wrote the assault weapons ban - says we should work with law enforcement to protect people against those with guns who shouldn't have them. He cracks another joke, pretty good.
Obama's campaign video - with the theme of "We Can Change the World"
(This was fun....) The final question -- look at the candidate to the left and name one thing they like, and one thing they dislike about each candidate. The point was to lighten the mood.... Gravel goes on his "follow the money" rant again. Dodd compliments Edwards' family, and refuses to be negative about Gravel. Edwards jokes about Hillary's coat. Hillary refuses to be negative as well, says she likes everybody and talks about how ready the Democrats are to lead. Obama says he likes Hillary's jacket! and admires Bill Richardson's devotion to public service, but mocks his baseball allegiance. Richardson says everyone would be great in the White House - as his vice president! Says Joe Biden would make a great Secretary of State. Biden says the thing he likes best about Kucinich is his wife! Kucinich jokes about how they didn't put anybody to the left of him - and Anderson says it would be impossible to find someone to his left! Kucinich admired Gravel's courage during the Vietnam war.What would I grade the candidates' performances, overall? My sorta knee-jerk reactions, admittedly a bit biased by viability:
Gravel - C-Dodd - C+Edwards - B-Clinton - A-Obama - BRichardson - BBiden - B+Kucinich - CCNN's commentators seem to agree that Hillary Clinton won the debate and Obama looked inexperienced. But, CNN's focus groups have it all over the map between Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Biden, and Richardson. I was just disappointed personally about how Edwards was so dodgy on so many questions and that he sounded bad on the gay marriage question. I think Richardson, Biden, or Dodd would all be great VP candidates or major Cabinet officers. I hope they don't go away!
Coke versus Pepsi is so 80's. Now it's Dasani versus Aquafina, respectively... but it turns out they are both actually just bottled tap water? No wonder they're the worst-tasting ones of the bunch.
