Update: The liveblog and commentary is in the comments section. Go there, participate.
I’ll be offering some of my commentary on tonight’s debate here at BH either here on the front-page or in the comments. Feel free to drop in comments whenever you please and share your thoughts.
Right now the Democrats and Republicans are on stage for a huge photo op. Interesting image…
38 Comments
Yawn
This 15 minutes of commentary, commercial, and Facebook analysis is pretty boring. Someone noted on the Hotline blog that over a 1/3 of those on Facebook participating in the polling about the debate thought Ron Paul won. I think that means things are a bit skewed in terms of their other results…
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 7:57 PM
The wave?
Stephanopolous just said that since Barack Obama was born and lived in Hawaii a bit that he should “ride the wave” since they have surfers and stuff down there.
Um, wtf?
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:02 PM
Shaky camera
Looks like they just had a cameraman on stage to do the introductory shots…that was a bit awkward.
No time limits right now…
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:04 PM
Nuclear terrorism
Obama’s been a leader on nuclear issues in the Senate…or at least, as far as I know. Good starting issue for him should the first question go to him.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:05 PM
About al-Qaeda and Pakistan
And the first question goes to Obama…this is good for him.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:05 PM
Boom
There is the proliferation reference…to his work with Dick Lugar and creating the next stage of Nunn-Lugar. Quickly gets rid of the idea that he lacks experience…at least on this issue.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:07 PM
OBL
Edwards agrees with Obama: If we know where Osama Bin Laden is, we’re gonna go get him.
Charlie Gibson is a bet dense and analyzing things too simply if he thinks that going in and getting OBL is the same thing as Bush’s pre-emptive war doctrine. Al-Qaeda attacked us, we have the obligation to fight back. Pakistan says they’re our ally, so they should be assisting us in this effort.
Richardson says diplomacy first, so it doesn’t end up like Iraq. I would have to think that if we knew where OBL was, we’d go in and take him out…and be diplomatic later.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:11 PM
Referencing the BC era
Clinton just referenced her husband’s 1998 attempted strike against OBL. I don’t know what to think about that reference.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:14 PM
Iraq
17 minutes into the debate and Barack Obama is the first candidate to mention Iraq on the discussion of al-Qaeda, OBL, and international terrorism. Wow.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:17 PM
Disturbing question
Asking a hypothetical about the day after a nuke attack on a major US city. This is a pretty dark and scary way of starting this debate.
And just as an aside: We’re starting the debate away from domestic issues and focusing on foreign policy, which hasn’t been a huge focus of Edwards’ stump speech. Is this going to hurt him?
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:20 PM
Richardson and securing nukes
Richardson just talked about how he was the Sec. of Energy and worked with the Soviet Union and other states to secure loose nuclear weapons, etc. How long until someone starts calling him out on the security breaches about nuclear secrets that happened at Los Alamos while he was in office? I’m not saying it is his fault, it just undercuts his credibility.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:24 PM
Good discussion
This isn’t shaping up so much as a debate but as a forum. And the Democrats sound quite substantive and more lively than the Republicans earlier tonight.
Essentially, we’ve got engaged candidates. On the Republican side, they didn’t seem that engaged in the discussion.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:23 PM
Social Security and other entitlements
Will we get to hear Obama again say SS is in crisis? He’d be repeating a GOP talking point, again.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:26 PM
Oy, a dialogue between Clinton and Obama
Do we really need to waste 5 minutes during a national debate to hear Sens. Clinton and Obama going back and forth against each other?
We’ve got two other candidates and some pressing issues. Let’s talk about them.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:27 PM
Health care
Obama again defends his health care plan, assuming that folks will buy in instead of mandating coverage. Krugman’s been right in his specific critiques about the plan…
Oooh, and Clinton just took the stage back. Nice job. This is getting good.
But let’s make sure we’re talking to the other candidates as well.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:31 PM
Finally
Now we get to bring in John Edwards to finally talk about health care.
And now Edwards is going after Clinton as a “force of status quo” attacking he and Obama because they are the voice of change.
And he just called for a debate between the agents of change…wow. I think he’s still calling it a two-person race, leaving Clinton in the dust.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:35 PM
Clinton fires back
Emphasizes S-Chip and other changes she’s ALREADY done. She’s getting heated. Wow oh wow. She’s frustrated.
That might be a good line. Somebody who can deliver change and who has already done it.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:36 PM
Richardson makes a funny
“I’ve been in hostage negotiations more civil than this.”
Again, a call for a positive campaign.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:36 PM
Third subject: Iraq
So, two foreign policy questions and one domestic question.
And now they’re trying to make the case that the surge is working. This could be an interesting debate.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:41 PM
Is the surge working?
Clinton: Nope, still takes a “willful suspension of belief” to think that the surge is and/or will work. The surge is just keeping the violence down not providing the means to create a political solution.
Richardson: “The policy is a massive failure.”
Charlie Gibson is still trying to make the case that the surge has worked and that Democrats would have killed more soldiers by withdrawing.
Obama: Opposed the war from the start. The violence is down, sure, but the surge is still wrong.
Edwards: It is the responsibility of the President to make policy generals. I’d listen to my generals, but I’d still make my own policy.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:49 PM
Finally, a break
First commercial break. Three-minutes long. I’m breaking as well. I’ll be back with more thoughts soon.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 8:53 PM
Tough question to HRC: Change vs. experience
I think she’s giving a decent response. Best response to the charge that she’s not a change candidate: “Having the first woman president is a big change!”
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:01 PM
Better line from Obama
“We’re all candidates of change compared to the Bush presidency.”*
*Admittedly, a paraphrase.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:02 PM
yes, having a woman president
would be a big change. Unfortunately, going back to the Clinton cast of characters would not be a big change.
desmoinesdem Sat 5 Jan 9:09 PM
thanks for the liveblog
I missed this debate, but I see from your comments and those at MyDD that Edwards went after Clinton and basically didn’t lay a glove on Obama. I don’t think that’s what I would have advised him to do, but I understand the strategy behind it. He is figuring that if he can push her into third place, she will be done.
desmoinesdem Sat 5 Jan 9:08 PM
The debate is still raging
Flip on over to ABC and take a look. Edwards is coming on strong now against corporate greed and his populist message.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:10 PM
Edwards talking about Senate accomplishments
Patients Bill of Rights in the Senate, went to the House, and got it passed.
Shows why the battle for the presidency is personal for him.
Edwards is on fire right now.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:12 PM
On lobbyist restrictions
Gibson just isn’t being fair to Obama talking about the new lobbyist restrictions. Sure there are loopholes. It is all about how you read the damn bill…and lobbyists will always exploit the law and work around them as much as possible. AT least the effort was made.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:14 PM
Clinton corrects
And notes that the Patients Bill of Rights was killed by Pres. Bush.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:15 PM
Charlie Gibson's cynicism
I’m sorry, but Gibson’s cynicism towards the Democrats in this debate is horrible. He, and his counterpart from the NH media, both seem to doubt and question the commitment and policies coming from the Democrats.
This wasn’t there in the Republican debate. Wtf is going on?
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:18 PM
Richardson again plays peacemaker
He’s not making himself known except as the guy who tries to bring the candidates from each other’s throats.
Not the best way to promote one’s candidacy and talk about issues…if you’re just Mr. Nice Guy you limit yourself. You’ve gotta stand out.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:23 PM
The 'R' Word
And Clinton mentions “recession.” Brings the economy back into the picture. Good job on her part.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:27 PM
Edwards reaches out to youth
Mentions that college graduates are the most likely to the major group that will be impacted by 20-30 million jobs lost in the next decade.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:31 PM
Psuedo-live blog
over at Political Fallout.
Boredom as a muse has inspired some satiric drivel…
Don’t mean to carpetbag here, but I learned it from Hillary.
tmlindsey Sat 5 Jan 9:32 PM
lol
Thanks for that, TM. I’ll check it out.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:34 PM
Dodd Talk Clock
Am I the only one that misses the talk clock that the Dodd campaign used to put out?
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:34 PM
Richardson is funny again
Recognizes his SCOTUS mistake from the first one.
Edwards points out that his mistake was commenting on Clinton’s jacket a while back.
Obama and Clinton don’t note specifics, but highlight the great things Democrats are debating about and talking about.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:38 PM
The greatness of being the front-runner
Obama gets the first and last word.
chris-woods Sat 5 Jan 9:38 PM