Presidential Debate Live Blog October 7, 2008 (10/7/08)

Tonight at 9 PM EST (6 PM Pacific), the Disabled Politico presidential debate live blog kicks off from this post, with all the wit, snark, and commentary you can stomach. Be here and witness the skewering of both candidates' flubs, as well as praise for any examples of savvy technique or political courage.

 

9:00- Entering the Ring:

 Barack Obama looks cool as a cucumber, while John McCain looks ready to rumble. Townhalls are McCain's strength, but Obama doesn't look fazed. We'll see if he keeps his cool throughout the evening. 80 uncommitted voters chosen by Gallup are in the audience tonight, and the questions asked have been selected from the audience, as well as submissions from voters throughout the nation.

 

9:04- Financial Fears Take Center Stage:

Barack Obama gets the first question by way of coin flip, and he's on the attack right out of the gate, skewering McCain for advising "letting the market run wild," contributing to the current financial crisis. The moderator notes that economic concerns worldwide have contributed to many of tonight's questions.

 

9:09- Trust Fund?:

McCain says a big problem today is a lack of trust in the American financial system. He suggests the founder of Ebay for Secretary of the Treasury.

 

Obama says he would consider tapping Warren Buffet for the same position.

 

9:12- Gloves are Off:

McCain said this morning that the gloves would be off in tonight's townhall, and he's making good on that threat, going for the throat with a strong condemnation of Obama as the second-highest recipient of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac donations in history. He accuses Obama and his "cronies" of contributing to bad lending practices.

 

9:15- Hammering it Home:

Obama hits McCain hard again on deregulation. Barack says he wrote to the Federal Reserve Chairman to warn against the practice, while McCain defended it.

 

Obama on the bailout: "This is not the end of the process. This is the beginning of the process."

 

9:17- Candidate Confidence Index:

Question: Will the economy get worse before it gets better?

 

Obama: "I'm confident about the American economy."

 

McCain: "I think it depends on what we do... American workers are the best in the world.... We gotta give them a chance to do their best again."

 

9:18- Cynicism from the Audience:

The questioner from the audience blames both parties for the financial crisis, and asks how she can trust either candidate with her money.

 

Obama admits that the belt-tightening in American households isn't happening in Washington-- Congressmen aren't cutting dining out from their budgets. Barack says he'll spend money on key issues, including health care, energy independence, and college affordability, but will cut spending in other areas to make a net spending cut.

 

McCain says the system in Washington is broken. He says he's been a consistent reformer, and brings up McCain-Feingold and campaign finance reform, as well as his work with Lieberman on climate change. He says Obama won't take on the Democrats for the good of the American people.

 

9:22- For the Record:

McCain attacks Obama's spending record, saying Obama voted to spend $3 million for an overhead projector in a planetarium in Illinois.

 

9:24- Doubt of the Benefit:

McCain: "We are not going to be able to provide the same benefit for modern day workers as retirees today."

 

7:26- Today's Debate Brought to You by the Word 'Security':

Both candidates call energy reform a national security issue, and  McCain says health care and entitlement reform are also issues of security.

 

Obama says he'll go line by line through every item in the federal budget and eliminate earmarks that don't work, as well as cutting expenses where the same results can be produced more cheaply.

 

9:28- Deficit Spending:

Moderator, after the candidates go over the time limits again: "Let me remind you one more time about time. We're going to have a bigger deficit than the federal government!"

 

9:31- Shopping =/= Sacrifice:

Obama, answering a question about what sacrifices Americans must make in the coming administration in order to rejuvenate the economy, takes a jab at Bush's advice to Americans after 9/11: "Go out and shop." Obama says, in addition to shopping, we need to save energy in our homes, buildings, and cars, in order to break our dependence on foreign oil. He also says young people should be given volunteer corps opportunities to serve.

 

9:33- Tax Cuts for Whom?:

Obama says McCain's tax cuts would give Fortune 500 CEOs an average of $700,000, while asking a teacher making little money to tighten her belt. He says McCain will use a hatchet to cut the federal budget, but Obama will use a scalpel.

 

McCain: "Nailing down Senator Obama's tax proposals is like nailing Jello to the wall." He says Senator Obama will raise taxes. "Senator Obama's secret, that you don't know, is that his tax plan will increase taxes on 50% of small business revenue."

 

9:37- Follow the Rules, Dammit!:

Obama wants to respond to McCain's accusations, but the moderator gives him a dressing-down about trying to bend the rules, and moves on to the next question.

 

9:38- Time Bomb:

The question refers to Social Security as a "ticking time bomb."

 

Obama, saying we can't solve Social Security and Medicaid in a vacuum, and understanding the entire tax code is a prerequisite to solving entitlements: "Senator McCain, I think the Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one. I want to provide a tax cut for 95% of Americans."

 

9:41- Easy Fix?:

Senator McCain says, "Fixing Social Security's not that tough." He makes the first Reagan reference of the night, then drags in Tip O'Neil as another example of a good Conservative.

 

Back to taxes: "Senator Obama has voted 94 times either to increase your taxes or against tax cuts."

 

9:43- Since When is McCain a Greenie?:

The question's about climate change and green jobs-- what would McCain do in the first two years to move forward on those issues?

 

McCain waxes sentimental about the dangers of "handing our children a damaged planet." That's the first time I've heard that worry from McCain. He goes on to say that the solution is nuclear power, and that Obama has opposed nuclear technologies. He also endorses hybrid cars.

 

9:45- Take a Shot:

McCain: "We are the best innovators. We are the best producers."

 

Tonight's drinking game: Drink every time McCain says Americans are "the best ______."

 

9:46- Part of the Problem:

Obama: "Senator McCain and I agree on something. The problem with energy is that for 30 years, Washington has done nothing. What McCain doesn't mention is, he's been there for 26 of them."

 

9:48- Light-Bright:

Moderator, referring to lights that indicate when the candidates are out of time: "If you haven't noticed, we have lights here. Red lights and green lights..."

 

9:49- Health Commodities:

The question is, "Should health care be treated as a commodity?"

 

Obama says co-pays and deductibles have gone up 30% in the last year alone. "We have a moral committment, as well as an economic imperative to do something about the health care crisis." He says that he'll work with employers to lower the costs of premiums on existing plans, and work to provide the same insurance federal employees enjoy to anyone who doesn't have insurance, including people with pre-existing conditions.

 

He goes on to skewer McCain's plan to tax employer-provided health benefits. "One hand giveth, the other hand takes away."

 

9:53- Remarking on the Remarkable:

McCain: "If you're a small business and you don't provide your employees health care, Senator Obama will fine you. That's remarkable. If you're a parent struggling to provide health insurance for your children, Senator Obama will fine you."

 

9:55- Privilege, Right, or Responsibility?:

 

Healthcare is, according to the candidates...

 

McCain: "Responsibility."

 

Obama: "A right."

 

9:58- Problem with Shopping Around:

Obama says the problem with McCain's plan, which would allow consumers to shop in other states for health insurance, is that insurers will find a state with little regulation and set up shop there, forcing consumers to buy from that state. He says this could mean insurers won't have to cover preventive care like cancer screenings.

 

10:00- Drink:

McCain: "America is the greatest force for good in the world."

 

10:01- Don't Understand:

McCain: "In his short career, Obama just doesn't understand  (national security)."

 

Obama: "It's true that I don't understand. I don't understand how we ended up invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, while Al-Qaeda is setting up training camps for terrorists in Afghanistan."

 

9:03- Drink Again:

Obama: "We are the greatest country in the world, and we are a force for good."

 

Drinking game evolves to, "Drink every time a candidate wraps himself in the flag."

 

9:06- Doctrinal Differences:

The question is about the Obama Doctrine vs. the McCain Doctrine on the use of military force.

 

Obama would use military force if he could stop an event like the Holocaust, or genocide or ethnic cleansing, as well as in cases of a serious national security interest. He says there's a moral imperative in certain cases, but that there's a great deal of evil in the world and we can't stop it all.

 

McCain says Obama would have brought troops home from Iraq in defeat, and that McCain will bring them home in victory and with honor. He goes on to say  "never again" to a Holocaust, but that we must use the precious resource of American lives wisely.

 

9:09- Pakafghanistan:

Somehow, Obama answers a question about Pakistani sovereignty and the militants hiding in Pakistan by saying he'd commit more resources to Afghanistan. He works his way back around to Afghanistan eventually, and says killing Bin Laden and crushing Al-Qaeda is the top national security concern.

 

9:11- Talk Loudly and Carry a Big Megaphone:

McCain says Obama would loudly announce plans to attack Pakistan, which would make Pakistan uncooperative with the US. He compares Obama unfavorably with Teddy Roosevelt, saying Obama's habit of "talking loudly" is damaging.

 

But, hold on-- now McCain is saying that the strategy that "worked in Iraq" was to "Get the support of the people."

 

We have that now? No more insurgents and IEDs? News to me.

 

9:14- Hard Act to Follow:

 

Obama: "I want to follow up with that--"

 

McCain: "Hold on, if we're having followups, I want a followup."

 

Moderator: "Fine, let's have a followup!"

 

9:17- Afghan Organization:

Obama: "We have to have a government that's responsive to the Afghan people, and frankly, it's just not happening now."

 

McCain replies by name-dropping General Petraeus for at least the tenth time tonight, and doesn't answer the question about whether or not an "acceptable dictator" is the answer for Afghanistan."

 

9:20- Fools Russian:

McCain repeats his favorite line on Putin: "I looked into his eyes and saw three letters: KGB." He says America must bring international pressures to bear on Russia, and support the Ukraine and Georgia in resisting any Russian aggression.

 

Obama: "We can't just provide moral support. We've got to provide moral support.... but we've also got to provide (former Soviet states) financial support in order to help rebuild their economy." Obama points out that in April he put out a statement saying the situation in Georgia was unsustainable due to the presence of Russian 'peacekeepers' in Georgia.

 

9:24- Darth Putin?:

Question: "Is Russia under Putin an 'evil empire?'"

 

Obama: "They've engaged in evil things."

 

McCain: "That depends on a lot of things. If I say yes, I re-ignite the Cold War. If I say no, I ignore their actions."

 

9:25- I'sraelly Sick of This Question:

For the umpteenth time, the candidates are asked if they would commit US troops to protect Israel in the event of an attack by Iran. Do we all know this one by now? Yes, both candidates support Israel. Yes, both are hawkish on Iran in the hypothetical event of an attack on Israel. Do we need to keep having this argument?

 

9:30- Zen and the Art of Presidential Candidacy:

The question: "What don't you know, and how would you learn it?"

 

Obama: "My wife, Michelle, could give you a much longer list.... but here's what I do know. I know that I couldn't be standing here if this country hadn't given me opportunity." He says we're seeing the American dream diminished, and we need fundamental change.

 

Take a drink.

 

McCain: "I think what I don't know is what all of us don't know, and that's what's going to happen here at home and abroad.... What I don't know is what the unexpected will be, but I have spent my whole life serving this country." McCain says he knows what it's like to go through dark times, and he believes in America's future and its greatness.

 

Take a drink.

 

Come on, did anyone really expect a serious answer to "What don't you know?" from a presidential candidate? That's like the "What are your weaknesses?" question in a job interview. Answering it honestly is a great way not to get hired.

 

9:34- Goodnight and Get Outta the Way!:

 

The candidates stand as the debate ends. Moderator: "You're in front of my script."

 

The usual handshakes and chatter as the candidates leave the stage and greet audience members, and the second debate of Election 2008 draws to a close.