after the first 20 mins, i turned off the democratic debate...

[Ernest Fountain]

'cause everybody was saying much of the same sh!t, including obama. and no one answered the first two questions russert asked. trust, i realize that no politician ever gives straight answers, but damn, they were ridiculous with it during those first 20 mins. sheesh...

did anybody watch the full debate? and if so, should i have stayed up and finished watching?

[kara]

hilary ROCKED it! :tongueout:

[Stan747]

hilary ROCKED it! :tongueout:

Due to the amount of hours I work I haven't had the time to check out the debates, but according to an article I read recently in Newsweek...Hilary has outshined all of her rivals as far as debates are concerned.

[kara]

Due to the amount of hours I work I haven't had the time to check out the debates, but according to an article I read recently in Newsweek...Hilary has outshined all of her rivals.

to be fair, it's only a show of how much she's practiced and how good her speechwriters are ... lol ... but Americans are swayed by a show and she put on a good one.

[Stan747]

to be fair, it's only a show of how much she's practiced and how good her speechwriters are ... lol ... but Americans are swayed by a show and she put on a good one.

kara, in your hones opinion, how do you feel Obama's been doing in terms of debating

[kara]

Democratic debate excerpts <!-- END HEADLINE --><!-- BEGIN STORY BODY -->By The Associated PressThu Sep 27, 12:36 AM ET


Some excerpts from Wednesday's debate among Democratic presidential
candidates in Hanover, N.H.


SEN. JOE BIDEN

When asked if he would pledge that by the end of his first term there would be no U.S. troops in Iraq, Biden said: "If, in fact, there is no political solution by the time I am president, then I would bring them out, because all they are is fodder. But if you go along with the Biden plan that got 75 votes today, and you have a stable Iraq, like we have in Bosnia — we've had 20,000 Western troops in Bosnia for 10 years. Not one has been killed. Not one. The genocide has ended. So it would depend on the circumstances when I became president."

When asked if he would consider raising the income cap on Social Security taxes, Biden said: "The answer is yes. I'm probably the only one up here who's going to say that, but the truth of the matter is, you stated it. You're either going to cut benefits, or you're going to go ahead and raise taxes above the first $97,000."
___

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON

When asked if she would match Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani's promise to use any means to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, Clinton said: "I will do everything I can to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, including the use of diplomacy, the use of economic sanctions, opening up direct talks. We haven't even tried. That's what is so discouraging about this. So then you have the Republican candidates on the other side jumping to the kind of statements that you just read to us."

"You know, when my husband left office after moving us toward a balanced budget and a surplus, we had a plan to make Social Security solvent until 2055. Now, because of the return to deficits, we have lost 14 years of solvency. It's now projected to be solvent until 2041. Getting back on a path to fiscal responsibility is absolutely essential."
___

SEN. CHRIS DODD

On communities providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants: "We need to have a far better system in place that stops that flow coming in, to deal with the 12 million to 20 million who are here illegally. If in the meantime here we're dealing with children, we're dealing with crime problems, we're dealing with health issues at the local community, then you need to allow these local communities to do that. If it means temporarily engaging in a sanctuary protection here, then so be it if that protects our country."

When asked what he meant when he said he understands why President Bush would want Sen. Clinton to be the Democratic nominee: "Well, if I were Hillary Clinton, I'd be very worried. This was the same guy who said, 'Way to go, Brownie,' here. And I think, 'Mission accomplished,' was the other one I saw. So, in terms of being a prognosticator of events, I'd say the president has somewhat of a bad record when it comes to that."
___

FORMER SEN. JOHN EDWARDS

"There was a very important vote cast in the United States Senate today. And it was, basically, in a resolution calling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. I voted for this war in Iraq, and I was wrong to vote for this war. And I accept responsibility for that. Senator Clinton also voted for this war. We learned a very different lesson from that. ... what I learned in my vote on Iraq was you cannot give this president the authority and you can't even give him the first step in that authority because he cannot be trusted."

When asked if he would consider raising the income cap on Social Security taxes, Edwards said: "But I don't understand why somebody who makes $50 million a year pays Social Security tax on the first $97,000 and somebody — and not on the rest — while somebody who makes $85,000 a year pays Social Security tax on every dime of their income. ... I do have some difference with some of my colleagues who I've heard talk about this. I think we have to be very careful to protect the middle class, so specifically — if I can be very specific — what I would do as president is I would create a protective zone between $97,000 up to around $200,000."
__


FORMER SEN. MIKE GRAVEL

When asked how he would advise his Democratic colleagues to end the War in Iraq, Gravel said: "Well, the first thing, you stop the debate by voting every single day on cloture. Every day. Twenty days, and you'll overcome cloture. The president vetoes the law. It comes back to the Congress. And in the House at noon every single day you vote to override the president's veto. And in 40 days, the American people will have weighed in, put the pressure on those. You tell me that the votes aren't there — you go get them by the scruff of the neck, that's what you do. You make them vote."

"My God, we're just starting a war right today. ... another resolution and it is essentially a fig leaf to let George Bush go to war with Iran. I want to congratulate Biden for voting against it, Dodd for voting against it. And I am ashamed of you, Hillary, for voting for it. You're not going to get another shot at this because what happens if this war ensues, we invade, and they're looking for an excuse to do it. And Obama was not even there to vote.
___

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH

On Iraq: "I believe that if we're really going to have peace, no partition; let them unite. We remember what Lincoln said years ago, it's true for Iraq as well: A house divided against itself cannot stand. If we divide Iraq, essentially we're going to be setting the stage for more war, and I stand for strength through peace, a whole new approach."

When asked about Cleveland going bankrupt when he was mayor: "I took a stand on behalf of the people of Cleveland to save a municipal electric system. The banks and the utilities in Cleveland, the private utilities, were trying to force me to sell that system. And so on December 15th, 1978, I told the head of the biggest bank, when he told me I had to sell the system in order to get the city's credit renewed, that I wasn't going to do it because, you know, I remember where I came from. I remembered my parents counting pennies to pay the utility bills in one of the many apartments we lived in."
___

SEN. BARACK OBAMA

When asked if he would pledge that by the end of his first term there would be no U.S. troops in Iraq, Obama said: "I think it's hard to project four years from now, and I think it would be irresponsible. We don't know what contingency will be out there. What I can promise is that if there are still troops in Iraq when I take office ... then I will drastically reduce our presence there to the mission of protecting our embassy, protecting our civilians, and making sure that we're carrying out counterterrorism activities there."

Speaking about universal health care, Obama said: "The issue is not going to be who has these particular plans. It has to do with who can inspire and mobilize the American people to get it done and open up the process. If it was lonely for Hillary, part of the reason it was lonely, Hillary, was because you closed the door to a lot of potential allies in that process. At that time, 80 percent of Americans already wanted universal health care, but they didn't feel like they were let into the process.
___

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON

"And my position is this: that you cannot start the reconciliation of Iraq, a political settlement, an all-Muslim peacekeeping force to deal with security and boundaries and possibly this issue of a separation, which is a plan that I do believe makes sense, until we get all our troops out, because they have become targets."
"We need to find ways, number one, to increase security at the border with more detection equipment, more border patrol — not this silly wall. Secondly, those that knowingly hire illegal workers need to be punished. Third, a foreign policy relationship with Mexico where you say to Mexico, start giving jobs to your people; at the very least, don't give them maps on the easiest place to cross. And, lastly, a legalization program — earned legalization, not amnesty, not citizenship, but a process where they can earn their way into America."

[kara]

kara, in your hones opinion, how do you feel Obama's been doing in terms of debating

i believe what he says when he speaks.
that rings big with me.

i don't know if the average American voter cares about that as much as me, though.

i think he needs to find his footing, but there's still a LONG way to go and he might just do that.

[Myron]

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH

On Iraq: "I believe that if we're really going to have peace, no partition; let them unite. We remember what Lincoln said years ago, it's true for Iraq as well: A house divided against itself cannot stand. If we divide Iraq, essentially we're going to be setting the stage for more war, and I stand for strength through peace, a whole new approach."

When asked about Cleveland going bankrupt when he was mayor: "I took a stand on behalf of the people of Cleveland to save a municipal electric system. The banks and the utilities in Cleveland, the private utilities, were trying to force me to sell that system. And so on December 15th, 1978, I told the head of the biggest bank, when he told me I had to sell the system in order to get the city's credit renewed, that I wasn't going to do it because, you know, I remember where I came from. I remembered my parents counting pennies to pay the utility bills in one of the many apartments we lived in."

I like him. I wish there were more like him.

Myron

[kaaos]

this will be the first time i vote for a democrat since clinton. which one is still up in the air


so far its

1 obama
2 edwards
3 clinton

[Ernest Fountain]

this will be the first time i vote for a democrat since clinton. which one is still up in the air


so far its

1 obama
2 edwards
3 clinton

if you don't mind me asking... what year did you start voting? and are you just referrring to presidential elections, or all elections? just curious.

[kaaos]

if you don't mind me asking... what year did you start voting? and are you just referrring to presidential elections, or all elections? just curious.

2002 clinton was the first vote i ever cast for anyone.

i have voted for daley every time he has run when i lived in chicago


also voted for blogiavvaivvaiggovich for gov.

i go both ways:blush:



i tend to like conservative democarts and middle of the road republicans.

[Bill Blake]

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: I like him. He's a penny pincher.

[dj c-los]

saw a little and Hillie was on point.

[dj-chefron]

hilary ROCKED it! :tongueout:Hillary just scares me earlier that day she voted for the Kyl-Lieberman amendment giving bush the opening he needs to start a another war.Is her excuse going to be I didn't know he would use it just like the last time?Will we get true Health Care reform or will she just shuffle the deck to please the insurance industry?Why did she not stand up for free speech and join the lunatics on the right to condemn Move-on?Hillary gets in its just going to be more of the same.:jpshakehead::jpshakehead::jpshakehead:

[S&S]

I just dont seem to understand how they get away with NOT answering the fukin questions. they all go off on their own agenda.