Democratic Debate (January 31)

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Democratic Debate (January 31) Commentary and Analysis

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  • ALL TIMES EASTERN
  • 9:51 PM: Debate ends
  • 9:47 PM: Question for both candidates: The Democrats look at you and see a dream ticket.
    • This gets a huge round of applause.
    • Blitzer: Would you consider an Obama/Clinton, or Clinton/Obama, ticket?
    • Obama: Big difference between those two. He respects Clinton and is glad to campaign against her, but it's premature to speculate about vice-presidents. He can say that he wants a vice president and cabinet that will restore a sense of what is possible in government: people of the greatest excellence, competence, integrity, etc. It is important, he says, to give the American people the sense that government is on their side.
    • Blitzer: Would Hillary be on your shortlist?
    • Obama: She would be on anybody's shortlist.
    • Clinton: Agrees totally with Obama. She's been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and intensity towards both of them. They are both dedicated to winning the nomination, "but there is no doubt we will have a unified Democratic Party." Discusses her interactive chat on her website on Monday night.
  • 9:44 PM: Question from Politico reader for Clinton: Bill Clinton set off some firestorms with his criticism of Obama. If her campaign can't control her husband now, what will it be like when they're in the White House?
    • Clinton: Both her and Obama have passionate spouses. She's running for President, it's her campaign, she has made it clear that the campaign is focusing on the issues and the future of our country. She's thrilled to have Bill and Chelsea Clinton traveling with her, but it's her name on the ballot. "It's a lonely job in the White House."
  • 9:43 PM: Question for Obama: How would you address concerns about Hollywood sex and violence?
    • Obama: Opposes the idea of censorship. Wants to give parents the tools they need to monitor what their children see. The problem is not just the airwaves but also the Internet. We must invest in technology to give parents power. Thinks it's important for those in the entertainment industry to put thought into who they market programs to. He's concerned more about violence and horror films; he doesn't want his children seeing ads for horror films during "American Idol."
  • 9:31 PM: Question for Clinton: Why can't you say now that that vote was a mistake?
    • Clinton: She did a lot of investigation at the time to determine what, if any, threat could come from Saddam Hussein. The idea of putting inspectors back in was a good one; she believes in coercive diplomacy. No one could have fully appreciated, she argues, how obsessed Bush was with Iraq. Need an effective strategy to take on terrorists, because the threat is real.
    • Blitzer: Does that mean you were naive to trust President Bush?
    • Clinton: No. "That's a good try, Wolf." She respects Obama's speech in 2002 against the war. Says they've had the same policy since he came to the Senate. "I believe that it is abundantly clear that the case that was outlined on behalf of going to the resolution - not going to war - was a credible case." She was told personally by the White House that they would work with inspectors. It was not a clear open-and-shut case. Saddam was a megalomaniac who had a history of warmongering.
    • Obama: The authorization of the legislation had the title "An Authorization to Use U.S. Military Force in Iraq." It was a vote to go to war, and that was clear. That matters because it raises questions about Clinton's judgment in military affairs. "It is important to be right on Day One." The terrorist threat is real, and we have finite resources, so we can't afford to just send in troops without good intelligence and a clear rationale.
  • 9:29 PM: Question for Obama: What do you say about the progress made by the Iraq Troop Surge?
    • Obama: There has been progress, but he still wants to get our troops home safely. Strongly disagrees that we have succeeded merely because there has been a reduction in violence. Went from intolerable levels of violence and a dysfunctional government, and now we're back to slightly more tolerable levels of violence. Not real, significant progress to make it worth the loss of lives and the undermining of our national security. Thinks it will be important for the nominee to be able to say, "I always thought this was a bad idea, a bad strategy. It was not just a problem of execution." He thinks he will have an easier time making that argument than Clinton, who initially supported the invasion.
  • 9:25 PM: Question from a Politico reader to Clinton: She could have voted for the Levin Amendment that would prevent Bush from going in to Iraq without Congressional approval?
    • Clinton: She felt it was important to send in UN inspectors, and that's why she voted to give Bush authority in Iraq. She respects Carl Levin, but felt that amendment suggested that the U.S. would subordinate its own judgment to the United Nations Security Council. She was concerned with setting that precedent. She did vote to limit Bush's authority in Iraq to one year, which was not approved. She regrets now her vote to give Bush authority, but it was sincere at the time. Bush has abused and misused this authority and started a pre-emptive war. The nominee will need to present a good reason against continuing our presence in Iraq and must have the gravitas to serve as Commander-in-Chief.
  • 9:16 PM: Question for Clinton: Why shouldn't voters worry that her position could turn into an open-ended commitment?
    • Clinton: She will begin to withdraw troops within 60 days. Nearly all of them should be out within a year. Wants to plan and execute this right. Has been pressing the Pentagon to be more transparent about plans for Iraq. She will ask her advisers and Joint Chiefs to devise a withdrawl plan. It's not only bringing out men and equipment, which is dangerous, but about getting out the American civilians there and figuring out what to do with Iraqis who sided with us. We can't walk out on them, she argues. She will do everything she can to get our troops out.
    • Blitzer: Would she make a commitment to get them out within 16 months?
    • Clinton: She wants to have them mostly out within a year.
    • Obama: He wants to end this war and not have a permanent base or occupation in Iraq. Takes issue with McCain's suggestion that we might be there 100 years. Sees a host of international concerns, not just Iraq, and feels that we neglect other foreign policy issues to continue fighting the Iraq War, undermining long-term security. Thinks it is important to send a date for withdrawl, to let the Iraqis know that we are serious about leaving. Discusses the major points of agreement between he and Clinton, and adds that he feels it's important to avoid "mission creep." Doesn't want to fight in Iraq to prevent Iranian influence. He thinks he'll be the most effective candidate to counter Republican claims about Iraq on the campaign trail, because he was against the war from the beginning and wants to change the way these decisions are made.
    • Clinton: Mentions Maxine Waters, who endorsed her, in the crowd. Feels that getting out of Iraq will be a difficult process. Wants to let the Iraqis know that they need to get serious. They, and other Middle Eastern countries, have been led to believe by the Bush administration that we will be there indefinitely. Finds McCain's view indefensible, that he doesn't have to get Congressional approval to set up permanent bases. "We are saying absolutely no."
  • 9:10 PM: Question from a Politico reader for Clinton: How can she be an agent of change when the same two families have been in the White House for 30 years?
    • Clinton: She regrets deeply that there is a Bush in the White House. But what's great out of our political system is that we're judged on our own merits. Doesn't want to be advantaged or disadvantaged by her husband's administration, though she's proud of it. "It did take a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and it may take a Clinton to clean up after this Bush."
    • Big applause for this line from Clinton
  • 9:07 PM: Question for Obama: Is it right to remember the Clinton years fondly?
    • Obama: They were good years and, when compared to the Bush years, they look even better. Agrees with Clinton that, ultimately, they should be judged on their own merits. Believes his campaign is bringing in a new generation of young voters, which is exciting. Part of the task of leadership is getting legislation past, but part of it is being able to "call on the American people to reach higher." He's thrilled that voter participation in Democratic primaries has doubled, and he feels that it's not entirely due to his presence in the campaign, but that new voters do tend to favor him.
  • 9:04 PM: Question for Clinton: Asks about Obama's endorsements from the Kennedys.
    • Clinton: Has great respect for the Kennedy family, and notes that three of RFK's children support her. Campaign is about her and Obama and the American people, not those who endorse them. Looking forward to Super Tuesday, she encourages voters to examine what they want out of their next president.
  • 9:02 PM: Question from a Politico Reader: Since neither of them have business experience, are they qualified to run America?
    • Clinton: Does not believe being president is like being a CEO. Says that Bush ran as a CEO president and she's "not too happy with the results." Government is not a profit-making venture.
    • Obama: "Mitt Romney has not gotten a very good return on his investment during this political campaign." He thinks his management style compares to Romney's very well.
  • 8:59 PM Question for Clinton: What experience makes her uniquely qualified to be President?
    • Clinton: Discusses her decision to work with the Children's Defense Fund, as opposed to going to law school, and her passion for problem-solving for those without a voice. She's had varied experience in private and public sectors, and during her eight years as First Lady, she had a great deal of responsibility. When she wasn't successful on universal health care, she worked on other situations, taking on drug companies, changing the foster care system and working to insure children. Discusses international experience fighting for human rights. Believes public service is a trust.
  • 8:58 PM: Question for Obama: Is Clinton better prepared to be President from Day One than him?
    • Obama: Discusses his record in local government and the Senate. What's needed is the ability to bring people together and overcome special interests, and he has a lot of experience with ethics reform and transparency. He will talk straight to the American people. Respects Clinton's "terrific record," but he's running because he feels he has the unique skills needed.
  • 8:48 PM: Question for Clinton: Was she out of the loop when Obama was struggling with the immigration question?
    • Clinton: She says she was working on comprehensive immigration reform before Obama was in the Senate. Calls Republican efforts on this issue "mean-spirited" "demagoguery." She was worked on behalf of immigrations, to make conditions better. She mentions that she has the Farm Workers' endorsement. Discusses the impossibility of rounding up and deporting people.
    • Blitzer: So why not let them get driver's licenses?
    • Clinton: It's inappropriate and it puts them at risk, because it's evidence they are here illegally.
    • Obama: Clinton, he says, has given different answers on this issue during the campaign. "At this point, she's got a clear position, but it took a while." Brings that up to underscore the fact that it's a difficult political issue.
    • Clinton: Wants to correct the record. Obama, she says, also has struggled to answer these difficult questions during the campaign. "We share a lot of the same values. We want to be fair to people, we want to respect the dignity of every human being." Both want a united Democratic Party that will fix this broken system.
  • 8:45 PM: Question for Obama: What did he mean when he said that his stand on immigration is more "humane" than that of his rivals?
    • Obama: He has worked in a bipartisan manner to move the issue forward. Finds it a difficult political issue, but showing leadership on it is the right thing to do. It's important, he feels, to recognize that the problems workers face are not primarily caused by immigration. "We have to stand up on these issues when it's tough." Doesn't believe we'll have to deal with driver's licenses at all if we have comprehensive immigration policies. "People don't come here to drive; they come here to work."
  • 8:41 PM: Question for Clinton: Why do you oppose illegal immigrants getting driver's licenses?
    • Clinton: Disagrees with Obama, and feels that immigration has led to job loss among citizens. She's been told on the campaign trail that jobs in construction have been taken over by undocumented immigrants. Wants a comprehensive solution to immigration problems. Wants to make clear that tightening borders and cracking down on exploitative employers will help the unemployed. For the vast majority of people who are here, wants a pathway to citizenship if they pay a fine, pay back taxes, try to learn English (with help) and wait in line. Once they meet these conditions, only then should you talk about privileges like driver's licenses.
  • 8:38 PM: Question from a Politico reader: How do you propose to address high unemployment rates and declining wages in the African-American community related to the flood of immigrant labor?
    • Obama: Discusses his experience working in Chicago with people of all races who have been laid off. All of them feel economically insecure, he says, and they have for many years, even before the latest round of immigrants showed up. Calls this question "scapegoating" and cites this as an important difference between the parties. He does argue that we need to control our borders and we need to deal with employers who abuse the system and hire illegal immigrants. Wants to give a pathway to citizenship after people have learned English and paid a fine. The problems are rooted in an economy out of balance, tax cuts that favored the wrong people and problems in the education system.
  • 8:37 PM: Question: Wouldn't cutting the Bush tax cuts be a de facto tax increase?
    • Obama: The rich would pay more taxes, but we have a moral obligation to provide people health care. "We would have to make some upfront costs in either of our plans." The government would have to help, for example, some areas upgrade to electronic medical records. But this will pay off long term, particularly in terms of Medicare and Medicaid spending.
    • Clinton: "We will go back to the tax rates that we had before George Bush became president, and my memory is that people did really well during that time."
  • 8:30 PM: Question for Obama: How will they respond to Republican charges of being "tax-and-spend Democrats"?
    • Obama: Happy to argue about fiscal responsibility with Republicans, who added so much new spending during the Bush years. Says that McCain's "Straight Talk Express" "lost some wheels" now that he endorses Bush's tax cuts. Obama wants to emphasize savings and focus on prevention. We can save $150 billion a year under his plan. Also wants to roll back Bush tax cuts on the top 1% to pay for the rest. The question is: who are the tax cuts for and who are the tax hikes imposed upon? Will restore "a sense of balance to our economy."
    • Clinton: Money would come from modernizing and making more efficient our health care system. We spend more than anyone else in the world on health care, but we don't get the best results. Wants to revoke tax giveaways to HMO's and insurance companies. She would reign those in, because they're not being earned or producing results. Also would move toward electronic medical records, which Rand Corporation says would say $77 billion a year.
  • 8:24 PM: Question for Obama: What about people who game the system, not signing on for health insurance then using taxpayer-funded emergency care?
    • Obama: Clinton's subsidies aren't sufficient. He's also not interested in capping premiums, but lowering premiums by $2500 average per-family. Premiums are so high that they don't even have health insurance; it's just house insurance. They don't go to doctors and we pay for that anyway right now. Edward Kennedy is confident that Obama can get us universal health care. His plans have always failed, Obama says, because Republicans and Democrats weren't working together. He'll bring all parties together and broadcast the negotiations on C-SPAN.
    • Blitzer: Is that a swipe at Clinton?
    • Obama: No, he's been saying that all along. He feels that transparency is essential to cut the influence of pharmaceutical companies.
    • Clinton: Her former plan, created in secret, was one of many efforts, and it ended up leading to expanded children's insurance. Wants to regulate the insurance industry differently, not allowing them to deny coverage to anyone, including those with pre-existing conditions. They must compete on cost and quality, rather than cherry-picking only the health. We owe drug companies for their research, but we already pay for it many times over. Medicare must be allowed to negotiate with drug companies. "It is so important that, as Democrats, we carry the banner of universal health care." Agrees with Obama that the negotiations should be on C-SPAN, but not sure this is feasible.
  • 8:18 PM: Question for Obama: Under his voluntary incentive-based plan, wouldn't 15 million people still lack insurance?
    • Obama: Anyone who wants health care will be able to get it under his plan. No one will be out there wanting health care who can't get it. He believes this 15 million people will want health care if they can afford it. Also supports subsidizing health care for children. He hopes insurance companies would cover everyone under 25 under their parents plan.
    • Clinton: Calls health care the "passionate cause of my public service." Wants to maximize choice, so wants to let people satisfied with their current insurance to keep it. If you're underinsured, she will open the Congressional health plan to you. "We actually will make it affordable for everyone, because my plan lowers costs aggressively...improves quality for everyone...and the way it covers those who wish to participate...is that it will provide subsidies and it will also cap premiums. We want to make sure that it is affordable for all." Important to recognize that some people don't want to have health insurance. We cannot get to universal health care unless we (1) have a single-payer system, (2) mandate employers or (3) have shared responsibility.
    • Applause after Clinton mentions a single-payer health care system
  • 8:11 PM: Question for Clinton: What are the policy differences between her and Obama?
    • Clinton: Believes we must have Universal Health Care. Thinks it's imperative to approach the mortgage crisis with seriousness. Wants to keep people in their homes and freeze interest rates for five years. In regards to foreign affairs, wants to be "realistic and optimistic." Emphasizes that what really is important is that neither her nor Obama are "more of the same."
    • Obama: 95% of his and Clinton's health care plans are the same. Both emphasize prevention. He wants to make health insurance more affordable and provide subsidies, and believes that if you do these things, people will buy it on their own, whereas Clinton wants to force people to buy health insurance. On mortgages, they agree that people must be kept in their homes. He does not believe in an interest rate freeze like Clinton because it will make mortgage interest rates rise across the board. Both agree we're in this mess because of lack of oversight from the Bush administration. He wants to reduce the influence of lobbyists in Washington, and feels this is a major difference between himself and Clinton. Brings up Iraq War, stating that he was against it from the start. The next president needs that kind of judgment, to ensure that we elevate diplomacy and use our military strength wisely.
  • 8:08 PM: Clinton Opening Statement: Fervently hopes her or Obama will be the next President. Waiting for the next president are a "stack of problems." Discusses wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, health care, energy crisis, climate change specifically. "It is imperative that we have a President, starting on Day 1, who can begin solving our problems, tackling these challenges and seize the opportunities that I think awake." She also thanks John and Elizabeth Edwards for their courage and leadership and for bringing the issue of poverty to the forefront in the campaign. Wants to discuss priorities and goals in this debate. She sees herself as a problem-solver. "Americans are ready, once again, to know there isn't anything we can't do if we put our minds to it."
  • 8:06 PM: Obama Opening Statement: Begins by praising the campaign of John Edwards. Believes that one of the two candidates on stage will be the next president. Calls Hillary Clinton "a friend" who loves this country. Obama believes we've reached a defining moment in our history. "How do we take the country in a new direction? How do we get past the divisions that have prevented us from solving this problems year after year?" The choice, he says, is not about gender, race, religion, age...what's at stake is whether we're looking backwards or forwards. "The past vs. the future..." We want change from George Bush, but also change about the way things work in Washington.
  • 8:02 PM: Candy Crowley discusses the debate rules and previews the discussion

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