Democratic Debate February 26, 2008

Categories: News | Politics | Presidential Candidates | Election 2008

  • Democratic Debate February 26, 2008 Questions

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  • Democratic Debate February 26, 2008 Liveblogging

    • All Times Eastern
    • 10:35 PM: Williams closes out the debate with a reminder that it will re-air this evening.
    • 10:30 PM: Question for Obama: What is the fundamental question you believe Clinton must answer along the way to the voters in Ohio and Texas in order to prove her worthiness as the nominee?
      • Obama: He thinks she'd be worthy as a nominee, but he'd be better, or else he wouldn't be running. He's refusing to attack her here, essentially, and focuses instead on McCain. On economics, McCain wants to continue tax cuts to the wealthy and on foreign policy he wants to continue a war we can't afford in terms of money or lives. Obama doesn't think Clinton should have to answer a question such as this. He thinks he's better, however, because he can bring this country together across divisions of race, religion and region, which is crucial to change. He has a track record
      • Clinton: There isn't any doubt that they both feel strongly about their country and that they bring energy and commitment to the race. It has been an honor, she says, to campaign against Obama, but she'll still do everything she can to win. The campaign has been history-making. She's thrilled to be running to be the first woman president, which represents a sea change for our country.
      • The audience applauds
      • Clinton: This would be a challenge to the rules and the way things have been done. Either one of them will make history. The question she has posed is who can actually change the country. Her experience over 35 years gives her an understanding and insight into how to make the changes we know we need. Her Children's Health Insurance program worked, but she still hears horror stories about people who have to take care of sick kids and can't afford treatment. She wants to give Americans the chances they deserve to have. "We do need a fighter back in the White House."
    • 10:26 PM: Question: Are there are statements or votes you wish you could take back?
      • Clinton: She would not redo her vote on the Iraq authorization of force. She regrets deeply that Bush initiated a preemptive war, which she always disagreed with. But this election is about the future. We could have gone to Russia and Latin America and Africa and dealt with many more problems than just Middle-Eastern terrorism if we had not invaded Iraq. "What I believe is that my experience and my unique qualifications on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue" prepare her to make tough decisions on dealing with Putin and others. We don't have much time.
      • Obama: The Terry Schiavo agreement he was part of allowed Congress to "inject themselves into the decision of the families." He thinks that was a mistake. As a Constitutional Law professor, he says, he knew better. It's an example of inaction, he says, because he knew it was wrong and didn't do more to stop it. Clinton, he says, has campaigned magnificently and he's proud to campaign with her. Both of them, regardless of who wins, wants to actually deliver for the American people. "There is a vanity aspect and an ambition aspect to politics, but when you spend as much time as Senator Clinton and I have spent around the country and you hear heartbreaking story after heartbreaking story...It is absolutely critical that you change the way business is done in Washington." He's confident either of them would do that.
    • 10:21 PM: Question: What can you tell me about the man who will be the successor to Vladimir Putin?
      • Clinton: Whomever it will be will be controlled by Putin. "There's a lot of information still to be acquired," but the opposition spent most of their time praising Putin. She calls the election "a clever but transparent way for Putin to hold on to power." She's been critical of the Bush administration for their "incoherent" Russia policy. With the reassertion of Russian strength in Europe and their support for Iran's nuclear ambitions, it's imperative that we "have a more realistic and effective strategy toward Russia."
      • Russert: Can you name him?
      • Clinton gets it right, Dmitry Medvedev, but struggles pronouncing the name.
      • Obama: Clinton is accurate about Medvedev. Brings up Bush's quote about seeing into Putin's soul, and discusses how he then failed to check Putin's power. We did not make clear to Putin that we were serious about human rights and international cooperation, and this we must change.
      • Russert discusses Medvedev's resume. If he says to Russian troops that they should retake Kosovo, what will you do?
      • Obama: We don't have to work in isolation. He commends the Clinton administration for putting together a functional coalition to save lives in Kosovo and other parts of the former Yugoslavia. We have recognized Kosovo officially, so we now have a responsibility towards them.
    • 10:18 PM: Question for Obama: In a general election, going up against the Republican Party looking for converts, how can you run with a more liberal voting record than Edward Kennedy?
      • Obama: Measure was done by National Journal, and he feels their method was flawed, judging him on two issues as more liberal than Clinton. He supported an independent department to supervise ethics investigations in the Senate. This proposal was rejected, but the National Journal considers this a liberal position. He disagrees that this is liberal policy, which means the categories don't make sense, so the rankings are flawed. His campaign attracts more independent votes than any other Democratic candidates. People are tired of the old categories of liberal vs. conservative; they want to vote for whomever makes the most sense. "The proof is in the pudding." That's why he beats John McCain in polls now.
    • 10:07 PM: Question for Obama: Do you accept the support of Louis Farrakhan?
      • Obama: He has clearly voiced his opposition to Farrakhan's anti-Semitic comments. Obama can't censor him but also did not seek his support. They're not doing anything with him formally or informally.
      • Russert: Farrakhan called Judaism a "gutter religion"... Obama cuts him off.
      • Obama: He has consistently distanced himself from Farrakhan.
      • Russert: Asks about a section from Obama's book, Audacity of Hope, discussing how Jews would reject him if Farrakhan supported him but how he respects Farrakhan's leadership. How can you be consistent with issues regarding Israel while saying that Farrakhan "epitomizes greatness"?
      • Obama: He's been a stalwart friend of Israel's and that the U.S. is in a special relationship with them. He has strong support from Jews because he would not tolerate anti-Semitism in any form and because he wants to rebuild a historic relationship between African-Americans and Jews. Part of his task in the election have been reconnecting lines of communications between these communities When he was giving a sermon at a baptist church on Martin Luther King's birthday, he spoke out against anti-Semitism in the African-American community.
      • Clinton: She faced a similar situation while running for the Senate after being endorsed by an anti-Semitic party. She rejected their support because she did not want to be associated with people who were anti-Israel or against Jews. "I was willing to take that stand and fortunately the people of New York supported me," but it was important to stand on principle.
      • Russert: Is Obama not standing on principle?
      • Clinton: There's a difference between denouncing and rejecting. Though she doesn't doubt Obama's sincerity, she feels he should be stronger speaking out against Farrakhan's anti-Semitism.
      • Obama: I don't see the difference between denouncing and rejecting, but he agrees to reject and denounce.
      • Audience applauds as we go to commercial.
    • 10:06 PM: Question for Clinton: The National Archives have released records of her schedule as First Lady. Will she release those?
      • Clinton: Yes. She wants to make the process as quick as possible while following the law. "I have urged that our end of it move as expeditiously as we can.
    • 10:04 PM: Question for Clinton: Why won't she release her and her husband's joint tax return? Isn't this important for accountability and transparency?
      • Clinton: The Americans who support her bankroll her campaign. "That's obvious." Ever since she lent her campaign money, people have responded generously. On average, they raise $1 million a day. She urges voters to go to Hillary.com and help fund her campaign. She will release her tax release upon becoming the nominee, or even earlier.
    • Russert: Before next Tuesday's primary?
      • Clinton: She can't by then. She's busy.
    • 10:02 PM: Question for Obama: He said in 2007 that he'd opt for public financing in a general election. Now, McCain has proposed this for both of them, and Obama seems to be waffling. Why won't he keep his word in writing?
      • Obama: He's not yet the nominee. "Senator Clinton's a pretty tough opponent...If I am the nominee, I will sit down with John McCain and make sure we have a system that's fair for both sides." He says there are possible loopholes that he believes McCain might use. More broadly, he feels that he has been accurate about his intentions to not take PAC or special interest money. He's confident that motivated Americans would finance his campaign, and it has largely happened. The average donation to his campaign is $109.
      • Russert: So you may break your word?
      • Obama: He'd ensure it's fair for everyone.
    • 9:59 PM: Williams tries to cut her off but she keeps going. He's showing another clip, which he had meant to show the first time. Obama's arguing with him and wants to respond.
      • This next clip features Obama criticizing Clinton for fudging her record from the Clinton administration.
      • Obama: Clinton includes her years as First Lady in with her political experience. He thinks that's fine and that this experience is relevant. But you can't take credit for the good things that happened during the Clinton years but deny your influence on unpopular policies, as he thinks Clinton does towards NAFTA. He says he objected not only to caps on credit cards, but the entire bill, and that Clinton had voted for it. He brings up how she voted for the bill but "hoped it wouldn't pass," which he says doesn't work. He doesn't doubt that she wants to provide universal health care, but feels her approach in the '90s was wrong. Her view, he says, is that "fighting" is required, and that she wound up fighting members of her own party, which caused the bill to fail. He says hope is not enough, or it would have already happened. The only way to get things done is to mobilize and inspire the American people. "There's nothing romantic or silly about that." We also have to go after special interests. He says Clinton is taking millions of dollars in contributions from special interests.
      • Obama: He says Clinton's sarcastic plan "sounds good."
      • Williams: Question for Obama: How did you take that?
      • Obama: He thinks Clinton showed good humor and gets points for delivery. He understands her point about "speeches not solutions." But he's spent 20 years working on behalf of families seeking the American Dream. If it's all talk, she should tell that to the soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and those who realize that special interests dominate Washington. When he passes ethics reform to ensure that lobbyists can't give gifts to members of Congress, it "moves us in the direction of making sure we have a government that's more responsive to families." He talks about older people who find themselves suddenly without health care or a job or forced to take care of an aging parent. Nobody has been listening to them. "That is not who George Bush or Dick Cheney has been advocating for over the last seven years." He's not interested in talk or speeches; he's convinced he can put an agenda forward to help these people.
      • Clinton: She says she was "having a little fun." She knows that these problems aren't easy to solve. "It's not going to come about just because we hope it will or tell everybody that it's the right thing to do." She knows that it takes a fighter to take on special interests. She has put forth specific ideas to "get back $55 billion from special interests - giveaways to oil companies, credit card companies, student loan companies, health insurance companies." This isn't just the fault of the White House, but Congress. She wants to reinvest that money in the middle class. She voted no on Cheney's energy bill while Obama voted yes.
    • 9:50 PM: Audience is applauding as the debate returns from commercial and candidates return to the stage.
    • 9:41 PM: Question: If the Iraqi government asked them not to pull out their troops quickly while leaving a residual force behind, would they leave completely?
      • Obama: If the Iraqi government says we shouldn't be there, we shouldn't be there, because they are a sovereign government. He would prefer a partnership to ensure the safety of Iraqis while pulling out the bulk of our forces. But we need to send a strong message that we will not be there permanently. He will quickly begin a phased withdrawl while giving them time to make arrangements.
      • Clinton: She'd listen to the Iraqis and believes "there is no military solution" for Americans in Iraq.
      • Russert: If we leave and "Iraq goes to Hell," does Clinton reserve the right to re-invade?
      • Clinton: She calls Russert's questions "hypotheticals." She believes an orderly withdrawl is in everyone's interest. She thinks we can take out 1 or 2 brigades a month. We have to make judgments about what is in the best interests of America. She takes issue with Obama's references to Afghanistan. Obama, she says, chairs the Senate sub-committee on NATO and yet doesn't use this position to enhance our presence in Afghanistan.
      • Obama: He points out that he became chairman of the committee only at the beginning of this campaign and hasn't had time to hold hearings on Afghanistan. He thinks we need more troops there to bolster the NATO effort. He strongly opposes permanent bases in Iraq because we're getting resistance from our allies on our presence there. Even the Bush administration now admits we're hampered in Afghanistan because of Iraq. He reserves the right, always, as president, to look out for American interests. If Al Qaeda forms a base in Iraq, we have to act to secure the American homeland. We should always cooperate with our allies, but if another 9/11 is being planned, we must put a stop to it.
    • Clinton argues with Williams, who wants to go to a commercial break.
    • 9:33 PM: Question for Obama: Clinton talked about the tragic result of having a president lacking the wisdom to conduct our foreign policy and how that might happen again. How would he present his case against John McCain, who has vast foreign policy experience?
      • Obama: Clinton, he says, equates experience with longevity in Washington. He feels this is inaccurate, because he was correct about foreign policy in 2003 while Clinton was not. Al Qaeda is stronger than any time since 2001 according to intelligence estimates and we're bogged down in a war that McCain says may go on for another 100 years. On Pakistan, he suggested that we should take a new approach towards Pervez Musharraf and should hunt down Osama Bin Laden there, and others said this was overly aggressive towards our allies there. He feels that now he has been vindicated by events there since, which prove they are not truly democratic allies. His judgment has been sound, and superior to Clinton's or McCain's.
      • Clinton: Discusses her extensive experience in foreign policy, mentioning Northern Ireland, human rights in China and intervention in Serbia. She feels Obama is to be commended for his initial anti-war speech in 2002. But he didn't have any responsibility there and did not vote, and he agreed with Bush's conducing of the war by 2004. Their Senate records are the same. The fair comparison, she says, is comparing their records when they had responsibility. His speech, she feels, lacks credibility. She feels threatening to bomb Pakistan was the wrong approach, though she has advocated a tougher approach to the country generally. She disagrees with Obama's continually saying he would meet with "some of the worst dictators in the world without pre-conditions...or understanding what we would get from it." Standing on a stage with McCain, she'll have a better case to make on a range of issues America must confront.
      • Obama: His objection to the war was not just a speech but part of a very specific campaign. He brings it up "not to say 'I told you so' but to give insight into his decision making. This was "a big strategic blunder...Once we had driven the bus into the ditch, there were only so many ways we could get out." It's important to note who decided to drive the bus into the ditch, which he says Clinton did along with Bush. "She facilitated and enabled" Bush to enter Iraq. He further never said to bomb Pakistan, but that if we had actionable intelligence that Bin Laden or Al Qaeda was there, we should strike against them. Not long ago, the administration did exactly that, went into Pakistan and took out Al Qaeda's #3. He feels he represents a clean break from Bush and Cheney, which will make for an effective debate against McCain.
    • 9:31 PM: Question for Clinton: Her economic blueprint pledges to create 5 million new jobs over 10 years. He's reminded of her 2000 Senate campaign when she pledged 200,000 new jobs. There has been a net loss of jobs, and she has since said she has been exuberant. Is her new promise exuberant as well?
      • Clinton: She thought Al Gore would be president and would share her values. She worked hard during her Senate career to create jobs, but she'd have more power as president. 22.7 million new jobs were created under her husband's administration. "I'm not just talking about it." She wants to train Ohioans to work in green jobs, like solar power. If we had put $5 billion into a stimulus package to invest in this kind of technology, as she'd proposed, we could have created those jobs. Germany, she says, bet on solar power and created several hundred thousand new jobs that can't be outsourced.
    • 9:29 PM: Question for Obama: Isn't the problem really a lack of innovation, not job loss? Are you sure this has not been better for Ohio that you're suggesting?
      • Obama: This is a legitimate point. Trade is not the only part of our economic agenda. Bush has only looked out for "the well-heeled" for 8 years, not ordinary workers. We have to invest in our infrastructure, science and technology. We have to improve our education system. We have to create green jobs. We need to hire young people who are out of work and put them in a trade. He has many plans to improve the American economy.
    • 9:23 PM: Question for Clinton: You said NAFTA had been, on balance, good for New York. Her husband, Bill Clinton, said it would be a force for growth and she said it was "proving its worth." Based on her record, which she's now distancing herself from, how does she feel about Al Gore's suggestion that we could get out of it in six months?
      • Clinton: She wants to renegotiate NAFTA.
      • Russert: Will you promise to get us out?
      • Clinton: We will get out of we can't renegotiate. She confirms that many in New York have benefitted from NAFTA. Some, however, have not, but she's been consistent about wanting to change it. Obama, she says, told farmers in Illinois that she wanted more trade agreements.
      • Russert: Aren't you saying different words now that you're in Ohio?
      • Clinton: You haven't looked at the entire record. She has tried legislatively to enhance our regulatory mechanisms. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer has corrected Obama's characterization of her stance. It doesn't look at the entire picture. "It's not enough just to criticize NAFTA...I have put forth a very specific plan about what I would do, and it includes telling Canada and Mexico that we will opt out of the plan unless we can renegotiate." Wants a clear view of how we will review NAFTA going forward, making sure it works. Take out ability of foreign companies to sue us for protecting our workers. David Gergen has confirmed she was skeptical about it. Neither her nor Obama were in the Senate and voting when NAFTA was being debated.
      • Russert: You are willing to opt out of NAFTA in six months?
      • Clinton: We will be able to renegotiate.
      • Russert: Will you, as president, say to Canada and Mexico that we're out of NAFTA?
      • Obama: He thinks Senator Clinton is right. We should use possibly opting out as leverage to get enforceable labor and environmental standards. He's been consistent on this issue. Chicago Tribune endorsed him specifically "despite his opposition to NAFTA." He thinks such trade deals can be beneficial because US workers can compete with everybody and because he doesn't want to shy away from globalization. We've so far only been looking out for corporations, and he wants to be an advocate for workers.
    • 9:16 PM: Who's right about NAFTA? Border states that like it or Northern States that hate it?
      • Clinton: Wonders why she always gets the first question and mentions Saturday Night Live sketch implying that the press goes easy on Obama. She feels NAFTA is flawed and needs to be fixed. It disadvantages many of our industries, particularly manufacturing. She has stood up for that.
      • Obama: It's inaccurate for Clinton to say that she's always opposed NAFTA, as she used to say it was working. He wants a plan that's good for Wall Street and Main Street. Trade agreements has devastated entire cities. He thinks Clinton is essentially right on this issue, but he has experience first-hand with the net costs of these trade agreements if they're not properly structured. We need to protect workers and consumers.
    • 9:06 PM: Williams brings up the Obama Turban Photo. Question for Clinton: Will you confirm that this didn't come out of the Clinton campaign?
      • Clinton: We have no evidence where it came from. If it were someone in her campaign, she'd ask them to leave, as they have in the past.
      • Obama: Takes Clinton at her word that she didn't know anything about it. Wants to focus on health care because of Clinton's criticisms. "Keep in mind that I have consistently said that Sen. Clinton has a good health care plan." He feels that she's the one that has been negative in saying that he will leave people uninsured. "I don't fault Senator Clinton for trying to point out what she feels is an advantage of her plan." The difference between the plans is a mandate, not a desire to leave people out. His mailing accurately identifies this mandate as the difference between his and Clinton's plan. "If it was not affordable, she would presumably force them to have it." Brings up the Massachusetts plan and says Clinton has not indicated how she would enforce her mandate. Clinton's campaign, he says, has been constant in its negative criticism of Obama's plan and "we haven't whined about it because I understand that's the nature of these campaigns."
      • Clinton: "This is not just any issue, and we've had a vigorous back and forth on many issues in this campaign. This issue goes to the heart about whether this country will finally do what is right." She says Obama does have a mandate in his plans, for parents. 150 million people would be required to buy health care. She knows from her experience that insurance companies will cherry-pick unless everyone must be included by law. This attack, she feels, goes to the heart about whether or not we can achieve universal health care, which she sees as a central part of the Democratic platform. Obama's mailing, she says, comes off "as if the Republicans wrote it." In her plan, there is enough money to provide subsidies so everyone could afford health care. It's different from Massachusetts because of the resources of the federal government.
      • Obama: "I believe in universal health care, as does Senator Clinton." The point of the debate, he says, is that Clinton inaccurately denies this fact. His plan reduces costs, which makes health care more available for more people. "We do more to reduce costs than any other plan that has been out there." He insists again that Clinton doesn't know how to enforce her mandate, so it will in fact be like Massachusetts. People accept a fine because they aren't able to pay for health care, which is now against the law. Insurance companies, he says, like mandates, because then everyone has to purchase their product.
      • Clinton: "Senator Obama has a mandate. He would enforce the mandate by requiring parents to buy health care for their children. If you have a mandate, it has to be enforceable." She also says that parents who get sick have consequences for their children, so you'd have parents unable to provide for their children anyway. It's as if FDR said that Social Security was only for children. A comparison of Clinton and Obama's plans said that she would cover everybody at a lower cost because they'd provide health care tax credits and cap premiums to a low percentage of your income. She wants to give everyone insurance, and believes he is not committed to the same ideal.
      • Obama: "I'm being filibustered." He provides a mandate for children, he says, because he's created programs that ensure children can be insured for an affordable price. For adults, we'd be forcing them to purchase insurance and can't provide enough subsidies to prevent them from being penalized. "I'm happy to have a discussion with Sen. Clinton about how we can both achieve universal health care." He says the experts she cites say that there are not substantial differences in their plans. He believes that, if we make health care affordable, people will purchase it. Medicare is not mandatory, but people buy it because it's a good deal.
      • Clinton: She jumps in over Williams' protests. Senator Obama wants to force people to get insurance once they go to the hospital in an emergency. She's talking over Obama now, who's trying to jump in.
      • Obama: Young people can get insurance under their parents plan.
    • 9:04 PM: Question for Clinton: What changed since the last debate?
      • Clinton: She finds Obama's distortions about her stances "disturbing," and wants to point out these differences to give voters information that they need. It's "unfortunate" that Obama says she'd force people to have health care if they couldn't afford it. She wants to have a debate about their health care proposals that's accurate and based on facts. Her plan covers everyone, Obama's doesn't. It would leave, give or take, 15 million people out. She feels health care is too important to use "discredited information."
    • 9:03 PM: They're showing clips of Clinton praising Barack Obama at the last debate, followed by her saying "Shame On You Barack Obama" and attacking him.
    • 9:02 PM: Williams thanks the men and women of Cleveland State University, and their colleagues at the local Cleveland affiliate. They're trying to enforce "sensible, reasonable time limits."

  • Democratic Debate February 26, 2008 Previews and Background

    • Los Angeles Times: Obama calls for a cool-down (February 26, 2008)
      • "Democrat Barack Obama, preparing for tonight's last debate with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton before the crucial March 4 primaries in Ohio and Texas, sought today to turn down the heat in their increasingly bitter contest."
    • New York Times: The Early Word: Fight Night (February 26, 2008)
      • "Mrs. Clinton is hanging on to her edge in the early polls in the Buckeye State despite recent gains made by her rival, who’s looking to extend his primary winning streak to Texas and Ohio on March 4."


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