With barely 28 days before the November 4th presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, just about broke even in their second debate that took place on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at Belmont University, a Christian (Baptist) institution in Nashville, Tennessee. Tom Brokaw of NBC served as moderator.
The candidates were asked 21 excellent questions, to which they responded with fewer specific answers but more talking points from their campaign trails. Some of the questions were asked by members from a special audience of 80 undecided voters, who enjoyed special seating in the debate hall. I have listed the questions here, with the answers or no-answers from the candidates.
1. From the audience: What's the fastest and best way to help Americans suffering from the economic crisis?
=> Obama: general response
=> McCain will use $300 billion of taxpayer money to buy up all bad mortgages. This is a new plan from the McCain camp.
2. Who would you appoint as Treasury Secretary?
=> McCain: somebody Americans can trust.
=> Obama: William Buffett is one possibility.
3. From Oliver Clark: What's in the bailout package that will actually help American homeowners?
=> McCain: "You call it a bailout; I call it a rescue package." He spoke about how the Democrat-run Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac caused the current economic crisis.
=> Obama said without the package, credit would dry up, companies would be unable to borrow and meet payroll, and that may lead to job losses.
4. Do you think the economy will get worse before it gets better?
=> Obama: the bailout will help.
=> McCain praises the strength and ingenuity of American workers.
5. From Teresa Finch: How can we trust either of you with our money when both parties got us into this crisis?
=> Obama: I understand your frustration and cynicism. He contrasts the economy under President G.W. Bush with that under former President Clinton. Obama says his targeted spending will result in net spending cuts. (Independent sources dispute that claim.)
=> McCain: "I understand why you feel cynicism and mistrust." He recites his record of bipartisanship, saying solving our problems will require reaching across the aisle to work with members of all parties. He calls Obama a liberal, who has proposed $850 billion in new spending.
6. What will be your order of priorities: health care, energy, and entitlements (Social Security and Medicare)?
=> McCain: "We can do them all at once." He then recounts his bipartisan record that will help him do all of the above without giving one priority over the other.
=> Obama: "We're going to have to prioritize just like families do." He'll prioritize not just spending but taxes as well. His priority order is energy, $15 billion per year over 10 years; health care; education. He'll eliminate programs that don't work.
7. What sacrifices will you ask every American to make to ease the economic crisis?
=> McCain will implement a spending freeze; will cut defense spending.
=> Obama will provide incentives for Americans to buy fuel-efficient cars. He will double the size of the Peace Corps, so young people can serve.
8. How do Americans break the bad habit of too much debt and easy credit?
=> Obama agrees with the premise of the question, but he does not answer the question; goes on to spout unrelated talking points.
=> McCain says Obama wants to raise taxes. "I'll leave tax rates alone." He will increase child tax credit to $7,000 per dependent child. (That dodges the question too.)
9. Will you give Congress a date (2 years) to reform Social Security and Medicare?
=> Obama: we can't fix entitlement programs without addressing taxes. He will cut taxes for anyone making $250,000 or less.
=> McCain: "It's easy to fix Social Security; it's not hard." Medicare will be tougher to fix. It will take bipartisan effort. He says Obama has voted 94 times to raise taxes and has never in his political career supported a bill to lower taxes.
10. From Ingrid Jackson: What would you do within your first 2 years on the environment?
=> McCain bemoans the seriousness of a "damaged planet". He says the best fix is nuclear power, which does not pollute. He favors drilling for oil here at home, which will lower energy cost for Americans, though the use of petro may further pollute the environment.
=> Obama will create a new energy economy that will hire 5 million new workers. He sees the energy issue as a national security issue, because using alternative fuel will mean not buying petro from nations that mean us harm. He will invest in solar, wind, and other alternatives to petroleum. He says McCain voted 23 times against alternative fuel.
11. Should we fund one big energy project or several alternative energy efforts?
=> McCain will use a government effort coupled with the private sector.
=> Obama: no answer
12. Do you think health care should be treated as a commodity?
=> Obama speaks of lowering health care cost by using electronic records. No one should be excluded from coverage because of pre-existing condition.
=> McCain supports using online record too. He will set up community health care centers. He says Obama will impose mandates and fines on small businesses and families, if they don't participate in the Obama health care plan. McCain will give health care tax credit of $5,000, which people can use to shop around, even across state borders, for the best health care deals.
13. Is health care a privilege, a right, or a responsibility?
=> McCain: health care is a responsibility for every individual.
=> Obama: health care is a right for every American. He says the $5,000 tax credit that McCain promises will be taken back from the taxpayer through payroll deductions. "What the right hand giveth, the left hand taketh away."
14. How will the recent economic distress affect the U.S. ability to be peacemakers?
=> McCain: The United States is the greatest force for good in the world in history.
=> Obama agrees with McCain's statement on America being a force for good.
15. What is your doctrine for using the U.S. military for humanitarian purposes?
=> Obama: We should use our military for humanitarian reasons, but we must work in concert with our international allies, because we can't be everywhere.
=> McCain: We should temper our decision to use the military with our ability to beneficially affect the situation. We don't want a repeat of what happened in Somalia.
16. From Katie Hamm: Should the U.S. respect Pakistani sovereignty or ignore it to pursue Al Qaeda?
=> Obama won't cuddle a dictator like the Bush administration did for General Musharraf, former leader of Pakistan, who received American money but was signing peace agreements with the Taliban. If Osama bin Laden is in sight, and Pakistan won't get him, we should act to kill him within the borders of Pakistan.
=> McCain: We won't telegraph our punches. He dismisses Obama's tough talk, which McCain says will turn the local population against the U.S.
17. How will you reorganize the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan?
=> Obama will withdraw troops from Iraq to send to Afghanistan. He'll work to have an Afghan government that is responsive to its people.
=> McCain agrees with Obama that more troops are needed. He won't abandon Afghanistan like the U.S. did in the past.
18. From Terry Shirey: How can we apply pressure on Russia without restarting a cold war?
=> McCain wants Russia to understand there will be penalties for aggressive behavior, like what Russia did recently by invading neighboring Georgia. He will support effort to bring former soviet democracies into NATO.
=> Obama will do more than give moral support to those nations. He will help them rebuild their countries. We must anticipate problems before they happen; we have been reactive. Russia is using petro money to intimidate her neighbors. When the U.S. and those other nations around Russa switch to alternative energy, Russia will have less money from petroleum to use against her neighbors.
19. Is Russia under Putin an "Evil Empire"?
=> Obama: No, but there are nationalists within the government.
=> McCain: No. "I looked in Putin's eyes and saw three letters: a K, a G, and a B." Putin still operates like the KGB that he was.
20. From the audience: If Iran attacks Israel, would you commit U.S. troops to support Israel?
=> McCain: Yes, even though that will mean we'll have to sort out some issues with China and Russia, who will not like our military action in support of Israel.
=> Obama: We don't give the U.N. veto power over what America would do in such a situation. But we must keep all options on the table, including talking to our enemies.
21. What don't you know and how will you learn it?
=> Obama will learn from his wife, Michelle, what he doesn't know. (A joke, I think.) He says the challenge of the presidency is not what you know but the problems you don't expect that can consume your time and energy.
=> McCain: "What I don't know is what all of us don't know." He says there will be new challenges, there will always be the unexpected.
Conclusion
=> The town hall setting is home turf for McCain, who enjoys engaging members of the audience. McCain was not as condescending towards Obama in this debate. This time, he did not repeat too many of those "Obama doesn't understand, Obama is naive, Obama's foreign policy is dangerous." And he did manage to say once, "I agree with Senator Obama", or something to that effect. Coming from McCain, that was huge. But he might have erased his points on congeniality when he referred to Obama as "that one". McCain needed to win big if he is to regain momentum in the national polls, but he probably fell short of that threshold.
=> Obama drastically cut back on his many instances of "I agree with John McCain, and John McCain is right" on foreign policy discussions. Also, Obama seems to be mastering the art of connecting with individual persons who ask him specific questions. It seems like Obama is behaving like former President Clinton in his personal touch and eye contact with voters. Obama is also Clintonesque in looking like a teacher-politician, who simplifies the issues. Either Mr. Clinton has been coaching Obama, or the latter has been watching Clinton campaign and debate tapes. There is just too much Clintonian similarity in Obama's style to be incidental.
=> Strikingly, McCain did not bring up Obama's association with Bill Ayres, an issue that the McCain camp has recently resurrected. Similarly, Obama bypassed McCain's link to the S&L scandal. A game of chicken there -- seems like either man was waiting for the other to go first on this line of mud-slinging attacks.
=> Over all, I grade the debate as a tie, but I do give Obama the edge simply, because McCain failed to dominate the town hall style that is his cup of tea, and Obama was able to hold his own on foreign policy. It should be pointed out that McCain is demonstrating greater knowledge of economic issues, and when he chooses to, he is naturally better at giving short, direct answers to questions than Obama.
The third debate between the candidates is scheduled for Wednesday, October 15, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The theme of that final debate will be domestic and economic policy. Bob Schieffer will be the moderator. Many believe that theme should favor Obama in lieu of the current economic meltdown. But don't count Senator McCain out just yet; he's been doing much better at discussing economic issues. Keep in mind that McCain has made several comebacks in this campaign, not to mention the dramatic comebacks that form the narrative of his exceptional life.
The candidates were asked 21 excellent questions, to which they responded with fewer specific answers but more talking points from their campaign trails. Some of the questions were asked by members from a special audience of 80 undecided voters, who enjoyed special seating in the debate hall. I have listed the questions here, with the answers or no-answers from the candidates.
1. From the audience: What's the fastest and best way to help Americans suffering from the economic crisis?
=> Obama: general response
=> McCain will use $300 billion of taxpayer money to buy up all bad mortgages. This is a new plan from the McCain camp.
2. Who would you appoint as Treasury Secretary?
=> McCain: somebody Americans can trust.
=> Obama: William Buffett is one possibility.
3. From Oliver Clark: What's in the bailout package that will actually help American homeowners?
=> McCain: "You call it a bailout; I call it a rescue package." He spoke about how the Democrat-run Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac caused the current economic crisis.
=> Obama said without the package, credit would dry up, companies would be unable to borrow and meet payroll, and that may lead to job losses.
4. Do you think the economy will get worse before it gets better?
=> Obama: the bailout will help.
=> McCain praises the strength and ingenuity of American workers.
5. From Teresa Finch: How can we trust either of you with our money when both parties got us into this crisis?
=> Obama: I understand your frustration and cynicism. He contrasts the economy under President G.W. Bush with that under former President Clinton. Obama says his targeted spending will result in net spending cuts. (Independent sources dispute that claim.)
=> McCain: "I understand why you feel cynicism and mistrust." He recites his record of bipartisanship, saying solving our problems will require reaching across the aisle to work with members of all parties. He calls Obama a liberal, who has proposed $850 billion in new spending.
6. What will be your order of priorities: health care, energy, and entitlements (Social Security and Medicare)?
=> McCain: "We can do them all at once." He then recounts his bipartisan record that will help him do all of the above without giving one priority over the other.
=> Obama: "We're going to have to prioritize just like families do." He'll prioritize not just spending but taxes as well. His priority order is energy, $15 billion per year over 10 years; health care; education. He'll eliminate programs that don't work.
7. What sacrifices will you ask every American to make to ease the economic crisis?
=> McCain will implement a spending freeze; will cut defense spending.
=> Obama will provide incentives for Americans to buy fuel-efficient cars. He will double the size of the Peace Corps, so young people can serve.
8. How do Americans break the bad habit of too much debt and easy credit?
=> Obama agrees with the premise of the question, but he does not answer the question; goes on to spout unrelated talking points.
=> McCain says Obama wants to raise taxes. "I'll leave tax rates alone." He will increase child tax credit to $7,000 per dependent child. (That dodges the question too.)
9. Will you give Congress a date (2 years) to reform Social Security and Medicare?
=> Obama: we can't fix entitlement programs without addressing taxes. He will cut taxes for anyone making $250,000 or less.
=> McCain: "It's easy to fix Social Security; it's not hard." Medicare will be tougher to fix. It will take bipartisan effort. He says Obama has voted 94 times to raise taxes and has never in his political career supported a bill to lower taxes.
10. From Ingrid Jackson: What would you do within your first 2 years on the environment?
=> McCain bemoans the seriousness of a "damaged planet". He says the best fix is nuclear power, which does not pollute. He favors drilling for oil here at home, which will lower energy cost for Americans, though the use of petro may further pollute the environment.
=> Obama will create a new energy economy that will hire 5 million new workers. He sees the energy issue as a national security issue, because using alternative fuel will mean not buying petro from nations that mean us harm. He will invest in solar, wind, and other alternatives to petroleum. He says McCain voted 23 times against alternative fuel.
11. Should we fund one big energy project or several alternative energy efforts?
=> McCain will use a government effort coupled with the private sector.
=> Obama: no answer
12. Do you think health care should be treated as a commodity?
=> Obama speaks of lowering health care cost by using electronic records. No one should be excluded from coverage because of pre-existing condition.
=> McCain supports using online record too. He will set up community health care centers. He says Obama will impose mandates and fines on small businesses and families, if they don't participate in the Obama health care plan. McCain will give health care tax credit of $5,000, which people can use to shop around, even across state borders, for the best health care deals.
13. Is health care a privilege, a right, or a responsibility?
=> McCain: health care is a responsibility for every individual.
=> Obama: health care is a right for every American. He says the $5,000 tax credit that McCain promises will be taken back from the taxpayer through payroll deductions. "What the right hand giveth, the left hand taketh away."
14. How will the recent economic distress affect the U.S. ability to be peacemakers?
=> McCain: The United States is the greatest force for good in the world in history.
=> Obama agrees with McCain's statement on America being a force for good.
15. What is your doctrine for using the U.S. military for humanitarian purposes?
=> Obama: We should use our military for humanitarian reasons, but we must work in concert with our international allies, because we can't be everywhere.
=> McCain: We should temper our decision to use the military with our ability to beneficially affect the situation. We don't want a repeat of what happened in Somalia.
16. From Katie Hamm: Should the U.S. respect Pakistani sovereignty or ignore it to pursue Al Qaeda?
=> Obama won't cuddle a dictator like the Bush administration did for General Musharraf, former leader of Pakistan, who received American money but was signing peace agreements with the Taliban. If Osama bin Laden is in sight, and Pakistan won't get him, we should act to kill him within the borders of Pakistan.
=> McCain: We won't telegraph our punches. He dismisses Obama's tough talk, which McCain says will turn the local population against the U.S.
17. How will you reorganize the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan?
=> Obama will withdraw troops from Iraq to send to Afghanistan. He'll work to have an Afghan government that is responsive to its people.
=> McCain agrees with Obama that more troops are needed. He won't abandon Afghanistan like the U.S. did in the past.
18. From Terry Shirey: How can we apply pressure on Russia without restarting a cold war?
=> McCain wants Russia to understand there will be penalties for aggressive behavior, like what Russia did recently by invading neighboring Georgia. He will support effort to bring former soviet democracies into NATO.
=> Obama will do more than give moral support to those nations. He will help them rebuild their countries. We must anticipate problems before they happen; we have been reactive. Russia is using petro money to intimidate her neighbors. When the U.S. and those other nations around Russa switch to alternative energy, Russia will have less money from petroleum to use against her neighbors.
19. Is Russia under Putin an "Evil Empire"?
=> Obama: No, but there are nationalists within the government.
=> McCain: No. "I looked in Putin's eyes and saw three letters: a K, a G, and a B." Putin still operates like the KGB that he was.
20. From the audience: If Iran attacks Israel, would you commit U.S. troops to support Israel?
=> McCain: Yes, even though that will mean we'll have to sort out some issues with China and Russia, who will not like our military action in support of Israel.
=> Obama: We don't give the U.N. veto power over what America would do in such a situation. But we must keep all options on the table, including talking to our enemies.
21. What don't you know and how will you learn it?
=> Obama will learn from his wife, Michelle, what he doesn't know. (A joke, I think.) He says the challenge of the presidency is not what you know but the problems you don't expect that can consume your time and energy.
=> McCain: "What I don't know is what all of us don't know." He says there will be new challenges, there will always be the unexpected.
Conclusion
=> The town hall setting is home turf for McCain, who enjoys engaging members of the audience. McCain was not as condescending towards Obama in this debate. This time, he did not repeat too many of those "Obama doesn't understand, Obama is naive, Obama's foreign policy is dangerous." And he did manage to say once, "I agree with Senator Obama", or something to that effect. Coming from McCain, that was huge. But he might have erased his points on congeniality when he referred to Obama as "that one". McCain needed to win big if he is to regain momentum in the national polls, but he probably fell short of that threshold.
=> Obama drastically cut back on his many instances of "I agree with John McCain, and John McCain is right" on foreign policy discussions. Also, Obama seems to be mastering the art of connecting with individual persons who ask him specific questions. It seems like Obama is behaving like former President Clinton in his personal touch and eye contact with voters. Obama is also Clintonesque in looking like a teacher-politician, who simplifies the issues. Either Mr. Clinton has been coaching Obama, or the latter has been watching Clinton campaign and debate tapes. There is just too much Clintonian similarity in Obama's style to be incidental.
=> Strikingly, McCain did not bring up Obama's association with Bill Ayres, an issue that the McCain camp has recently resurrected. Similarly, Obama bypassed McCain's link to the S&L scandal. A game of chicken there -- seems like either man was waiting for the other to go first on this line of mud-slinging attacks.
=> Over all, I grade the debate as a tie, but I do give Obama the edge simply, because McCain failed to dominate the town hall style that is his cup of tea, and Obama was able to hold his own on foreign policy. It should be pointed out that McCain is demonstrating greater knowledge of economic issues, and when he chooses to, he is naturally better at giving short, direct answers to questions than Obama.
The third debate between the candidates is scheduled for Wednesday, October 15, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The theme of that final debate will be domestic and economic policy. Bob Schieffer will be the moderator. Many believe that theme should favor Obama in lieu of the current economic meltdown. But don't count Senator McCain out just yet; he's been doing much better at discussing economic issues. Keep in mind that McCain has made several comebacks in this campaign, not to mention the dramatic comebacks that form the narrative of his exceptional life.
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