Live-Blogging Debate
Okay, a little bit late to the table here, family called.
5:26 – HRC, how will you address economy?
HRC: Revise the tax code, do a ‘trade time out”, get a “trade prosecutor”, freeze interest rates for 5 years, enforce trade safety standards
Foreclosures – crack down on abuse, freeze foreclosures and interest rate increases.
Three prongs to jumpstart economy: clean green jobs, infrastructure, end GWB war on science
HRC, will you stop immigration raids?
Answer – if appropriate (this is summarized, I had too many distractions to get it down verbatim)
Obama
I worked on bill extensively, helped moving reform through, died in House, was used as political football. It’s absolutely critical that rhetoric be toned down with regard to immigration reform, harsh words causing increase in hate crimes.We’re a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, we can reconcile the two.
Stronger border security, crack down on employers taking advantage of undocumented workers b/c no safety enforcement, but do it in a way that people with spanish surnames aren’t persecuted. Path to citizenship, they pay back taxes, learn English, and step back behind legal applicants.
Fix legal immigration system, have backlog that takes years for people to apply legally, fees keep increasing so that if you’ve got hard-working family, can’t afford fees to apply legally. improve relations with Mexico . GWB dropped the ball, so obsessed with Iraq ignored Mexico.
HRC, re: border fence There’s a smart way to protect borders and a dumb way to protect borders. Univ of Texas at Brownsville would have part of campus cut off. It’s separating people from families, interfering with commerce. Review and decide when physical barrier is appropriate. Bush admin has “gone off the deep end” coming up with counterproductive measures, review, listen to folks living along border.
Won’t they just move from fenced areas?
HRC – Technology can be used instead of a fence, people living there should have a chance to have a say.
Obama –
Would reverse current policy of raiding — would use border patrol, surveillance, better technology, more or less agree with HRC. Important to deal with this problem in terms of 100,000s of people crossing border if we want to deal with immigration reform here too.
Deporting 12 million people is ridiculous, but want some order to the process. Can’t do these things in isolation, can’t give 12 million people way to get out of shadows if we don’t also deal with constant incoming undocumented workers. Leadership I’ve shown in past, and will show in future.
Finally, pass the DREAM Act — allow kids born here as Americans to have an education, don’t want two classes of citizens.
By 2015, 120 million Hispanics in US, why not be bilingual nation?
HRC – Important for as many Americans as possible to become bilingual, brings people together. Adamantly against efforts to make English the official language of US, voted against it. English important part of American experience, want English to be unifying bond of our country.
Obama – Important that everyone learns English, as a binding process. Every student should be learning a second language. English-speaking children must learn foreign languages. Part of our leadership in world is ability to communicate across borders and language. We’ve been so narrowly focused on standardized tests and pushed out foreign language, more resources.
My opinion: Round 1 is a draw — no zingers, no real differences either. All nuanced.
John King – HRC, are you saying your opponent is all hat, no cattle?
HRC: In efforts to draw comparisons we make efforts to show what we’ve done. over 35 years, working to make a difference, health care, etc. Difference between our records and accomplishments, amused at Obama supporter (Kirk Watson 1)who couldn’t make distinction. (She leaves it like that with no follow up). Words are important, words matter, actions speak louder than words.
Obama: Actions do speak louder, over 20 years of public service, provided health care, tax breaks, reform unfair justice, open our government, pass toughest ethics reform since Watergate, make sure we create transparency in govt so we know what our govt is spending so no waste that could be spent on early childhood educations. Vets at Walter Reed who have to pay for meals and phone calls would say I’ve engaged not just in talk but in action.
HRC has fine record, but difference in how change comes about. “Get Real”, implication is that people who vote for me or involved in my campaign are delusional and the 20 million people who have paid attention to 19 debates and the more than 100 newspapers who have endorsed me including every major paper in Texas, see the reality of things. If we don’t bring country together, stop bickering, focus on solutions, reduce special interests, then nothing will be done.
Reason campaign has done so well, people understand not just a matter of policy positions. if we can’t inspire people to get involved in government and go beyond their divisions, religious, race, regional, we will continue to see gridlock and performance in Washington that have wrecked this country.
1 Rep. Kirk Watson responded with a transparent and humble explanation.
(continued in Part 2)