The Obama-Clinton Debate

Blogging the Obama-Clinton debate at the University of Texas at Austin, with my wife, my daughter, and with a friend, Mical:

Hillary’s opening statement was strong; she reported stirringly on her history working for the common good of the people of Texas and the United States in general. Obama spoke of “an economy increasingly in shambles,” and attacked NAFTA and other trade deals for sending jobs abroad. He did have a good line: “Washington DC is where good ideas go to die.” I give this round to Hillary on points.

“Would you meet with the new leader of Cuba?” Hillary: Not until there’s evidence of change. Obama: Yes, without preconditions. “It’s important for the United States not just to talk to its friends, but to talk to its enemies.” Both agreed that our chief objective should be the liberty of the Cuban people. Hillary: Meeting with leaders should be part of a process, with careful preparation to understand what we can get out of it. “I would get back to very vigorous diplomacy. And I would use bipartisan diplomacy.” Again, I count this round for Hillary.

The economy: How would they differ? Obama: The economy has been in trouble for years. “People have been struggling for a long time. In some communities, they have been struggling for decades now…. We need to restore fairness and balance.” He wants to punish companies that ship jobs overseas, rescind the Bush tax cuts, close tax loopholes, engage in trade only with strong labor, environmental, and safety standards, and end our addiction to foreign oil. These changes will come about only if we create a working coalition “to overcome the dominance of the special interests in Washington.” Hillary: She agrees with almost all of that, but also wants a trade time-out and a trade prosecutor. “We also need a moratorium on home foreclosures.” “I would freeze interest rates for five years.” “Clean, green jobs”—a $5 billion investment. “We need to rebuild America,” by restoring infrastructure. “We need to end George W. Bush’s war on science.” Hillary here runs to the left of Obama, which surprises me, given the success of Bill’s DLC centrist strategy. Since I find her additional proposals undesirable, I count this round for Obama.

Immigration: “Would you consider stopping raids on homes and businesses?” Hillary: She would consider it, except in egregious circumstances. “We need comprehensive immigration reform.” We should go after employers who exploit illegal aliens; we need a path to legalization (except for those who have committed crimes). [Mical adds: "Haven't they all committed crimes, just by being here illegally?"] Obama: The immigration debate has led to an increase in hate crimes. “We need comprehensive reform.” “We have to crack down on those employers”—that is, those exploiting illegal aliens. Illegals who take the path to citizenship must not only learn English and pay back taxes and a fine but also go to the back of the line. We need to make it easier to apply to immigrate legally. I give this to Obama, narrowly.

“Is there a downside to the US becoming a bilingual country?” Hillary: English is important, but so are other languages. We have 170 languages in New York; we need to be ready for that in hospitals, courts, etc. Obama: Everyone should learn English, and a second language. Hillary seems hard to follow; this round to Obama.

To Hillary: “Do you think of your opponent as all hat and no cattle?” Hillary: We agree about much, but there are differences between us and our accomplishments. A supporter of his was asked about his accomplishments and couldn’t name any. I offer solutions. Actions speak louder than words. Obama: I’ve done a lot to provide health care, reform the criminal justice system, to pass ethics reform legislation; before I came to the Senate, recovering soldiers at Walter Reed had to pay for their own meals and phone calls. [My wife: And what did he have to do with any of these?] Every major newspaper in Texas has endorsed me. If we don’t reduce partisan bickering, we won’t get anything done. “It’s not just a matter of putting forward policy positions.” We must inspire the American people. I count this a draw.

To Obama: How do you respond to allegations of plagiarism? Obama: Deval Patrick is national co-chair of my campaign, who gave me the line and suggested that I use it. “This is where we start getting into silly season in politics.” Hillary: “If your campaign is about words, they should be your own words. This isn’t change you can believe in; this is change you can Xerox.” “We have to unite the country, but we have to unite it for very specific goals.” Universal health care, for example, is a goal that many people will disagree with; Obama’s plan doesn’t achieve it; he leaves 15 million Americans out. “I’m tired of insurance companies deciding who will live or die in America.” Obama: We both want universal health care. “95% of our plans are similar.” “We got a philosophical difference, which we’ve debated repeatedly…. The reason people don’t have it isn’t that they don’t want it, but that they can’t afford it.” The shift to health care is odd, but, even though Obama has this one on substance, Hillary wins on style.

“Is Senator Obama ready to be commander-in-chief?” Hillary: I want to get back to health care. If we don’t cover everyone, we’ll pay a significant hidden tax. This would be as if Social Security and Medicare were voluntary. [Ed.—I'm all for that.] Obama: In Massachusetts, they’ve exempted 20% because they can’t afford it. Now, people are worse off; they can’t afford insurance, and they’re paying a fine. Hillary: Obama’s plan has a mandate on parents and children. We wouldn’t have a social contract on Social Security and Medicare if everyone didn’t have to participate. Obama: We can make health care affordable for that child right now. Those children don’t have a choice. But adults do. I give this one to Obama, not only on the health care substance but because of Hillary’s shift of topic.

Again: “Is Senator Obama ready to be commander-in-chief?” Hillary: I’ve been to 80 countries, standing up for human rights around the world. I’ve served on Senate committees overseeing Homeland Security. We have serious problems—just this week, elections in Pakistan, the independence of Kosovo, our embassy set on fire in Serbia—and I’m ready to face them. We should support democracy in the heart of Europe; we should hold the government of Serbia responsible for damage to our embassy. Obama: “I wouldn’t be running if I weren’t prepared to be commander-in-chief.” We must retain the strongest military on earth. We must use our military wisely. On the single most important policy decision of this generation, I showed the right judgment, and Senator Clinton was wrong. That has diverted attention from Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda is now stronger than at any time since 2001. Who wins this round depends on one’s view of the Iraq war. (I set aside my Serbian nationalism.)

“Is Iraq better off today than it was a year ago because of the surge?” Hillary: There’s been an improvement in security, but the purpose of the surge has not been fulfilled. The Iraqi government hasn’t done what it was supposed to do. I would ask for a plan to achieve the benchmarks within 60 days. The Iraqis would no longer have a blank check. As we would withdraw our brigades, one or two a month, the Iraqis would have to take over. I will bring the troops home. “It is up to the Iraqis to decide what kind of future they will have.” Obama: Violence has been reduced, thanks to our men and women in uniform. “We honor their service, but” the war was a strategic blunder. Our attention to Iraq has benefited China and Iran. I count this a draw.

Earmarks—Obama, $92 million; Hillary, $342 million: Obama: I’m for transparency. All federal spending items ought to be on the internet so anyone can look at them. Hillary: President Bush has squandered a balanced budget. “I will get us back to fiscal responsibility.” Tax the upper class (those with incomes of $250,000 or above); cut taxes for the middle class. Here, Obama stays on point and seems the clear winner.

“What if superdelegates don’t choose the nominee chosen by voters?” Hillary: It doesn’t matter; whoever wins, the Democrats will win in November. Obama: It’s important that these debates and primaries matter. People want their government back. This round to Obama.

“What moment tested you the most?” Obama: Being raised by a single mother gave me many such moments. Hillary: People ask me, how do I keep going? But my problems are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day. Neither answered the question, so I award this round to the questioner.

So, by my count, it’s 6-3 in favor of Obama, with three draws and one round depending on attitudes about the Iraq war.

At one point near the end, as Obama talked about transparency, Hillary had a forced, almost twisted smile on her face, and I imagined her thinking, “How can I be losing to this guy?”