Are you Watching CNN's First DNC Sanctioned (Howard Dean) Sponsored Debate, tonigh?

[KoKo]

Starting NOW! But it's Anderson Cooper..moderating.

[applegrove]

1. I'm there.

[barack4prez]

12. Edwards' hair

looks awful.

[applegrove]

17. Oh - that is so cold LOL!

[Exultant Democracy]

2. good thing you posted this. I thought it started at 8.

[Mika]

3. I'm watching Michael Moore on Tweety's show.

I'll catch the debates later.

[snowbear]

14. Mika... you'll have to provide us an update later!

~~~

[snowbear]

4. Kucinich received the first applause so far...

...

[goodgd_yall]

7. Yep n/t

[liberalnurse]

5. On board for the Debate.

Excellent venue.

[goodgd_yall]

6. Checking in

[snowbear]

8. Gravel attacks Obama ... Obama bites back...

...and receives the loudest applause yet..

[wyldwolf]

9. ...but he did not deny what Gravel said... only that he made it possible for us to know it

[snowbear]

10. Obama did a good job...

~~~

[wyldwolf]

15. It does take talent to duck a question like that and then be cheered...

...by people who wag their fingers about corp. money, lobbyists, and PACS

[Ethelk2044]

16. No it takes a bull shitter to dodge like Hillary. He answered the question.

[wyldwolf]

20. did he deny what Gravel said? No, he did not. Gravel busted him on pacs and lobbyists

[Ethelk2044]

23. Gravel did not bust anyone. Like he said all is revealed. If you look at PAC money it is not Obama

receiving it. Hillary is the receiver of PAC money.

[wyldwolf]

24. we've seen the articles about Obama posted on DU. Gravel wasn't lying

[Ethelk2044]

26. Gravel stated he is getting money from USB. That is not a PAC

http://usliberals.about.com/b/a/257867.htm

Source of Funds:
(How to read this chart / methodology)

Individual contributions
$58,605,160
99%
Obama's money.


PAC contributions
$4,975
0%

Candidate self-financing
$0
0%

Federal Funds
$0
0%

Other
$302,385
1%



Hillary Clinton PAC Money

Total Receipts: $63,075,927
Total Spent: $17,849,095
Cash on Hand: $45,226,832
Debts: $3,026,522
Date of last report: July 15, 2007
Totals may include compliance fund receipts


Source of Funds:
(How to read this chart / methodology)

Individual contributions
$52,538,649
83%

PAC contributions
$532,946
1%

Candidate self-financing
$0
0%

Federal Funds
$0
0%

Other
$10,004,332
16%

[wyldwolf]

61. Transcript

Gravel: ... I want to take on Barack Obama for a minute, who said he doesn't take money from lobbyists. Well, he has 134 bundlers. Now, what does he think that is?

And, besides that, he has received money from a Robert Wolf, the head of the USB (sic) bank in the United States, who raised $195,000 -- from this bank -- wait a second -- who has lobbyists in Washington...

Obama: Absolutely.

Well, the fact is I don't take PAC money and I don't take lobbyists' money.

And the bundlers -- the reason you know who is raising money for me, Mike, is because I have pushed through a law this past session to disclose that.

And that's the kind of leadership that I've shown in the Senate. That's the kind of leadership that I showed when I was a state legislator. And that's the kind of leadership that I'll show as president of the United States.

-------------------------------------

the fact is I don't take PAC money and I don't take lobbyists' money.

"last year, at the request of a hired representative for an Australian-owned chemical corporation Nufarm, Obama introduced nine separate bills exempting the company from import fees on a range of chemical ingredients it uses in the manufacture of pesticides and herbicides. Nufarm's U.S. subsidiary is based in Illinois... While legal, Obama's bills on behalf of Nufarm and other companies are part of the special treatment machine Washington rolls out for special interests, say good-government watchdogs."

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/07/despite-rhetori.html

it is also startling to see how quickly Obama’s senatorship has been woven into the web of institutionalized influence-trading that afflicts official Washington. He quickly established a political machine funded and run by a standard Beltway group of lobbyists, P.R. consultants, and hangers-on. For the staff post of policy director he hired Karen Kornbluh, a senior aide to Robert Rubin when the latter, as head of the Treasury Department under Bill Clinton, was a chief advocate for NAFTA and other free-trade policies that decimated the nation’s manufacturing sector (and the organized labor wing of the Democratic Party). Obama’s top contributors are corporate law and lobbying firms (Kirkland & Ellis and Skadden, Arps, where four attorneys are fund-raisers for Obama as well as donors), Wall Street financial houses (Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase), and big Chicago interests (Henry Crown and Company, an investment firm that has stakes in industries ranging from telecommunications to defense). Obama immediately established a “leadership PAC,” a vehicle through which a member of Congress can contribute to other politicians’ campaigns—and one that political reform groups generally view as a slush fund through which congressional leaders can evade campaign-finance rules while raising their own political profiles.

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2006/11/0081275

HERE are Obama's bundles...

http://opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00009638&cycle=2008

You do know what bundles are, right? Corporations "encourage" their employees to give individual donatioons up to the limit of $2,000. It is a de facto contribution from the corporation.

THAT what Gravel asked and Obama dodged the question.

[Clark2008]

57. Gosh - I actually agree with you.

Of course, I'm not watching the debate. I find the ones who can win the nomination loathsome and the ones who can't under-represented.

:(

[maximusveritas]

37. I don't think Gravel's attack was appreciated by the crowd

Obama's response wasn't all that great, but the crowd still gave him huge applause to show their disapproval of Gravel's attack.

[snowbear]

11. Hillary prefers to be called a "progressive" .. not a "liberal" ...

I need to read over her explanation again later of why..

[goodgd_yall]

13. Big cheers for Obama a few times already

[goodgd_yall]

18. Clinton gave a namby-pamby answer to the gender/race question n/t

[Scooter24]

19. It took me 20 minutes to find CNN

seems my cable company decided to scramble my channel lineup while at work. x(

[snowbear]

21. Kudos to Edwards in his statement...

"Anyone who is not considering voting for Senator Obama because he's black and anyone who not considering voting for Senator Clinton because she's a woman...

..I do not want their vote!"

~~~~~

[goodgd_yall]

22. Go, Reverend!

[goodgd_yall]

25. I think Obama's answer to the gay marriage question was shifty.

But I liked Richardson's and Kucinich's responses.

[sandnsea]

27. States make marriage laws

Is that what he said? He supports gay marriage, but each state has to decide how to enact the rights themselves. I missed his entire response.

[goodgd_yall]

31. He didn't say anything about the states.

He supports all the benefits that partners would get through marriage without it being called a marriage(read "civil unions"). Then he said that it's up to the churches to decide whether they will perform gay marriages. I just thought that he avoided the issue of civil marriages which heterosexuals have the right to yet not gays and why shouldn't they.

[sandnsea]

32. Not if everyone had a civil union

And then went to a church if they wanted a marriage. Anyway, I thought it was saying states would decide what to call it, thanks for clarifying. I've thought that's what we needed to do for years though.

[goodgd_yall]

35. I agree with that

All civil marriages should be called civil unions and then a church ceremony would be a marriage. Civil unions are really what civil marriages are.

[ProudDad]

63. The only event that should be

sanctioned and supported by governments should be some form of "civil union".

The word "marriage" should be STRICKEN from every law and the Tax Code and replaced with "Civil Union"...

Any reasonable grouping of adult people should be eligible for a "Civil Union"...


"Marriage" should be a matter for whatever church or churches someone and their partner(s) wish to associate with, between them and their religion or no-religion.

Whether one is married or not should have NO bearing on any of the privileged, responsibilities or perks granted certain groupings by governments...only a Civil Union would have any force in law...

[countmyvote4real]

28. That was a great Edwards video. n/t

[snowbear]

29. They shouldn't have frigg'n commercials during a political debate!

Damn CNN!

[jmp]

30. This isn't a debate ...

This is info-tainment. It's got the feel of an awards show with all the silly videos.

[goodgd_yall]

33. I like Gravel's answer to the Vietnam War question

Good for him.

[snowbear]

34. Except that he shouldn't whine about something off topic with every response.

If he thinks Governor Richardson has had more questions than he has, he's out of his mind. He acts as if he's the only one not receiving questions.

[goodgd_yall]

36. Yes, he has that irritating habit

:grr:

[rufus dog]

38. One hour into it

I have to give Edwards credit, overall I think he is doing well.

Hillary keeps bringing up "when I was first lady" blah blah blah

And Oboma has had a few too many canned answers.

[snowbear]

39. Have to admit... Dodd and Biden are also both on fire tonight..

Dayum.

[rufus dog]

40. agreed n/t

[goodgd_yall]

43. I always thought well of Dodd since I've seen him in other forums

It's too bad he's not being paid much attention to. He has a good voting record and lots of experience in Congress.

[goodgd_yall]

41. I hope the "I" word comes up in this next hour. n/t

[KoKo]

42. I kinda liked to go with the "thinkers:" Richardson, Gravel, Kucinich and not the Hard Chargers....

At least that's where I'm coming down after watching. The thoughtful, more quiet ones who don't do well with Coopers staccato questioning.

[goodgd_yall]

44. I like Richardson's answer on NCLB

I like his answers tonight. (Ok, he didn't know what he was talking about in getting troops out of Iraq, but his heart was in the right place---get them out ASAP!)

[rufus dog]

47. agree again

He did well on NCLB, weak on the troop withdrawal. Hopefully he stays on the roll.

[snowbear]

45. Governor Richardson did an awesome job with the 'No Child Left Behind' question..

Way to go! ~~

[KoKo]

46. He's doing pretty good...a thinker who isn't quick outta the gate...but someone I'd like to hear

more from. :shrug:

[maximusveritas]

48. The question from the reverend to Edwards was very damaging

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned it. It was probably the moment of the debate so far. Edwards really had no answer for him and then the guy was actually in the audience, forcing Edwards to undergo an even longer duration of torture than normal. It was painful to watch.

[rufus dog]

49. Disagree

He was on the spot yes, but he said what his true beliefs are. Just because his position doesn't match mine on all issues I won't discount him. Being honest about his personal beliefs actually was refreshing in my book.

[maximusveritas]

52. But he contradicted himself

He says that his religious beliefs are what keep him from supporting gay marriage, but then he says religious beliefs shouldn't influence political decisions. He never explained this contradiction.

[rufus dog]

62. I believe his point is

That he personally does not believe in Gay Marriage based upon his religious upbringing. (I know it makes no sense based upon limited biblical references - unless he also supports stoning kids and not eating shell fish) But he does support equal rights under the law for Gays.

[TeamJordan23]

50. Is it me? Or is this debate getting boring?

This second hour is not as good as the first.

[Connie_Corleone]

51. I'm just waiting for Big Love to come on.

[KoKo]

54. I had to tune out.....just couldn't hang in... Cooper and the format was getting to me.

Hopefully other viewers were okay with it all.

[Ethelk2044]

53. Hopefully it will improve.

[KoKo]

55. Did it?

[Connie_Corleone]

56. They're talking about health care.

Edwards is doing the Bill Clinton thing of talking about specific people with health care problems.

[Ethelk2044]

58. Damn that was a good question Bush, Clinton Bush Clinton

[snowbear]

59. Senator Clinton's best moment so far....

Responding to the question of having a Bush --> Clinton --> Bush --> Clinton in the Whitehouse.

Gotta give her huge kudos on the way she responded.

[Ethelk2044]

60. You noticed Hillary did not Answer the question about Obama

Poor sportsman ship

[Like It Is]

64. The debate was awful!

The format sucked! Anderson Cooper was a joke.