Hilary Rosen
That was fantastic. A simple yes or no will do.
Senators Clinton and Biden gave good focused starting answers. Clinton gave the best and firm overview of the politics. Biden gave a great brief overview of the tactical military and political questions we face. They both refrained from attacking each other. Obama started with the subtle dig, then tried - and failed perhaps for lack of time - the emotional plea. Obama added nothing to his position on what to do about the war right now however. Edwards took a dig at Clinton but made a smart point against Bush and our place in the world since the war has started. Is Edwards the attack dog tonight? Clinton's comeback was sure and she got more airtime articulating her plan because Edward's attacked her. First question - A Clinton and Biden win.
It is appropriate to start the first televised Presidential Democratic debate with an ode to my friend and mentor Jack Valenti. When I first got my job as head of the Recording Industry Association of America, Jack was the first person I called. After-all, he was the dean of Associations and we shared many of the same entertainment industry company members. He was a gentle man and a gentleman. Testifying at the same hearing as Jack felt like the clown following the lion tamer. He was magical. People would come to listen to him speak, not because they loved copyright but just to hear Jack talk. I loved Jack.
And he loved politics. The civil kind. The kind of politics that was governed by people who cared about service and wanted to do well for the American people. Let's hope that tonight's debate is a testament to Jack's kind of politics.
I am looking for a few simple things in the debate tonight. Which candidate is giving us more than sound bites and rhetoric? Which candidate isn’t answering the questions soooo carefully that by the end of their answer we forgot the question? Which candidate seems best able to project specifics about how they would get us out of the war - and maybe even demonstrate some leadership skills to affect the current showdown with President Bush over the Iraq supplemental?
I also want to hear candidates address some other issues that matter to me, like public education. I want to know what the candidates will do to ameliorate the recent Supreme Court decision rolling back a woman’s right to choose. I think that Democrats should talk about the cost of the war, not just in terms of human lives and international strife, but also what it has impeded us from doing at home. And finally I’d like to hear a good answer from the candidates as to how they would respond to a national disaster like Katrina with enough specifics that we could have faith in their commitment.
CONTINUED >>
I ran into Joe Wilson at Starbucks this morning. We hugged and thought neighborhood coffee was as good a way as any to celebrate Scooter Libby’s guilty verdict yesterday.
Seeing Joe looking happy and fresh made me realize that so many people outside of Washington see this verdict and the events of the past few years as just about politics, not about people.
Joe and Valerie are neighborhood parents. We both have boy-girl twins and our kids played together sometimes. Just like lots of my friends in the neighborhood, they are fun, friendly, smart, passionate and accomplished. Their kids are adorable and play well with others. They are certainly better behaved than my kids.
Joe was always a grand personality. If there is a room at the party that is
louder than others, where the talk is frenzied and the opinions are flying, then Joe is sure to be in the middle of it. Valerie is more reserved but no less engaging when she is talking.
So here they were—a neighborhood family. And then the most powerful men in the country decided that the Wilsons were getting in the way of their personal agenda of economic domination through war-mongering. CONTINUED >>
The brawl this week started by David Geffen has captured a huge amount of attention. Most people in this country don’t know who David Geffen is. And for most of those in between New York and California, he represents something that they are just not too comfortable with – Hollywood values. So go ahead, Mr. Geffen, attack away at Sen. Clinton. Do you think that actually hurts her?
No, it doesn’t. CONTINUED >>
The Republicans are spending a lot of time this week screaming two contradictory messages at the Democrats. They say that the resolution and the debate this week is a meaningless exercise. Yet they also say that the debate sends a monumental signal to the world, demoralizes the troops and gives comfort to our enemies. Which is it meaningless or significant?
A non-binding House resolution. Does America really know what that is? A “House resolution” is a common thing for Congress to consider and vote on when there is no actual legislation to pass. It is intended to put Members of Congress on record for their views. And importantly, it is often used as kind of a threat for future legislation. It is a stance on issues that can be solved without legislation. For instance, calling on the Post Office to issue a stamp or on China to open up trade barriers.
CONTINUED >>
Democrats and President Bush abandon the Republican Radicals - Can Triangulation be a good thing?
Democrats want to show this country they can lead and Chris Matthews just hit the nail right on the head. There ARE issues on which Democrats may agree with the president while members of his own party will remain staunchly opposed to action. Democrats should go for it. On Immigration, on Healthcare, on Education and on Energy.
Democrats have nothing to lose by trying to find common ground while keeping firm to their core values. The president has no ability to really LEAD on these issues. But he can help the process and sign the bills into law.
If Democrats want their base to be happy, they will stand firm and help bring an end to the war in Iraq while they work with the president on the issues he raised tonight and cannot possibly achieve on his own ...but neither can they achieve them without him.
First, a tip of the hat. The President’s salute to Nancy Pelosi was clever and classy.
But he just has no credibility talking about domestic problems in this country. The President wants a balanced budget and no tax increases. He says he wants to offer health insurance tax deductions for people - though most people who need insurance don’t make enough money to take advantage of the tax credit. Presumably, he is doing it this way because he thinks direct reimbursement of providing health insurance would be too expensive. He wants to reauthorize the “No Child Left Behind Act’ for education though he doesn’t want to give the schools any more money. Presumably that’s too expensive. He wants energy independence but won’t increase the royalties paid by oil companies for extracting oil on federal land or suggest new federal subsidies for alternative fuels. Presumably that’s too expensive.
How expensive? For the cost of the war today in Iraq, we could fund a significant portion of the above and still have money left. We could give universal pre-school for every child in this country and cover their health care costs - and still have money left. We could double health research for Cancer, AIDS and heart disease and still have money left. We could add to that a tripling of funds we have given to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and still have money left. And what? You say what about national secuirty because of the terrrist threat? Oh yes, we could also fund port screening, and rail and ship carrier screenings and other first responder needs.
If our national domestic priorities were truly meaningful for the President, they wouldn’t be too expensive.
The Democratic response from Senator Webb needs to applaud the President for putting domestic issues back on the agenda and not let him get away with shortcutting a rational explanation about his goals and exit strategy for Iraq. And then Democrats need to show the country why we have sought their leadership in the Congress once again. And Jim Webb needs to pull out his best story telling face.
Wheew! Just got off air from Hardball and it is hard for me to admit but I could barely get a word in edgewise between Chris, John Harwood and Jonathan Alter - all smart and fast.
So what, Chris asked, is the story from the State of the Union tonight? Jonathan made a great point - usually a president goes to foreign affairs issues to unite a country because domestic affairs can be so divisive. Tonight, President Bush is going to try the opposite.
Will it work?
I don’t think so. Because the biggest takeaway from tonight’s speech to Congress just may be the line of Republicans waiting at the microphones in order to distance themselves from the president’s latest plans for Iraq. Yes, the Democrats have come out in united opposition to increasing the number of troops sent to Iraq. But the really interesting and I believe definitive problem is that thoughtful Republican leaders like Sen. John Warner, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee and Sen. Richard Lugar, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee are drafting a resolution to try and stop the president’s plans.
In the green room, Andy Card (former Chief of Staff to President Bush) told me that this won’t bother the president as much as we might think. Because this president, Andy said, is perfectly comfortable being totally alone if he is convinced he is right. He will be lonely tonight, for sure.
