Liveblogging ObaMarshalltown

I had intended to liveblog this event but got stuck in an overflow room with no option of standing in the back. I’m not sure how many updates I’ll be posting as this event starts in a few minutes…

…that situation has been remedied.   Read on for liveblogging.  Sorry for typos, etc., but this is all being typed on a Blackberry pseudo-keyboard.

State rep Mark Smith is on now talking about the successes Dems have had in Iowa and about history. He compares Obama to Abraham Lincoln.  Then he makes sure to note that he hasn’t endorsed anyone  yet and that it’s too early for him to make an endorsement.

Obama is on now. He thanks Mark Smith and volunteers who helped with the event. He says Iowa and Illinois are a lot alike, except Illinois has Chicago.

…He’s going over his bio and tieing that in to the purpose of politics…

Now he’s on to the issues. Goes down list of problems we face; gets applause at the end when he says he was against the war from the beginning. Casts himself as Washington outsider and gets more applause. It sounds like he hasn’t quite memorized his stump speech yet, because it has been a little choppy.

Says we can use ethanol just like Brazil. Says using incentives can make capitalism earth-friendly.

Mentions his senate bill on Iraq withdrawal and gets applause again. Says diplomacy is the answer and alludes to Marshall plan.

He is finishing his speech by talking about the importance of us getting involved and finally mentions briefly that he had a lot of small donors during the last quarter

Now questions…

First questionis on universal health care. Obama talks about preventative health care as part of the solution. He talks about obesity as an example of the problem, but he sounded a little critical of fat people - oops.

This answer is taking too long considering everyone already knows his position as it has been defined. .

Next question is from a peace activist on Israel and Palestine. Obama starts tip toeing…

Religious conflict between shia and sunni predates Israel, he says, dodging the original question.

Obama does believe that Israel-Palestine is serving to perpetuate problems in the reason.

He calls for two-state solution. Palestinians must recognize Israel’s right to exist and stop terrorism. US must be a part of negotiations. My pro-Israel friend just said Obamas answer won his vote.

Sandy shaver from UAW/Maytag asks about outsourcing. It turns out Barack Obama is against it.

Solution one is stop giving tax benefits for outsourcing.

Solution two is improving infrastructure like broadband.

Solution three is spending a lot of money on green technology (on the scale of the Manhattan project, he says).

Finally Obama says he supports both free trade and fair trade. My Econ major friends roll their eyes a but but it sounds good to me

That was all his answer to the outsourcing question.

Next question from a teacher is whether he will consult teachers on his education plans. He says his sister is a teacher (and yes, he will).

Everyone has to work to improve education: parents, students, community, etc.

Obama says he does support some of NCLB’s goals, including higher standards for students. But he thinks it needs to be more sensitive to individual students, and he thinks the funding situation needs reform.

Also he wants to increase teacher pay tied to some accountability measures.

Cute kid asks about year-round school. Obama says he might like the idea of changing the school calendar to avoid one long summer break.

Next question comes from an Iowan with a mental disability on employment possibilities. Obama praises tom harkin forhis work on the issue and promises to get one of his staff to help Him get in touch withthe right people.

Next question is ,what has happened to our democratic party? Dems are too friendly to big business and too soft on immigration.

Obama says you can’t be pro-worker without also being pro-employer. Question-asker isn’t satisfied and asks more specifically about immigration.

Obama supports more secure border and better I’d verification. But he also thinks that those people who are here can’t - and shouldn’t - be sent home.

Last question comes from a student about how expensive college is. He says student loan systemshould be reformed so banks are no longer making money on kids.

Obama is also in favor of expanding national service programs and offering to pay for education for kids who go into certain important professions (like teaching).

He closes by waving a supporter cardsnd asking is to get involved. More thoughts later

2 comments April 6th, 2007

First Gubernatorial Debate: Chet Totally Wins!

Tonight Chet Culver and Jim Nussle sparred in the first gubernatorial debate of the election season, and I’m going to call it a Culver win. (That’s actually me trying to be objective.) Nussle was certainly more polished than Chet, but I think Chet’s ideas clearly trumped Nussle’s question-dodging answers. Besides, the grooming and smooth talking may not be a plus in Nussle’s column, since professional Washington politician doesn’t generally play well in Iowa. I’ve also heard Nussle’s tie described as a “crime against humanity.”

On attack ads and negative campaigning. Nussle went first and gave an opening statement, completely ignoring the question. Chet pointed out that Nussle aired negative ads first. The moderator then allotted another 30 seconds to both candidates, pointing out that Nussle didn’t respond. Nothing worthwhile comes out of it.

On choice. In Clintonian fashion, Culver says that “Zero is the best number of abortions,” but that he respects a woman’s right to choose. Nussle cites his 100% pro-life voting record in Congress and says that he would further restrict abortions.

On tax policy. Nussle kept bringing up taxes all evening, saying that seniors are fleeing Iowa for “greener tax pastures.” I’m pretty sure seniors are leaving because Iowa is cold cold cold, and I think young people are more concerned that there are too many pastures and not enough, you know, city. Chet spoke about Vilsack’s successes, and pointed out that a higher cigarette tax could potentially save 13,000 lives.

On alternative fuels. It’s Iowa, everyone loves alternative fuels.

On affordable healthcare. Nussle completely skipped the question and talked about how “every mile is a minute” and rural citizens in emergencies are suffering. True perhaps, but who cares if they can’t afford the healthcare when they get to a hospital? (And wouldn’t it be nice if they could have preventative medicine and not have to almost die rushing to a hospital?) Chet explained his plan to expand Hawk-I and allow all Iowans to enjoy the same healthcare coverage as elected officials.

On education. We know, we know, Chet would be the only governor who had been in the classroom in the past 20 years. As Chet pointed out, Nussle voted 100 times against education while in Congress. Chet put it well, saying “It’s the record, not the rhetoric.” (He also looked very pleased with himself after this.)

On stem cell research. Nussle said adult stem cells are where the “exciting” research is happening. That’s probably because he voted to ban embryonic stem cell research, so no research is happening there. Culver pointed out that Nancy Reagan and Bill Frist both support overturning the stem cell ban, and that it could potentially save millions of lives.

In summary, Chet stuck to his talking points and elucidated his plans for Iowa, while Nussle, ok I’ll say it, hustled.

3 comments October 2nd, 2006