2008 First Presidential Debate Notes

Rebuttals

Initial Response

Rebuttals

Initial Response

Notes on First 2008 Presidential Debate. Arrows indicate person who spoke first (on a per row basis.) 1st-Barack Obama Questions 2nd-John McCain Jim Lehrer -Believes government ‘bailout’ should be used to protect taxpayers and not “pad wallets” of CEOs. -Plan must be responsible and has oversight. -Current economic state can be blamed on Bush + McCain policies. -Realized last year that there would be economic problems this year. -We will have to intervene, but will also have to look at how regulations were ignored, and McCain believes that government regulation is bad. -We need responsibility, but even before a bad event happens. Healthcare system broken, energy policy not working. -“John, 5 days ago, you said the economy was sound.”

< Where do you stand on the financial recovery plan?

-Suspended earmark spending for his state. -McCain proposed $300 bill in tax cuts for corporations. -Grow the economy from the bottom up, tax cut for 95% of American families. -Tax breaks for companies that invest in US -Health system for everyone to have basic coverage. -These are important programs. -Will “go line by line” to spend more wisely. -McCain’s tax policies rewards those doing well and neglects those doing poorly.

> What would you do different from Obama on economic policy?

-Criticizing Democrats and Republicans that they could not work together until Republicans took the lead. (FALSE: Republicans abstained from much of the initial negotiations)

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-Warned about corporate greed. -Eisenhower wrote 2 letters, one of congratulations and resignation.-> Lost accountability. We need accountability/responsibility.

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-“We have a long way to go.” -Consolidation of regulatory agencies that weren’t doing their job. “Fundamental belief in the goodness of the American worker…United States of America.” -Earmarking is a gateway to out of control spending. -Obama spent over $932 million on earmarks.

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-Obama suspended pork-barrel projects after his start of presidential campaign. -Has fought against earmarks, called “Sheriff” -Obama proposed $800 billion in new spending, he wants to cut spending.

Initial Response Rebuttals

-Business taxes are high here, but McCain has supported many loopholes in tax code, our businesses have some of lowest taxes in the world. -McCain wants to add additional tax cuts over loopholes. -Health credit-McCain wants to tax health benefits from employers -Less regulation does not mean better. -McCain wanted to give $4 bill to oil companies -Energy bill on floor is good. McCain opposed to it even though has offshore drilling since it takes away tax breaks to oil. -Hard to anticipate what to do next year, not all his programs will be done -Energy independence in 10 years, alternative energy, US-produced fuel efficient cars -Fix healthcare system. -Space system -Affordable college for everyone -Infrastructure (transportation, electricity grid) -Won’t give up need for energy independence, but individual components may go. -McCain gives $15 mill subsidies to private health comp. -Lobbyists -Worked with Tom Colburn, and opened up governement books. -Some underfunded or excess such as Medicare -$10 bill on Iraq, when they have $79 bill surplus.

> Your policy on tax cuts

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< What are you going to have to give up, in terms of priorities, to have to pay for the financial rescue plan?

-Wants to cut business tax to keep businesses + create jobs. -Wants everyone to have a $5000 tax credit to purchase own healthcare. -Worse thing to do is to raise taxes.

-I voted against tax breaks for oil companies, Obama voted for it. -Obama voted for tax increases who make as low as $42,000 -Obama has most liberal voting record, hard to negotiate. -Opposes ethanol addition to gas. -Some programs’ costs are out-ofcontrol. Wants fixed cost contracts. -Defense spending vital. -Saved taxpayers $6.8 bill on Boeing/Dept. of Defense contract. -Examine every agency of government.

< Neither one is proposing major changes on bailout.

> One of you will become president, in midst of huge financial crisis, not how it will affect u, but what u will do

-Spending freeze, with exceptions of veteran affairs, national defense, and other vital issues -Offshore drilling, nuclear power can make jobs, helps with climate change.

Initial Response Rebuttals Initial Response

-No doubt will affect budget. -Assume market come back, government gets back money. -Short term may not happen, should expect less tax revenue -To make that, need to know our priorities. ($300 bill tax cuts vs. healthcare)

< Are u willing to acknowledge that the crisis will have a major move on the way u act?

-You agree with Bush 90% of the time, voted for almost all of his budgets. -Can’t say you will lead on controlling spending.

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-Fundamental difference > -Should we have gone in the first What are the place lessons of Iraq? -Opposed war from beginning, cost, exit strategy, int’l relationship, not finished in Afghanistan, not caught OBL -Spent $600 bill, lost 4,000 lives, wounded 30,000. Al-Qaida stronger than before. Spending $10 bill/month -Lesson is we should never hesitate to use military force, but have to use it wisely. >

-Biden chairman of Foreign Relations Committee. -Violence has been reduced due to troops, but that was tactic to contain damage of previous 4 yrs of mismanagement -McCain said war would be easy, knew where WMD were. Wrong. -Who is best equipped on how we use our military?

< Point about never having been to Iraq

-Make sure not handing health care system to federal government. -Wants family to make health decision. -Cut spending, Obama has $800 bill in new spending programs. -Veteran programs. -Healthy economy by lowering taxes, not raising, and restraint is best recipe. -We owe China $500 bill -Not elected Miss Congeniality in Senate. -Opposed Bush on climate change, Guantanamo Bay, Iraq war conducted. Maverick. -Partner is Maverick too. -Can’t have failed strategy -War after Afghanistan badly handled -Fought for change in strategy in beginning, and this has succeeded. We are winning. -Will come home with victory + honor, which will have a stable ally. -Consequences of defeat-Iran, increase in sectarian violence.

-Obama: Surge would not work, until recently, but still says he would still oppose surge today -Obama has never went to Iraq for 900 days/never met Petraeus -Obama doesn’t know diff between tactic and strategy -I’m patriotic and troops want to go back -Peace is happening in Iraq, same strategy will be applied to Afghanistan by Petraeus, this great general.

Rebuttals

-Troop funding: McCain opposed funding with timetable. That was difference, not funding itself -Was this wise, Afghanistan worsening, McCain thinks it is successful while OBL still out -Robert Gates: start+end in Afghanistan -End war responsible, in phases, in 16 months, reduce combat troops, provide relief to military families while pursuing in Afghanistan.

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-Yes, said it for > 1 yr. < -We have highest fatalities in US Do you think troops there, cannot separate from more US troops Iraq in Afghanistan? -Send 2/3 additional brigades to Afghanistan + press government to work for their people + deal with poppy trade, Pakistan -> $10 bill Bush gave them -Why does Iraq have 4x troops than Afghanistan when it didn’t have Al-Qaeda before it

-Never said attack Pakistan; if US has OBL, Al-Qaeda, and we have them in our sights, we should take them out -McCain threatened extinction of N. Korea + bombing Iran -20th century policy of “he’s our dictator” Pakistan

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-Admiral Mullen suggested Obama’s plan is dangerous -Didn’t exceed his wildest expectations unlike Obama

-Won’t repeat mistake of Russian conflict in Afghanistan -On Pakistan, I’m not prepared to cut off aid to Pakistan, not going to threaten them, unlike Obama who wants to order strikes on them -“We don’t say that [strikes] out loud. We do them.” -New strategy, not just more troops, used in Iraq for Afghanistan. -Pakistanis have to understand that terrorists don’t want them to cooperate with US -Needs more troops -Pakistan is failed state (Musharraf) -1993, admired Reagan, voted against his sending troops into Lebanon. -Supported Bosnia + Kosovo invasions to prevent violence -Has record in national security issues -Woman wants her son’s death to not be in vain + gave him a bracelet, they all say to me we don’t want defeat; war I was in, army was defeated, I know how hard it is for army and military to recover from it -We won’t come home defeated

Initial Response Rebuttals

-I have a bracelet too, she said please make sure another mother doesn’t have to go thru it -No soldier dies in vain, they follow their orders, troops perform brilliantly -Next president: good judgments -McCain not consistently in touch with war, he wanted to “muddle thru” war -RG is a terrorist organization -McCain wants to broaden mandate in Iraq to Iran -Iran has gotten more nuclear facilities -McCain is right, Iran shouldn’t have nuclear -But should have sanctions with cooperation from Russia + China, since they have interest in nonnuclear Iran -Direct Diplomacy with Iran, rather than McCain -Punishing countries has not worked in history -Ahmadinejad not most powerful person in Iran -US President must meet with others -Bipartisan history of meeting with other countries -McCain advisor said ok without preconditions -Start with low-level talks -Bush recently sent someone to Europeans about nuclears -We need strong alliances, unlike with N.Korea, which no dealing with made them restart nuclear program, until Bush reversed his position on it -McCain would not meet with Spain PM, not meet with friends, how can meet with nations

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> What is your reading on threat from Iran?

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-You might think with that concern, Obama would go to Iraq, I’ve visited these places, and I know what our needs are. -We will prevail in Afghanistan, with new strategy, but if we suffer defeat in Iraq with Obama’s withdrawal, with have calamitous affect -If Iran gets nuclears, is existential threat to Israel and to region -We can’t allow 2nd Holocaust, proposes a league of democracies -Russia preventing Security Council -Solve this, league with common ideals and have a lot of economic power -Russia has lousy government, and with French, British, Germans, others, can affect Iranian behavior -Iran putting lethal IEDs into Iraq, Republican Guard -Obama would sit and talk with Ahmadinejad without precondition and give a propaganda platform to them -Nixon/Kissinger -Must have preconditions before meeting

-McCain keeps on saying President will meet without preparations -We should not expect to solve every problem in a talk -Bush admin is silent

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Rebuttals

Initial Response

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-I don’t even have a seal yet, so I can’t meet with anyone -Without precondition, you legitimize [offensive] comments -N.Korea most oppressive regime

-Kissinger is my friend and would be interested in Obama’s views -Obama is parsing words when precondition=preparation -Our approach has to be < -Obama said, both sides should reevaluated since recent actions How do you see show restraint on Russia/Georgia, (Georgia) are unwarranted the relationship his is naïve -Affirm fledgling democracies in with Russia? -Russia fueled by petro $ that region, we will support them, Competitor, -Putin = KGB by looking into his free to join NATO with Enemy, Partner? eyes requirements -Russia should understand we will -Can’t return to Cold War policy to support inclusion of George, Russia Ukraine into NATO -Nuclear proliferation: deal with -We should have every right that Russia with national security Russia behaves in a fashion which interests of US respects international boundaries and behavior -We both agree, except on forceful < -Obama against reprocessing objections on Russia -Offshore drilling is a bridge to -I said that their move was illegal, exploiting reserves first to say have to rebuild their economy since Russia wants it to weaken to replace with leader they want -Needs foresight -We have to have an energy policy on oil Iran, Venezuela, Russia -Solar, wind, biodiesel, nuclear, clean coal -McCain voted 23 times against alt energy in 26 yrs -I never objected nuclear waste, < just wants to store safely

Initial Response

-Safer in some ways, $ in airport security -Long way to go -Chemical sites, transit, ports -Biggest threat now is not nuclear, but a suitcase -Nuclear proliferation is biggest threat -We need missile defense to prevent N Korea, Iran -Al-Qaeda is operating in over 60 countries, root cause is Iran/Pakistan -Way we are perceived in world affects our capacity to get cooperation against terrorism -Our world standing went down, partly due to terrorist torture -Last 8 years, Bush along with McCain have been solely focused on Iraq, but OBL is still out there, Al-Qaeda resurfacing; we are borrowing billions from China -We can’t spend money on healthcare to people who need it, invest in education and science, this is a national security issue -Veterans can’t get treatment -Next president has to have a broader strategic vision missing over past years. -My father wanted to come to college in US since he knew US ideal inspire the world, but our current standing is not the same -What we need to do is part of our government is to send a message to the world, that we will invest in education, live out their dreams

> What do you think the likelihood of another 9/11 attack on the US?

-Much less than before, safer, but long way from safe -Long record of bipartisanship -We shouldn’t torture another prisoner -Work closely with allies -America is safer today than on 9/11 -B/c of my recommendations, we have largest reorganization of government -Long way to go, like border control

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-Obama: Missile defense has to be proven -If we fail in Iraq, Al-Qaeda will base there, every military leader ways defeat would lose all the fragile sacrifice made of American blood and treasure

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-Advantages to experience and judgment -I don’t believe he has experience and knowledge -He has stubbornness like in this admin to cling to a belief that surge has not succeeded -I have their support and their recognition of my service to veterans -I have ability and background and knowledge to keep this country safe and secure. Reform, Prosperity, Peace

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-When I came home from prison, veterans were badly treated, I worked on getting veterans home, I know how to deal with adversaries and wounds of war.

10/2 9 PM VP debate Thank You and Good Night – –

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END OF NOTES –

DISCLAIMER: This is not a complete transcript. These were major points that each candidate pointed out during the debate. The author of these notes cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of these notes. Notes transcribed during a live nationally televised debate, broadcasted on major television networks, held on Friday, September 26, 2008 at 9 P.M. EST and lasting for 97 minutes. This document was originally created with the help of Microsoft Word 2003. – © 2008 E.L.P. – Version 0.4 BETA FINAL Release – (0.1-initial notes, 0.2-formatting, 0.3-sp/gm corrections, 0.4-expanding shorthands/abbrev.)