Fight Night (The Debates): C-SPAN: CO GOV LIVE, HI GOV, IL GOV, NH SEN + AK SEN

[Smash255]

The economy is most important, but voters don't want kooks either..  Believing Evolution is a myth and schools should be able to teach Creationism along with Evolution as equally valid is a kooky position to have.  Sussex County might be like Texas, but its 21% of the state.

Believing that local school boards should decide curriculum is hardly a controversial position.  Moreover, you are greatly overestimating the percentage of Americans who care about a politician's views on evolution - and what Americans actually think about evolution, for that matter.  Americans who believe the conventional scientific view of evolution due to natural processes are actually in the MINORITY - 32%, per Pew in 2009.  22% believe in evolution guided by a supreme being - more or less intelligent design.  And 31% believe humans existed in their present form since the beginning of time - more or less creationism.  

Believing local school boards is one thing, believing they should be able to jam religion into Science class and treat in the same as Science based Evolution is another thing entirely.  She is crazy.

[Smash255]

Not being able to answer a question about the Supreme Court Decisions she disagreed with was pretty pathetic.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Not being able to answer a question about the Supreme Court Decisions she disagreed with was pretty pathetic.

Why not just go with the obvious Roe v. Wade?

[cinyc]

Not being able to answer a question about the Supreme Court Decisions she disagreed with was pretty pathetic.

That's a trick question used primarily against conservatives to make them look stupid.  The question was what RECENT decisions do you disagree with, not all decisions.  It's a conservative court, and conservatives agree with almost all of the Supreme Court's most recent decisions.  Therefore, they have to think a lot before responding - probably back to Kelo, which is the only recent decision that jumps out to me.  Most of the decisions conservatives don't like are older, like Roe v. Wade, which was beyond the bounds of the question.

Note that the moderators didn't try to force Coons to name another decision he disagreed with when he mentioned the same Citizens United decision that was brought up in a previous question.  The moderators were so biased and out to burn the witch at the stake that it wasn't close to fair.

[Smash255]

Not being able to answer a question about the Supreme Court Decisions she disagreed with was pretty pathetic.

Why not just go with the obvious Roe v. Wade?

Blitzer pushed her in that direction at one point, but the question was focused on recent decisions.

[Eraserhead]

Not being able to answer a question about the Supreme Court Decisions she disagreed with was pretty pathetic.

Why not just go with the obvious Roe v. Wade?

I think it had to be pretty recent.

It's a gotcha question but why wouldn't her handlers prepare her for it? It's been used so many times at this point.

[Smash255]

Not being able to answer a question about the Supreme Court Decisions she disagreed with was pretty pathetic.

That's a trick question used primarily against conservatives to make them look stupid.  The question was what RECENT decisions do you disagree with, not all decisions.  It's a conservative court, and conservatives agree with almost all of the Supreme Court's most recent decisions.  Therefore, they have to think a lot before responding - probably back to Kelo, which is the only recent decision that jumps out to me.  Most of the decisions conservatives don't like are older, like Roe v. Wade, which was beyond the bounds of the question.

Note that the moderators didn't try to force Coons to name another decision he disagreed with when he mentioned the same Citizens United decision that was brought up in a previous question.  The moderators were so biased and out to burn the witch at the stake that it wasn't close to fair.

Oh please, what a load of hackish crap.  The moderators asked a perfectly fair question, Coons was able to answer O'Donnell could not.  They were fair throughout.

[Phony Moderate]

Coons performed well. He wasn't too tough and he wasn't too soft. He got the balance about right, imo.

[cinyc]

Oh please, what a load of hackish crap.  The moderators asked a perfectly fair question, Coons was able to answer O'Donnell could not.  They were fair throughout.

That question is as loaded as asking a candidate which recent positions of Barack Obama you disagree with.  A Republican would come up with multiple, easy answers.  A Democrat would have a much tougher time answering it because he agrees with much of the Obama agenda.

Conservatives agree with a majority of the recent Supreme Court jurisprudence because it has been conservative.  Our beef is usually with insane lower court decisions, especially from the Ninth Circuit.  I can't think of another recent Supreme Court decision that conservatives usually disagree with other than Kelo and perhaps some of the campaign finance decisions for not going far enough.

But my guess is this will be the soundbite the lamestream media harps on, since it makes O'Donnell look stupid.

[Stranger in a strange land]

she does a pretty good job making herself look stupid. She's not even good at articulating conservative points of view.

[Smash255]

Oh please, what a load of hackish crap.  The moderators asked a perfectly fair question, Coons was able to answer O'Donnell could not.  They were fair throughout.

That question is as loaded as asking a candidate which recent positions of Barack Obama you disagree with.  A Republican would come up with multiple, easy answers.  A Democrat would have a much tougher time answering it because he agrees with much of the Obama agenda.

Conservatives agree with a majority of the recent Supreme Court jurisprudence because it has been conservative.  Our beef is usually with insane lower court decisions, especially from the Ninth Circuit.  I can't think of another recent Supreme Court decision that conservatives usually disagree with other than Kelo and perhaps some of the campaign finance decisions for not going far enough.

But my guess is this will be the soundbite the lamestream media harps on, since it makes O'Donnell look stupid.

Ooh lamestream media, gone full Sarah Palin on us now....

[DrScholl]

I thought it was an interesting debate, lots of things were discussed and I thought both candidates held their own.

[cinyc]

I'm far from the only one who thought Coons came across as condescending:

"Coons can can barely contain his disdain for his opponent," noted Gloria Borger, a senior political analyst for CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/10/13/odonnell.debate.performance/

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

I'm impressed with Coons and am glad that he will be Delaware's next Senator.

[Smash255]

I'm far from the only one who thought Coons came across as condescending:

"Coons can can barely contain his disdain for his opponent," noted Gloria Borger, a senior political analyst for CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/10/13/odonnell.debate.performance/

Having disdain and being condescending are two different things....

[Torie]

I counted about six or seven crazed/ignorant statements be one of the candidates (I watched it while working out at the gym in the hotel I am staying at, until about an hour into it, some other dude came in, and asked if he could change the channel about into the "debate," and I said OK. I had had enough).

I particular liked the bit about repealing the capital gains tax.  That way, I could sell some of my assets that I have owned since rocks cooled, get a huge step up in basis, and as to real estate, replace it with other real estate, and re-commence to depreciate it, and get a deduction against my income, a second time.  Just how cool is that?

And then there was the bit about the pizza parlor guy making $300,000 a year, who should not get a tax increase.  One of the candidates noted in a rejoinder that the 300K figure was before the pizza guy had to pay all his employees.  I didn't know until this was pointed out to me, that apparently, employee expenses cannot be deducted against income.  No wonder employers are reluctant to hire anyone! Who knew?

[JohnnyLongtorso]

I counted about six or seven crazed/ignorant statements be one of the candidates (I watched it while working out at the gym in the hotel I am staying at, until about an hour into it, some other dude came in, and asked if he could change the channel about into the "debate," and I said OK. I had had enough).

I particular liked the bit about repealing the capital gains tax.  That way, I could sell some of my assets that I have owned since rocks cooled, get a huge step up in basis, and as to real estate, replace it with other real estate, and re-commence to depreciate it, and get a deduction against my income, a second time.  Just how cool is that?

And then there was the bit about the pizza parlor guy making $300,000 a year, who should not get a tax increase.  One of the candidates noted in a rejoinder that the 300K figure was before the pizza guy had to pay all his employees.  I didn't know until this was pointed out to me, that apparently, employee expenses cannot be deducted against income.  No wonder employers are reluctant to hire anyone! Who knew?

Why wouldn't payroll be deductible from income? That doesn't make any sense.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

As much as I don't like O'Donnell (and I think my past posts about her make that clear 'nuff), I really do think the moderators had it out for her in this one. She didn't come across anywhere near as badly as I figured she would, but then again, I think that's just a case of Palin-style low expectations.

And Coons did seem like a bit of jerk.

[Holmes]

He did seem to treat her a bit like a child sometimes, I did notice. And she seemed very well coached... but when she went off cue, it seemed weird. The evolution/local government question was one time, and the Supreme Court decisions question too. But it was all pretty gaffe-less.

[memphis]

I counted about six or seven crazed/ignorant statements be one of the candidates (I watched it while working out at the gym in the hotel I am staying at, until about an hour into it, some other dude came in, and asked if he could change the channel about into the "debate," and I said OK. I had had enough).

I particular liked the bit about repealing the capital gains tax.  That way, I could sell some of my assets that I have owned since rocks cooled, get a huge step up in basis, and as to real estate, replace it with other real estate, and re-commence to depreciate it, and get a deduction against my income, a second time.  Just how cool is that?

And then there was the bit about the pizza parlor guy making $300,000 a year, who should not get a tax increase.  One of the candidates noted in a rejoinder that the 300K figure was before the pizza guy had to pay all his employees.  I didn't know until this was pointed out to me, that apparently, employee expenses cannot be deducted against income.  No wonder employers are reluctant to hire anyone! Who knew?

Why wouldn't payroll be deductible from income? That doesn't make any sense.

That's his whole point. O'Donnell made a comment about not raising the taxes on the guy who makes $300,000/year before he pays his employees. This has been a persisent GOP meme ever since "Joe" the "plumber" ignorantly suggested it during the '08 campaign. Gotta hand it to the pubbies. They stay on message even when it's outright false.

[Smash255]

I counted about six or seven crazed/ignorant statements be one of the candidates (I watched it while working out at the gym in the hotel I am staying at, until about an hour into it, some other dude came in, and asked if he could change the channel about into the "debate," and I said OK. I had had enough).

I particular liked the bit about repealing the capital gains tax.  That way, I could sell some of my assets that I have owned since rocks cooled, get a huge step up in basis, and as to real estate, replace it with other real estate, and re-commence to depreciate it, and get a deduction against my income, a second time.  Just how cool is that?

And then there was the bit about the pizza parlor guy making $300,000 a year, who should not get a tax increase.  One of the candidates noted in a rejoinder that the 300K figure was before the pizza guy had to pay all his employees.  I didn't know until this was pointed out to me, that apparently, employee expenses cannot be deducted against income.  No wonder employers are reluctant to hire anyone! Who knew?

Wrong.  They are able to deduct employee expenses from income.  O'Donnell just lied.

[Eraserhead]

I figure that we'll just turn this into the official debate thread so that we don't clog the board with a ton of threads.

C-SPAN will be covering a lot of debates tonight. Most importantly, tonight will be the only debate between Sen. Harry Reid and Sharron Angle. That's live at 9 PM.

Amusingly though, at 7:45 PM there will be a debate between Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and Nazi reenactment enthusiast, Rich Iott.

http://www.c-span.org/

[Lief 🗽]

9 PM mountain or eastern time? Because I may post-game with a little Reid on Angle debating action.

[Eraserhead]

9 PM mountain or eastern time? Because I may post-game with a little Reid on Angle debating action.

Eastern Time.

[Smash255]

9 PM mountain or eastern time? Because I may post-game with a little Reid on Angle debating action.

Eastern Time.
[/quote


Boo, I'll probably miss 1/2 of it.