LoWV Debate: Knee Jerk Summary

Webb wins in a walk again! Webb clearly has a better command of the issues togoalong with his superior positions on those issues. Paraphrased summary with [my comments] follows: Opening statements: Allen wants to talk about issues that matter. [Now is as good as any time to start, "Senator".] Rolls out record as Governor and plans he had introduced in the Senate. [What have you actually done in the Senate, "Senator"?] Allen says Warner loves him, Hillary and Kerry love Webb and taxes. Webb = taxes Allen = trust free enterprise [That explains the massive oil company tax cuts.] Webb opening statement: What Allen said about taxes isn't true - George Allen raised taxes. 10% of fortune 500 don't pay taxes, wages are going down. We are in a life and death struggle but the leaders won'’t send their children to fight. We have the best hospitals in the world but 45 million Americans don't have insurance, medical prices are going up. We should not work for the top 1%, but for working Americans. Moderator questions Q1: Warner said we need to reassess Iraq. Doyou think we need to stay the course? Allen: BE AFRAID OF TERRORRISTS. Victory, not defeat. Must persevere. Webb: Republicans are shifting away from theorists [Cheney] to realists [Warner] in Iraq. War can't be run by propagandistic phrases ["stay the course", "cut and run"] but by smart strategy. James Baker said: We need a diplomatic solution we need to discuss with Iran [Just like Jim Webb says]. Follow-up: What is victory in Iraq? Allen: Iraqis take control of their own destiny and can'’t have an oil rich safe haven in Iraq. Q2: You have said what we should not do, what would you do? Webb: The Iraq study group has been saying exactly what I've been saying for 2 years, no permanent bases, diplomatic solution, talk to Iran etc. Strategic withdrawal. We got Zarqawi with troops not in Iraq. Allen: Withdrawal, retreat will not make America safer. Webb says we are occupiers, I say we are liberators. [In case you were wondering, the Iraqis think we are occupiers. Ingrates.] Follow-up: How would you define victory in Iraq Webb: Get a diplomatic solution where you get Iran and Syria to the table. We can get our troops out and have the neighborhood take some responsibility as we did with Afghanistan Q3: Macaca. N-word. Are these people lying why should Virgnians believe you? Allen: I apologized for macaca, and the allegations are baseless [from 30 years ago]. Benny Lambert shield. Webb: I think this has been discussed ad naseum. I had a problem with him singling out someone on my staff. I have the endorsement of the many minority groups. Follow up: Are these people lying? Allen: I don't recall using this word. Q4: Women can'’t fight. Are you 'Born Fighting' for women? Webb: This article is 27 years old. Allen'’s camp did ads on this. I opened up more billets than any other Navy Secretary in history. Much of my campaign staff is composed of women. I'm very comfortable with the role of women today. Panel questions: Q1: Secrecy in our government. How could you help solve this problem? Allen: Internet good. More info should be online. Obama/Coburn amendment. More sunlight on what'’s going on the better [When have you ever done any oversight, "Senator"]. Bridge to nowhere bad? [What did you do to stop it?] Line item veto for President. Webb: Very important point. The number of security classifications have skyrocketed. Weakness of lack of oversight by Congress. Q2: Marriage amendment? Webb: I oppose this amendment. I oppose this on legal grounds. I don'’t think anyone will have their sacraments taken away from them but people will have rights taken away. Allen: Family more important than government. Marriage should be between 1 man and 1 woman. Judges want to impose their own elitist views. [Huh?] Q3: Should tax dollars be used for people who are here illegally? Allen: Need a fence, detention centers and border patrol. But immigrants are still OK. Webb: I love how George Allen comes up with my position for me. This administration has failed on immigration. They haven't addressed the situation. Q4: $8.5 trilion dollar Nationaldebt. Billions are borrowed from social security and the other half from asian banks. Are we secure when we need them to fund our country? Webb: No. China is our #1 strategic opponent, I've been saying this for years. We want to bring China into the world community but we have too much trade debt and we let them devalue their currency. Allen: China is bad. Taxpayers bill of rights. There ougtta be this, there oughtta be that... [Why haven't you done any of those things in 6 years, "Senator"?] Q5: Oil independence. Can something be done to step up development of alternative fuels such as bio-dielsel? Allen: I'm a strong proponent of oil independence. And more energy grown at home. Webb: George Allen now has an energy plan. For the last 15 years he has taken $800K from oil companies and given $8B in tax cuts. There is no reason we can't do renewables. Q7: Affirmative action as state sponsored racism. Do you still believe that? Webb: AA was a 13th amendment program. It has expanded to include all minorities. It leaves out poor whites. Needs to go back to just blacks. Allen: I don't care to actually answer this so I'm going to talk about my bull$#!# energy plan. [I'm paraphrasing, of course.] Candidates ask each other questions. Allen Q1: Tax relief. Ramble ramble ramble. Webb: Tremendous migration of wealth to the rich in the last 5 years. We have huge defecits. I want to focus on corporate taxes. 10% of largest corporations don't pay taxes. You can't keep spending like this. Webb Q1: How can you vote to raise you own pay 4 times and not raise the minimum wage? Allen: I voted for it 3 times. I voted against the raise in 2005. Death tax, death tax, death tax. Webb: You have never voted straight up to raise minimum wage. You are misrepresenting how I would vote. Allen Q2: Dou you agree with terrorist surveillance program, or habeous corpus for enemy combatants? Webb: We all want to intercept info about national security, there is no oversight and what the administration says goes. We need a government of checks and balances. What is the problem with oversight of the Administration? Allen: You didn'’t answer habeas corpus? Blah blah blah. Webb: McCain, Warner have concerns about these programs. We need to make sure that we are in accordance with the Geneva conventions and will our actions will not blowback on our troops. We need moral high ground. Webb Q: Chicakoo islands are a threat. [This question totally threw me and Allen. however, he is sitting Senator charged with shaping American foreign policy. I am a guy sitting on his couch. I loved watching Allen stand there without a clue. As I said, he is a light weight on foreign policy.] Allen: It is important issue. Moderator Q: You had a 16 point lead, now its tied. What happened? Allen: We got off on things that were not issues. [Unless you count character as an issue.] This campaign should be focused on issues. We'’re focused on issues. [And attack ads, lots of attack ads.] Webb: George Allen said on Monday he would run on issues and on Friday he ran an untrue negative ad. things changed because people started looking at what I'm trying to do. Moderator: Should Hastert resign? Webb: There are leadership questions. How the leadership handles those should have accountability. If the Republican leadership did not live up to the standards of leadership, there should be accountability. Allen: I find this despicable. I've led the way with this and worked with many people on it [Like Mark Foley]. Closing statements: Allen: Thanks, suckers! Knowledge and experience really do matter. Having an independent Senator [Wait, is Allen endorsing Webbnow?] who will stand with John Warner and not Hillary Clinton matters. Its your future on the line. [That's why I'm voting for Webb.] Webb: I look forward to working with John Warner. George Allen is absurd. Virginia voters wil make a decision that has consequences. George Allen is a "blinded supporter" of the Administration 97% of the time and 100% of the time on foreign affairs. For those who identified with Republicans on National Security but never felt comfortble with the rest oftheir policies, I would hope you come home tothe Democratic Party. Power in our society should flow from the bottom to the top. Those in power should speak for those who have no power. Someone who cannot be bought. I would like to be that Senator. Me: Amen. I would also like you to be that Senator, sir. Vote Webb. 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