MARION, Ind., April 26, 2008
Clinton: We Don't Need Moderators
N.Y. Senator Challenges Obama To Lincoln-Douglas Style Debate Where Candidates Ask Each Other Questions
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Following the storm of criticism over the trival questions asked during the recent ABC News-sponsored debate, Hillary Clinton has proposed debating Barack Obama without the use of outside questioners. (AP)
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Clinton took the debate dispute to a new level, challenging Obama to face off with her in a debate without a moderator.
"Just the two of us, going for 90 minutes, asking and answering questions, we'll set whatever rules seem fair," Clinton said while campaigning in South Bend.
Her campaign made the offer formal with a letter to the Obama campaign. Obama aides said they were studying the letter.
Trailing in delegates and the popular vote, Clinton has been stepping up the pressure on Obama for more debates in advance of primaries in nine days in Indiana and North Carolina. Clinton argued that Obama won't debate because he's unhappy with questions from TV moderators during the April 16 debate just before the Pennsylvania primary. After that debate, Obama complained it focused too much on political trivia and too little on real issues.
On the campaign trail Saturday, he sounded much the same theme.
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"I was convinced that the American people were tired of the politics that's all about tearing each other down. The American people were tired of spin and PR, they wanted straight talk and honesty from their elected officials," Obama said at a town hall meeting in the aging industrial city of Anderson.Just the two of us, going for 90 minutes, asking and answering questions, we'll set whatever rules seem fair.
Hillary Clinton, challenging her Democratic rival Barack Obama to an unmoderated debate"If you watched the last few weeks of this campaign, you'd think that all politics is about is negative ads and bickering and arguing, gaffes and sideline issues," said Obama. "There's no serious discussion about how to bring jobs back, to Anderson."
Both rivals were focusing on Indiana on Saturday, with Clinton bringing along popular Sen. Evan Bayh and talking about reviving the industrial economy.
"We can do that again, but we need, as Senator Bayh said, a president who doesn't just talk about it but who actually rolls up her sleeves and gets to work," said Clinton.
The two Democratic candidates were stumping in the heart of Republican territory, and Obama sought to reach across party lines, saying he has struggled to avoid the back-and-forth bickering of the campaign, and focus on issues like plant closings that have damaged cities like Anderson.
"I've been trying to resist that in this campaign and I will continue to resist it when I'm president of the United States," said Obama.
Clinton was focused in eastern Indiana along the Ohio border in industrial pockets as well, seeking to build a coalition of working-class voters similar to the one that served her well in neighboring Ohio.
The next round of primaries in the historic contest for the Democratic nomination comes May 6 when Democrats in Indiana and North Carolina go to the polls. Obama is favored in North Carolina, but the polls have shown the race in Indiana far too close to call.
The North Carolina primary offers 115 national convention delegates, the largest prize among the nine contests remaining. Indiana has with 72 delegates available.
In the overall race for the Democratic Party nomination, Obama leads with 1,724.5 delegates, including superdelegates - unelected party officials who can vote as they please. Clinton had 1,593.5, according to an Associated Press tally. It takes 2,025 to win the nomination.
With no end in sight soon for the Democratic contest, Obama sought to ease worries that the intraparty fight will leave the party vulnerable in November.
"Everybody is kind of nervous about this Democratic primary, it's been going on a long time," said Obama. "I have my differences with Senator Clinton and she has her differences with me. We will be united in November and beat John McCain and the Republicans."
Obama also underscored his differences with McCain, the certain Republican nominee.
"John McCain says he's different, but when you look at his policies he's got no agenda for you, how to make you a little more successful," Obama told his heavily blue-collar audience. "We know in our hearts that this country is not going down the right track, something needs to change right now and that's what's at stake in this election."
In Anderson, Obama noted that McCain has switched views on issues like tax cuts for the rich to curry favor with the conservative Republican Party base. "The straight talk express lost a wheel," said Obama.
McCain's campaign was quick to respond. "This again shows that Barack Obama doesn't understand the economy. Americans are looking for proof that the next president is going to be someone who understands their needs," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said in a statement.
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See all 673 CommentsGo McCain 2008!
If he can''t use his teleprompter and control the questions, he''ll never show!
He''s laughing at Annie Oakley again.
She can tell the world she destroy something again ''without hesitation'' -- whew baby ain''t that grand.
The moderators and their ilk, will try hard to put this one down--because it makes them un-necessary.
You''ll probably hear from these reporters, interviewing one another as if they are all "in the know", that the idea of a simple one on one debate is somehow "old fashioned"-- in order to make a vain attempt to spin this for Barak!
Hillary has the only stamp of approval that counts......the Republicans!
All you Hillary supporters who keep banging on that even though she is losing she is more electable, why do you think the Republicans are so desperate not to face Obama?
The Republicans have negative ads against Obama but not Hillary because they know that Hillary is more unelectable and easier for them to beat.
Hillary has won some big battles but has lost the war!
The moderators and their ilk, will try hard to put this one down--because it makes them un-necessary.
You''''ll probably hear from these reporters, interviewing one another as if they are all "in the know", that the idea of a simple one on one debate is somehow "old fashioned"-- in order to make a vain attempt to spin this for Barak!
$15 million in debt and she claims to have passed the Steward of the Economy test.
But Hillary is unelectable because polls show that
60% of people regard her as the most dishonest politician in the presidential race !!
He can''t win a fair unmoderated debate.
Period.
And don''t worry about "division" in the democratic party-- Barak has promissed that his strong suit is bringing people together.
Even if Barak must decline the VP nomination, he should be able to deliver and help hold the party together--he has promissed as much, he has proclaimed that he is selfless in this regard hundreds of times.
The question has lingered since it arose last week during the federal corruption trial of Antoin "Tony" Rezko: Why, just weeks after winning the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in 2004, would Barack Obama attend a party for a controversial Iraqi-born billionaire whom Rezko was trying to lure into an investment?
In an interview Friday, Obama didn''t deny the assertion by Stuart Levine, the government''s star witness in the Rezko trial, about the party honoring Nadhmi Auchi, a British citizen who is appealing a fraud conviction in France. Obama said he didn''t recall the event.
"I mean this has been, I guess, four years ago," he said. "My understanding, through his lawyer, Mr. Auchi doesn''t recall meeting me."
Asked if he thought Rezko may have been using him to impress potential investors, Obama replied: "I just don''t have a recollection of the event. As I said, I was in the middle of running a U.S. Senate race. So, you know, I was speaking all the time, probably six, seven, eight times a day."
What we need is for each candidate to clearly state what they have identified as our major problems and what they will do about them.
They need to have individual shows with Bill Moyer or someone else who can let them have the stage.
Money should not decide who gets our vote - both candidates should have access to the public airwaves without having to pay for it.
There is little value in letting Clinton compare herself with Obama. She needs to talk about something other than her experience, which she has a problem remembering.
Also there is little point in having a debate unless the questions to be debated have been agreed to prior to the debate. We really do not need a good debater as president we need someone who has a clear plan.
One last point. A number of people who are supporting Clinton have pointed out how negative she has become. If I were Obama I would not engage Clinton in a mud throwing match. I simply would not stoop that low.
for a green card into America that was Obama''s deal
So he''ll stay far away from a debate
He can''''t win a fair unmoderated debate.
Period.
Posted by realtime09 at 04:05 PM : Apr 26, 2008
Yeah - he''s only won 20 out of 21.
You''re real observant.
You''''re real observant.
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Posted by hungry1968 at 04:33 PM : Apr 26, 2008
Won what? Basketball games?
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Posted by johnax88 at 04:20 PM : Apr 26, 2008
Why not? He''s been engaging in mud slinging since day one? What''s different now?
what she said
Posted by seah5 at 04:16 PM : Apr 26, 2008
And why wouldn''t he?
The ONLY REASON that she wants another debate, is for the FREE EXPOSURE!! She is so fiscally irresponsible, that she''s bankrupted her own candidacy, and now (like McCain), must rely on the free exposure to get her message out.
Do you really think that they want to go over the same issues for a 22nd time, especially when all of their positions are posted on their websites?
No - his denying her FREE MEDIA is a BRILLIANT plan on his part, and meeting and greeting people is a much better plan for him anyway.
Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 04:34 PM : Apr 26, 2008
Debates, bowling....name it.
Although she did make a complete fool of herself in the shot and a beer fiasco.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLkHpVHj4TE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLkHpVHj4TE
his fear to debate Hillary Clinton
proves he''s also a chicken,
in case anyone hasn''t caught on by now!
who murdered him and why?
.
This is another excellent proposal by Hillary.
The MSM is still up-in-arms over George and Charlie in the last "debate". Apparently these two failed to live-up to the MSM''s required "special treatment" of its favorite candidate by giving hussein some questions that were not just soft-ball lobs. How dare they treat him that way!
And what was the result of Charlie and George acting like JOURNALISTS, instead of hussein supporters? hussein folded like a cheap (and empty) suit !!!!!!!
Then we get another wimp-out from hussein: he says he will no longer debate! Wow, that''s BITTER, very BITTER. He wants to just CLING TO his "God Da''mn America" RELIGION.
Come-on hussein. Don''t hide. Face your opponent like a man, instead of an elitist wimp.
Hillary is waiting, and so is the rest of America.
/
in my opinion it shows he a chicken *****. who cares about free exposure. If hes so sure of himself and such a good statesman he should be saying "BRING IT ON HIL!"
Wonder who these broads would tapas Secretary of Defense, Jane Fonda? Wonder who they would tap as Secretary of State, former President Jimmy Carter.
America doesn''t need lil'' missy and her weenie brand of foreign policy.
Craps Obama has already lied about the meeting with Canada on NAFTA, why and the hell would you want him. Slick willy running around boinking interns isnt going to hurt the country. By the way just about every politician on capitol hill has their *** scandel. Obama even had a B J from Larry Sinclair. Google the story.
McCain is insane.
Obama is an elitist loser.
Wake up! We have got to get this country out of the hands of the neo-con cabal, the Bush Crime Syndicate.
Hillary Clinton will be the best president since Kennedy.
In response to your charge that Obama is afraid of an old woman, maybe if lil'' missy applied more make-up she''d be easier to look at--let alone be stuck on stage alone with for a 90 minute debate. Our nation is at war, so why debate over what is obvious? lil'' missy cannot command the Armed Forces wisely. Imagine the weak morale Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders would have had if their Commander-in-Chief was Susan B. Anthony? Missy''s out. It''s really that simple.
One of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton''s Major Fundraisers, who was ambassador to Chile under President Clinton, is defecting from the campaign and joining Sen. Barack Obama''s national finance committee, campaign aides said Friday.
Gabriel Guerra-Mondragon, who was the U.S. envoy to Chile from 1994 to 1998, had been credited with raising $300,000 for Hillary Clinton''s presidential campaign.
But lately, he became "concerned about the tone of the race," said an Obama aide, who requested anonymity because he has not been directly involved with the development.
Guerra-Mondragon is expected to raise money for Obama as part of his work on the Illinois Democrat''s national finance committee. A Clinton campaign official, who also declined to be identified, downplayed the significance, saying that Guerra-Mondragon''s decision did not portend more defections.
America can do better than this. Wonder who these broads would tap as Secretary of Defense, Jane Fonda?
and he certainly won''t debate her free, Lincoln-Douglas style where she''d tear him to shreds! Obama claims to be a Lincoln admirer, but this proves he''s a big hypocrite. The media might let him get away with this sissy behavior, but the American people won''t Do not risk putting America in the hands of an imbecile and immature fraud, who is both a turkey and a chicken, Vote HIllary Clinton
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