Liveblog: Des Moines Register Democratic Debate

The last Democratic debate prior to the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus has come to a close. The full liveblog of the event from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s headquarters in Cedar Rapids is located below the fold.

“I think Clinton was inspirational,” said supporter Susan Bremer. “I think she far out-shone the other Democrats on the stage. She answered the questions and addressed the issues — she told us not only what she was going to do but how she would do it.”

Judy Brown added that she “thought they were all straight-forward and hit their strongest points.”

“Despite that, Clinton was the clear winner,” she said. “She is never without a comeback. She always knows where the others are and is able to express her point of view.”

There is roughly 10 minutes before the start of The Des Moines Register Democratic Debate. I’m sitting in Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Cedar Rapids headquarters where staff have allowed me to liveblog with gathered supporters and former Vice President Walter Mondale. In addition to Mondale, Iowa Sen. Rob Hogg is in attendance.

There are currently about 20 supporters in the room and everyone is grabbing some snacks and finding a seat.

1:00 p.m. — The debate is beginning, but everyone in the room hasn’t caught on yet. People continue to talk as the credits roll.

Carolyn Washburn of The Des Moines Register is serving as moderator again today — for this last debate before the Iowa caucuses.

The audience here was quiet throughout the introductions until their candidate — Sen. Clinton — was introduced. At that point there was a smattering of applause and a few whoops of joy.

First topic — Would it be a priority of your administration to balance the federal budget every year?

Obama first — “What we’ve seen is a budget that is out of balance…What I want to do is get the long-term fundamentals right.” He said that we cannot “dig ourselves out of this hole in one or two years.”

Richardson — “As governor I have to balance budgets. I balance mine.” He added that he would advocate for a line-item veto for the president. He wants to eliminate congressional earmarks. “Most importantly, I believe balancing the budget should be viewed as an opportunity to have new growth.”

Biden — “It’s pretty straightforward,” he said. He added that it doesn’t have to be a choice. He says that it is about priorities.

The folks here in Cedar Rapids are extremely stoic while the other candidates answer the question — little to no facial expressions and definitely no outward notices of their thoughts.

Dodd — “I’ve been the author of pay-as-you-go budgets during the Reagan administration. What we need to do is grow our economy,” he said. “We need to have an economy that’s driving growth.”

Edwards — “We need to grow and strengthen the middle class — need a president that’s willing to take on Washington.”

Clinton — “Fiscal responsibility is a high priority for me — TV blackout! — The economy will grow again when we force the government to be fiscally responsible.”

The audience reacted when the television blacked out in the middle of Clinton’s response, but otherwise no one is being very verbal today. Former Vice President Mondale has what looks to be the only truly comfortable chair in the audience. Most of us are on wooden folding chairs, but he has a larger leather office chair.

1:11 p.m. — Richardson and Edwards are adding to their response at the request of the moderator. More or less they are expanding on what they’ve already said.

Clinton says people in America “feel like they are standing on a trap door.” She wants to keep middle-class tax cuts. “We can get back to fiscal responsibility and economic growth again.”

There was a small audience reaction — one or two people clapping — after that final statement.

Biden is to explain how he will pay for his new initiatives if the war in Iraq doesn’t end. Biden says we don’t need to rely on Republican rhetoric. “What are your priorities?” He says he will change the existing Republican priorities.

Same question to Obama who says that we have too many tax loopholes. “If we close loopholes, that helps me to offset the cost of the initiatives.” It requires leadership from the White House, he said.

Richardson, same question, he says he detailed $57 million dollars in old weapon systems. He also said that we need to realize that Iraq has drained our military.

Dodd, same question, “I try to frame this in terms of what’s fair, what’s responsible and what’s pro-growth.” He highlights the people in our nation living in poverty and says this is something he has worked on as a member of Congress. Growing the economy, he said, should be a priority, not just raising taxes.

Question to Richardson about China — How do we manage our relationship with China?

Richardson — “Should have a relationship that recognizes that China is a competitor… I’d be tougher on China when it comes to human rights.”

Dodd — “My colleagues talk about China being a competitor… but they don’t compete by the same rules.” He adds that China is not playing fair. “Americans are tired of this conversation that it is business as usual, it is not. We don’t have the same access to their shelves.”

1:19 p.m. — Question to Clinton: Is too much of the federal government going to entitlements?

“Yes, entitlements are a problem,” she said. “It is especially a problem with Medicare — because costs are going up so quickly… We need to rein in payments to the HMOs. We need health care like the plan I’ve proposed.”

Clinton says again that she wants to convene a bi-partisan commission to deal with the problems with Social Security. Again, no audience reaction here in Cedar Rapids.

Biden, same question, and he responds that it is a combination of issues and that entitlements can become a problem if we don’t act. “This is all about action.”

Obama, same question: “We need to emphasize prevention,” he said. “We are not going to make some of these changes unless we change how business is done in Washington.” Obama seems to be stuttering a bit today, like he might be having a difficult time forming his thoughts — or maybe compressing them into 30-second sound bites.

Richardson, same question: “We need an elimination of junk food in schools — like I did in New Mexico.” He also hits on medical research.

Free open statement — Obama: “Forty years ago, Dr. King challenged America to act on the fierce urgency of now. I feel that urgency today…. I am confident that we can meet these challenges… that we can restore our standing in the world. We can only do it, however, if we have the courage to change… if we level with the American people… caucus for me.”

Edwards — “So much at stake for America… corporate power and corporate greed in Washington, D.C. and we have to take it on…. I’ve been fighting these people and winning my entire life. If we rise up together we can make sure that we leave it better than we had it.” Edwards messed up that last statement which caused the audience here and in Des Moines to titter with laughter.

1:29 p.m. — We’re having some Internet and cable issues here at the debate watch party. I missed the past few moments of the debate.

Question to Clinton: “Should NAFTA be scrapped or changed?”

“It should be changed,” she said. “We need to make it clear to the rest of the world that we don’t want to be the trade patsies.”

Obama — “No doubt that NAFTA needs to be amended.” He said he would contact other countries to ensure that environmental concerns are being followed.

Dodd hops in without being called… “Good news — Senate passed his legislation on Darfur last night.”

Biden — “This is about action and pragmatic solutions and that’s what I’ve done my entire career … Leadership is knowing about who you are, what you believe and what you’ll do… It’s time to raise this country up. The American people are ready to do that.”

Richardson uses his 30 seconds to thank the people of Iowa for putting all of the candidates through this process. “We are losing sight that [the war in Iraq] is the fundamental issue that is affecting our entire country.” He adds that 38 Americans died in November — thousands coming back injured to a VA system that is not responding.

Next topic — energy independence: How to make your initiative into a boon for the economy.

Biden just smacked corn ethanol, saying, “It’s not going to take us the whole way. Bottom line is the president has to make this a moral crusade for the American people.”

Richardson — “I like to think that I made my state a clean energy state… I think fuel efficiency standards in this country should be 50 MPG and not 35. I think that’s pathetic.”

Interestingly enough, there were some groans from the audience here at the debate party when Richardson began speaking — as well as a couple of times during his 30-second response.

1:37 p.m. — Dodd: “You’ve started here. Vilsack began, Culver has continued with the Iowa Power Fund… We are not going to wish ourselves out of this problem… I’m the only candidate on this stage that is advocating a corporate carbon tax… Bill Bradley and Al Gore have called our plan the boldest of any.”

Clinton — “It is imperative that we address this issue. Will it affect the average American? Yes it will.”

“We’ve got to enlist the American people, the way we did in a previous generation with the Apollo project,” she added.

Obama — “This is a moral imperative… I want to make sure the planet is as beautiful for [my daughters] as it was for me… In order for this to happen, we need to be courageous enough to talk about it not just in front of the Sierra Club.”

Edwards — “I think we need to recognize the obstacles to the change that everyone thinks is necessary — oil companies, power companies… need a president that will ask Americans to be patriotic about something other than war… the future of the planet for our children and our grandchildren is a moral crisis.”

Clinton asks Washburn if the candidates should raise their hands if they believe global warming is a real problem. The audience here and in Des Moines enjoyed it.

Dodd — Farm Bill question: “Think Harkin has been doing a good job… Iowa represents as much as 10 percent of the most fertile land in the world… move in a direction that encourages conservation is something we all should support.”

Obama — “My rural farm agenda centerpiece is capping the farm subsidies… family farms are getting squeezed out (because of corruption within the system)… we need to invest in organic and alterative crops… we can save the land but increase economic engines in rural areas.” Again, he sounds like he is stuttering… not speaking smoothly at all.

Biden — “First time in Iowa was with Sen. Culver in 1974 — different now, lots of open land, very few farmers…. How do you preserve family farmers?… We need to focus on the things that the farm program was set up to focus on… We need a radical change.” Biden says he and the others voted today to lower the caps.

Clinton says that she’s been following Harkin’s lead on what to do in respect to the Farm Bill. “I’ve got a dozen or so of my family farmers in New York traveling around Iowa today, visiting with Iowa farmers.”

1:47 p.m. — There is light applause for Clinton and her response about the Farm Bill… I just don’t think the audience is too active here.

Clinton — “Everyone wants change. Everyone on this stage has an idea on how to get change… I believe you get change by working hard… that’s what I will do as president… I will not rest until every child has a chance to live up to his or her God-given potential.”

Of course, as soon as I note how quiet the audience is, they come alive following Clinton’s 30-second free-time speech. Nearly everyone in the room was applauding the senator’s remarks.

Dodd — “One of the things I’ve tried to do in this campaign is to talk about postive ideas and also about results… What I’ve done for 26 years is bring Republicans, Democrats and Independents together… this isn’t about wealth or celebrity, it’s about choosing the best candidate who can win.”

1:53 p.m. — Richardson says he would scrap No Child Left Behind and he receives positive noises from the audience here at the Clinton headquarters. He then hits on having arts in schools and garners some more warm fuzzies from the folks here.

Obama — “A lot of [education] ideas have been mentioned,” he said. He then goes onto early childhood education and changes needed to No Child Left Behind. “I want to get parents re-engaged in instilling excellence in their children…. we’ve got to turn off the TV set and turn off the video games.”

Dodd — “What’s the single most important issue? Education. It is the key to everything we are… it’s going to take leadership in this country that makes this a priority.”

Clinton hops in — “The federal government only pays 10 percent of the cost of education… how about funding special education? How about fully funding whatever we ask the local school districts to do?”

Applause for Clinton again from the folks in Cedar Rapids — they especially reacted to her thoughts on special education.

Edwards — “We need to think … about the long-term on how we create the infrastructure to build American workers.”

Biden — “My wife can’t be here today because she is teaching.” Biden says we need to start kids earlier, we need quality teachers and we need to have access to higher education.

Obama — Question: What will you do your first year? — “End the war. Investigate Bush’s executive orders. Health care.”

Biden — “End the war with the Biden plan. Abandoning Bush policy of torture, holding prisoners. I would insure every single child in America for catastrophic illness — education plan.”

Richardson — “End the war. Make a major effort to pass universal health care. Create an ‘energy revolution.’ Say to the American people that I’m going to follow the U.S. Constitution.”

2:00 p.m. — Dodd reacts to Richardson going over time. “It’s going to be a long year.”

Dodd — “Change the nature of the conversation to bring the country together. Give the country back its Constitution. Certainly the war, but also robust diplomacy in the Middle East.”

Edwards — “Too many promises being made, we need to tell people the truth. I will end war, close Gitmo, restore civil liberties, begin working on health care.” Edwards again hits on corporate America.

Clinton — Will begin to end the war in Iraq. “Era of cowboy diplomacy is over.” Review Executive Orders and issue some, like not interfering with science. Review Bush’s vetoes.

Lots more applause for Clinton here in Cedar Rapids.

Clinton — Question: Health care plan in the ’80s was too close and secretive, How would your administration be different?

“Need a strong communications strategy. I didn’t have that then and I’ve learned from that. … I want to have an open and transparent government… put as much as we can on the Internet…. make sure we have an administration that works with the Congress… end the revolving door of lobbyists… I’m very committed to open, transparent government. I’ve learned a lot and believe I can apply those lessons.”

Biden is being asked about his “foot-in-mouth” disease in terms of race.

“I think I have my whole career — I got involved in politics because of the civil rights movement…. I may have phrased those things wrong… I was making the point that minorities start off at a disadvantage… it may be because I speak so bluntly… but no one who knows me doubts my credentials.”

Everyone on the stage yells “Here here!” when Biden completes and then Obama “testifies” on Biden’s behalf.

Edwards — reduce power and wealth in the country? How can you work with them to bring about change after your strong rhetoric?

“I think it is a complete fantasy that we can sit with these people and bring about change… all the things we’ve talked about today… depends on winning this battle [with corporate lobbyists]… I’ve been fighting them my entire life and I’ve been winning my entire life. If you are looking for a winner… I’m 54-year-old and have been doing it my entire life.”

Dodd — is your motivation to restore your family’s good name?

“I’m motivated by my family’s history in public service… a well intentioned public servant can make a difference in the lives of million of people. That’s my motivation. That’s why I’m running for president.”

Richardson — Issues when you were energy secretary?

“In 25 years in public service, there are probably many other mistakes I have made… I didn’t work hard enough… the point is that we do have in all of our lives… I’ve made a lot of gaffes and I’m glad you didn’t raise them. I’ll stand behind my record as energy secretary.”

Obama — you have Clinton advisors, so little of your own — how do you break from past and bring about the change you’ve advocated?

Clinton said she wanted to know that answer as well — nice response locally. Obama responded, “Yeah, I’m looking forward to you advising me as well.” Lots of moans, and a few laughs, from the audience here in Cedar Rapids.

“I think those who are advising me agree with [increasing our reputation in the world]… all designed to create long-term security.”

As president would you use signing statements?

Clinton — would use them the way that presidents before this one used them… this president has essentially used them as a form of veto.

Applause for her here in Cedar Rapids.

Edwards — I will go back to the way signing statement have been used historically — also will make sure that our three branches are equal. Edwards receives a few whoops when he says “we don’t have a king”

2008 New Years Resolution?

Clinton — it is multi-part — spending time with family, exercise, also resolved to do the best I can in this campaign, to run a campaign that Democrats can be proud of, go into the White House ready to serve

Edwards — to remember that tonight somewhere in America tonight a child goes to bed hungry, that a family will go to a hospital and beg for health care, that a man will lose his job — We are all going to be just fine, but what is at stake if America will be just fine

Dodd — regain our moral authority around the world, national optimism, spend time with family, Iowans caucus and caucus correctly on Jan. 3

Richardson — lose weight, I wish that the Congress and the President would end their dysfunctional relationship. I also want to continue to stay positive and be optimistic.

Biden — Remember where I cam from. Your whole life can change in a split second. Every year I make a resolution to try to remember when things were really bad — that I treat everyone the way they should be treated.

Obama — be a better father, be a better husband, remind myself that this — what I’m doing — is not about me

2:21 p.m. — one last question — What are your lessons from Iowa?

Clinton — thanks to Iowans, I’ve eaten my way across the state. I will not forget the people of Iowa.

Edwards — Iowa caucus-goers see us up close and they can judge if someone is honest and sincere and can be trusted and they can see who has fire in their belly

Dodd — A great joy to eat everything on a stick at the fair. I love the independence of Iowans to make up their own minds. That’s a good thing for America.

Richardson — What I like best about Iowans is that you like underdogs — I’ve been enormously enriched by my contact with Iowans.

Biden — Iowa deserves to be first because they take it so seriously. Where ever you are people take it seriously and you treat us with respect. Without you this democracy is in trouble because without you it is all about money.

Obama — Core descency of the American people — generosity of spirit.

Thanks from the moderator, the debate has come to a close — the audience locally applauds.

Those in the audience are being invited to volunteer for an extra hour — now or later, says the staff. We’d love to have you.