Iowa Democratic Presidential Candidate Debate: The LiveBlog

Well, it's about that time: today is the last Democratic debate before the Iowa caucuses. After yesterday's, um, "calm" Republican debate, many are wondering if we'll be seeing the same today.

The debate will be airing in just a few minutes, at 1 p.m. Central time, on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, C-SPAN 3, some PBS stations, and Bob's Crab Shack and Auto Repair. OK, I kid about that last one. Tune in, or follow along here as I update this thread with our up-to-the-minute play-by-play you've come to expect of our debate coverage. EDIT: As before, our analysis follows.

12:55 Well, I suppose I should note for those following along on the television that MSNBC looks like they may be just a bit late to the debate party. They are covering the long-awaited Major League Baseball steroid use report that may list up to 120 players as using steroids. So you may want to go to CNN for the first few minutes.

1:00 All six candidates have been introduced. Six, you ask? Dennis Kucinich is not in attendance, as he didn't make the viability cut for the debate. Ouch.

1:03 The first question is on the economy. Not Iraq! That's a refreshing change, and one that is clearly targeted to Iowa voters. Obama is asked if he'd make it a priority to balance the federal budget. He goes quick on the anti-Bush attack, but has to be asked again if he would or would not make it a priority. Says that it'd be important, but it's not something that could be done in just a few years; it's a long-term priority. Richardson also answers, and goes the resume route: "I have to balance the budget by law as governor." For his turn, Biden wants to point out that balancing the budget doesn't mean not helping the health care situation, economy, etc. and simply by ending the war and cutting some other related unnecessary expenditures, the budget can be balanced even while doing everything Democrats want to do. Dodd also goes the resume route, talking about how he's supported pay-go governments for years. Edwards sticks with his message of corporate greed having taken over government, and that being the reason the government can't save money, and how he's the guy that stands up to those forces. Hillary evokes her husband's presidency and the surplus he ended up with after his eight years in office as an example of her history of budget responsibility.

1:10 Richardson gets asked when tax increases are necessary to balancing the budget. Richardson talks about how taxes can be used to incentivize markets where we want to encourage development. Edwards again points to corporate America as having set up the current tax system, and their taking advantage of low tax burdens and taking that money and hiring overseas. Clinton gives a very straightforward answer about how she plans to increase taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans and ease the burden on the middle class.

1:13 Biden is asked how he would pay for new programs if military expenses in Iraq continue? He doesn't like the premise, and says he can end the war in the first year, but cites again the wasteful programs in the Defense Department as needing to be cut and enabling paying for those new programs. Obama talks about closing loopholes on corporate taxes, and using that for tax relief to regular Americans. Didn't I just hear that a few minutes ago from another candidate? Richardson starts his answer off again with his resume. I guess when you have his resume, you can do that. But oddly, he talks about how the next president will need to take care of some military priorities -- building the size of the military back up after its exhaustion in Iraq, fixing the VA system, and such. Not that he's wrong, but it's not exactly meat for the base, I think. Dodd pretty much answers only with his resume — he has many many years in the Senate, but the answer was light on what he would actually do.

1:18 Richardson is asked how we manage our difficult relationship with China. It's a complicated question and difficult to answer briefly, and Richardson gives an accurate but very haphazard answer, touching on a number of distinct points — we have to accept that they're competitors economically, we have to ensure the democratic process, we have to protect ourselves from their lack of regulation and ban poor goods and such — but not tying them together well. Dodd also gets to answer, and focuses on their trade problems, saying that treating them as "competitors" implies that they're playing on the same playing field as we are, and that has to be leveled.

1:21 Clinton gets asked if too much of the budget is going to entitlements? She answers that a large part of that is that health care costs are through the roof, and the vast majority of that goes not to actual medical practice but to the pockets of HMOs, and that her health care plan has aggressive reduction costs that would also help Medicare costs. Biden agrees that system costs are the overarching problem. Obama points out that if obesity rates returned to what they were in 1980, that would save the health care system a trillion dollars. Wow! That one's going to get fact-checked later. Richardson seems to agree, stating that a disproportionate amount of the $2.2 trillion Medicare budget is going to helping diabetes.

1:24 Apparently, candidates are going to get to make personal statements throughout the debate. Obama goes first, and evokes Martin Luther King's "fierce urgency of now" to ask Iowans to caucus for him. Edwards' statement is that there is a lot at stake in this election, and that he's the guy that has and will go out and stand for the needed change. He has a bit of a verbal bobble at the end, which everyone gets a chuckle out of.

1:27 Biden gets asked about how we should change how we're handling trade with foreign nations. He mentions that he's against free trade agreements and has been since CAFTA. Richardson doesn't think they're not viable, but believes that clear safeguards of human rights should be included in those agreements. Dodd points out that human rights and national security are intrinsically related, and that they should be central to the trade policy instead of something that is applied piecemeal on a per-case basis. Edwards agrees, but ties that to China, and mentions the closing of a local Iowa factory due to Chinese imports, saying that much the same thing happened to his father. Way to get the local tie in there! Bet that plays well in the state.

1:31 Clinton is asked if NAFTA should be scrapped or changed. Clinton says that clearly such agreements need to be reviewed to see if they're working to help Americans, and that NAFTA is part of that review. Obama says NAFTA should definitely be amended, and we should make sure human rights clauses in such bills are enforceable. Dodd mentions that there is some good news on those issues, pointing to a Darfur bill that passed last night in the Senate to pressure Sudan by cutting investments there.

1:34 Biden and Richardson make their statements next; Biden talked about how it's time to raise the country up, and Richardson thanked Iowa for the caucus process (that gave everyone some chuckles as well) and then went on to stress the importance of caring for the troops — troops still dying in Iraq, 60,000 home with mental trauma, the VA broken. You know, on second thought, maybe his stressing that is more well-calculated than I thought, particularly for Iowa.

1:36 Biden is asked what we can do to turn energy independence into net benefit? Of course, giving economic incentives to bring that industry up so it benefits the entire economy is pretty much the pat answer, and Biden gets to say it first. Richardson gets to use his "energy revolution" line, and speak more on the problems of our current energy independence. Dodd also touches on the problems before defending his push for the carbon tax, and the endorsements from Al Gore and Bill Bradley for his being the most forward and bold energy plan out there. Clinton — ooh, she stole Edwards' "Americans need to sacrifice for something other than war" bit! She talks about how she was inspired by the Apollo project as a youth, and how she feels Americans must be united behind the common purpose of climate change and make those sacrifices because they're inspired to do so. Might not be originally her line, but she sold it well. Obama doesn't have anything as snazzy to follow with, and stays with the importance of energy independence. Edwards points out the obstacles to change in oil companies and such, and then goes on his standard take that we have a moral responsibility to bring about that change and Americans need to be inspired to take part in it. Clinton really took the wind out of those sails, though. And she added a little zing at the Republicans in yesterday's debate who as a whole refused to acknowledge climate change as a problem in a "raise your hands" question.

1:44 Asked about farm subsidies, and in particular the Senate vote yesterday on farm subsidies that failed, Dodd says he would have voted for it and thinks good changes had been coming from that committee. Obama would have voted against it because expanding subsidies haven't been going to family farmers, and that instead he'd be voting for a subsidy limits for huge agrobusinesses. Biden would have supported the bill as well, and Clinton would have done as Obama would have, voting for the cap but against yesterday's bill.

1:48 Clinton gets her statement, and she gets shots in on the two frontrunners with it. She says everyone wants change on that stage, and that some think you bring it about by demanding it and some by hoping for it, but she believes that hard work is what brings that about and she would do that. Honestly, I missed Dodd's statement. I'll edit this with details on that later. EDIT: OK, Dodd starts by thanking Iowa, and then he talks about how his campaign is about positive ideas, building confidence and optimism. Throws a little resume in there, of course. It's the hip thing among underdogs, don'tcha know.

1:50 Edwards, asked about what the features are or would be in the "world's best" education system, talks about setting up a national teaching academy in the spirit of the naval academy, giving teacher incentives, and changing NCLB before going to his "two Americas" line with education, and the dramatic disparity in education that comes from one's economic standing. Richardson says education would be one of the top priorities of his, and specifically points out that "teachers aren't respected" in our current environment and that they need a blanket pay increase. With a follow-up on specifically how it's handled in his state, Richardson gets to riff just a little more on his resume. Obama, touching on the same issues, stresses the importance of parental involvement in a child's education. Dodd says that education is key, and agrees with Obama that involving parents is critical to the process. Clinton states her support for education, and notes the "bully pulpit" that presidents have for doing so that others mentioned, but points out that only 10% of education costs are paid by the federal government, and they should be used strategically for what they were initially intended, like paying for special education. Edwards gets to add some time, and takes a different tack on it to talk about continuing education in adulthood. Biden gets thirty seconds, and quickly talks about how education needs to be a priority.

1:58 Obama gets asked what he could reasonably accomplish in his first year as president. He says that he'd end the war in Iraq, he'd review the decisions that have cut civil rights in the Bush administration, and establish universal health care. Biden says he'd ask the joint chiefs to implement the Biden plan to end the war, he'd cover civil rights, and he'd insure every child on the way to universal health care. I have the feeling many of these will be remarkably similar. Richardson says he'd end the war, reduce dependence on foreign oil, and follow the Constitution to reinstate habeas corpus and other lost civil rights. Dodd starts off on a different track, and says he'd first work to change the shrill discourse of current politics. He'd work to improve foreign diplomacy, not just in Iraq but everywhere, and he'd set up universal health care. Edwards thinks there are a lot of promises being made, and points out that there are huge problems that need to be handled and will take time. He'd end the war, close Guantanamo, etc. but some problems will take time and not everything can be done in the first year. Clinton takes a number of different angles, adding to the "standards" that she'd end the current administration's war on science, and she'd ask Congress to send her everything Bush vetoed for review.

2:03 Clinton gets asked how she would ensure an open government even in cases where it may help her critics, in a series of questions for the candidates on their individual ethics. The question referenced health care in the old Clinton administration, but this was pretty clearly about the closed records of her involvement in the Clinton administration, but she skirts around that a bit to talk about the issues the previous Clinton administration and how she learned from those. Biden gets asked about his verbal gaffes and whether he's uncomfortable talking about race? He says that yes, he tends to be blunt and direct with issues like race, but no one that knows him questions his commitment to civil rights. Clinton gives him a "hear, hear," and Obama follows up and states that he will testify to Biden's commitment to that. Really, Biden knocked a tough question out of the park.

2:08 Edwards gets asked how he plans to accomplish his agenda when he's calling special interests corrupt. He notes that the whole reason that we haven't been able so far to do the things that everyone has talked about on the stage — energy independence, health care — has been because of the special interests, and thinking that they'll just yield the power they have in government is a fantasy. He notes that he's been fighting and winning them for years. Dodd gets asked about his father's legacy in government (he was a Senator, and censured for his use of campaign funds), and how his desire to strengthen his family name affected his race. He said that what affected him of his father's legacy was the commitment he had to public service throughout his entire career, not the specific case of his father's censure. Jeez, what a question! He answered it well, but wow, way to get the short straw. Richardson gets asked about gaffes as Clinton's energy secretary, and notes that he's sure he's made other mistakes in his time in politics, but he acted in the way that he saw was best at the time. Obama gets asked about how he's said he'd involve Clinton advisers like he's claimed he would in government — honestly, that's a lot more of a softball than what the other candidates got — and says he seeks to get advice from experts across the board and unite instead of using Bush's policies of separation and fear. Also got a laugh line out of telling Hillary that he looks forward to having her advise him too. Why he got the softball, I'm not sure.

2:15 Clinton and Edwards both get to answer the question of how they'd use signing statements in their administration — a pretty easy "yet another abuse of power by Bush" question — and then the candidates are asked what their New Years' resolutions are. I guess Clinton has to have one bad answer, right? She rambles about how there are lots of things, and some are personal, and, and... oh, build confidence in America. Edwards says that his is to remember that in all the glorification of candidates that happens around now, to remember that a child will go to bed hungry, and issues like that are what really deserving of attention, not the guys on the stage. Dodd gets in a funny about Iowans caucusing for him. Richardson says that, just like every year, he'll resolve to lose weight — funny, but I hope he didn't plan to have anyone pay attention to anything after that! (In case you're wondering, the rest was to fix the dysfunctional relationship between the President and Congress, and to stay positive.) Biden talks about remembering when things were really bad so you can appreciate the good, and how he'd like to appreciate the people in his work and personal life and remember where he came from, and Obama talks about how he wants to be a better husband and father and how what he's doing is not about him.

And finally, they are asked what they've learned from Iowa. Clinton loved the involvement of Iowans, Edwards learned how people want someone that truly driven "in their gut" wants to fight for their benefit, Dodd loves the independence of Iowans, Richardson loves that they're big fans of the underdog and don't like being told who to vote for, Biden loves the respect and courteousness he's seen on the road and how seriously everyone takes their involvement, and Obama liked how they are hands-on in examining the candidates and their generosity of spirit. And there's the wrap-up — the final debate before the Iowa caucus is over. We'll have some closing discussion, but first I need to change the channel away from CNN, as they've said twice within the first 60 seconds after the debate that they're "the best political team on television" and that makes me a little ill to my stomach.

Interestingly, you may be interested to know that because of the baseball steroids press conference that MSNBC did live, they are now showing the debate with about an hour delay in there.

Well, everyone was pretty sure coming into this debate that we wouldn't see the fireworks that we've seen in previous debates. I held some hope for the Republican debate getting ugly, from how nasty it's gotten very recently, but that was never really a possibility here. And without the ability to paint negatives and distinguish themselves from front-runner Hillary Clinton, the Obama and Edwards camps were at a natural disadvantage.

To add to that disadvantage, Clinton brought her A game to this debate, as she surely knew she would have to. Edwards and Obama both had moments where they grabbed attention with solid answers, but that's just not enough to draw the dstinctions that need to be drawn for them to pull away from Clinton. Obama in particular was consistent but somewhat uninspired; he didn't seem to consistently have the fire that is seen when he's really on his game, and he needed that tonight to cement the momentum he'd gotten recently by pulling just ahead in polls, in a statistical tie with Hillary Clinton. And it felt like though Edwards also had some good answers, he never got into the groove of a consistent message. I'd say of the front-runners, Clinton was most clearly on the ball with her message and came out on top.

Similarly, Biden had a few strong moments, but the regular victor among the underdogs felt a little underwhelming. On the other hand, Richardson gave what I felt was an above-average performance — I wouldn't say he was a shining star, but he pulled off a solid, consistent performance, and looked a bit more comfortable in his own skin than he normally does. It's a bit late to be peaking in debate performance, and I wouldn't expect much out of his atypically strong performance, but he does take the prize out of the underdog candidates.

On the whole, "solid but uninspiring" characterizes the debate as a whole, and Clinton gets the nod from me for winner for being consistently solid in an unremarkable field. Then again, Obama had the only sound bite that could be considered remotely interesting in a content-free but witty one-liner against Clinton, and the media does love their sound bites. We'll see which way they take it.