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Live-Blogging From Debates By Rick Klein

January 05, 2008 4:54 PM

10:45 pm: Some final thoughts on the Democrats. Edwards may have turned in the strongest pure performance. But that will be overshadowed by a couple of stand-out Clinton moments. She let it all out tonight -- the entire book on Obama. But she opened the book on herself with those flashes of anger. New Hampshire voters don't like candidates who feel entitlted to nominations -- they get to decide, things are not foreordained and candidates are not inevitable. Sen. Clinton had some moments tonight she'll want to take back.

That's all for tonight -- read The Note tomorrow for a full recap and analysis, and a look ahead, as always.

10:37 pm: I'm so glad at least Edwards and Richardson could have some fun at their own expense.

10:34 pm: A fun last question -- what would you take back? But a dangerous one to play on.

10:31 pm: My colleague Jake Tapper points out that the debate isn't over yet and The Moment is already a YouTube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07u6uffKvpA

10:30 pm: This happens at just about every debate: John Edwards comes back to his message again and again, in an effective way. If a debate could vault him back into the game, he may be having that very debate.

10:26 pm: ABC's Sarah Amos, who covers Richardson: "Sometimes I feel like Richardson would do so much better if he just stopped talking 20 seconds earlier. Strong answers sometimes, but then they meander until people forget his point entirely."

10:20 pm: Obama's retort to Hillary's best line: "The truth is, words do inspire." Here's the thing: it's more fun to vote for optimism than realism -- I didn't say it's smarter, necessarily, just that it's more fun.

10:17 pm: Now she's just as angry defending the Clinton legacy: "I think we've got amnesia." Got her some applause inside the debate hall.

10:14 pm: Hillary Clinton brings the "reality check." "When it comes to lobbyists, Sen. Obama's chair in New Hampshire is a lobbyist. . . I think it's important that all of us be held to the same standard." Some standards are more "same" than others -- but she has the ENTIRE dossier on Obama out on the table tonight.

And HERE'S her most effective argument, well put: "Words are not action. And as beautifully presented and as passionately felt as they are, they are not action."

10:13 pm: Does Charlie Gibson know Obama's lobbying bill better than he does? He didn't seem too ready/able to defend his bill. But "we have to bet on them." See, the spotty first half of that message was forgotten quickly.

10:11 pm: So far, like the GOP, I don't see a clear winner as much as I see a clear loser. Edwards is effective as always, maybe more than usual. And yet -- that's not where the focus is. It's hard to game out the scenario that leaves him as the last person standing against Obama, which is his central problem at this moment.

10:08 pm: Richardson almost made Obama's argument for him by talking up JFK.

10:04 pm: Obama is taking the opportunities to talk about his core message now. His "working majority for change." If you're still on the fence, that's compelling stuff.

10 pm: "I'm offering 35 years of experience making change," Clinton says. And then she turns it back to the records... She never got into why people just may not like her.

9:59 pm: "I don't think she's that bad," Clinton said. Obama: "You're likeable enough."

9:58 pm: WMUR's Scott Spradling was right to pick up on the highlight of the first half, and maybe of this and any debate.

9:56 pm: For some reason, John Edwards almost missed the restart of the live broadcast. But he's back in time, no harm, no foul.

9:49 pm: In case there's any doubt, there is no real estate worth occupying on the right on the war issue. So nobody supports the surge. Richardson gets his main message home: "I bring the troops home within a year."

9:47 pm: The Clinton campaign is beginning to churn out well-documented pieces showing Obama's shifts of positions. None of which will be as memorable what just happened on stage.

9:40 pm: There will be time to ponder this later . . . but I do wonder whether that moment when Clinton seemed almost incredulous that she's not winning is unlikely to speak to anyone who isn't already supporting her. That has the potential of being a memorable moment, for all the wrong reasons, of course.

9:38 pm: From ABC's Eloise Harper, who covers the Clinton campaign: "Snap! Clinton just lost her temper a bit. Interesting that Richardson is taking her side - after the alleged deal with Obama on caucus night."

9:35 pm: Sen. Clinton is doing more than an adequate job defending herself, but now she's in all-out warfare with two of the three other people on stage -- and has to stay on this side of indignant anger in talking herslef up. (Richardson: "I've been in hostage negotiations that are a lot more civil.") This Edwards strategy makes sense -- he wants a one-on-one with Obama. But what he's doing is likely to make Obama stronger.

9:34 pm: And John Edwards defends Obama against Clinton! "The forces of status quo are going to attack." He wants an "unfiltered debate between the agents of change." (Just like Mitt, guess who doesn't have many friends on stage?) Edwards: "I didn't hear these types of attacks from Sen. Clinton when she was ahead."

9:32 pm: Obama is defending on substance -- that is good. This is good for the process. And ABC's Karen Travers drives home this point: "It took about the same amount of time in both debates for the debating to start-about 23-24 (assuming they keep this going). Maybe that is the comfort point."

9:29 pm: I'm surprised that Obama is bringing up the differences between the healthcare plans. And Clinton is taking him on over mandates -- I'm very curious to see whether he can keep that debate going. Wow -- wow, she is bringing it all tonight. She will have left it all on the field. I give her serious credit for taking this on, not leaving it to oppo or negative ads or surrogates.

9:27 pm: Ahh, CHANGE. This is the heart of it, now isn't it? Clinton talks about "bringing people together" -- sort of an Obama line. And she wants scrutiny of "our records." And then she brings it: "He could have a pretty good debate with himself." "I think that's relevant. What we're looking for is a president we can count on. . . . I have no problem with whatever scrutiny comes my way."

9:23 pm: The Richardson campaign points out that he is the only one calling for Musharaff to step aside. Fair point.

9:21 pm: Maybe, on second thought, this is Obama talking to his supporters. They don't want a play it safe, complacent frontrunner. They want him to feel strongly, and speak strongly. So that in itself makes for a different debate dynamic.

9:16 pm: Intriguing answer for Obama to go on the offensive first, by mentioning Iraq. As everyone paying attention knows, he's the only person on the stage who was against the war from the start. Not a classic frontrunner's move, but maybe it pays off.

9:14 pm: No real separation on this first subject so far. They'd all go into Pakistan -- a nuclear nation -- to take out al Qaeda. But Hillary Clinton is the first to connect it to her campaign message: "We have to be very conscious of all the consequences." She finds five consequences -- designed, it seems to show that she knows this stuff well. A tour de force of an answer. Experience begets change. That's the campaign message.

9:11 pm: If people are still having trouble watching online try http://www.wmur.com/politics/index.html

9:08 pm: I wonder who loses the most from being seated -- the John Edwards passion doesn't come across the same way from a swivel chair.

9:06 pm: This seems like ages ago when Obama was talking about going into Pakistan. In a sense, anything pre-Iowa was ages ago. He has to watch every single word he utters tonight, and he's doing it hoarsely -- he's used to talking, and doing so with volume, after this non-stop stretch of campaigning.

9:02 pm: This is cozy cozy cozy! Just four desks plus Charlie Gibson. No avoiding confrontation when they're in each others' personal space. This does make it look like, as Bill Richardson says, the Final Four.

9 pm: Now it's on to the Democrats........

8:55 pm: Some final thoughts: Perhaps its indicative of this scattered, chaotic Republican field that it's extremely difficult to pick a winner. Maybe Rudy had the strongest night, maybe Ron Paul for what it's worth, and McCain certainly got off the most zingers.

But I saw that as a pretty bad night for Mitt Romney. I think he was outflanked on immigration by McCain and Giuliani -- that's not easy to do. And you can tell that nobody on that stage likes him. He's a frontrunner here, so he can expect the heat, but so is John McCain, and yet everyone rushed to defend McCain and attack Romney. Why would Romney say he likes mandates? How could he have let Fred Thompson best him on a debate over healthcare? Just a few of the many questions he's going to have to sort out, against the backdrop of some McCain momentum in New Hampshire?

That's it for this debate, and it's on to the Democrats!

Read all about this and more in tomorrow's Note...

8:44 pm: If you are an American with any ounce of patriotism, you cannot watch that moment -- 10 candidates of all colors and backgrounds and genders and beliefs, together on stage, one of whom will almost certainly be the 44th president of the United States -- and not get at least a tiny little goosebump.

And I will admit to being enough of a civics dork to have gotten many of them. r

8:40 pm: Look, I work for ABC, so I can't be impartial. But I loved this debate -- the format really did click.

8:36 pm: Fred Thompson does get bonus points -- if not votes -- for intellectually honesty. "We're not going to be energy independent in a few years."

8:32 pm: ABC's Matt Stuart: "Anyone else think Barack Obama wishes Ron Paul wasn't speaking right now?  Or at least pronouncing "Barack" correctly?"

8:31 pm: Huckabee had all sorts of caveats before he started praising Obama, but then he gets off his strongest line of the evening: "We better be careful as a party..." if we don't do something as a party to give something to be for. I really think that was the first time we had a flash of the Huckabee that's such a magnetic presence on the stump.

8:30 pm: ABC's Bret Hovell: "I think that's the second time Thompson has come to McCain's defense against Romney: We're talking about a Democratic primary here, he said, on the issue of change."

8:28 pm: Regarding Romney and his new change message, says ABC's Matt Stuart: "There's Romney's revamped stump in a nutshell.  But will it work in New Hampshire…with only 4 days left?"

8:27 pm: McCain takes another unprovoked shot at Romney: "I agree, you are the candidate of change."

8:26 pm: Thompson: "Sen. Obama has adopted the position of every liberal interest group in this country, as best I can tell." Even if he was right, it makes me wonder -- can Republicans win this year by painting Democrats as liberals? To sounds Thompsonesque for a second -- will that dog hunt?

8:25 pm: Wonder if Sen. Cliton is liking or hating that the Republicans are being asked to take on Barack Obama. "The biggest difference I think . . . is this is a time where America wants change," says Mitt Romney. Any doubt now that he's trying to out-Obama Barack Obama?? Does he really think he could be the change agent in a debate against Obama?

8:22 pm: From ABC's Christine Byun: "Thompson and his Iowa "best friend", Rep. Steve King, have strict definitions on immigration and amnesty. King told me he wanted to come out to this debate - but since Thompson isn't playing here, they perhaps are saving him for South Carolina, where illegal immigration is a VERY hot topic."

8:18 pm: Mike Huckabee hasn't spoken a single word in this second segment of the campaign, has he?

8:16 pm: I'm glad Fred Thompson is speaking again. I literally think he was about to fall asleep on stage. He tends to do well early and fade as time goes on on these stages...

8:15 pm: And the gang-up on poor Mitt continues -- Rudy says Reagan would have ended up in a Romney negative ad.

8:14 pm: I'm sorry, but is Mike Huckabee still on the stage? At least New Hampshire residents are seeing their Big Two duke it out.

8:13 pm: McCain -- temper, temper: "When you change positions on issues time to time, you will get misquoted," he tells Romney.

8:12 pm: Romney's getting snippy! And McCain with a soundbite you'll see again: "You can spend your whole fortune on these attack ads, but it still won't be true."

8:09 pm: Rudy essentially said he's going to let 12 million illegal immigrants stay in the country. Closer to John McCain than Mitt Romney.

8:08 pm: And here's Romney's response. He calls McCain's plan "a form of amnesty." He sounds like the common-sense candidate when he delivers this response -- whatever he's said on the subject in the past, he's got this answer down pat. That's what a hundred million town-hall meetings will do for you.

8:07 pm: McCain on immigration: Yes, he still has the same plan. He can talk all he wants about the need to secure the borders first, but his plan is still one that no one else on this stage would support -- and most Republicans still disagree with him. If he wins the nomination, it's in spite of his views on immigration, not because of it. Romney is almost certain to attack him, but he wants the debate to stay off his lawn.

8:04 pm: The candidates are back on stage a bit early, everyone chatting amiably. But Romney is off in the wings still. A fitting image for the man they all love to hate.

8:01 pm: It's only a three-minute break, but all the candidates left the stage -- except for John McCain, who's chatting with people in the front row.

7:59 pm: As regular readers of my blog know, I'm not a fan of Fred Thompson's previous debate performances. But he came to play tonight.

7:52 pm: "I like mandates." -- Mitt Romney. He did not have to utter a phrase that way to convey his cogent thought. Fred Thompson is really eating his lunch now.

7:50 pm: So far, Ron Paul is having a very good night. He's center-stage, and centered around the action. (And ponder this: He could beat Fred Thompson and maybe even Rudy Giulianin in New Hampshire.) Thompson, though, is good when he breaks out the sarcasm.

7:49 pm: This is actually the best I've seen Romney in talking about his own healthcare plan. He has found a groove on an issue he's handled in stops and starts. Then he's back to the cheap seats by saying "we don't need Hillarycare." That is a term that no longer has meaning, and I think Mitt Romney knows it.

7:47 pm: Really, they're all dodging on health insurance. Look, there's just not a good Republican position that involves government getting more involved in health care. If there was one, they would have found it.

7:45 pm: Rudy is the first to throw out "socialized medicine" in regard to the Democrats' plans. It's just a dodge though, to avoid the question and score points. It does, however, work as a line.

7:43 pm: I like the format so far, and I think the candidates like it too. A little much Ron Paul on foreign policy early, but this has been meaty and interesting so far.

7:40 pm: Huckabee should not be talking about "changing policies." He can clarify about the difference between policies and positions, but that's a tough soundbite.

7:36 pm: ABC's Matt Stuart, who covers Romney, says that Romney never called for a timetable for withdrawal, but did envision troops moving to a "standby" role some time in 2008.

7:32 pm: This is a question written for McCain -- standing by your principles. That's why those in New Hampshire like and respect him. Interesting to see if Romney tries to take that image on tonight.

7:29 pm: Enough from Paul.

7:28 pm: From ABC's Bret Hovell, who covers McCain: "McCain has not spoken in 10 minutes. Is that good for him? Are they beating themselves up? He wants to be the one looking most presidential on the stage. But is there a point at which you can't look presidential if you don't talk?"

7:27 pm: Romney is a name-dropper! And this: "don't talk about my position." Huckabee: "Which one?" This is getting good...

7:26 pm: I do think Huckabee is holding his own: "I'm not running for President Bush's third term." He's running on his own terms. So far, it's working. So far. And he knows the complicated names Romney knows too. This bickering though doesn't make Mitt look too good. McCain: "Did you read mine?"

7:25 pm: ABC's Jan Simmonds, who covers Giuliani: "Rudy has got to love that this debate has started on what he feels is his strongest issue.  For the last week he has pushing his plan to attack the War on Terror with little media pick-up due to the Caucus in Iowa. This theme allows himself to re-enter himself into the debate."

7:23 pm: Ron Paul is suddenly the center of the action. Hmmm... who wins here? And Mitt Romney likes to pronounce complicated names, we get it.

7:22 pm: Taking on Ron Paul -- it's a layup, but this is Rudy reaching way back to a moment that helped him in an early debate. Bigger audience tonight, but can he go back to that well?

7:21 pm: And Fred Thompson talking some serious substance too -- man, maybe I underestimated him. I think he does maybe sort of want to be president...

7:19 pm: Romney embraces fully: "We owe him a debt of gratitude," referring to President Bush. And this is a deeper foreign policy vision that we've heard from Romney so far -- he and Huckabee both lack foreign policy experience, but he's trying to show that he and Huckabee can't be lumped together.

7:16 pm: ABC's Christine Byun, who covers Thompson, adds this: "Thompson going after Huckabee on foreign policy - he started this line of attack in Iowa, prior to the caucus when the news of Bhutto's death rocked the trail."

7:15 pm: As Rudy and then McCain embrace the president's foreign policy, it occurs to me that Huckabee is occupying some of the anti-Bush real estate that does exist out there. Really not a terrible addition to his campaign.

7:13 pm: Fred Thompson stirs: "Maybe the governor's rethought his policies." "The bottom line is we are in a global war with radical Islam, declared war on us a long time ago." That's a line Rudy Giuliani or John McCain or Mitt Romney would have loved to use.

7:12 pm: Huckabee doesn't like to have to answer questions about where he is vis a vis the Bush foreign policy. Remember that Republicans are still behind the president. He's skating beyond the issue by saying he'll do what's in the best interest of the country -- who wouldn't? He is measured in his response though -- wonder if anyone's going to take him on over this. Being critical of Rumsfeld is savvy -- even Republicans don't like the guy at this point.

7:08 pm: Thanks, sleuths, for finding the link to live video: http://www.wmur.com/video/14986153/index.html

7:04 pm: Here they come onto the stage -- first thing I'm struck by is how manageable the field seems with just six as opposed to seven or eight candidates. Sorry, Duncan Hunter, but one of these six men will be the Republican nominee. And the fact that they're seated seems . . . civilized. And no lights or clocks on the first section of the debate. They're checking their mics while TV viewers watch Diane and George.

Fred Thompson doesn't like the format: "Who set this up so McCain is as tall as I am?" Good laughter from that line.

7:02 pm: Everyone likes to say their debates are different -- trust me guys, this one really will be. Should be mostly interaction between and among the candidates. Hopefully, it's lively, entertaining, and informative.

6:59 pm: Left coasters: I believe the debate will air on your affiliates later tonight (check your local listings, as they say). Each affiliate makes its own timing decisions, so don't blame me (I just work here).

6:53 pm: Charlie Gibson just told us he's a Redskins fan (who's disappointed in the score so far), and an audience member asked him about the Patriots (we are in New England). He was resolute: "It's like rooting for General Motors, or the Yankees." Big boos for Charlie. (Remember, New England.)

6:53 pm: I'm still coming up blank, guys, but if it's streaming anywhere online it's going to be here at 7 pm ET: http://www.wmur.com/politics/index.html

6:50 pm: Quick thought before we start -- huge, huge night for Mitt Romney -- he badly needs to bounce back in New Hampshire after his disappointing finish in Iowa. The WMUR/CNN poll confirms what many of us are sensing here in New Hampshire -- that John McCain is on the move. And two candidates could use a boost of energy -- Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani. Both of them would love a strong showing -- maybe third -- if they want their bids to continue. And one other point -- though Mike Huckabee won Iowa (and by rights should be labeled a frontrunner) I don't think he'll be in the center of the action this evening. The dynamics are such that he's not a big player in the next contest, here in N.H. So my guess is most of the fireworks involve Romney and McCain, the two frontrunners here.

6:42 pm: John -- no new ABC poll, but there is a new WMUR/CNN poll (WMUR is ABC's New Hampshire affiliate) out tonight. Details below, at posting I entered at 6:01 pm.

6:40 pm: The pre-game show just started here at Saint Anselm College. I'm in the back row, but this is a small house so the seat's not bad. Maybe 500 people in the room. Six desks lined up in an arc, with swivel chairs behind them. Charlie Gibson will seat back to the audience, facing the candidates. And if his vision comes through, the candidates will be responding more to each other than to him.

6:35 pm: For those looking for it on radio -- scan the dials. I believe many ABC Radio affiliates are broadcasting the debate.

6:25 pm: To clarify -- individual stations can put it online live, but ABC the network can't. I'm looking for a link for you guys that seems to work -- but the debate doesn't start for 35 more minutes.

6:19 pm: My apologies to those who are trying (and failing) to find a livestream of the debate online. Best I can offer is that my colleagues back in New York will be cutting clips of the debate and posting them on our site at abcnews.com/politics and facebook.com/politics during the debate.  Unfortunately, we at the network can't make a live stream available until all our ABC affiliates (including those on the west coast) have aired both debates.  We'll have longer clips up tomorrow too.

But I'm here all night for the highlights!!

6:16 pm ET: A footnote on the Kucinich story: Kucinich himself (we assume) has answered a question on the Facebook debate page. The Question: "Is a Presidential candidate's national "electability" a big factor in deciding your vote in the primaries?" Kucinich's answer: "It's not to me--but it is to ABC/Facebook, who excluded me from the important New Hampshire debate, because I wasn't "a top 4 candidate" yet in the polls. Did you know Clinton/Obama/Edwards refuse to support impeachment, gay marriage, and repeal of the Patriot Act & NAFTA? Or leave Iraq until 2013?"

6:01 pm ET: A flash of news to get us going! The latest WMUR/University of New Hampshire tracking poll has John McCain opening up a six-point lead over Mitt Romney, 33-27. In their last poll, taken Dec. 27-30, McCain and Romney were tied at 29.

The sample size is small, the margin of error large (five), but this is the first post-Iowa snapshot we have of the race, and it raises the stakes for Romney. The Romney campaign is furiously spinning the prospect of a second-place finish as a win, but as we note today he's spending more money than all of his rivals COMBINED in New Hampshire, just like he did in Iowa, where he only took the silver. The poll also has Rudy Giuliani in third at 14, Mike Huckabee fourth with 11, and Ron Paul in fifth with 9. (Fred Thompson is tied with with Duncan Hunger at 1 -- wow.)

Among the Democrats, it's Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama tied at 33. If you're with the Clinton campaign, this is a mixed message -- it is tight tight tight in the state she needs to regain momentum, but at least she hasn't cratered in the wake of Iowa. These numbers are roughly the same as they were in the last poll, which it at 34-30 Clinton over Obama. In the new numbers, John Edwards is running third at 20 percent -- if that holds, he's going to have trouble moving on from New Hampshire. Bill Richardson is in a distant fourth at 4 percent, just above Dennis Kucinich's 2 percent.

5:45 pm ET: High drama behind the scenes at ABC, barely an hour before the first debate. Dennis Kucinich filed for a temporary restraining order with a judge here in New Hampshire, claiming it was a violation of FCC rules to keep him off the debate stage. That prompted a wave of panic among the folks who have spent months planning tonight's live events. David Westin, the president of ABC News and a lawyer, personally worked the phones and got the judge to dismiss it. Elapsed time: about 15 minutes. Years off our collective lives: Maybe 15, as well.

Hi everyone, Rick Klein here from ABC's The Note. I'll be live-blogging during tonight's ABC News/Facebook Republican debate from inside the debate hall at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., starting at 7 pm ET. (And I'll be back around 8:45 pm ET for the Democratic debate.)

Join me for the conversation -- while watching on ABC -- by weighing in in the comment area below. One quick note: I was involved in some of the preparations with moderator Charlie Gibson, and this is going to be a forum the likes of which we've never seen before. It's going to be incumbent on the candidates to drive the conversation -- and the stakes could hardly be higher, given the fast-approaching New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. The candidates will be seated next to each other on stage -- six Republicans, and four Democrats later. If it's like a living-room conversation, consider them two family feuds.

January 5, 2008 in Tancredo, Tom, Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (567)

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