Hey all,
Even though some of Atrios' commenters got an early edition of Meet The Press than I did and already saw the debate, I'll open up a thread here for those of us in the Philadelphia media market. Feel free to add your comments. My thoughts will be in the comments section.
Comments (13)
I like the format already. It seems like candidates will be able to ask questions of each other.
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 10:35 AM
Russert: "Stay on Iraq, Senator..."
Tim really does his homework.
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 10:38 AM
Russert: So when John Kerry introduces legislation that all American troops be out of Iraq by July 2007, Bob Casey votes no?
Casey: Correct.
Guess we know his position on that issue.
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 10:41 AM
In the last 4 minutes, Santorum gave the Casey people material for 4 campaign ads.
I think the Senator is getting fired up.
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 10:43 AM
There it is. Casey's 10-word answer... in 150 words.
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 10:47 AM
oooh... Casey plays the Cheney card.
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 10:53 AM
Russert drops the "voting with Bush" bomb!
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 10:54 AM
Now Russert tries to pin down Casey on what programs he would cut to balance the budget. Don't let him off easy with this one!
Ding ding... Santorum uses "death tax"
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 10:59 AM
Scorecard update:
Gotta give Social Security to Santorum, at least based on his delivery.
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 11:05 AM
BAM. Santorum on Plan B, "I think his father would be disappointed if he were alive today."
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 11:13 AM
Ok... maybe there is a reason we don't let candidates question each other. C'mon Russert, get in there!
He's about as effective as a WWE ref right now.
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 11:18 AM
I think Casey missed a chance:
"Senator, if you want what's best for your children, as you say, then why aren't you raising them in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - the state you represent? Is there something wrong with Pennsylvania that makes it not the 'best' choice for your children? How do you explain that to the millions of Pennsylvanians, like me, who have chosen to raise their families in Pennsylvania?"
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 11:25 AM
So my final scorecard looks like this (based purely on delivery and how their arugments would be accepted by everyday folks watching the debate):
War in Iraq: Casey
Social Security: Santorum
Plan B/Morning After Pill: Casey (abortion not really an issue since both are essentially opposed)
Budget: Casey
The Rendell Comment: Santorum
Residency: Casey (by default, he didn't even say anything)
Overall delivery: it's close, but I think Casey's calm demeanor worked to his advantage in the face of Santorum's frantic delivery. Point, Casey.
Final Score: Casey over Santorum 5-2
Shameless plug: Radio Times will be doing a show on Tuesday (11am) at which time, Chris Borrick a political analyst with Muhlenberg College and Jim O'Toole, political editor from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette will do a more thorough post-game wrap up.
Posted by Dan | September 3, 2006 11:40 AM