The First Debate - Part 1

Financial Recovery Plan:

Obama - move swiftly and wisely - oversight; taxpayers get money back; none of the money goes to executives; help homeowners. Final verdict on failed policies promoted by Bush, supported by McCain. [keep tying McCain to Bush]

McCain - sad note about Ted in the hospital. We are seeing Republicans and Democrats sitting down to try to fix this problem. Package has transparency, oversight, loans can fail. He went back to DC and found house republicans not being represented. Have a lot of work to do. Eliminate dependence on foreign oil.

Obama: Optimistic and we need to solve this, but we need to see how we got here in the first place. Has been talking about this for 2 years. [keep pointing at why...]

McCain: Hopes to vote for the plan. Says he saw this trainwreck coming. Somehow we have lost the accountability of those who perpetuate these problems. He will hold people accountable.

Obama - John, you said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. [first time he speaks directly to McCain - keep doing this]


Are there fundamental differences in approach to lead US out of this crisis.

McCain - got to get spending under control. Earmarking is a gateway drug. Repeated his line about Bear DNA and praternity. [this is all he's got?] He will veto every spending bill and "you will know their names" Repeating campaign rhetoric.

Obama: earmarks account for 18 billion. McCain is proposing 300 billion in tax cuts. What's more important! We need to grow the economy from the bottom up.

McCain: Earmarks have tripled in the last eight years. Obama wants 800 billion in new spending. [not true]

Obama: Don't know where John is getting his figures. 18 billion is important. But the fact is that eliminating earmarks alone is not going to get Americans back on their feet. Obama speaking directly to McCain.

McCain: Wants to cut business taxes to keep businesses in the country. And now, back on earmark reform. [here he goes again with the same BS]

Obama: 95% of you will get a tax cut. 250,000 and under will not see any increase. Goes at McCain about 5000 tax credit - employer will get taxed on healthcare. [good]

McCain: goes after Obama on Energy bill. They go back and forth.


What can you do after this rescue plan.

Obama: We may not be able to do everything I want right away, but: We have to have energy independence; we have to reform healthcare now; we have to make sure we are competing in education; we need to make sure college is affordable; we need to shore up our infrastructure. Eliminate programs that don't work. [didnt really answer the question]

McCain: We need to cut spending. Obama has the most liberal voting record in the Senate. Need to do away with cost-plus contracts in military spending. He knows how to do this. Examine every agency and eliminate waste.

Obama goes after lobbyists.

McCain wants a spending freeze on everything except Military, veterans, and certain essential programs.

Obama says we can't freeze spending. That's taking a hatchet to a job that needs a scalpel.

McCain talking about nuclear power. [still really not answering the question]

Obama: This crisis will effect our budgets. Going to have to make some tough decisions. If we are spending huge money on tax cuts to the rich and have a healthcare crisis, we need to make those decisions. [good]

McCain suggests that Obama cut some of the new spending programs he is proposing. Not raising taxes is the best way to have our economy recover.

Obama: John - this is your president that you said you agree with 90% of the time and that you voted with most all the time. [keeps combining Bush/McCain - good]

McCain: Tries to object that he hasn't. He's a maverick with a partner that's a maverick. [oh sheesh...]