Debate 5

THIS IS THE CLEANED UP VERSION OF WHAT I POSTED EARLIER

The format was a rapid fire short question followed by one minute answers, or, in some cases, less.  The Chancellor, Marty Meehan, lead the process and was the one to bring to a halt overlong answers.

With some of the questions I missed some of the answers, but have done my best to sort it out.

QUESTION—Regarding Setti Warren dropping out, why can you win, when he didn’t think he could.
Tom Conroy—I have a record of beating Republicans.
Marisa DeFranco—I have a ground game and live in Essex, where Scott Brown did so well.
Alan Khazei—I can do this because I have organized my whole life. Scott Brown has done nothing.
Bob Massie—We have a history of folks who start slow and grow, like Scott Brown. I am a person who can do that.
Herbert Robinson—I am not a career politician. I am a person who gets things done. Little or no capital gains tax on IPOs.
Marty Meehan intervention—Is it all over?
Elizabeth Warren—Scott is Wall Street's favorite Senator. I am for America's Middle Class. (She ducked the question.)

QUESTION—How did you pay your way through college.  (Quick Response Question)
There were a variety of answers, the best being “I kept my cloths on and got loans and a part time job.” One worked as a part time musician. Some had parental support and some took loans and one got support from his wife while he was in grad school.

QUESTION—What message do you have on our military involvement.
Marisa DeFranco—Withdrawal by 2012. Wars we can't win. And no proxy wars in the future, like Somalia.
Alan Khazei—Thanks for your service. We need to get out of Afghanistan. [Hamid] Karzai is totally corrupt. Need to be out in a year.
Bob Massie—Agree on rapid withdrawal, focus on our Vets, many of whom are homelessness and look at private schools ripping off Vets.
Herbert Robinson—Agree on rapid withdrawal
Elizabeth Warren—my three brothers served in Viet-nam. Need to use our Forces wisely. Rapid withdrawal. But, we need to pay for war in the present time.
Tom Conroy—We need to pull back responsibly. We need a strong military, but also a strong economy. I link a strong economy with strong defense.

QUESTION—Should we legalize Marijuana?
Alan Khazei—I did inhale. And I liked it. But I don't support general legalization of drugs.
Herbert Robinson—Same as alcohol.
Elizabeth Warren—medical OK, but not otherwise.
Tom Conway—My answer is the same.
Marisa DeFranco—Medical Marijuana not the same as Marijuana. Start with Medical Marijuana and Decriminalize Marijuana.

QUESTION—Do you support the President's Jobs Bill
Bob Massie—Yes, and we need to get on path to innovation and green economy.
Herbert Robinson—I support President Obama, but it isn't strong enough. Tax millionaires on the economy.
Elizabeth Warren—I would put people to work right now. There is a role played by regulations. Complicated regulations from DC work against small businesses.
Tom Conroy—Support the President. We need to create jobs.
Marisa DeFranco—Not good enough. Need Apollo Green Jobs now. We are in a crisis and in WWII we spent our way out of it by going into debt.
Alan Khazei—Don't support Payroll Tax Cut. Need more entrepreneur jobs.

QUESTION—What Super Hero could be be if you could be one, and why?
Herbert Robinson—I would have be the Incredible Hulk, for obvious reasons.
Elizabeth Warren—Wonder Woman. I liked her costume and especially her bracelets.
Tom Conway—Captain America.
Marisa DeFranco—Half of the Wonder Twins.
Alan Khazei—The Flash.
Bob Massie—Superman.

QUESTION‐Wall Street is vital but threatens Main Street.
Elizabeth Warren—I have tried to do this and been face to face with them and I have fought and will do so.
Tom Conroy—Creative tension, Democracy and Capitalism. Out of balance right now, with too little regulation.
Marisa DeFranco—Day to day I fight the Federal Government. We don't become captive to Wall Street. Make Wall Street work for us.
Alan Khazei—Have Obama work this. Yes, Wall Street, but we have to focus on Main Street and jobs.
Bob Massie—Capitalism needs to transform. The US is behind the world in a better form of Capitalism.
Herbert Robinson—We need to tax bad performance. Tax the millionaires to that if unemployment is low, their tax rate is low and if unemployment is high their tax rate is high. When you have lots of regulations, their lawyers learn to get around them.

QUESTION‐Twitter Question regarding how to protect women's health.
Tom Conroy. I support a woman's right to choose.
Marisa DeFranco—I will protect a woman’s right to choose.
Alan Khazei—Funding at risk, and Scott Brown was voting the wrong way.
Bob Massie—Two points. I know the denial of medical care from my youth and we must fight for a woman’s right to choose.
Herbert Robinson—I too would protect a woman's right to choose.
Elizabeth Warren—You need to stand up and say you support a woman’s right to choose.

QUESTION—Have you ever driven under the influence?  [The blogger would like to note that you can be under the influence, but not above the legal limit.  As the new adverts say, buzz driving is drunk driving.  That may be a bit extreme, but it makes the point.]
We get a round of Nos, but one responder does say, “No, not according to the legal definition.”

QUESTION—Weinergate. How would have dealt with it?
Alan Khazei—One needs to own up to it.
Bob Massie—We are all flawed and have to admit our mistakes and make corrections.
Herbert Robinson—Help undo the damage that was done.
Elizabeth Warren—I would not ask anyone in my family to stand up at the microphone with me.
The rest of the answers are basically the same—”You got caught so fess up.”

QUESTION—Regarding the Boston Occupation Protests, what do you think and would you join them?
Bob Massie—Been part of such things before.
Herbert Robinson—Too old to join
Elizabeth Warren—Everyone needs to follow the law. Wall Street broke this nation and there has been no restitution.
Tom Conroy—A model of true Democracy—Second mention of walk across a Massachusetts.
Marisa DeFranco—Fully support their movement.
Alan Khazei—I went to talk to them yesterday and they think Washington doesn't get it.

QUESTION—Would you be willing to join in a General Election Debate in this venue.
The answers are all in the affirmative, with one noting that Senator Scott Brown, since election, has not faced an open forum like this.

QUESTION—Deficit reduction and taxes.  Where the Bush tax cuts extension OK and did you speak out at the time?
Elizabeth Warren—Yes keeping the tax cuts wrong and it is about values. (Didn't answer the question.)
Tom Conroy—I was against the first extension.  Tax cuts and two wars unbalanced the budget.
Marisa DeFranco—A mistake and I did speak out.  Obama caved and then got rolled.
Alan Khazei—First mistake was Democrats not fixing the problem.  End tax cuts, but also there will have to be cuts to entitlements and defense spending.
Bob Massie—Agree previous, but money is corrupting politics.  One party bought and one rented out. We need to reverse Citizens United.
Herbert Robinson—The mistake was before the 2010 election[, when we had the Congress]. Budgets cuts are layoffs.

QUESTION—Today would you encourage son or daughter to join the military
Tom Conroy—Neither encourage nor discourage.
Marisa DeFranco—Let them decide. Pay Service members same as Contractors.
Alan Khazei—I would honor it, but it is a tough one.
Bob Massie—Grew up in Viet-nam era. I would respect choice.
Herbert Robinson—I would support.
Elizabeth Warren—Have urged one son to consider it.

QUESTION—Instate tuition for college for illegal immigrants.
Marisa DeFranco—Support, but it isn't a scholarship. But then they still can't get a job. Need immigration reform.
Alan Khazei—I support it. My parents are immigrants.  Washington isn't getting the job done.  Scott Brown voted against the Dream Act.
Bob Massie—I have been reading a biography of Geo Washington, who was very clear immigration is critical for our future.
Herbert Robinson—Support in state tuition and immigration reform.
Elizabeth Warren—I support in state tuition and the Dream Act.  We also need paths for citizenship for people from overseas here for college who graduate and would make good citizens.
Tom Conroy—I support in state tuition.  And we need immigration reform.  A 12 million deportation the Tea Party is advocating won’t work.

QUESTION—How to encourage college graduates to stay here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts?
Alan Khazei—I would push for a home price guarantee and the environment for startup businesses.
Bob Massie—The keys are a good home, a good school, a good doctor and a good job.  We need multiple forms of housing.  And, we need entrepreneurial models.
Herbert Robinson—We need to bring the jobs to Massachusetts. Encourage job creation.  Green jobs.
Elizabeth Warren—Makes sense to encourage people to stay.  A quarter million homes are under water.  We have a broken housing market.  We can't restart without fixing housing crisis.
Tom Conroy—Keeping young people here—doctors are a problem—we passed legislation offering loans.  We need more affordable housing stock.  We need more Federal Housing money.
Marisa DeFranco—What is left? Jobs and good union jobs. Need Employee Free Choice Act.

QUESTION—What is one thing you have done in the past year to improve the state.
Bob Massie—Going around state talking about green energy.
Herbert Robinson—I spend my free time running this campaign and talking green energy.
Elizabeth Warren—I spent a year building a consumer protection bureau.
Tom Conroy—For past five years hiring folks to my business and as a State Rep
Marisa DeFranco—Working pay equity for women.  Bill died in the General Court 11 years in a row.  We forced it into committee.
Alan Khazei—Working on Opportunity Nation.

QUESTION—Should there be mandatory national service, should it include women, and should women be allowed in combat?  [This misses the point that women are combat pilots already. The assumption is full rights, to include fighting in infantry units in close combat.]
Herbert Robinson—Training only for national service.  Allow those who have moral objections to war not fight.  Yes for women in combat.
Elizabeth Warren—Not mandatory. Women in combat
Tom Conroy—Yes and women should be in combat.
Marisa DeFranco—Not mandatory. Yes, women in combat. There are women I would be proud to be in a foxhole with.
Alan Khazei—. A national service system, but not mandatory.  Yes, women should be allowed in combat.
Bob Massie—Not a mandatory national service, but women in combat.

CLOSING REMARKS  [This was done in random order.]
Elizabeth Warren—Talking about Middle Class. I grew up on ragged edge of Middle Class. We, as a nation, have lost our way.  Washington rigged for the big guys.
Alan Khazei—Debate about who will be the most effective leader for Mass in Washington. Put our country first.  Empower the poor and middle class families.
Herbert Robinson—Just a regular American running for office.  I am not a politician.  Bringing jobs back.  Then energy needs to be addressed.  Knows the difference between hair spray and nuclear fallout
Marisa DeFranco—To fight for the people against the powerful. No testing the waters. You don't test, you just do.  Jobs, justice and the power of the people.
Tom Conroy—On my walk this summer the People said they want a leader to create new jobs. Democratic principles.  Scott Brown is in the way of that.  I HAVE defeated an incumbent Republican.
Bob Massie—I know it is easy to feel discouraged.  But we are inventors and we can and should lead and we need a locomotive like Ted Kennedy, not a caboose like Scott Brown.

Second best line of the night goes to Herbert Robinson—”I know the difference between hair spray and nuclear fallout.”

Best line of the night goes to Bob Massie—”we need a locomotive like Ted Kennedy, not a caboose like Scott Brown.”

Regards  —  Cliff