Sparks Fly In Texas
Sparks Fly in Texas
By Zach Kitamura
A docile start to Thursday’s Texas debates turned heated as Senators Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton exchanged blows at the University of Texas in Austin. This was the last debate between the two before the March 4 showdown in the states of Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont, which have been called Hilary’s last stand.
The start of the debate was relatively calm, beginning with the recent resignation of Fidel Castro in Cuba and with future Cuban diplomacy. Obama stuck to his guns on international diplomacy, saying he would talk to both friends and enemies. Some of the next few questions attempted to draw out contrasts between the two candidates, first with the economy, then the issue of building a fence on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. But both sides were fairly vague, especially with the hot issue of a border fence, not wanting to lose on this issue in the heavily Latino region (the debate was also rebroadcast in Spanish later Thursday night).
But about half way through the debate, the heat was turned up as a question posed to Clinton asked if she thought Obama had enough experience. She responded by refereeing to an Obama supporter who couldn’t name an accomplishment of the Senator in a recent interview. Obama in return defended his work both before and after government life. Clinton then attacked Obama on his recent use of “plagiarized” rhetoric. In the night’s most memorable moment, Clinton called it “Change you can Xerox,” a statement that garnered some boos from the audience. In return, Obama called the claim “silly,” saying that Deval Patrick, who originally used the lines, suggested that Obama use them himself.
The peak of the debate came in the issue of health care. Even after a commercial break and a new question posed by the moderator, Hilary returned to health care issue, an issue where the two have diverged more than others. Clinton says Obama’s plan will leave out 15 Million people. She plans to mandate health care with penalties for not buying it, while Obama plans to make health care more affordable so people can buy it.
The question of Obama’s readiness to be commander-in-chief and the issue of the War in Iraq turned out to be a bright spot for Obama. Obama refuted Clinton’s statement that she will be ready on day one of presidency by saying his initial opposition to the War in Iraq signifies his better judgment. This was also used on the issue of “the surge,” when he said that his opposition to the War in the first place is a better position than Clinton is in.
However, Clinton was the one who had the last laugh. The question of what moment challenged the candidate the most during their lifetime capped off the night. Obama talked about the hardships of his youth and his eventual turn around. But Hilary stated that although she has gone through many crises, none were comparable to those of the average American, a statement that drew much applause as the debate ended.
The debate was a fairly close match. Obama fended off Clinton’s attacks very well, but clearly her last statement left an impression on the viewers. Now she has to hit the campaign trail hard and try to end Obama’s 10 state winning streak.
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