Live Blogging Senator Lindsey Graham & Bob Conley’s Debate from ETV in Columbia, SC

Politisite will be Live Blogging Senator Lindsey Graham & Bob Conley from South Carolina Educational Television in  Columbia, SC.  The Debate will begin at 8 P.M. The debate will also be carried By C-SPAN if you would like follow along visually.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Photo by Mary Ann Chastain,  AP Pool

Bob Conley (D) Photo by Mary Ann Chastain, AP Pool

Media Credit for All Other Photos:  Albert N. Milliron, Iron Mill Interactive Media, Inc

The debate has begun with opening statements.

Senator Graham is asked if we are heading in to a depression.  He related to the audience that what has been done is to pull out the bad debts out of the system so that the market will not be pulled down even further.  Market actions as they stand now are trying to find a consolidation point.  The market will return but it will take some time.

Bob Conley is complaining that Senator Graham’s vote for NAFTA has caused jobs to leave America for cheap labor.  He also relates that most of the problems are due to Big business and Washington insiders.

He further related that illegal Aliens continue to take jobs from American workers.

Warren Buffett stated that the national debt is a ticking time bomb.  Sen Graham said he had a plan to work on leveling the national debt.  The problem he stated was he was unable to find a democrat to co-sponsor his Bill.

The National Debt has doubled under the last 8 years.  Mr. Conley was asked if Social Security would be viable in the next decades.  Mr Conley related that the answer is the Fair tax.

Senator Graham was asked about earmarks.  He states that earmarks are not the problem it is that they are slipped in at the last minute and are almost unidentifiable of which legislature asked for the Earmark.  Senator Graham said that he is for earmarks but it should be done in the day light and ones name should be attached to the earmark.

what does victory in Iraq look like

Conley, it has been more then 5 years since mission accomplished. We are now trying to do nation building. Troops should be redeployed home and turn over the country back to the Iraqis

Graham- We must win, The army is up to 135,000. We are on the verge of getting us out and winning this thing and how we get out will dictate

Conley, said sarcastically, “I know you were there I saw the rugs you bought”

Graham:  I would rather fight the enemy over there than on our own shores

Hussein was a cancer in the Mideast, Bin laden wanted Iraq to be the central battle zone to fight. History was that he failed to meet the UN resolutions

Graham-Argues for an American initiative – I do believe that Global warming is somewhat man made. We also would be safer if we did not have to import oil from folks who don’t like us very much. I am ready to drill off the South Carolina Coast. But I am for the all above approach and many of those can be produced in South Carolina

Conley stated that our Government fleet should be switched to alternative fuels.  He also stated that the candidate have found an area that they agree on, getting off of Foreign oil.

Should there be a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. Conley states no, because they are taking jobs that could be done by American Workers. Graham states that there should be some plan to allow folks to remain to do jobs that Americans will not do.

The debate ended at 8:55 pm. 

Graham, Conley differ on economy

In trying to unseat Graham and pull off what would be one of the nation’s biggest political upsets this fall, Bob Conley — a 43-year-old engineer and professional pilot from Myrtle Beach — attempted to tie Graham to a trio of unpopular policy positions: the financial bailout passed by Congress, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and an immigration policy that includes a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.

“I’m running to give you a voice in Washington,” Conley said at the end of the debate. “Come join with me. Let’s take our country back.”

Prior to Saturday’s debate —sponsored by ETV and The State newspaper — the 53-year-old Graham spent far more time campaigning for his close friend and Senate ally, John McCain, than worrying about his own re-election prospects.

He entered ETV’s studio with an air of confidence, shaking hands with reporters and warmly greeting Conley, who was already standing behind his podium.

Graham did not move away from policy positions that have, at times, angered conservatives in his party.

He reiterated his support for an immigration policy that includes a path to citizenship. And he said the bailout, which some conservatives decry as a socialistic intervention into the private market, is critical to the nation’s fiscal health.

Graham sounded an optimistic note on the economy, even as he acknowledged the pain many are feeling as their retirement account or job security withers.

“Tough times await us,” Graham said. “I think things are going to stabilize real soon.”

Conley disagreed and offered his belief that the Dow Jones industrial average will fall from just under 8,500, where it closed Friday, to somewhere near 3,000 — an outcome that could have catastrophic effects.

“I think that (bailout) was wrong,” he said. “We’re looking in a lot of ways at re-learning the lessons of Herbert Hoover.”

On Saturday night, Graham said he was proud of his position on judges and on immigration.

Conley made clear that he opposes Graham’s position on illegal immigration.

“He wants to give amnesty to people whose first act on entering the United States is breaking our laws,” Conley said.

Conley and Graham also disagreed on Iraq. Graham said that the conflict there is winnable and that U.S. troops should remain because they are on the verge of victory.

“This whole idea of just leaving and not worrying about what we leave behind, I reject that,” Graham said. “We’re on the verge of winning this thing.”

Conley said U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq. “We’re using our military in some kind of police-state, nation-building,” Conley said. “It’s time to turn it over to the Iraqis. It’s their country.”

Graham, Conley clash over Iraq, Wall Street

Saturday night’s meeting was the only planned debate for the pair as Graham seeks a second term.

Graham said the financial rescue protects the future of the nation’s economy. Conley says the money involved adds to the national debt and will further devalue the dollar.

“We have had public policy enacted by self-serving, career politicians who do the bidding for the large, powerful and wealthy special interests that pump millions of dollars into their campaigns,” Conley said.

Graham said the U.S. is on the verge of winning in Iraq. But Conley said the U.S. presence there and in Afghanistan amounts to an occupation. Graham says it’s offensive for service members to be called occupiers. He says they’re patriots.

“I am very proud of the role I played for the last several years to make sure that we did not withdraw in such a way to let Iraq fail and become a wider war,” Graham said.

Graham’s campaign is vastly ahead of Conley in the fundraising battle.

Conley says he’s an engineer by trade and not a professional politician and says it will take plenty of hard work to unseat Graham.

Sen. Graham and Bob Conley will debate on ETV Saturday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m.

Note:  Politisite will be covering the Debate Live at ETV.  We will live blog on NowPublic and Iron Mill News Service.  The reason this debate is so important is that Sen Graham is a possible cabinet candidate for a McCain Presidency.

Columbia, SC…The ETV and The State Newspaper Senatorial debate between GOP incumbent Lindsey Graham and Democratic challenger Bob Conley will now take place on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. The debate, produced in Columbia, will air LIVE on all 11 ETV stations and eight ETV Radio stations. The debates will also be streamed over the Internet at www.myetv.org.

The debate was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29.

For information on all seven of the ETV and The State Debates 2008, click here.

ETV is South Carolina’s statewide network with 11 television stations, eight radio stations and a closed-circuit educational telecommunications system in more than 2000 schools, colleges, businesses, and government agencies.

Source: scetv.org via politisite

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