THIS IS YOUR SENATE DEBATE OPEN THREAD
Hello there. I’m seated inside the Tsongas Center. Marty Meehan has just taken the stage and is making a round of introductions. Every seat is filled – the place is absolutely packed. We’re told there are about 4,500 people in the arena. Here’s the view from my seat:
I will try to update this post periodically, but I think the post is generally better used as an open thread. I’ll be on Twitter, so follow along @bluemassgroup. We’re using the hashtag #masendebate.
UPDATE: Incredibly droll and witty Twitter feed moved to below the flip. 
Discuss
25 Comments . Leave a comment below.Eom.
I only caught the second half of the debate, but Gregory was atrocious.
The students asking questions were much better….
But I liked his direct questioning and how it fascilitaed the candidates mixing it up more.
I didn’t like how he failed to give Warren rebuttals, but I do like how he called Brown out multiple times for evading direct questions. I am OK on being in the BMG minority on this one, but I liked him.
So far I am giving Elizabeth Warren an A++++++ for this debate. David Gregory has lost control and can’t seem to get Scott Brown to shut up. I could throw up listening to him whine, whine, whine. I am so ready to shut the TV off. I can’t stand listening to him anymore. Elizabeth did a great job of pushing back on his attacks and putting forth what really happened. I just wish Scott Brown would stop whining. Ughhhh, he has no business being a Senator. We must correct that mistake. We just have to. Gregory sucks. He has no business being a moderator. He is giving Scott Brown way more time because he can’t control him. What a coward.
Unequivocally.
My sixteen year old daughter was there, we were exchanging texts all evening. She and her friends theorize that Scott Brown was trying to remember who was on the Supreme Court and Mr. Scalia was the first name to come to mind.
I imagine the papers will have a field-day.
Reasonable theory. The GOP lizard brain answered obediently with dogma before the ‘”I’m-trying-to-look-independent” frontal cortex could stop it. Everything after that was damage control.
Too many out of state fundraisers I guess.
proving, once again, that he is bi-partisan.
Brown’s real answer? Anyone but Kagan.
“Professor Warren’s boss.” So, obviously, that’s no good…
when he got the question — given the delay he had in giving a straight answer — was exactly that.
Either way, it’s revealing that his first selection was Scalia. It looks like a rare honest moment of insight into who he is as a person.
Worse than shallow. He opened with 10 minutes on the heritage issue, teeing up Brown’s obsessive attacks so he didn’t have to come off as the jerk he is. Framed every substantive issue with the DC faux-partisanship frame, another Brown specialty. And closed with a Red Sox question that the WEEI candidate could win just by chuckling.
and not one second on war whoops and tomahawk chops.
David Gregory lowers the bar.
I posted this in June and tonight believe my concern was right on:
David Gregory
demeter11 | Fri, Jun 22, 2012 1:33 PM EST | Edit Post
I’m compelled to share this about Gregory. I remembered seeing something this spring about him as a headline speaker at the conservative organization, National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), and sharing the bill with Karl Rove and John Boehner at that conference May 14-16. http://thinkprogress.org/media/2012/05/12/482926/david-gregory-republican-nfib/
The name NFIB may also be familiar because of National Federation of Independent Business, et al., Petitioners v. Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al. Yep, the SJC Affordable Care Act case.
And, as it happens, Scott Brown has also addressed this organization (February 24, 2012.)
Out of curiosity I went to NFIB’s site, as well as opensecrets.org, and learned that NFIB has given Scott Brown $5,000 so far in 2012 and gave him $3,000 in 2010. http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cmte=C00101105&cycle=2012
In sum, I’m not playing j’accuse here or charging that Gregory can’t moderate as a professional. But I am saying that speaking at NFIB is no small thing and I have also seen allegations about Gregory’s friendships with Rove and Boehner.
Most mediator types (like me) acknowledge that while humans can aim for neutrality, we’re still human. So I hope the Warren campaign takes all this into account in its debate prep.
Was the NFIB the same organization that Brown namechecked in tonight’s debate? I remember him claiming some stat from some organization that something Warren supported would cost the state jobs; if I remember correctly, I think it was National Federation of Independent Business.
and in the first debate, when he also cited U.S. CoC. Two well-known right-wing organizations.
The debate did spent too much time on the travelers/native american issues When it finally got to discussing the key advantage Warren has — the Jobs bill, Warren could have made a much stronger point.
When it comes to discussing things like the Teacher and Public Safety Jobs Bill, Warren’s staff should prep her with numbers of exactly how many teachers and firefighter and police officer jobs would be preserved. Adding some of this detail would have been especially helpful because some of the districts where she was debating experienced major job losses. This would have put her head and shoulders above Brown. As it wa, I didn’t think the debate did much to sway people on the fence.
I am so proud of her! Finally, she seems free to fight back and move forward. So happy and relieved. Five more weeks. Five more very important weeks.
ROFL:
“When asked who his model Supreme Court justice is, Brown paused before naming Antonin Scalia, who hails from the conservative wing of the high court. As the audience reacted with gasps and some boos, he quickly named others.”
Don’t say Scalia. Don’t say Scalia. Don’t say Scalia. “Justice Scalia.” Dammit…I just said Scalia! Stupid brain.
n/t
I need to have the “6′s” back!!! Bwahahaha.
the average airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
As a new contributor, here is my first “article” on BlueMassGroup, concerning the need for Warren to “Go Local” if she wants to win the election!
http://bluemassgroup.com/2012/10/47945
http://bluemassgroup.com/2012/10/warrens-missing-message/
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