Liveblogging the debate

9:57AM EST - Ok 3 minutes to go till the debate is supposed to be broadcast on CSPAN 2.

10:00 AM - Ok... this isn't the debate, oh wait its on CSPAN 1

10:09 AM - Senator Kerry walks into the room after some lengthy introductions

10:12 AM - Kerry and Gingrich take the podiums, Newt's microphone is having technical difficulties.

10:14 AM - Newt has a new book coming this fall called Contract With The Earth. Newt agrees with 60% of Kerry's book, emphasis on local leadership making a difference. (all politics is local.)

10:16 AM - Newt must have rigid daily planning discipline; balancing time between reading excellent books and writing them.

10:17 AM - Knut The Polar Bear! (Stephen Colbert is already dissaproving). However, the bear was saved, while the activists calling for his death lost.

10:20 AM - "Eco"-nomic Growth matters! Protect the environment, protect our workers.

10:24 AM - Competion for a Green America, prize for the first hydrogen car. Very do-able.

10:25 AM - Fun Fact: the last name "Gingrich" is Dutch.

10:26 AM - Kerry starts speaking.

10:27 AM - Invective? Subsidant?

10:30 AM - Cultural Anthropology....Didn't Newt just say that there were certain elements of political and sociological aspects to the entire argument that he disagreed with?

10:31 AM - Greenhouse gasses are our friend! Kerry takes deep breaths for clarity. (by the way he's trying to hypnotize you with his hand gestures.)

10:34 AM - Let me get this straight, before there was industry there were less particles in the air. Now after the majority of industry has been at its apex, we have more particles? Yes this makes sense but it doesn't make a point.

10:36 AM - Oooh the Tipping Point! What's John Kerry's tipping point to flip flop on a position?

10:38 AM - "What technology gain builds on what technology gain?" Please press 1 for English Press 2 for Kerrynese.

10:40 AM - Kerry just said he's going to wrap up "quickly" watch him change his mind.

10:41 AM - "You have an increase in drugs" Oh my Gosh! Drug Use is due to Global Warming!

10:42 AM - Kerry just tried to patronize everyone by saying "just apply common sense" way to go John, because I and other people disagree with you we aren't using common sense.

10:45 AM - Not dollars spent on Nuclear plants. Nuclear is relatively clean.

10:46 AM - Newt begins talking again.

10:47 AM - "What does a REAL solution look like?" We have to shift how we do things entirely as a whole society, not through regulatory committees.

10:48 AM - Fixing the environment does not mean giving bureaucrats more power.

10:49 AM - Tax incentives for auto industry to create clean cars, tax incentives for trading in polluting cars. Green for Green.

10:50 AM - Consumerism means consuming green technology that benefits the planet too!

10:51 AM - Both Newt and Kerry agree to incentivise gas stations for ethanol outlets nationwide.

10:53 AM - Government and regulations vs. private enterprise and technology

Kerry Starts to Speak

10:54 AM - Because Democrats cannot let the market work on it's own. It's against their nature. They like to interfere.

10:55 AM - Incentive to inspect meat : People to continue to buy meat because they stop dying from it. Come on Kerry you didn't realize that?

10:58 AM - Newsflash Kerry, China is building the Three Gorges Dam, which is destroying lots of environment, displacing millions of Chinese and destroying a naturally flowing river.

11:05 AM - Kerry patronizes Newt again "deep inside you gotta know this"

11:09 AM - Which is faster, incentives or regulation?

11:14 AM - Bison, birds, all volunteer efforts.

11:15 AM - Urgency isn't the debate. Getting money back the faster you respond to the situation, causes people/industry to respond faster. Not Governmental rules and programs.

11:16 AM - The challenge for conservatives: environment arguments result in bigger government.and higher taxes. Find the right model that minimizes that and maximizes restoring and protecting the environment.

11:19 AM - Kerry finally admits the Newt did do the things he has claimed.

11:24 AM - Kerry flip-flops on his argument?

11:26 AM - No strategy that does not involve China and India will work.

11:30 AM - Moderator suggests Presidential debates should be done in this format.

11:31 AM - The challenge is sacrificing our current status quo to explore new paths for energy.

11:36 AM - Kerry agrees. He doesn't think "Americans should not be scared of this transition."

11:37 AM - Audience member asks "why not do both regulation and incentives"

11:38 AM - Kerry suggests that Newt and he could come up with a suitable hybrid plan, together.

11:40 AM - Newt would never yield power to an informal world regeme.

11:42 AM - Since 1979 we gave up on Nuclear power. If serious about carbon loading, safe and clean nuclear power program should be included in a plan.

11:43 AM - We don't have the proper bureaucratic models today, if we're to have elements of bureaucracy, we need the right models and approach to do the job. Newt feels this can be done in a bi-partisan manner.

11:44 AM - Kerry says Nuclear would be a good element of the short term fix. Kerry says energy efficient policies are a great start to conservation. The question is does it cost more energy to operate the technologies that turn off/on on need, than maintaining them. (more power to turn something off/on than to leave it on)

11:47 AM - Cost, Waste and Possible Proliferation are downsides to Nuclear energy according to Kerry.

11:48 AM - Kerry agrees with audience member that Liquid Coal fuel is more pollutant than gasoline. Newt suggests that eventually there may be ways to overcome the pollutants caused.

11:51 AM - Newt is an absolute optimist. Kerry says he himself is an optimist too.

11:53 AM - Debate ends, Kerry and Newt both shake hands warmly.

Thanks for Joining us for the Liveblog!

Posted by Matt Keller at 10:27 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Comments

I am a huge fan of Newt but thought the debate was terrible. He sat back and let Kerry ramble on and on. Newt is so interested in being civil that he didn't stand up for our position, the same thing happened at Cooper Union as Cuomo attacked, Newt just let it go. It reminds me of my biggest frustration with Bush, he is too civil and won't stand up for himself when it is needed. Gingrich is a briliant guy but he must defend his beliefs.

Posted by: dave M. | April 11, 2007 12:37 AM