Here's a summary of my debate impressions. It's turned out fairly length, and is close to a liveblogging blow-by-blow as I can provide. I hope that it's informative to my fellow OH-15 Kossacks!
Here are my notes on the debate:
Opening statements:
Pryce gave a mix of local pork and the usual terra terra terra, bringing an Al Queda website up with "online plans to kill 4 million Americans".
Kilroy attacked Pryce directly, mentioning the deficit, rising health care costs, job losses, corruption, but surprisingly no Foley!
Question summaries:
1 - Solving the Social Security crisis (to Kilroy).
Naturally, privitization came up here; unbelievably
Pryce stated that the democrats were
over-politicizing social security!
2 - Handling the Iraq war (to Pryce).
Pretty predictable talking points here from both sides.
Terror terror terror!
3 - Ohio Economy (to Kilroy from audience).
Universal healthcare plug from Kilroy. Pryce flatly
denied that anything was wrong with the Columbus or
Ohio economy. Half the audience looked like they wanted
to boo her.
4 - Negative TV ads - bad for campaign? (to Pryce).
Pryce went a little nutty here, saying she did NOT want
to go negative, but her hand was forced. (rrrrright).
Scored one of the lines of the night, "My mother's mad
at me!" Then claimed Kilroy was trying to buy the seat
with the usual ooga-booga about outside LIBERAL
interest groups.
5 - Too far left? What about your Ohio Free Press articles?
(to Kilroy). Potential gotcha but handled well by
Kilroy. Invited audience to read her articles. Pryce
brought the LIBERAL ooga-booga back for an
encore, and once more trumpted her "moderation".
Then dragged out Joe Lieberman's defeat as a
defeat for moderates everywhere! Joe Liberman is now
a REPUBLICAN talking point!
6 - Would Pryce be responsive to Central Ohio opinions that
didn't jive with Bush's? (Split district). Pryce
once more started with the terror terror terror!
Mentioned enemies in Middle East -- and Venezuela??
My, looks like that dig at Bush got under her skin.
7 - What to do about healthcare costs? (to Kilroy).
Excellent plug on universal health care by Kilroy.
Pryce touted her work with Menendez on healthcare
reform. Completely new one by me.
8 - The Corruption Question: Noe, Abrmoff, and Foley
donations: what did she do with them? (to Pryce).
Pryce returned donations "immediately upon learning
about the Foley situation on Sunday!"
Kilroy asked why she didn't give Foley's donation to
charity instead of to Foley's own defense fund? (Second
line of the night).
9 - Tax and Spend: What programs would you cut to balance
the budget? (to Kilroy).
Talked of middle class tax cuts, rolling back Bush tax
cuts, and targeting pork.
Pryce pointed out that some of that pork benefitted
central Ohio and laundry-listed projects. Unfortunate
opening there and Pryce took full advantage.
10 - To both: Would you support reduction in oil
usage? How would you bring it about?
Kilroy: Pitched her work on alt fuels, getting a little
of her own "pork" in on the county level.
Pryce: Touted Bush's energy bill. Talk about cognitive
dissonance...
Closing statements:
Pryce: Legal background, Kilroy nonsolutions, moderate, AGAIN with the Joe Lieberman reference, moderate, can't have a flaming liberal like Kilroy in Congress, oh, no!
Kilroy: Thanked hosts, audience, and WOSU, even Pryce. Very gracious. Election referendum of Bush, direction of the country, budget, increasing minimum wage top priority if she is elected.
Overall themes:
As expected.
Pryce: LIBERAL ooga-booga, terra terra terra!, taxes, local pork she's brought to district.
Kilroy themes: Budget deficit, corruption, Bush enabling, bad economy, need for change in Congress.
My final impressions:
I won't really call a winner in this debate. In terms of style, Pryce won; she had her prosecutor's persona on full blast, raised her voice to make points forcefully, etc. Kilroy was a little more nervous and stumbled here and there. Both had their talking points down very well. And nobody's mind in that room got changed, I suspect. But...the larger question still is...however well spoken, will those Republican talking points still fly?
This would suggest that their time has finally passed in OH-15...which means that Pryce, just like so many other Republicans, may be smoothly riding their talking points straight over the cliff.
We can only hope.