Thank You, Claire McCaskill!!! You Rocked on MTP!!!

[CorpGovActivist]

"It's about changing direction. And I will tell you, I think it's remarkable that someone would vote with the President 94% of the time, and then not be willing to say he's a great President."

Let's be forthright. And frankly, speaking of independence, my career has been branded by independence.

I took on the governor of my own party in a primary. I've done tough audits as an auditor - both parties, both administrations.

Time after time, I have taken sometimes the lonely road. Like Senator Warner and Senator Graham and Senator McCain and General Powell. There ARE Republicans that are standing up and saying 'We are not doing things right in Washington.' I want to be that kind of Democrat that will come here and stand up to lobbyists, to my own party, to the President, and solve problems for the American people, instead of playing political gamesmanship."

When she is sworn in as the new Senator from the Show Me State, I hope they give her Harry S. Truman's old offices.

"I don't give 'em Hell. I tell 'em the truth, and they think it's Hell!" -- Truman

- Dave

[Nimrod2005]

1. I honestly think she won the senate seat today...Can't wait for the

next poll.

[CorpGovActivist]

2. Rasmussen Reports

Is Rasmussen taking tomorrow off for Columbus Day?

Hope not!

: )

Here in Virginia, we REAL Republicans are ready to turn out George Allen for his Macaca-mamie excuse for his clearly racist views. Presidential timber, my ass!

- Dave

[trumad]

4. Nice talking point....

Liike Senator Warner and Senator Graham and Senator McCain and General Powell. There ARE Republicans that are standing up and saying 'We are not doing things right in Washington.'

Too bad it's bullshit!

[CorpGovActivist]

5. Too Little, Too Late from W's Waterboys

I agree. Senator McCain and General Powell had the stature (past tense) to stand up to Shrubya.

They squandered their political capital.

W's Waterboys might as well not even bother in 08.

As for John Warner: he's a joke.

Lindsay Graham: I'm holding my vote in abeyance on him. Not quite sure what to make of him yet.

- Dave

P.S. McCaskill could have cited Jeffords, Specter, Chafee, Snowe, and Collins more convincingly.

[pscot]

15. I've tended to give Graham the benefit of the doubt

and he has never failed to disappoint.

[CorpGovActivist]

17. It's the Puppy Dog Eyes

Lindsay Graham looks like he is always just on the cusp of confessing some earnest truth.

Maybe it's best to listen to him on the radio only.

- Dave

[stepnw1f]

16. Yeah.... It Was all Bullshit

Anyone using McCain, Graham, and Warner is seriously full of shit. We all saw how quickly they caved on the torture bill. Seriously, who is he fooling?

[Pachamama]

44. I've never seen either Talent or McCaskill speak, but I did today on MTP &

thought to myself that Talent looked like a Horses ass and she was AMAZING!!!

Missouri would be lucky to have her for a Senator - both Republican and Democrats....She's smart, articulate and seems to be her own person, not a loyalist to any "party" per se, but willing to speak up and fight for what is right by Missiourians...

[PCIntern]

3. she did great...

I had not seen her before and was most impressed with her surety and her assertiveness. No-Talent had a tremor of voice and his body language was defensive.

Looks like a pick-up....

[CorpGovActivist]

7. She'll See Late-Stage Funding Surge...

... from independent voters.

I hope she updates her speaking points to list Jeffords, instead of W's Waterboys.

- Dave

P.S. You Dems should be citing Jeffords. He's retiring this year, and the least you could do to honor his patriotic gift of a short-lived Senate majority is to give him his due credit as a send-off.

[hfojvt]

6. so he voted with Bush 94% of the time

and in many ads he claims to be a bipartisan guy - "reaching across party lines to get things done". What, a whole 6% of the time? Or does a bill become "bipartisan" when Lieberman and two Democrats (maybe both of the Nelson brothers) vote for it?

[Quixote1818]

8. She has the political skills to run for president! Very impressive!

nt

[CorpGovActivist]

12. Border State Governor Is the Key to DemWin in 08

FWIW, I'd say the Dems' best shot at a non-nailbiter victory in 08 is to run a successful border state Governor (e.g., Mark Warner of Virginia).

Warner could flip WV back to the Democratic column, and would play also well in large parts of KY, OH, TN, and NC.

Claire McCaskill in XX?

If it's another nail-biter the Dems are after, I can think of a sitting U.S. Senator who is just the ticket. I'd vote for her, then fly somewhere where betting on elections is legal, to place my bet on the date the recounts will be done and the victor declared.

; )

- Dave

[MoJoWorkin]

38. So from one look, she is presidential material?

She parroted the Repug lies about the sitting Democratic Governor Holden in that primary, so if you want a backstabber, maybe. Also, she changed her stance re: abortion rights in a desperate move to try and garner votes for Governor, and has been for the Iraq war---maybe altering her stance here a bit lately, as she sees how the wind is blowing.
I have been an active Democrat in MO since I was 16 years old, and walked door to door for John Kennedy, and Holden did NOT deserve what she dished. Anyway, I WILL hold my nose and vote for her for Senate, but she is NOT who I would want to be President some day.

[OzarkDem]

9. I've heard in the past she's a DINO

though I'm happy to support her now, but is this an accurate assessment? If elected, will she vote with Dems?

[Quixote1818]

10. It sure sounded like she would vote with the Dems.

I liked all her answers!

[OzarkDem]

25. Good to hear

Maybe a couple of long, difficult races have been an educational experience for her. I would think spending millions on campaigns and dealing with withering GOP attack ads might make a candidate feel less friendly towards the GOP.

[CorpGovActivist]

13. She'll Vote to Hand the Gavel to the Harry Reid

That's a start.

: )

- Dave

[Buzz Clik]

46. Excellent question -- one I've asked myself.

She was quick to hit the important Bible Belt talking points -- proclaiming her faith loudly, staking out a position against late-term abortions, etc. She said some good things about the war in Iraq and stem cell research, but I still wonder.

[rosesaylavee]

11. I heard Talent's ads were amazingly silly...

One states with that typical campaign-quality accusatory voice that she is 'paying for her campaign with proceeds from the nursing home she owns.' (Ok, paying from her own funds rather than a lobbyists is bad according to No-talent)

And another states that she has criticized Talent on voting for the Medicare bill and she 'says that she wouldn't have voted for it'. (Ok, so she was convinced this bill wasn't written well. As its now not working for seniors using it and most consider its seriously flawed, not sure why he thinks its good to point out he made a mistake in voting for it.)

We need a strong senator from Missouri... they have to vote her in!

[Kahuna]

14. She did do a great job. I agree.

[Olney Blue]

18. Claire won!!!!!! She was smart and articulate. Kudos to her.

[CorpGovActivist]

19. She Had an Auditor's Acumen...

... for sniffing out BS.

Hailing from the Show Me State, she "Showed Him Up"!

- Dave

[Singular73]

20. I dont know how many of undecides of Missourah watch MTP

But if they do, she won.

Russert grilled Talent hard...

[CorpGovActivist]

22. Even If They Don't Watch...

... the undecideds will be saturated with key clips.

Way to go, Claire!

- Dave

[Quixote1818]

24. It will also be in the paper that McCaskill won decisively.

It all helps.

[usregimechange]

21. kick!

[Marie26]

23. She was great!

I was so impressed by her - intelligent, articulate, honest and sincere. She made Talent look like the idiotic necon stooge he is.

[CorpGovActivist]

26. She Webbed up the Floor with Him...

... just like Jim Webb wiped up the floor with Allen.

Hallelujah! Missouri and Virginia each look to be flipping a Senate seat.

Tim Russert deserves a special Pulitzer for his written and oral contributions to the political process.

- Dave

[usregimechange]

27. kick

[catmandu57]

28. She pronounced the state name correctly

It's missoureeeee not missourah, there isn't a rah in missouri.

[CorpGovActivist]

29. Uh-Oh, Now You've Gone and Done It...

... this issue seems to produce a Hatfields & McCoy type of passion down there in MO.

; )

- Dave

[catmandu57]

33. Well, I'm from Misoureee

it's the southern part of the state that mispronounces the name.

[DeepModem Mom]

30. Hadn't seen her before -- SHE WAS AWESOME!

If she wins, she will make a great Senator, and, IMO, has a bright future.

[CorpGovActivist]

31. It'll Be Interesting to See...

... what her campaign receipts for this final home stretch look like.

- Dave

[Justice Is Comin]

34. I'd love Claire as Senator, but I don't think she did "awesome."

Talent is vermin. She missed many opportunities that would have had him squirming in his chair and she whiffed at em. Russert made her look uncomfortable with her stem cell answer, she looked she was straddling the fence.

Iraq, all kinds of things she could have said that she didn't.

Not awesome. What Harold Ford did last night. That was what you call AWESOME.

[jefferson_dem]

32. Claire was terrific! Best performance of any Dem yet on TMP.

Love the bite, as covered in the AP story --

"When a 50-year old man is asking a teenage boy on the Internet for his picture, the response needs to be something other than 'I better go tell the chairman of the Republican campaign committee,'" McCaskill said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politic...

[CorpGovActivist]

36. Webster and Calhoun They Ain't

The Senate GOP "leaders" play Miss Cleo (Doctor Senator Frist and his tele-diagnosis) and pander, instead of elevating the discourse.

Frist, Talent, and Mitch disgrace the august body that has included the likes of Webster and Calhoun.

- Dave

[MODemocrat]

35. We love Claire McCaskill here in this part of Missouri

So many of the yards were adorned by Jim Talent in the last election; and now, it's just great seeing
Claire on so many. We are so proud of her, because she is running a good, clean campaign, and telling
the absolute truth.

[CorpGovActivist]

37. I Always Smile When I Pass Truman's Senate Offices ...

... the little bronze sign that marks his old offices is one of my favorite places in the Senate Office buildings. He was my grandfather's favorite President.

- Dave

[oustemnow]

39. She floundered a bit on the abortion issue

Got briefly stuck in deer-in-headlights mode. But, I do agree, overall she kicked Talent's ass pretty handily. Talent just looked silly throughout the whole episode. I hope this dynamic is repeated at the polls.

[Penndems]

40. Ms. McCaskill did an outstanding job on "Meet the Press"

She mopped the floor with Jim Talent. Sparks didn't fly the way they did during the Ohio Senate debate, but she is definitely my kind of candidate!

[IdesOfOctober]

41. Claire Should Investigate Bush Bank with MO Operations

Claire McCaskill should explore the Missouri operations of the Bushiest of Banks:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

The CEO of State Street Bank and Andy Card are high school pals. The third member of their high school group is Ron Kaufman, the architect of the Willie Horton ads in 88.

State Street CEO Ron Logue, disgraced White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, and Card's brother-in-law, Ron Kaufman, are all Holbrook, Massachusetts Mitt-Heads.

[Vinca]

42. She really showed her stuff today.

An added bonus was how obvious it was Republicans have to lie about Democrats because they've got nothing else. By the end of the debate, Talent looked like a little kid who had been scolded and forced to sit in the corner.

[DemReadingDU]

43. She was very good!

Hope to see her in the Senate

[sendero]

45. I agree..

... I'd sure love to see her beat the stuffing out of that condescending fool Talent.

[usregimechange]

47. Did you see her call for Hastert to resign?

[fooj]

48. I thought she was great. Right on!

[usregimechange]

49. kick!

[usregimechange]

50. and again

[AllegroRondo]

51. Leave your comments about the debate here

http://www.stltoday.com/blogs/news-politicalfix/2006/10...

the local St Louis paper discussion page.