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I just got home and thought I'd share a few thoughts....
Protest: It wasn't as crowded as I would have hoped (but I never think these things are as crowded as they should be in Chicago). I am terrible at estimating numbers but perhaps there were 100. The enthusiasm however was HUGH!!111!! Several people were in Halloween costumes which made it fun. I always get a big charge out of doing stuff like this but the hour this was being held made the commute back and forth from the western suburbs into a real problem. I only made it by 5 pm into the city by the skin of my teeth and frankly, I'm not sure I was in time, lots of black limos were already zipping past... but I shrieked and waved my sign and had a few laughs with some folks in the back. C'est la vie.
I hightailed it quickly out of there since the commute back to the debate was a Chicago rush hour traffic nightmare. I made it in time to stand in the back of the debate room (by the way, the organizers did NOT plan on the crowd. at. all. That would be my biggest gripe on this otherwise really well-done debate. Many people were shut out of the event and had to listen to the audio only in a crowded vestibule.)
Tammy Duckworth hit it out of the park during the debate. Yes, she talks too fast, yes she rushes her delivery but she is funny and her UNpolished presentation comes off better than Roskam's practiced schtick. Roskam didn't directly answer a lot of the questions and made several pointed jabs which Tammy Duckworth handled really well, for example:
1. On Tony Resko, a Blago aide who was the focus of Patrick Fitzgerald's recent indictment, Roskam tried to paint Tammy as taking his tainted money and being tainted by association. She deftly turned that back on Roskam by pointing out that he had no problem standing next to Bu$h tonight who also took campaign funds from him.
2. Roskam tried to say that Tammy was a Rahm Emmanual puppet and challenged her to name just 1 thing that she disagreed with Rahm about. Without a moment to think, she threw out 2 or 3 things that she and Rahm don't see eye to eye on (line items veto power for the Prez, and earmarks).
She definitely made her points that he is an NRA head who wants no restrictions on guns including assault weapons. She pointed out his rabid evangelical freakiness on abortion, stem cell research and more. Anyone who might have initially questioned her ability to handle debate should have those fears erased. She can debate.
I thought she was really effective. She used her wheelchair instead of walking which underscored her service and sacrifices without having to say it out loud. She had supporters who were also in wheelchairs who she pointed out as real live potential stem cell research beneficiaries. She had A LOT of vets there in support of her. A LOT!
The topic that garnered the most questions from the audience was on environmental issues, specifically global warming! (yay!) I was blown away by that since this is a very red district which doesn't historically care one bit about this kind of issue (taxes, schools, and the evangelical faith typically dominate!)
One last thing: C-Span was there! (and a whole shitload of other media). They are going to air the debate so watch for it if you couldn't be there. I'm the middle-aged blonde woman, way in the back trying to peek around the 6 footers who were in front of me, along the wall with about 300 other standing room only attendees who managed to slip past the police to get in to the over-capacity hall.
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