HuffPost Liveblog: Liveblog! Dems Play "Meet Me In Ohio"

by HuffPost Liveblog [courtesy of Politics on HuffingtonPost.com]

Hello, Cleveland! Here we are tonight for the 20th Democratic debate — perhaps the final debate before the all-important Texas and Ohio primaries next week. I feel as though we've been here before, the final debate before Super Tuesday and Wisconsin and whatnot — but this really does feel like the end of the line (or, at least, many pundits would like it to be). The question tonight is: What kind of debate will this be? A hugs n' kisses lovefest or a no-holds-barred slugfest between one candidate riding high and the other desperate to pull herself back up? We're guessing somewhere in the middle, because that's the line they both have to walk: Hillary Clinton, trying to prove herself strong and confident and ready to lead, yet not as bitter and negative and attacking toward Obama (no Xerox jokes, if you please); and Obama, frontrunner soaring 30,000 feet above who only has to not make any mistakes, but also can't be seen to be dismissive or arrogant — all while making sure to flex his substantive muscles. In between, moderators Brian Williams and Tim Russert will do their best to chart a course through the spin toward some sort of clarity. NAFTA? Health care? Mysterious photos of Obama in a turban? It's all fair game tonight — and we, your humble livebloggers, will be here every step of the way: Returning champion/writer/columnist Lloyd Grove, liveblog stalwart/Econolodge habitué Glynnis MacNicol, newcomer/mag publisher/politics junkie Raymond Roker and your moderator, HuffPo media editor Rachel Sklar (me). Meet us in Ohio, yo!

8:56 PM Glynnis: Hello! Welcome to the season finale of the liveblog.
Lloyd: I need a drink.
8:57 PM I love love love what Tim Russert is wearing
Rachel: Okay! We are all set up. Hooray.
So: Do people look happy? Tense? Clinton's looking confident. Obama's looking chill. Everyone is on their feet.
Glynnis: Hillary looks a little tense.
8:59 PM Lloyd: this looks like the makings of a fairly unpleasant evening! cool.
Glynnis: The candidates are at a large round table seated with the moderators, Tim Russert and Brian Williams.
9:00 PM Rachel: Okay! Here we go!
Lloyd: it's vaguely unsettling to know that keith olbermann will be doing what I'm doing
Glynnis: Wow. This is the twentieth (!) Democratic debate.
Rachel: The music starts!
I sort of love this music. It makes me wish I was a figure skater.
9:01 PM "Exactly ten months ago tonight, eight democratic candidates gathered in South Carolina...now it's down to two."
BriWi says it could be their most important debate yet. Who knows? All Obama has to do is not screw up.
Glynnis: It's definitely Obama's to lose.
9:02 PM Lloyd: they both look extremely tense
Glynnis: Hillary looks like she's been crying.
Lloyd: I've been crying too
Glynnis: There are no rules according to BriWi.
And no flashing lights either.
9:03 PM Lloyd: Tim Russert look hot!
Glynnis: BriWi says they have a lot of ground to cover, which begs the question: what ground? I feel like after twenty debates the ground is well trodden.
Lloyd: I am honored to be here with Glynnis and Rachel, absolutely honored.
9:04 PM Glynnis: We are honoured to have you!
Rachel: Okay
Lloyd: Are we using British spellings tonight?
Glynnis: Canadian.
9:05 PM BriWi starts by pulling a Russert on Hillary and comparing Hillary's moment of "honor" last Thursday with this week-end's "shame on you."
Lloyd: It's Obama's flyers and mailers that are very disturbing to Sen. Clinton....not the state of her campaign, haha
Rachel: BriWi effectively asks "Which Clinton is here tonight? The conciliatory valedictorian from the last debate, or the angry, crusading woman from this weekend?"
They're sitting down, so automatically are more pleasant.
9:06 PM Health plan! Finally, getting into those differences. I would love to hear them really get into this.
Lloyd: Hillary doing her Alpha female thing---setting the groundrules
Drudge Report gets lovely plug from BriWi
Glynnis: BriWi doesn't let Obama follow-up but goes directly to the Drudge photo.
9:07 PM Hillary says that is not the sort of behavior she condones.
Lloyd: That's a good way of saving money, asking staff to leave the campaign over the Obama funny foto.
Glynnis: Obama takes the short and high road and says he takes Hillary's word and it should be left at that.
9:08 PM Obama wants to focus on health care.
Obama says the mailing he put out accurately indicates that Hillary would force individuals to purchase health care.
Lloyd: According to Sen, Clinton that is "accurate," Barack says, rebutting her characterization of his health insurance plan....He is subtly sarcastic. Barack does subtle sarcasm. Hillary does broad sarcasm,
9:09 PM Glynnis: Nor has Hillary indicated how she would enforce this mandate, according to Obama.
Lloyd: Hillary looks fierce
Glynnis: On top of all this, Hillary has been mean!
Rachel: I am confused....Obama is saying that the mailing is not different from any else in the campaign....so is he saying that it's misleading or not?
9:10 PM Glynnis: And Obama has taken it on the chin...up until now, perhaps.
Lloyd: Hillary's necklace and earrings look like chain mail. Is it sexist to talk about jewelry. Misogynist? Over to you, Chelsea.
9:11 PM The temperature in the debate studio is subzero. the emotional temperature.
Glynnis: I feel like Obama is on the weaker ground here - many people have pointed out that is was a mistake on the part of his campaign not to mandate health care at the onset.
9:13 PM Obama says they both stand for universal health care. Everyone who wants health care under his plan can obtain it.
But isn't the point of her health plan that everyone should be buying in, even if you don't know you want it till you need it?
Lloyd: Obama invokes "President Clinton's own secretary of labor" in defense of his health care plan--reminding everybody of all the Clinton cabinet members who aren't supporting Hillary.
Bill Richardson for instance
Glynnis: Obama says the insurance companies are on Hillary's side also.
9:14 PM Hillary is getting fired up on this.
She compares his plan to FDR saying social security is voluntary.
Lloyd: Uh oh. Hillary's starting to pump up the volume. Getting a little sarcastic and angry as she lashes into Obama's plan.
9:15 PM Obama smiling smugly
Glynnis: I feel like Hillary may be so fired up because she is seeing her health care plan once again slip out of her grasp.
Lloyd: Obama complaining of filibustering
9:16 PM Glynnis: Obama is not letting this go either. BriWi says this is it. But why? This is one of the only issues on which there is some daylight between the two of them...why not have a whole debate about it. The GOP certainly isn't talking about it.
9:17 PM Lloyd: How dare you question BriWi? Next you'll be quibbling with Tim⁄
Glynnis: This is an actual debate! Soon they may actually be looking at each other directly.
Lloyd: Hillary is starting to remind me of Hubert Humphrey? Am I dating myself?
9:18 PM Glynnis: Hillary is literally hot under the collar - her cheeks are flushed.
Lloyd: Do you believe that arguments are often a substitute for sex? Just throwing it out there.
9:19 PM Rachel: "Maybe we should ask Barack if he's comfortable and needs another pillow" - ouch. Would have been better if we hadn't heard it earlier on Ellen.
Glynnis: Hillary says that she always gets the first question..."perhaps we should ask Barack if he needs another pillow."
Rachel: It worked on Ellen. Not here.
My face is still registering "cringe."
Lloyd: Vote for the victim!
9:20 PM Glynnis: Wow. My face is registering Hillary showing cracks. That was not pretty.
Lloyd: I am woman, hear me whine!
9:21 PM Hillary finally indicates NAFTA was a mistake
Glynnis: I don't think this is going to be pretty. I get the sense that she is not going to go down easy.
9:22 PM The level this has already devolved to is not flattering to either candidate.
Lloyd: You mean after next Tuesday? I think she can be expected to fight till then without impunity.
with impunity I mean
9:23 PM Glynnis: He needs to be very careful to stay high and clear.
Lloyd: The audience is silent, holding its breath.
9:24 PM The Democrats in the room must be worried.
Glynnis: Is it me or did Tim Russert just take a gentler tone with Hillary, as though he's not enjoying driving home her past contradictions the way he usually does.
Rachel: Ahhh, forgot about the Russert-Clinton antipathy.
Oil and water, those two.
9:25 PM Lloyd: Tim is not being too gentle now
Glynnis: Hillary looks like she might take this last opportunity to crawl across the table and hand Tim his liver on a plate.
This is not enjoyable.
Lloyd: That I would like to see!
9:26 PM Obama seems to think he can win this debate by just watching Hillary fight with Russert, and he might be right
9:27 PM Glynnis: I feel a Howard Beale moment coming unless the tone gets dialed down a bit, but I fear Russert has smelled blood in the water.

9:28 PM And now Obama swoops in cool as a cucumber.
Lloyd: Obama trying to spread a soothing balm over the supperating sore that is this debate--"Sen. Clinton is right."
9:29 PM Glynnis: John Neffinger from DC just chatted Rachel: "This is gibberish to much of the audience. All they see is her losing her cool and raising her voice shouting about some policy thing."
9:30 PM Is it me or has Tim just shifted into an "old boys network" tone?
9:31 PM Lloyd: I have seldom seen more unpleasant, viscerally unpleasant television--well, maybe a Barbara Walters special.
Rachel: He is very cool tonight.
You can really see how he has improved over time.
Glynnis: Gee, I wonder who's side Tim Russert is on?
9:32 PM Why isn't Russert asking Obama to "commit right here" to some of his pledges?
Lloyd: Obama is very "cool" on television, in the way that Marshall McLuhan would have put it in his very Canadian way. I feel very Canadian tonight.
9:33 PM This is wonktastic.
9:34 PM Rachel: Clinton is pulling a Mitt: Promising job creation in the beleagured state in which she is seeking votes.
Lloyd: Hillary is talking policy details that show her mastery but don't make for compelling political communication.
Rachel: BriWi in specs!
Glynnis: Hillary says that the loss of jobs in upstate NY happened because she had anticipated a Gore presidency and Democratic Senate, which really doesn't cut it as an answer....sort of like the Clinton camp anticipated a Feb 5 end date. I think the point is to anticipate the un-anticipated, no?
9:35 PM Lloyd: Speaking of which, it reminds of Election Night 2000, when Harvey Weinstein took a bunch of folks up to the Clinton suite in the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan, and the President ticked off all the states where Nader denied Gore a victory.
9:36 PM And somebody in the room, who'd had one or two or three too many beers, stood up and said, "I want to kill Nader.:
9:37 PM Glynnis: We are on to Iraq now.
9:38 PM Lloyd: "Just a speech"--Hillary's locution.
Glynnis: Hillary says that Obama has threatened to bomb Pakistan. Obama shakes his head and smiles to this.
Lloyd: Obama "basically threatened to bomb Pakistan"--John McCain's attack line taken up by Hillary.
9:39 PM "My objections to the war in Iraq not simply a speech"--a little flash of anger from Barack
9:40 PM Glynnis: He also says it's not an I told you so, but an illustration of his decision-making process.
Lloyd: Obama taking no prisoners on his criticism of Hillary's Iraq stance.
Glynnis: Obama: Hillary often says that she's ready on day one, but the truth is she was ready to give in to Bush on day one.
9:41 PM Lloyd: How will this debate end, in fire or in ice?
Glynnis: Obama: my claim is not simply based on a speech.
Words are taking a beating in this campaign.
9:42 PM I think Tim Russert and Obama are wearing the same tie.
Lloyd: Russert:"Get out now!" He sounds angry too
Rachel: Was that just Russert method acting?
"Get out! Get out now!"
9:43 PM Glynnis: I think that Russert is freaking out that this is the last debate...maybe he will be doing the Howard Beale.
Lloyd: Russert for President!