Values Voter Predebate Show/Live Debate

Welcome to your top source for coverage of the Values Voter Debate. I’ll be live blogging the event and afterwards on a Special Edition of the Truth and Hope Report, we’ll break it down.

The debate can be listened to at the official website, American Family Association, and VCY America. It can also be seen live on Sky Angel Channel, Angel One.

If you want to know more about the debate. You can listen to my pre-debate podcast here and you can add my podcast to your Itunes by clicking here. Also you can read the information about the debate from Religion News.

Updates:

5:27 PM: Live Blogging Elevator Music on the live feed.

5:35 PM: Farah: “At least those candidates who care about the values that made America great.” Ouch.

5:38 PM: Loudest applause at the beginning for Keyes and Paul. May indicate where the delegates are already leaning.

5:40 PM: “Why Should God Bless America?” was not the best for the debate, IMHO.

5:50 PM: Pity Duncan Hunter having to follow Keyes.

5:53 PM: Sam Brownback uses his first extra minute by telling the Mother Teresa story in the opening round.

5:54 PM: Cox: You can’t serve God and money. Very strong opening and a good connection with Values Voters that was very well measured and connected with the audience as well.

5:56 PM: Huckabee: “This is unlike any debate I’ve been in. I can never imagine Chris Matthews opening in prayer.” Heh.

5:58 PM: Question 1: Federal Marriage Amendment.

5:59 PM: Huckabee’s answer is that he’d do the same thing as President, he did as Governor. Ever hear of the 10th Amendment? You can’t possible do the same thing.

6:03 PM: Paul: “Don’t be on the defensive. Look it up in the dictionary…Marriage is a church function, not a state function.” Good job, softening the basic, “No” answer to the Federal Marriage Amendment.

6:05 PM: Hunter: Marriage gives kids confidence they can float in water for hours. Huh?

6:06 PM: Keyes slams Romney on gay marriage. I wonder if he’ll ask for a minute. Oops Romney, didn’t show up.

6:08 PM: Question 2: Abortion and Roe v. Wade.

6:10 PM: Oh my Gosh, it’s Bill wars. Hunter got the “Hunter Bill” (appropriately named) and then Ron Paul comes up and asks why he doesn’t have more sponsors for his bill. Andrea suggests that maybe if they were working together rather than competing they may have accomplished something.

6:15 PM: Huckabee: “I didn’t become pro-life because I became involved in politics, I became involved in politics because I was pro-life.”

6:16 PM: Question 3 on the War on Terrorism. By the way, is it a good idea for Keyes or Huckabee to be going 1st or last each time?

6:19 PM: I like Cox’s confidence, particularly when addressing the war. He’s on and passionate as he talks about the need to replace “evil with good.”

6:21 PM: Sam Brownback: “I chaired a subcommittee.” Indeed, let’s call him Orrin Hatch, Jr.

6:22 PM: Ron Paul finished his paranoid screed and Duncan Hunter drew the biggest applause of the night heretofore by telling Paul not to blame America first.

6:23 PM: Keyes stated abortion and terrorism were linked because both entail the destruction of innocent life.

6:24 PM: Q4 Personal Faith.

6:25 PM: Keyes issue isn’t personal faith, but how we act it out.

6:27 PM: Paul comes out as a near pacifist in his discussion of his faith.

6:30 PM: Cox: Faith leads him to run. Also faith must have works behind it. Good answers.

6:32 PM: Huckabee in regards to Brownback’s story of coming to Christ, returning from feeding the hogs. “I’ve got a title for your book. From hogs to Heaven.”

6:34 PM: Question 5: North American Union

6:37 PM: Cox against North American Union, but for trade. “Trade is a weapon of peace.”

6:41 PM: Paul and Hunter have gone hopelessly off topic.

6:42 PM: Keyes finally speaks. It had to be a good 12 minutes since the last time he spoke.

6:43 PM: Q6: Homosexual agenda.

6:44 PM: Keyes goes after Paul’s response on marriage. “The church predates marriage.”

6:49 PM: Cox talks “common sense” and raises the need for school choice and homeschooling, but questions the wisdom of moralizing to people who aren’t believers.

6:53 PM: Yes/no round. Not the greatest innovation in Democracy. Dumbing down, really.

6:55 PM: Gaffe: Huckabee thinks Mexico City policy is Mexican law. Keyes points out that Mexico is City from the UN Population Conference of 1984. He show know, he negotiated the language.

6:57 PM: Question is amnesty. Cox asks in initial answer says, “Can I say no amnesty under any circumstance?” Then Brownback says he’s against amnesty, but for guest worker. Cox then took one of his extra minute firing back that we don’t need amnesty and “we need send home those who cut in line and let those in who are waiting in line.”

7:06 PM: This debate has heretofore not been very helpful for those wanting to make a decision. “I agree with…” has been the most common statement.

7:17 PM: Questions seem a tad loaded. Top question from mother about her children of snowflake babies, “Would you support using my kids scientific experiments.” Surprise, it’s 7-0 unanimous no.

7:21 PM: Question about denying federal funds to schools that push homosexuality. Cox gets in a brief question, “Can we abolish the Department of Education and defund all of it?”

7:26 PM: Cox did it again regarding removing the part of the Federal Income Tax Code 501 (c)(3) that restricts church activity in politics. Cox asks, “Can we get rid of the whole tax code?” Cox’s focus is good, short, and non-disruptive.

7:35 PM: Brownback votes against limiting student visas to our country from those who are from terrorist countries. Don’t know who’s won the debate, but there’s a frontrunner for losing.

7:41 PM: Disabled victim of abortion has question for the absent Rudy Giuliani. It looks bad. Andrea says after hearing the question, “He didn’t even have the guts to face her.”

7:42 PM: Andrea bet me the question directed to John Cox would be about the fair tax.

7:48 PM: Brownback not helping his cause on immigration.

7:54 PM: Cox answering the electability question. (I’ll have to figure out what Andrea owes me.) I don’t think this is a great question for debate and doesn’t tell voters much and is really a tad insulting.

7:57 PM: Huckabee shoves aside question about his gubenatorial record aside by bringing up the Fair Tax. Nice screen. I wonder how it works with the voters.