U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln and Congressman John Boozman square off in their First Heavy Weight Debate, at The Peabody Hotel at Noon on Friday, who won? For the Answer we go around the world from many different sources. They take on the debate differs as much as the candidate themselves. Here is the run down.
KARK News Says…
As both candidates navigated through the one hour and fifteen minute debate, Lincoln, the current chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee sought once again to brand herself as a moderate who uses her position to help Arkansans.
“I’m an independent voice for Arkansas and I’ll work hard,” Lincoln said. “Some say I’m too liberal, others too conservative and I think that puts me square in the middle where most Arkansans are.”
Boozman centered himself on his message of spending cuts, debt reduction and tax breaks.
“Senator Lincoln is a good friend, she’s somebody I admire,” said Boozman, “and yet we can’t afford her anymore.”
Arkansas News Says…
Since the candidates have been so keen on football lately, riding aboard Ryan Mallett’s arm or touting their own offensive line bonafides, allow me to score via gridiron metaphor the debate that Blanche Lincoln and John Boozman engaged in Friday at the Peabody Hotel.
Lincoln was well ahead of Boozman after three quarters. Then she turned the ball over twice and ended up losing.
Actually, no, she didn’t so much turn the ball over. What she did was walk up to the line of scrimmage and hand Boozman the ball and invite him to run unmolested the other way.
The City Wire Fort Smith Region Says…
According to Brock’s report on the debate, Lincoln was the aggressor answering tough questions on taxes, the economy and health care by drawing contrasts between herself and the Republican representative from the state’s Third Congressional District.
Boozman fielded many hardball questions, especially from Lincoln, on Social Security, foreign travel and abortion. His collected answers — while showing differences with Lincoln in certain areas — did not allow for any major gaffes.
Tapped The American Prospect Liberal Intelligence says…
…what Lincoln was, poorly, trying to tease out. As Suzi Parker notes at Politics Daily, the same issue helped trip up Boozman’s brother, Fay, in the first race Lincoln won. It also, should be clear, what the stakes are here for progressives. As frustrating as Lincoln is, there’s unlikely to be a true progressive representing Arkansas. Keeping the likes of Boozman out of the Senate is a as good a goal to have as any.
Fox News Says…
Trailing GOP challenger Rep. John Boozman by double digits in most polls, Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln failed to score a decisive victory in the candidates’ high-noon debate showdown at the Peabody Hotel on Friday.
Instead, Lincoln’s two attempts to bloody Boozman, when the candidates were allowed to question each other directly, appeared to backfire.
Politics Daily Says…
Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln took a swing at her Republican opponent Rep. John Boozman in a Friday afternoon debate. The issue: Boozman’s record on parental rights for rapists…
…Lincoln’s abortion question returned to an issue that crippled Boozman’s late brother, Fay, in 1998 when he ran against Lincoln in her first United States senate bid. During his campaign, Fay Boozman said rape and incest victims seldom got pregnant because they had “God’s protective little shield” to prevent pregnancy. Lincoln won that race to become the youngest elected woman to serve in the Senate at age 38.
