Political strategist and architect of President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns David Plouffe and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and political commentator Charles Krauthammer squared off for the annual “Only at GW” debate on Sunday evening at the George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium.
The experts camped out on either side of the aisle for a spirited exchange moderated by Professorial Lecturer Daniel Ericsson to discuss foreign and domestic policy, predictions for the 2016 presidential election and answer questions submitted via Twitter.
“The Only At GW Debate Series is a collective effort by student leaders from Program Board, GW College Republicans, GW College Democrats and the Student Association to provide the most politically active students in America an opportunity to hear from high-profile political speakers on the main issues of the day,” said Program Board Executive Chairman Jon Carfagno.
“The hashtag, ‘OnlyAtGWDebate,’ was ranked No. 1 on Twitter in D.C. last night which I believe is a direct indicator of the event’s success,” Mr. Carfagno said. “This was one of the ‘only at GW’ moments that students will remember for the rest of their lives.”
The annexation of Crimea, signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, took top billing at the debate. Mr. Plouffe said that President Obama’s current stance is focused on finding ways to put pressure on Russia to find a diplomatic solution, while preventing military action in Ukraine.
In response, Mr. Krauthammer called President Obama’s view of foreign policy a fantasy and mocked the administration’s decision to offer the Ukrainians rations instead of weaponry to defend against Russian troops.
“It was like entering a knife fight with a baguette,” Mr. Krauthammer said.
“It is a fantasy to say that international laws regulate,” he added. “What helps to regulate, what constrains bad guys is the determined power of the United States.”
In the case of the recent nuclear deal made with Iran, Mr. Plouffe said that many leaders on the right, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., are “jonesing” for the U.S. to be militarily involved everywhere, from Iran to Syria and Ukraine.
“Why wouldn’t we try every avenue possible to reach an agreement to defer nuclear proliferation,” Mr. Plouffe said.
“Particularly after the decade plus that this country has spent fighting wars, which besides the human cost, had budgetary costs, a cost to our economy and a cost to our relationships around the world, we ought to give these discussions every opportunity to succeed,” he added.
Though Mr. Krauthammer agreed that military action would be irresponsible considering the stakes, he did criticize the U.S. decision to reduce sanctions against Iran, since the effect of sanctions on the Iranian economy is what originally brought the country to the negotiating table.
“Now, the Iranians have no incentive to negotiate on nukes,” Mr. Krauthammer said. “To claim that war is the only other alternative is a nice sound bite, but it’s simply not true.”
The Affordable Care Act was another hot-button issue, as Mr. Plouffe and Mr. Krauthammer went head to head over the actual numbers concerning enrollment in the national health care plan.
Mr. Krauthammer said that the reported enrollment does not differentiate from those who have signed up and those who have paid the premium, a distinction he compared to shopping online and putting an item in your shopping cart versus paying for the item and ensuring its delivery.
In contrast, Mr. Plouffe projected that ACA enrollment levels have exceeded the more than 6 million people reported and are closer to 10 or 12 million people, despite “sabotage” by some state governors who oppose the law.
He said the reported numbers do not include people who are using state exchange programs, are a part of the Medicare expansion or are approaching health care companies directly.
“The law is working,” Mr. Plouffe said. “My prediction is that by 2017 state governments will all be doing it because it will be the law of the land and it is smart for their states.”
Mr. Krauthammer echoed the public sentiment of those on the right that the immediate and widespread opposition to the ACA is largely based on the billions of dollars spent on the bumpy rollout and the assurances from President Obama that people who like their health insurance plan would be able to keep it.
“At the root, I feel like people have a sense that they have been swindled,” Mr. Krauthammer said. “This is not an innocent, isolated program to insure the uninsured; this has revolutionized the way health care is run in the United States.”
Mr. Plouffe urged Democrats to run on the strength of the ACA and play offense rather than defense during a discussion of the current state of the Democratic and Republican parties.
While it is more likely that Democrats could end up in the governor’s mansions in states such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania in 2014, the presidential election of 2016 will be “tough terrain,” he said.
He added that Democrats’ potential gain from changing minority demographics, which have shifted once Republican states to battleground areas, will be tempered by the desire for change that people feel after eight years with the same party in the highest office.
Mr. Krauthammer called the Mr. Plouffe’s analysis brilliant but quipped that he hoped democrats would run on the ACA.
“That was sarcasm,” he deadpanned.
He went on to lament the loss of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as a presidential frontrunner for the GOP because of the effects of the “Bridgegate” scandal.
As the debate wound down, Mr. Plouffe urged the crowd of GW students to get involved in civic life.
“During the last two elections I have had a ringside seat to your generation,” Mr. Plouffe said. “One of the reasons I am so confident in the future of the country is because you are driven, you think globally, you understand technology, and you want to be financially successful but also give back and shape the future.”
“My advice would be, don’t wait until you are 40, you can begin shaping the future now,” he added.