Conservative and liberal titans clash at Regent

VIRGINIA BEACH

CNN political commentator James Carville and former congressman Harold Ford Jr. sat at a table on one side of the stage. Radio host Laura Ingraham and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Charles Krauthammer sat on the other.

The four debated each others' liberal and conservative views Friday as part of Regent University's eighth annual Clash of the Titans.

CNN political analyst David Gergen, 68, moderated the sold-out event, which campus spokeswoman Mindy Hughes said drew about 700 attendees. The panelists were paid a fee, but Hughes wouldn't disclose the amount.

The theme Friday was "America at the Crossroads: Turning Right or Left?" The panelists all have strong political ties and backgrounds.

Carville, 66, helped Bill Clinton win the presidency in 1992 and is considered one of the country's best-known political consultants for Democrats. Ford, 40, served in Congress for 10 years and is chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council.

Krauthammer, 60, is an influential conservative columnist. Ingraham, 46, hosts a syndicated conservative radio program and has written several books.

They took turns talking about the country's political direction, then questioned each other on topics such as the military, economy, global business and the tea party movement.

Afterward, Gergen, who's worked for Republican and Democratic presidents and is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, posed questions from the audience.

Health care took up the bulk of the time.

Ingraham said she didn't think the overhaul bill was necessary and that President Barack Obama "jammed the bill down the throats of Americans." She called it "the tipping point" in next Tuesday's election.

"It has been a failure by his own barometer," she said. "The more we learn, the more we see the worst fears about health care are coming true."

Ford said Ingraham's thoughts on the health care bill were fair because the bill's timing and financial points could have been fleshed out better.

"The president has at least tried," Ford said.

Carville said more jobs have been created during Obama's administration than George W. Bush's two terms. Krauthammer countered that Carville's statements were a typical Democratic approach.

"Presidents don't create jobs; they don't," he said. "It is the private sectors that create jobs."

During Krauthammer's rebuttal, Carville covered his face with a chart showing job growth, an action that drew chuckles from the audience.

Ingraham said Obama should have had some military and economic experience before becoming president.

"Everyone got caught up in the fact that he seems like a nice guy and he has a nice family," she said. "Everyone got snowed but now, people are waking up."

Ford gave the president higher marks.

"Let me remind everyone where we came from," he said. "Before he came into office, the country lost millions of jobs, the country was in two wars."

Although the debate had a serious tone, it was not without its humor. Ingraham said her daughter wanted to dress up as a scary monster for Halloween. She asked the audience, "How do you dress up the health care bill?"

Humor aside, the panelists said Tuesday's election is important because control of the House and Senate is at stake.

Republicans will take control because Democrats have made mistakes such as passing the health care bill and economic stimulus legislation, Krauthammer said.

"Obviously, America is headed right and it will be headed right on Tuesday," he said. "They misunderstood who they were dealing with."

Carville said regardless of who wins, neither party is prepared to deal with the struggles the nation faces.

Jennifer Jiggetts, (757) 222-5150, jennifer.jiggetts@pilotonline.com