Liveblogging the Town Hall Presidential Debate

The Briefing Room will liveblog the second presidential debate on Tuesday night.

The debate will be in a town hall meeting style, which means that the candidates will field questions from voters. It’s long been one of John McCain’s favorite formats; earlier this year, he challenged Barack Obama to a series of town-hall-style debates, but Obama demurred.

Since their debate two weeks ago, the economic crisis has persisted, despite the passage of a $700 billion rescue bill. Largely because of the economy, Americans’ dissatisfaction with the way things are going in the country has reached an all-time high, according to Gallup.

In the past week, McCain has fallen behind in polls and his campaign has begun to question Obama’s character. The most notable attack has come from McCain’s running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), who said that Obama has been “palling around with terrorists.” It’s a reference to Obama’s association with Weather Underground bomber William Ayers, who hosted a political event for Obama in 1995.

Expect voters to ask about the economy and McCain’s new approach. Moderator Tom Brokaw will select the questions, submitted by uncommitted likely voters in the audience and from the Internet.

The debate is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. It will be held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.

8:55 p.m.: We’re a few minutes away from the start of the debate.

One thing to watch out for throughout the night is whether Tom Brokaw, the debate moderator, will follow-up on any of the voters’ questions to the candidates. The debate rules do not allow follow-ups, a rule that has come under criticism from political observers. Brokaw, however, will select all the questions and may take some liberties with the rules, according to Politico’s Ben Smith.

9:03 p.m.: The first questioner asks the candidates for the “fastest, most positive solution to bail out from economic ruin.”

Obama immediately takes the opportunity to appeal to the middle class and to tie McCain to President Bush’s policies of deregulation.

“You need somebody working for you, and need somebody in Washington who will work for the middle class,” Obama said.

McCain, meanwhile, offers a proposal to have the Treasury Department buy up the troubled mortgages of homeowners so that they can stay in their homes.

In a follow-up, Brokaw asks the candidates whom they would name as Treasury Secretary.

McCain mentioned Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, an Obama supporter, and former eBay executive Meg Whitman, a McCain backer. Brokaw’s question seemed to get at whether McCain would tap former Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas), who has been one of McCain’s chief advisers and has received criticism for calling the country a “nation of whiners.” In a statement that seemed to tamp down on the notion he’d choose Gramm, McCain said he would pick someone Americans can immediately identify with.

Obama also mentioned Buffett, and eagerly noted that Buffett has supported him.

9:20 p.m.: A woman asks how voters can trust both parties, since both played a role in getting the country into economic trouble.

Both candidates respond by railing against the system. Obama knocks lobbyists. McCain talks about campaign finance and his bipartisan record, which he contrasts with Obama’s more liberal votes for more spending.

A difference in the candidates’ styles is already apparent. Obama stands in front of the questioner while responding, while McCain walks around and talks to both the questioner and the rest of the hall.

9:30 p.m.: A woman who was around during the Great Depression asks a question about sacrifices.

McCain goes after earmarks and spending. Obama knocks President Bush for urging Americans to shop after 9/11.

So far, the candidates have yet to be pushed outside of their comfort zone.

9:38 p.m.: McCain’s message at this debate is clear (so far).

He’s going after Obama for spending and taxes, saying that he would raise them when that’s exactly the wrong thing to do.

“The last president to try to raise taxes during tough economic times was Herbert Hoover,” who oversaw the start of the Great Depression, McCain said.

9:39 p.m.: Both candidates have now engaged in the fight over taxes.

Obama directly rebuts McCain’s attack. He notes that 95 percent of Americans would see lower taxes under his plan, and that taxes would go up only for those making more than $250,000. He then hits back at McCain for proposals that would benefit “Fortune 500” CEOs.

9:45 p.m.: Obama talked about how the computer was the invention by defense scientists looking for better ways to communicate. He probably meant the Internet, which grew out of research by the Defense Department in the 1970s.

9:51 p.m.: The Hill’s Senate reporter, J. Taylor Rushing, weighs in on the candidates’ and the moderator’s fight with the time limits.

A clear loser in Tuesday night’s presidential debate, so far: Moderator Tom Brokaw.

Brokaw has repeatedly urged both candidates to adhere to debate rules, reminding them that both campaigns signed off on them. Brokaw’s biggest problem: Keeping Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to the one-minute time limit for responses to audience questions.

At one point, Brokaw made an exaggerated joke about the lights in the studio that are meant to alert both candidates that their time is about to expire. That prompted McCain to suggest Brokaw simply wave his arms instead.

9:57 p.m.: The debate has shifted to healthcare, which is a topic the Obama campaign sees as its turf.

Obama declares that health insurance should be a right for Americans. He then turns to a personal connection, noting that his mother fought cancer while also fighting to pay her healthcare bills.

Nearly an hour into the debate, there have been no questions about foreign policy, Tony Rezko, Bill Ayers or Charles Keating.

10 p.m.: As if on cue, Brokaw turns to a questioner who asks about the country’s strength abroad. Brokaw himself then asks about the Obama doctrine of U.S intervention and the McCain doctrine.

Obama says that intervention to stop genocide where it’s possible needs to be a consideration, but he adds that it’s not always possible. He also stresses the need to mobilize the international community.

McCain starts by criticizing Obama’s call for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, saying that it would have led to an increase in violence and allowed al Qaeda in Iraq to get a foothold.

“Sen. Obama would have brought troops home in defeat,” McCain said.

McCain then addresses when U.S. intervention would be proper. He talks about the limits of military action, noting the trouble U.S. forces ran into in Somalia in the early 1990s and in Lebanon in the early 1980s.

His answer and Obama’s answer, however, don’t reveal any significant differences on issues other than Iraq.

10:14 p.m.: The two are getting into an extended exchange over their temperaments as potential commanders-in-chief.

McCain knocked Obama for not “talking softly and carrying a big stick” by calling for possible attacks in Pakistan. McCain says “telegraphing punches” is the wrong thing to do, because it will lead to instability.

Obama dismissed the notion that McCain is the “somber” and “responsible” one, noting that McCain has been the candidate who sang “Bomb, Bomb, Bomb… Iran” and looked to Baghdad as U.S. troops were still in Afghanistan.

10:21 p.m.: Brokaw asks a “yes” or “no” question: Is Russia an Evil Empire? He doesn’t get a yes or a no from either candidate.

Obama says that Russia has engaged in evil behavior and has had national tendencies.

McCain says, “Maybe,” and that Russia’s interests have conflicted with those of the United States.

10:34 p.m.: That’s all folks.

Notably, none of the uncommitted voters has asked about the candidates’ ties to controversial figures.

That’s not a good sign for McCain or the media. McCain’s campaign has sought to highlight Obama’s associations since the weekend. The Republicans’ attacks have dominated the news cycle.

Like the first debate, the candidates didn’t make any obvious gaffes or land any knockout punches. Both candidates’ clearly got their messages across, and both spent more time talking about the economy and middle-class woes than about foreign policy.

We’ll be watching to see how the spin coming out of the campaigns differs this time around.

The candidates debate one last time on Oct. 15. It’s the foreign policy debate, and it could be the last chance for the candidates to fundamentally change the race.