Money & Politics | Daily Report

2:02 p.m. Closing attacks: In closing statements, both candidates focused on attacking their opponent. Boxer returned to her attack on Fiorina’s layoffs at HP. “She laid off 30,000 workers, shipped jobs overseas, and she says she’s proud of her record – well, that’s her record.”

Fiorina described Boxer as a career politician who has not lived up to her obligations. “We need to change the people we send to Washington,” she said.

1:58 p.m. Foreign affairs: Asked whether Mexico’s military approach in the war on drugs is “making things worse,” Fiorina said Mexico has its own elected leaders and that the U.S. must only “try to work with them and help them.”

Responding to a question about whether the Afghanistan government is “worth supporting,” Boxer acknowledged she is worried about the corruption in the Karzai government. “If they can’t get their arms around the corruption, I don’t see why we would send them our hard-earned dollars," she said.

1:50 p.m. Abortion: Fiorina said she she is pro-life but does not believe abortion should be criminalized and would not personally introduce legislation to overturn Roe v. Wade. Boxer holds "extreme views" on the issue, Fiorina said, asserting that Boxer believes the government should pay for "any abortion, anytime, for any reason." The moderator pointed out that that is actually banned by current law. Federal funding for abortion should be banned except for rape, incest and the life of the mother, Fiorina said.

Boxer asserted that Fiorina wants to overturn Roe v. Wade and that that would result in doctors and women being sent to jail. She reiterated her pro-choice position and said she supports the laws currently in place.

1:44 p.m. Healthcare reform: Fiorina said she supports offering health insurance to every American but wants to repeal the Obama healthcare bill. It contributes to the deficit, causes premiums to rise and stresses the under-funded Medicaid program, she said. Fiorina also contended that patients are being denied care under Medicaid as a result of the bill. "I am a breast cancer survivor," she said of the healthcare issue. "I take this personally."

Boxer said she would support adding a public option to the bill. As a result of the healthcare bill, "the insurance companies cannot walk away from you when you get sick," she said. She acknowledged that the bill "isn't perfect" but said "we need to mend it, but don't end it because it took 100 years to get this done."

1:35 p.m. Global warming initiative: AB32 is a bad idea, because "global warming requires a serious global solution" and cannot be addressed by the actions of one state, Fiorina said. "Scientists agree that a single state acting alone" will have little impact, she added. Pressed to address a statement she made regarding Boxer having ties with radical environmental groups, Fiorina was unable to name any specific groups.

Boxer said she opposes Proposition 23, which would delay California's landmark global-warming bill until unemployment steadies below 5.5 percent. She also attacked Fiorina, saying Fiorina "stands with big oil" and if elected, would "turn her back on the environment."

1:26 p.m. Immigration: Fiorina refused to answer a question about what she would do with the estimated 11 million - 12 million illegal immigrants living in this country, saying the border must be secured before dealing with this issue. The U.S.-Mexico border is currently so insecure that it is essentially "murder and mayhem," she said. She also attacked Boxer for voting against a guest worker program.

Boxer defended her vote, saying the guest worker program was inhumane and would have led to an additional 1 million immigrants. "It was not the solution," she said. Asked about border security, Boxer attacked Fiorina for focusing on border security rather than dealing with illegal immigrants already in this country. She disagreed with Fiorina's characterization of border "mayhem," saying the border "is in far greater shape than ever before."

1:19 p.m. Outsourcing: The government must "incentivize companies ... to hire American workers," Boxer said in response to a call-in question about whether she opposes outsourcing in all situations. Without answering the question directly, Boxer said she opposes tax breaks to companies who ship jobs over seas. She also repeated her attack that Fiorina eliminated 30,000 jobs during her time at HP and outsourced those jobs to foreign countries.

1:13 p.m. Stimulus: Boxer defended supporting the stimulus bill, saying "If we had not taken the steps that we took, we would have lost another eight million jobs." Asked how she would shrink the federal deficit, Boxer said the government must institute a "pay as you go" policy. In addition, ending the Iraq War will dramatically cut spending, she said.

1:10 p.m. Regulations: Regulations in California “have run amuck,” Fiorina said in response to the first question about which regulations she would reduce or eliminate. Without naming specific regulations she would eliminate, Fiorina said those that “disregard all social and economic impact” must be curbed.

Boxer vs. Fiorina: The hour-long debate starts at 1 p.m. today, broadcasting during the Patt Morrison program on KPCC-FM (89.3) and on other public radio stations. As the Los Angeles Times reported today: "After being virtually tied in the polls all summer, Boxer was leading Fiorina 51% to 43% in a new poll sponsored by The Times and the USC College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. The poll showed that margin would shift depending on which voters turn out on Nov. 2.