The way they presented that speech of Debra’s from the “sovereignty vs. secession rally” was a total hit job. If you listen to the very next two lines she says AFTER where they stopped playing the clip she says that she’s not in favor of secession (which was a pretty brave thing to do in front of an audience of many people who are), as we haven’t tried the more moderate means of nullification and interposition to defend Texas’ sovereignty yet.
It was a very clear distinction she made in her speech - being in favor of nullification and being against secession. The way they edited that clip - in conjunction with the question that went along with it - was so dishonest and manipulative by the debate people that it made me want to jump into the TV screen and give them a piece of my mind. They absolutely knew they were lying about Debra the way they set that up... but I believe that was their intention all along.
Regarding your other question, she didn’t go so far as to actually say that - although I would assume she’s obviously more open to having that debate based upon her response (or at least she’s more honest and/or more willing to admit to being open to having that debate) than the others.
My gut feeling as a conservative Texan who hangs around other conservative Texans all the time is that it’s probably a non-issue for the vast majority of voters as #1) we’ve got other issues that are way higher priorities that we’re all focusing on right now, #2) it’s not anywhere on her radar screen either, and #3) I suspect way more of us conservative Texans than are willing to admit it in “respectable” circles secretly believe at the end of the day that it’s just not the proper role of government (especially the federal government) to dictate what grown adults may choose to consume... even if our dumb choices are personally destructive.
Note: I’m talking about the views of self-described conservatives... not self-described libertarians here.
Do I believe the edit of the clip was intentional? Perhaps. That's why I want to see or read more of her speech. That is the advantage of the internet.
I actually think tonight's debate was far superior to the PBS debate. The panel did a good job of throwing tough questions at all three people.