Debate wrap up
On substance, McCain was the winner, I thought. He knew his stuff. But his stuff seemed to target the middle. Quite a few conservative sorts did a double take at issues such as buying up mortgages and the healthcare question. The question becomes whether or not targeting the middle alienates the base. We’ll see.
On style, they were both pretty dull. They quickly went into talking points and Obama tended to stutter and say uh a lot.
Honorable mention: With the exception of leading one to believe that he wanted to pull out of Iraq on a timeline, I think Obama did a fairly good job on the foreign policy stuff. That was an area in which, frankly, I thought McCain would dominate. Obama held is own and was rather knowledgeable of the topic.
The press pretty quickly called it for Obama. But that is to be expected.
One of the things I keep reading from conservatives and the left both is that the race is over. Obama will win. I don’t see it. Still too early.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Not only too early, but there’s weird stuff going on with the published polls. I found out yesterday that the local Republican Party HQ is across the street from my office, so I wandered over for some lawn signs. Apparently our internal polling is showing McCain-Palin only 5 (5!!!!) points down in California, vs. the 17+-point lead in other polls. Verrry interesting.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:30 am
I agree. The race is tightening again after Obama had a few good weeks and while Dick Morris is hot and cold with his predictions, he is a good analyst and said now that Obama has a lead, all of the focus will be on him. That’s the reason why Ayers finally started getting some play in the MSM over the last few days.
I too saw a lot of people get all crazy that McCain didn’t go Ayers-wild on Obama, but the setting didn’t lend itself to that and there was no opening for it thanks to the worst debate moderator ever in Tom Brokaw.
A CBS post debate poll of undecided voters (about 600) all gave high marks to Obama and showed him pretty much being the clear winner, but 72% said they were STILL undecided.
I say keep going as they are. Let Palin be the one who brings up Ayers, Wright and Rezko. McCain needs to keep hammering on the Democrats about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I will say this. In the final debate, McCain needs to go balls to the wall on the housing mess. He needs to name names and warn people that they’re considering putting in charge, the very people that caused this mess.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:45 am
You just don’t wanna have to buy that bottle of Knob Creek.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Nope. I just recall how Gore had already won and how Kerry had already won.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Neither Gore nor Kerry had the kind of lead in the polls that Obama currently enjoys.
Anyway, I already owe Uncle a beer because Obama beat Hillary (although I admit this was a strategic bet on my part, since I often bet against the result I actually want to see). I believe we have another beer on the general, with Uncle betting for McCain and me betting against him, but I can’t find the reference to that one. I also seem to remember stipulating that these beers can’t cancel each other out.
Anyway, somebody needs to invent wormhole technology so that The City (Uncle’s The City) isn’t an 8-hour freakin’ drive from The City (My The City) despite being in the same damn state.
You know, some of us entrepreneurial web types should create some way to send each other beer via e-mail, the way you can with money over PayPal right now. Sadly, beerpal.com is already taken.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Also, insert boilerplate liberal “Gore did win” response here.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:09 am
“Gore did win”
Nope. Wasn’t for lack of
stealingerr trying.October 8th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Let’s face it, the Republican base is voting for Sarah-Cuda….Mac needs to sell himself to the middle.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:22 am
“Gore did win” Bush blew up the world trade center and Rosie is the girl of my dreams and the world is flat. Must be the water because or the wacky weed.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
“On style, they were both pretty dull. They quickly went into talking points and Obama tended to stutter and say uh a lot.”
I can just see nObama talking to a national leader saying “uh” before every sentence. He’d really dazzle them. It must be tough conversing without a telepromter.
October 8th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I can just see nObama talking to a national leader saying “uh” before every sentence.
you betcha! At least he he can pronounce the letter g when it comes at the end of a word..not to mention the word nuclear. Oh and he also has the advantage of, you know, having a clue.
October 8th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Obama’s experience is in Illinois: corruption & politics. He wants to continue this with America’s government? READ! INVISTIGATE! He is condescending & arrogant (about what?); what has he done? Why should we believe him? Integrity of character counts!!!
October 8th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
The press pretty quickly called it for Obama. But that is to be expected.
Actually, the American people called it for Obama.
October 8th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Obama won the debate. McCain had the better answers, but they were mostly logical and appealed to the intellect.
Obama kept trying to instill fear, and definitely was appealing to emotion.
So, even though McCain had more substantive responses,in the minds of the electorate Obama won.
Neither answered with anything like a grasp on reality. For instance, they both kept promising things that just are not in the president’s power to deliver.