First debate

[blzrul]

No, really? I hadn't heard. I've been living on Mars. In a cave. With my fingers stuck in my ears. Screaming LALALALALALALALALA I can't hear you

Yeah but POWS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA can SAVE YOU. Because they were POWS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA (after crashing 5 planes).

 

Not to dis POWS in southeast Asia. They suffered...but that doesn't make them any more capable of running the country than I WAS MAYOR OF NYC DURING 9/11 DID YOU KNOW THAT? ! YEP. MAYOR OF NYC...9/11....9/11....9/11.

[DC Tom]

My perfect candidate? Might have been Ralph Nader - 25 years ago. But Obama and McCain are what we have today. Obama is crazy to want the job. But I think he's better equipped intellectually and tempermentally ... than Gramps and his dingbat sidekick.

 

 

I don't necessarily disagree...George Snuffalupagus on ABC said it well: McCain did a good job of connecting himself emotionally to his positions, but Obama did a much better job connecting to the audience (it's very much to Obama's credit that he addressed McCain directly, addressed Lehrer, addressed the camera...McCain looked like he was giving a press conference). Also helped Obama that McCain looked like he was reminding himself "Must...not...lose...temper..." all the time...really, someone has to photoshop a picture of McCain as the Hulk.

 

My ideal candidate would probably be transplanting McCain's nuanced foreign policy understanding into Obama. I get the sense that Obama doesn't understand "it" (focused exclusively on Iraq, Barak? Last I checked, we have counter-terror ops in a HELL of a lot of different countries. Dozens, at least), and McCain can't sell "it". But then, Bush neither understood nor sold "it", so I suppose either's an improvement.

[justnzane]

I like the graph more than the "debate."

 

McCain is punching harder but Obama is more likable (no surprise). On issues, McCain is making way too much sense on the economy. On the issue of cutting spending Obama only talked about what programs he would create and expand. Priceless. McCain at least was brave enough to give some examples.

 

I thought Obama could have been stronger on the economic end, and McCain could have been on the foreign policy end.

 

In all, I did like the little graph. I thought it was interesting that the independents line was consistent with the blue line quite often. Also, I found it odd that the Red line rose a lot on certain Obama talking points.

[/dev/null]

Yeah but POWS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA can SAVE YOU. Because they were POWS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA (after crashing 5 planes).

 

Not to dis POWS in southeast Asia. They suffered...but that doesn't make them any more capable of running the country than I WAS MAYOR OF NYC DURING 9/11 DID YOU KNOW THAT? ! YEP. MAYOR OF NYC...9/11....9/11....9/11.

 

Dude, Nozzlenut if you're going to do it, at least do it right

 

Noun + verb + 911

 

See Spot

See Spot run

See Spot run from terrorists on 911

Run Spot Run!

[DC Tom]

I thought Obama could have been stronger on the economic end, and McCain could have been on the foreign policy end.

 

Really? How so?

 

I thought the exact opposite. Obama's statements pretty much put foreign policy issues in isolation and in a unilateral context...McCain made an effort to express that there's interrelations between events and issues.

[justnzane]

Really? How so?

 

I thought the exact opposite. Obama's statements pretty much put foreign policy issues in isolation and in a unilateral context...McCain made an effort to express that there's interrelations between events and issues.

I figured on Iraq that McCain would have pimp slapped Obama there, which really almost happened the other way around. Whereas Obama could have pointed the finger on McCain and the earmarks he has supported, and been stronger in his accusations on McCain.

 

Neither really wowwed me there as McCain at times looked out of touch, and Obama looked nervous as hell w/o the teleprompter.

[/dev/null]

Neither really wowwed me there as McCain at times looked out of touch, and Obama looked nervous as hell w/o the teleprompter.

 

So basically it re-inforced Obama's negative ads towards McCain (out of touch) and McCain's negative ads towards Obama (celebrity)

 

And you're teaching the nation's future Hail

[DC Tom]

I figured on Iraq that McCain would have pimp slapped Obama there, which really almost happened the other way around. Whereas Obama could have pointed the finger on McCain and the earmarks he has supported, and been stronger in his accusations on McCain.

 

Neither really wowwed me there as McCain at times looked out of touch, and Obama looked nervous as hell w/o the teleprompter.

 

Yeah, but Obama pimp-slapping McCain was pretty much limited to "You supported the invasion, and that was wrong." That's the thing that really turned me off from Obama in this debate: I heard a lot of looking back at things he disagreed with, but not a lot of understanding current situations or expressing what he would do going forward. "I didn't support the invasion of Iraq, YOU did, John.", "We should have finished in Afghanistan.", "Deregulation caused the current economic crisis." I'm not even going to disagree with you, Barack...but that's five years ago. What are you going to do NOW?

 

But then, I look at McCain, I listen to him talk about Southwest Asia (and agree with him wholeheartedly), and I think "You know, John-boy...I agree with everything you're saying here, but damn man, if you don't scare the hell out of me."

[justnzane]

So basically it re-inforced Obama's negative ads towards McCain (out of touch) and McCain's negative ads towards Obama (celebrity)

yeah essentially

And you're teaching the nation's future Hail

Hey, if you think that I am bad, you gotta see the pieces of work that are in our school systems Some of them are more evil than Tom Donahoe.

[blzrul]

I don't necessarily disagree...George Snuffalupagus on ABC said it well: McCain did a good job of connecting himself emotionally to his positions, but Obama did a much better job connecting to the audience (it's very much to Obama's credit that he addressed McCain directly, addressed Lehrer, addressed the camera...McCain looked like he was giving a press conference). Also helped Obama that McCain looked like he was reminding himself "Must...not...lose...temper..." all the time...really, someone has to photoshop a picture of McCain as the Hulk.

 

My ideal candidate would probably be transplanting McCain's nuanced foreign policy understanding into Obama. I get the sense that Obama doesn't understand "it" (focused exclusively on Iraq, Barak? Last I checked, we have counter-terror ops in a HELL of a lot of different countries. Dozens, at least), and McCain can't sell "it". But then, Bush neither understood nor sold "it", so I suppose either's an improvement.

NOW it's getting scary but...Obama is smart enough to be realistic about his shortcomings. The sign of a good manager is to do just that and be able to hire people who provide the KSA"s that he/she lacks. That's how Obama can succeed.

 

Conversely that's how Bush !@#$ed up. In his infinite arrogance and ignorance he selected people he liked, or his dad liked, or Uncle Dick liked, regardless of whether they were qualified. And McCain is just such another - he's not stupid and he's not really ignorant...he's an expert on being a POW and playing the DC power game.

 

Hence of the two we have, Obama is more likely to succeed.

 

Seriously. He outsmarted Hillary, the annointed. He's not the Messiah but he's got the charisma, smarts and leadership to do the job.

[/dev/null]

Hey, if you think that I am bad, you gotta see the pieces of work that are in our school systems

 

I weep for the future

[justnzane]

I weep for the future

You should, I am pretty close to quitting, because I am in a no-win situation in the job I am at.

[/dev/null]

You should, I am pretty close to quitting, because I am in a no-win situation in the job I am at.

No offense dude, but when I was in college we used to joke....

Those who can...do. Those who can't...teach

 

My brother is in a slightly similar position as you. He's a college professor, an egghead type that likes to learn and theorize, etc. He's passionate about what he does and what he knows (political science professor) and loves to teach, and talk, and theorize, and pontificate. Especially about political theory like Aristotle, Hobbes, Thoreau, etc and not modern mudslinging. But he gets really frustrated because he cares more about what he has learned and what he teaches than his students care to learn

[StupidNation]

McCain had more time to answer than Obama. Obama clearly sounds better in how he expresses himself, except for all the "ahhhhh"s he does every other sentence, but I hate that fake smile he has during the responses.

 

Obama is pulling a Clinton by not answering the real issues and pointing fingers. McCain does it too, but McCain is using emotions in a bizarre manner, especially bringing up the mother of the deceased soldier as way of saying we had to "win" the war.

 

The real issues why the economy is bad, and the dollar were avoided, but that was to be expected.

[/dev/null]

McCain had more time to answer than Obama. Obama clearly sounds better in how he expresses himself, except for all the "ahhhhh"s he does every other sentence, but I hate that fake smile he has during the responses.

 

If I recall correctly, Leher gave both candidates the same amount of time to respond (~2 minutes). Can you provide evidence that McCain received more time to respond?

Otherwise the time Obama used for "uhhh, aaahhh, uhhhh" is just further proof that he needs a teleprompter

[DC Tom]

If I recall correctly, Leher gave both candidates the same amount of time to respond (~2 minutes). Can you provide evidence that McCain received more time to respond?

Otherwise the time Obama used for "uhhh, aaahhh, uhhhh" is just further proof that he needs a teleprompter

 

Lehrer said two-thirds of the way through that their overall time was dead even. If McCain got more time than Obama, it couldn't have been much more than a couple of minutes.

[Wacka]

mccain sounds like a different person when it comes to foreign policy....obviously his strenght.

 

i hate how obama says pOkistan

Pok-e-stan, where Pokemon comes from, of course

[/dev/null]

Pok-e-stan, where Pokemon comes from, of course

 

Just like Obama's truth squad. Gotta catch 'em all

[Chef Jim]

I'm so glad I spent the evening out having drinks and a nice dinner with my wife. I think I'll sit this one out.

[UConn James]

First off, Obama, despite some gaffes, showed that he can at least keep pace with the big dogs. While some here are chastising him about his several "I agree with..." comments, I don't see what the big deal is; two people can't agree on some issues? There needs to be diametric opposition? Didn't hear nearly as many "ahhh"s as some people here are saying so I don't know where you're getting that from. Noted also that answer to the "what would you cut" question was all things that he would fund, and felt, too, that McCain missed a big opportunity for a zinger there while everyone was watching. That Iraq talk was right out of the 2004 election --- Obama failed to make that relevant to today and the future, point: McCain. Probably should have said something that he was worried, especially wrt Iran, a McCain admin with past wordage in mind, would repeat such a mistake.

 

McCain, as expected, just looked uneasy up there. Very impersonal. He made several attempts at humor that the debate's format ensured fell flat, and times when he was giving a line that supposed to be followed by canned stump speech applause were just plain awkward. Early on, he was trying too hard. Also, he made mention of height difference b/w North and South Koreans and then dropped it w/o making any point at all --- WTF was that about? Entirely out of left field. Wasn't impressed with his "Obama just doesn't understand..." comments, when it was pretty clear that Obama has a firm grasp of the issues, only problem is he doesn't happen to agree with McCain about all of them; big difference b/w "not understanding" them. Brought out the old standby of "most liberal voting record" charge that the Republican candidate has used quite often in the presidential debates --- which one is the "most liberal"? They can't all be.