First debate

[YellowLinesandArmadillos]

My two cents:

 

I thought McCain handled himself well on Foreign Policy. However, he was a little too accusatory of Obama's lack of finesse. I think it showed through without McCain's acerbic accusations.

 

OBama handled himself better on the economy but took long enough to get to things he would cut.

 

Both sides took a lot of punches once they got going and towards the end it just got boring.

 

P.S. I am not sure if it was the camera angle, but did you notice that McCain never looked at Obama and called him Senator Obama throughout and Obama often called McCain by his first name.

 

McCain looked pissed off to even be in a debate with this guy. Could be his face is just frozen that way, but even his attempt at smiling seemed forced. Obama's though fake, looked much more relaxed.

[Wacka]

My two cents:

 

I thought McCain handled himself well on Foreign Policy. However, he was a little too accusatory of Obama's lack of finesse. I think it showed through without McCain's acerbic accusations.

 

OBama handled himself better on the economy but took long enough to get to things he would cut.

 

Both sides took a lot of punches once they got going and towards the end it just got boring.

 

P.S. I am not sure if it was the camera angle, but did you notice that McCain never looked at Obama and called him Senator Obama throughout and Obama often called McCain by his first name.

 

McCain looked pissed off to even be in a debate with this guy. Could be his face is just frozen that way, but even his attempt at smiling seemed forced. Obama's though fake, looked much more relaxed.

Obama looked like a little kid, making faces whenever whenever McCain made a point that hit home. i saw Obama's Il Duce face even at one time. When Obama said something that Mc Cain was going to get him on later, He made a note and smiled. Obama said he agreed with McCain at least 8 times. I don't think McCain can swivel his head around that fast, because of all the torture he had.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

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.

 

Ya mean like Gee-Dub did?

[elegantelliotoffen]

The first debate polls are out.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/27/...in4482119.shtml

 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/27/deb...ref=mpstoryview

[John Adams]

Obama looked like a little kid, making faces whenever whenever McCain made a point that hit home. i saw Obama's Il Duce face even at one time. When Obama said something that Mc Cain was going to get him on later, He made a note and smiled. Obama said he agreed with McCain at least 8 times. I don't think McCain can swivel his head around that fast, because of all the torture he had.

 

Thanks for your objective analysis. McCain can't look at people because of torture? Stop it already. He didn't look at Obama because that's what someone told him to do. It made him look like an aloof cranky old man (which he is), and certainly not the consensus builder he says that he is.

 

The only points he scored on with me were economy. Cut government vs. Obama's grow government: that difference was crystal clear. Obama is unapologetic about his desire to grow the government. Imagine once he gets into power.

[SD Jarhead]

The first debate polls are out.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/27/...in4482119.shtml

 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/27/deb...ref=mpstoryview

 

Gee, Drudge has McCain winning 68% to 30%. It just depends on whose spin you're going to believe. BTW, did you even read the CNN article? The lahjik they use in proclaiming The Messiah the winner is comical.

[elegantelliotoffen]

Gee, Drudge has McCain winning 68% to 30%. It just depends on whose spin you're going to believe. BTW, did you even read the CNN article? The lahjik they use in proclaiming The Messiah the winner is comical.

 

The Drudge poll is just a website poll, the CBS/CNN poll's are "real" polls. If you clear your cookies you can vote on Drudge as many times as you want.

[Alaska Darin]

The Drudge poll is just a website poll, the CBS/CNN poll's are "real" polls.

[justnzane]

so you are going to take them at less worth than online polls? As much as I usually disagree with Molten, he does have a point.

[elegantelliotoffen]

 

You really think any poll on any website is reliable? In that case McCain will win every state this November according the the AOL website poll.

[Alaska Darin]

You really think any poll on any website is reliable? In that case McCain will win every state this November according the the AOL website poll.

I don't think any poll is reliable.

[Kelly the Dog]

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."

Debates aren't about policy or the real world or what you are actually going to do, debates are about winning debates, and convincing people you need to convince. Obama won by taking the power of McCain's distinct advantage away from him. That's all he needed to do and he did it. You're arguing or looking for things you know you are not going to get.

 

Virtually every poll and focus group and even a lot of conservative commentators admitted that Obama won this or at the very least won by tieing and standing toe to toe with him. Obama may have very different personal opinions about what we should do in each of these items but the debate is really not the place to show them, regardless of how strange that may sound when on the surface one would think it's exactly the place. I think Obama won these sections by not getting into a policy fight with McCain. And by sticking to the "you act like the war started in 2007" line. Obama was very effective in stating he was ahead of the curve in the way the country has dealt with each of these countries. It may be bad policy, it may not work, but it's effective debating when your goal is to win, not educate the public.

 

One of the things Obama IMO does not get enough credit for is knowing how to win, or doing the things he needs to do to win, in different kinds of races and events and challenges (read: being a politician and leader). He could have been a LOT tougher on a lot of things or gone after McCain more but IMO he decided to just be the diplomat because he knew McCain would be the surly condescending old man. It's a strategy Obama is good at and it won him the debate IMO.

[X. Benedict]

.......McCain more but IMO he decided to just be the diplomat because he knew McCain would be the surly condescending old man. It's a strategy Obama is good at and it won him the debate IMO.

 

I thought McCain won the debate.....however, not making eye contact and at the same time calling someone "naive" is not a very good strategy for attracting independent women.

 

Strange, but McCain thumping "I'm the Mavrick" actually makes Obama look more circumspect and safe...

 

Good debate.

[DC Tom]

 

I think he put "real" in quotes for just that reason.

[blzrul]

Ya mean like Gee-Dub did?

You can't be serious. Shrub NEVER admitted any shortcomings, mistakes, errors or otherwise. His choices came from a pool of Poppy's old boy buddies and GOP hangers-on.

 

Obama's choice of Biden illustrates my point. Biden has the foreign policy experience that Obama doesn't. If Obama was approaching this from a purely political standpoint he could have chosen someone who would appeal to blocks of voters...like the Wingnut from Wasilla does.

[Nanker]

It's a shame that our "choice" is between these two.

One's a jug-eared stutterer that appears to have Marfan syndrome who's been present in the Senate for 114 days and spent the rest of his adult life running for an office he didn't hold and writing two memoirs.

The other is a run down self proclaimed maverick who can't win without the people he continually dumps on.

 

Neither one of them seem to be taking responsibility or are accepting of the fact that THEY are the respective heads of their political party.

[Chilly]

I thought the debate did more to highlight their similarities than anything else.

[/dev/null]

I thought the debate did more to highlight their similarities than anything else.

I agree

[UConn James]

IMing through the first presidential debate. A running commentary that I just had to share.

 

 

James: North Koreans so repressed by thumb of state they are actually 3 inches too short

Peter: The North Korean height difference is a THREAT TO ALL AMERICANS.

 

 

James: McCain is more compelling talking about being in a losing army than wearing a bracelet, as sorrowful as the grief of a soldier's mother is. Obama turns in his "me too." And hits on the noteworthy concept that "no American soldier dies in vain."

Conor: Everyone has the bracelet of a dead soldier on. That is kinda weird.

James: Obama is strongly interested in stamping out the vintage where the tolly-ban are stored.

Peter: Under those suits, their arms are actually swathed in dozens of bracelets. Also, extra aces.

 

On a serious note, my brother wears two of these for guys in his unit that he served with/commanded. Am I the only one who thought/think this phenomenon --- other than for guys who were true friends/fellow soldiers of the deceased --- is remarkably crass, even for American politics? "Look, I know of a dead soldier! And this is a little piece of metal around my wrist! That means my opinion on military policy is right!"

[John Adams]

so you are going to take them at less worth than online polls? As much as I usually disagree with Molten, he does have a point.

 

Let's see. The CNN poll says they had more Dem participants than Rep or Indy participants. And the Dem won!

 

God save our schools.