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The debate starts in less than an hour. It’s supposed to be a townhall-style format, with Tom Brokaw as moderator (I bet he’ll be unbiased), and as Michelle warns, a strong possibility of plants. She also guesses what kind of questions are likely to be asked. She listed a few of her own, but I think we’re bound to hear someone ask something along the lines of, “What about my RIGHT to healthcare/tuition money for my kids/ a home?”, making me want to punch my TV.
These are supposed to be “undecided” voters asking the questions. My guess is that they’ll be “undecided” voters who just so happen to be great admirers of Barack Obama and consistently vote Democrat.
The key here is for McCain to do the same thing Sarah Palin did at her VP debate: ignore Obama and Tom Brokaw, and speak directly into the camera at the American people. He needs to be aggressive and unafraid of consistently attacking Obama — on his lack of leadership, on corruption, on Fannie and Freddie, on taxes, on his failure to have achieved anything as a Senator or a state Senator than successfully get elected, and more. Obama is easily flustered, and if McCain can get underneath the Savior’s skin, he can win this debate.
This is a make or break debate. If McCain does not do well tonight, the game is over and Obama has won.
In non-debate news, I’m signing myself up to be the Florida chairman CHAIRPERSON (or something, I’m kinda making it up as I go here) of the Piranha Party. Rachel Lucas is all over it, too, and seeing as how she’s going to take over the world and Fox News soon, I guess I need to get her permission first. I’ll gladly volunteer to join the Piranha Party with Bill Whittle and Rachel Lucas. I could govern better than the asshats in Congress right now, not that it’s too difficult, and come on — can you just imagine the awesomeness of Bill, Rachel, and me running the country? Add in some more awesomeness with someone like, oh, Melissa Clouthier and it would be just too much common sense-awesomeness to handle.
In addition to my live commenting, you can watch the debate live right here on my blog (thanks to Ed at Hot Air!). Because I’ll have the video streaming, I probably won’t put minute-to-minute updates, but just my thoughts throughout the debate. Stick around. It’s gonna be an interesting night.
8:50: I’m watching the debate on Fox News, as usual. Waiting for Obama and McCain to take the stage.
9:01: So, I’m a superficial bitch for saying this, but Tom Brokaw looks like a smug, pompous ass to me.
9:04: How is Obama going to do in the townhall setting without his precious teleprompter? Maybe he’ll have a little help from the “undecided” voters… ? So far, Obama’s already mentioned — SHOCKAH! — Bush’s “failed economic policies”. It’s a laugh he mentions the bailout package, seeing as how he barely could bother to show up to vote for it!
9:06: Obama “uh” count so far: 1.
9:07: McCain: low taxes, stop the spending spree, energy independence, blah blah blah. This is not going to win the debate. Get into attack mode!
9:08: McCain says he will not appoint Tom Brokaw as Secretary of the Treasury. Chuckle chuckle. Says he likes Meg Whitman, CEO of EBay. Good choice. Obama says he likes Warren Buffet but there are other good choices too. Is needling McCain — come on, McCain, fight!
9:11: “What is the bailout package?” Seriously? McCain is droning. Yawn yawn yawn. He’s attacking “Democrats”. NAME NAMES!
9:13: Finally: Obama is the second highest recipient of donations from Fannie and Freddie in history. More please.
9:14: Obama says gov’t shouldn’t be there but deregulation is bad? Which is it?
9:16: Obama “uh” count so far: 8.
9:17: Why is it Washington’s responsibility to make sure people can pay off their mortgages? That’s the responsibility of the American people, not the government.
9:19: UGH, McCain needs to step it up if he wants to win. And no, both parties did NOT get us into this mess.
9:20: Obama’s BS makes me want to punch him in the face. Seriously.
9:22: Obama “uh” count: 18. McCain is not being Mr. Smooth Talker tonight, either, so I think I’m stopping the “uh” count, even though Uhbama is stuttering a lot.
9:24: Obama is being Smirky McSmirkyson tonight.
9:26: It’s a laugh hearing Obama talk about energy independence when he has NO PLAN to rid us of our dependence on Middle Easter oil.
9:28: Obama offers no specifics as usual, but it doesn’t matter. He’s coming across much better than McCain is. McCain needs to step it up.
9:31: Obama is not answering the question. What kind of sacrifices will the American people have to make? “Thinking” is not a sacrifice, Senator Obama.
9:33: Interesting that during breaks, Obama sits there and smirks while McCain takes notes.
9:35: Ooh, goody, Obama talks about wealth envy and how we’re all going to contribute! Yay, communism!
9:37: McCain finally attacked and Obama was clearly riled.
9:39: No, Obama. It is not a “small percentage” of small businesses that make $200k a year. And again, WHY IS IT THE GOV’T’S JOB TO PROVIDE HEALTHCARE FOR ANYONE!?
9:41: McCain says he’ll actually answer the question on how to fix Social Security and Medicare. Obama has voted 94 times to vote to increase taxes or against tax cuts. Never proposed legislation to lower taxes. FINALLY. MORE PLEASE.
9:43: Congress moved FAST?! Are you KIDDING?!
9:45: Why is McCain stuttering so much tonight?
9:46: Obama has gone from Smirky McSmirkyson to Liar McLiarson. Since when is Obama for nuclear energy? Never.
9:48: More attacking of Obama. Keep it up. Loving the sarcastic tone. Not that I’m ever sarcastic or anything.
9:51: Not to sound cold, but I don’t give a shit if you can’t afford your healthcare, Obama. It’s not my problem, or the government’s.
9:53: This debate is making me want to shoot myself.
9:55: Is healthcare a privilege, a right, or a responsibility? McCain says a responsibility and that gov’t mandates make him nervous. Obama says healthcare is a right. SCARY. And again, not to sound cold, but I don’t give a shit that Obama’s mom died of cancer and spend a month in the hospital. That’s very sad for him, I’m sure, but I. Do. Not. Want. My. Tax. Dollars. Funding. Her. Treatment. Or anyone else’s. Nor do I want anyone’s tax dollars funding any treatment I might need one day. HEALTHCARE. IS. NOT. A. RIGHT.
9:59: McCain points out we never heard the amount of the fine for not having healthcare from Obama.
10:02: Blah blah blah, Obama. We all know you hate that we went into Iraq and hate even more that we were successful. Give me something new to work with.
10:04: Brokaw asks about their positions on using our military forces for humanitarian issues like genocide in the Congo even if there’s no national security threat — and Obama compares it to WWII. Not the same at all, idiot. Not the same at all. This should be McCain’s strong point, and so far he’s delivering.
10:09: It’s a good thing Obama knows where Osama is. Apparently he KNOWS that he’s in Pakistan, and if only he was President we could go after him. Nevermind sharing that information with the government now, of course.
10:13: Oh, now Obama never called for the invasion of Pakistan? Really?
10:15: McCain: I’m not going to telegraph my punches. Obama will. Nice.
10:18: McCain is clearly in his element now, with the foreign policy questions.
10:20: McCain on Putin: KGB. Keep pushing that. Russia is a threat. McCain is prepared for that threat, Obama is not.
10:21: Obama on Russia: “Well, uuuuuhhhh…… ” I think that shows he’s absolutely CLUELESS on how to handle Russia. EM Zanotti says Obama gets his foreign policy from playing RISK — snicker!
10:24: Is Russia an evil empire under Vladimir Putin, yes or no? Obama does not give a one-word answer and rambles on. McCain says maybe and when asked to explain gives a much more coherent answer. I’m feeling a little bit more relieved now.
10:26: McCain is doing SO MUCH BETTER now that we’re off the topic of the economy. Why is the economy so scary for him? There’s no reason for it! Obama is much less poignant and sounds much less genuine towards the former Navy Chief Petty Officer than McCain did.
10:29: Could Obama be any more incoherent??
10:30: Last question, THANK GOD. What don’t you know and how will you learn it? Obama jokes about how Michelle could tell everyone what he doesn’t know and he learns from her, but he’s not answering the question. Does this mean Obama knows ALL? His answer has absolutely NOTHING to do with the question.
10:32: McCain gets the last word. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Smart answer, I think.
10:35: It’s over. That debate was MISERABLE.
Bottom line: they both sucked tonight. Obama got the win though. What does this mean for McCain?
Ed Morrissey says that McCain won. I respectfully disagree. Here’s the biggest reason I wanted to shoot myself watching the debate last night, though. It wasn’t because I felt like McCain lost. At best, McCain lost on the economy and then won on foreign policy. What was so depressing is that neither of them did well. Just because Obama won the debate, it does not mean he debated well. They both droned and pandered and regurgitated recycled talking points. The only good thing I can take from this debate was that it was so pathetic it can’t be a game changer. How in the world could anyone watch this and think, “Yeah, that changed my vote?”
This doesn’t make McCain’s upward climb any easier, but I don’t think it’s killed him, either. He’s just going to have to work really, really hard. And it would help if he has a slam dunk in next week’s debate, too.
Matthew says: Smirky McSmirkyson? hahaha
I have noticed that McCain has been trying to address the people in the hall personally, Obama just ‘broadcasts’ his answers.
The debate was MISERABLE? Eh…I see where you’re comin’ from. I think that veep debate might have spoiled us a little bit. I certainly could feel the blood congealing in my veins.
Obama was masterful…at not giving a yes-or-no response to yes-or-no questions. Brokaw is masterful at not nailing him on it. McCain didn’t give a yes-or-no on the “evil empire” thing either. I mean, how many different ways can it be said — IF WE WEREN’T HUNGRY FOR DEFINITE ANSWERS, PALIN WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SUCH AN EVENT. All this equivocating. Makes me sick.
Bleh. I’m starting to agree with you.
How about a new constitutional amendment. Senators cannot run for President, until a full seven years after they step down.
I think that “That One” won this debate (again). If Obama continues on this streak with his cool, calm, intellect persona, he will win this election.
It’s too bad that McCain has nowhere else to go with his campaign but other than a smear rampage against Obama. Maybe he can’t have a challenging, progressive debate.
Daniel Lewis says: Thanks Cassy. I read the transcript on CNN.com, and there was not a single “Uh” to be found for Obama. Everytime McCain—paused or said something–one thing differently, they emphasized it.
Ironwolf32 says: I will still vote for McCain but he is done. Unless a miracle happens… Obama will be the next President. This will be the worst 4 years since the Carter years.
Carter years: We lost Iran as an ally, signed away the Panama Canal, got walked on by USSR, forced Zimbabwe to accept “President” Mugabe, boycotted the Olympics in Moscow. Not a complete list by any means.
A peek into the Obama years??
1. North Korea will ratchet up their proliferation. Our response will be to force South Korea and Japan to negotiate instead of allowing them to use their economies to force an arms race.
2. Iran will get the bomb, yet it will be Hezbollah that will strike at Israel with the WMD. Iran will of course will feign ignorance but it will point to them. That is of course if Israel hasn’t had to sign over their country to Hamas by then. Obama will eventually realize that negotiating with a country that doesn’t respect sovereignty, like the 1979 US Embassy storming, will never actaully get results.
3. Gasoline is expensive now? Well, we will be paying $10 per gallon under Obama’s $4 per gallon tax plan. The tax will go towards new cars that he is mandating. They will be on the market by 2017!! Of course, we will be competing with the Amish for horses and buggies.
Kevin M says: 1. What I saw last night was not a debate.
2. This is the first campaign I have ever seen that has completely abandoned the issues. People love the guy without caring at all who or what he is (beyond black).
3. Don’t give too much thought about debates or polls. Just go vote. The only reality that matters is the count.
Ironwolf32 says: I usually don’t repost to the same article but I forgot about one thing, Supreme Court Justice Appointments.
The next president will most likely be replacing John Paul Stevens, Stephen Breyer, and possibly Ruth Ginsberg. I can only imagine what kind of judges Obama will be appointing. That is really scaring me.
Frank White says: Cassy you went from “Stick around It’s going to be great” to “I want to shoot myself” to “This debate was terrible”. Oh well, I’m sure president obama will have tolerance camps for people like me.
Cassie, I think you nailed it. Both guys sucked, so the push goes to Obama.
And people wonder why I get too depressed to blog much anymore. How CAN you get excited about either of these bozos?
So, I’m a superficial bitch for saying this
Well, I’ll be superficial as well and say that you’re a very attractive superficial bitch.
What can I say? I’m a giver.
BTW, the debate made me want to poke my eyes out with an ice pick.
Mat says: Well, I think this was (unfortunately) a decisive debate in favor of Obama. McCain just looked totally out of it. As far as I’m concerned, Obama just got the election, which is a sickening thought in and of itself.
Look, the problem isn’t the Democrats (well, it is, but here’s the point). They take the same message every election cycle and repackage it slightly. But essentially it’s the same high taxes, give away programs pitch they always use. The Republicans didn’t even try to use conservative values (except for when they just mouthed it every so often to get our attention).
To be honest, the Republicans deserve to lose this election, and badly at that. Maybe they’ll learn a lesson and go back to real conservative values. Or maybe they won’t. The fact is that the Democrats will now have a massive advantage in both houses of Congress and the Presidency. For at least two years, and probably more like four, the Republicans will be totally irrelevant on the political scene. By the way, their about face on the economic bailout situation didn’t exactly help their cause since it just made them look as indecisive as ever. And yes, watching the debate last night made me want to vomit.
Christine Helrigel says: Don’t give up guys, they are cooking the polls. The polls assume 40% of voters are strong dems, 29% strong republicans. They don’t count the fact that only one quarter of americans are loony leftists who like schmoes like Obama. And lots of people signed up as Dems (in Ohio and PA) to vote for Clinton as one republicans could beat. Gore lost, including his own state, TN, where I live. Kerry lost. Clinton only one because Perot entered the race both of his elections and pulled away the conservative vote. Without Perot, Clinton was tanking. I don’t believe the polls are accurate. If vice pres Gore couldn’t even pull his own state, how would Obama possibly get this country? There are always democrats who have outgrown their youthful liberalism, or finally realized their party has abandoned them, who never bothered to change their registration. Obama is most likely going to get a rude shock on election day….You all are a delight….smirky mcsmirkyson indeed. and ‘my blood was congealing in my veings’…..so much creative life in the American people. I love it.
Mat says: Christine,
The problem is not that the Democrats have a bad message (they do), but that the Republicans don’t seem to have any coherence at all. The issue isn’t with the conservative message (it’s clearly a workable idea), it’s the fact that the Republicans have garbled it beyond recognition. McCain just looked totally off. Much of it comes down to perception as well as issues. Obama can lie his butt off onstage but if he exudes confidence, people will pick up on that. That’s just reality.
McCain looked like he did a lot of pleading last night, even though I know Obama’s full of it. He shuffled around in the background while Obama talked. Obama sat confidently while McCain talked. Those are subtle differences people pick up on. If I saw it and winced, then I’ll bet others did too.
McCain really needed to look good and knock Obama’s socks off in order to get within striking distance. It didn’t happen. I would say this was the first debate where there was a clear decision (first debate McCain won slightly, and the VP debate was a tie) and it could have not have come at a worse time.
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