end
Obama did well on foreign affairs again– the one below where I say “zap”. Obama had a couple of clear solid blows, making his case. McCain made no headway at all. Major advantage Obama. This will only make the momentum more so.
Did McCain really leave at the end of the debate while the Obamas are meeting the crowd? Yes! This is crazy!
Will the McCain “that one” line (referring to Obama) be one of the major points in the debate? Advantage Obama.
Q: What don’t you know and how will you learn it:
Obama: Michelle would give you a longer list than I will. Nature of challenges are immense. Question in this election is are we going to pass on that same American dream to the next generation. We need fundamental change. That’s what is at stake in this election.
McCain: “I think what I don’t know is what all of us don’t know and that’s what is going to happen here at home and abroad.” Talks about having an absent father in dark times. Talks about greatness of country, service to country, asks for opportunity to serve the country. “steady hand at the tiller” again “country first” again.
9:29:
Q.: from undecided former Navy chief petty officer.
I’m sorry but what’s with all these undecided bald guys?
paging Ben Cole: McCain says he learned everything he learned from chief petty officers in the Navy. I know that’s the Navy tradition, and my brother and father (being black shoe officers) might have said so (actually not, but lay that aside for now), but a pilot? Help me out here.
Obama is making a great answer about dealing with Iraq and North Korea and engaging. Great job.
9:24
Q what to do in Afganistan
McCain: Victory with honor! Victory with honor!
Q Avoid another cold war?
McCain: Won’t have another cold war. Talks about his dislike of Putin.
This is hard work and I lost the thread for four minutes due to the verdict in the Lafayette County child rape case.
Obama illustrates the correct use of the word “strategic”
Q: Is Russia an evil empire now?
Obama: They’ve engaged in evil behavior.
McCain: Maybe. Have to deal with them. Have to understand they were dealing with a firm U.S.
both did fine with this.
9:18
Q Asks about pursuing enemies into Pakistan
Obama: We made a bad judgment going into iraq when we hadn’t finished the job of pursuing Obama.
The camera angles let McCain off the hook on the “look at Obama” question. At least on this network.
“If we have Osama Bin Laden in our sightes and the Pakistani govenrment is unwilling to act” we have to act.
McCain: Cites Teddy Roosevelt on speaking softly. Doesn’t want to announce an attack in another country. Just referred to the Taliban as “the Afghan freedom fighters” then said “the Taliban came back in” as if they were someone else than the freedom fighters.
Obama: Repeats what he said about bin Laden. He’s now sounding tougher on terrorism.
ZAP: He’s calling me wet behind the ears. McCain: Thank you. Obama: This is the man who said “bomb bomb bomb Iran, who wanted to annihlate North Korea.” This is the biggest zinger of the debate so far.
McCain: I know how to handle these crises. I know how to get bin Laden. I’ll get him.
9:08
Q: Economic stress effect our ability to be peaceakers
McCain: My wife just noted that McCain’s tie is like a Christmas candy cane.
Obama: Nails McCain about a wrong judgment about going into Iraq, and straining us. It has put an extraordinary strain on our budgets. If we continue, it will be over a trillion dollars.
McCain is getting mad.
Obama is making an excellent answer about Iraq.
Brokaw asks on use of force on humanitarian crisis not effecting national security.
Obama: “We may not always have national security issues at stake, but do have moral obligations at stake.” Notes moral issues on genocide, ethnic cleansing (holocaust, Rawanda). Intervene where possible. Not able to be everwhere all the time.
McCain doctrine: Does the “my friends” thing. Starts talking about setting a date for withdrawal, Petreus, my friends again. Must do what we can to prevent genocide. Must have “a cool hand at the tiller.” “President Reagan, my hero said….”
8:58
Q: about health care insurance
Obama: It’s breaking budgets. [I'm going to start writing about news]. Tags McCain on taking away the deduction of health care. Don’t need that. What’s McCain going to say about that?
McCain: Fundamental difference between self and Obama is talking about government and mandates. Says Obama will fine business and parents who don’t insure their employees and children. [Whaaaat?]
Brokaw: Health care: right, privelege, responsibility?
McCain: Responsibility. Nervous about government mandates. Does the fine thing again. Said Obama never mentioned how much the fine might be.
Obama: Health care is a right for every American. In a country as wealthy as ours– for my mother to die of cancer, for her to be in the hospital arguing with insurance companies about whether this was a preexisting condition, that shouldn’t be.
It’s true that I say you are going to have to make sure your child has health care. States that McCain voted against the expansion of the children health care program.
Notes the problem with state-by-state approach in deregulation. Need fundamental change.
Great answer.
8:47
Question about green policies, green jobs
McCain says he broke with Bush on climate change. Go nuclear power! Hybrid! Green! clean up! Create jobs! innovators!
Obama: one of the biggest challenges of our times. An opportunity. Involves making an investment. A national investment. Says McCain has voted 23 times against alternative fuels. “Senator McCain talks a lot about drilling, and that’s important. But we have 3% of the worlds oil reserves and use 20% of the worlds oil. That means we can’t drill our way out of the problem.”
He is staying very, very on message. Brokaw can’t keep them within the time restraints.
Brokaw: Should we fund a Manhattan project on alt fuel or lots and lots of projects:
McCain: supports pure research, then turn it over to private industry. Called Obama: “that one” Can’t refer to him by name, or point at him. That one?
8:42
A question premised on the lie that Social Security is broke.
Obama: Let’s be clear about my tax plan and Senator McCain’s before getting to entitlements: I want to provide a tax cut for 95% of American’s. describes it. If we get tax policy right, then we are going to be in a position to deal with social security and medicare….
McCain: “I’ll answer the question. It’s not that hard to fix social security….” Problem: Have to sit down. I’ve seen it done before. RIGHT JOHN. YOU GUYS TOLD US YOU FIXED IT, JOHN. DONE! Shifts to medicare: Gonna do something like the base-closing on medicare. Let’s have a commission! Congress vote up or down! Let’s go gutless on medicare!
Now saying he’s a reformer. Did he say “I’m a reformer not a divider”? (joking folks)
8:27
Q Breaking the bad habits of debt etc
Obama: It starts with Washington. We’ve got to show we have good habits. … It means at the spending side, but also at the revenue sign. Senator McCain has been talking talking tough about earmarks.” Explains how little that is, compares to tax cuts McCain is offering CEOs. “That is not sharing the burden. … It’s tough to ask a teacher who is making $30,000 a year to tighten her belt when people who are making much more than her are living pretty high on the hog.” Disagrees on across the board freeze: Unfair burden, using a hatchet when what’s needed is a scapel.
McCain: Obama wants to raise taxes. Compares Obama to Hoover wanting to raise taxes and being a protectionist.
[Obama is looking at McCain.]
McCain: I am not in favor of tax cuts for the wealthy. Leave the tax rates alone but reduce tax rate on every American by doubling the deduction for a child.
Obama: Asks for a brief response. Brokaw refuses.
8:33
Q: What sacraficies
McCain: Some programs to eliminate. Earmarks. Brings up that damn overhead projector again.
Where did that come from?
Must also eliminate other, “good projects.” Why does McCain hate astronomy?
Establish priorities! Transparency! No earmarks! “We are not rifle shots, we are Americans”
8:26:
Q: How can we trust either of you with our money when both parties got us into this global economic crisis?
Obama answers talking about the budget process in Washington. When Bursh came into office, we had surpluses and a 5 trillion debt, now 10 trillion. “While it’s true that no one is completely innocenct here, we have had over the last 8 years the biggest increase in our debts and deficit in our histories, and Senator McCain voted for 4 out of 5 of those budgets.” Talks about things that have t ochange. Spending cuts: “I am cutting more than I am spending. … The key is whether we have priorities working for you….”
McCain: “I can see why you feel that cynicism and distrust.” Says he’s a reformer. Says look at record not rhetoric (hello Charles Keating). Talks about the spending bills Obama voted for, blames Obama for all of federal spending. Bad thing: A projector for a planetarium in Chicago!
Oh my God! Obama must be corrupt! He supports planetaria!
Brokaw tweaks the question, asks for priorities:
McCain: Says he reaches across the aisle, then brings up nuclear power and new jobs. Alternative fuel!
Does this format let him off the hook on looking at Obama?
Obama priorities: Top of the list: Must deal with energy today. (missed 2) Three: Education. Then: eliminate programs that don’t work. Attacks McCain’s tax cut for corporations and oil companies. Good answer.
8:18
Q: In bailout, what is it that is going to help ordinary people
McCain: Says suspending the campaign got oversight in the bill. The “real catalyst that lit this fire” was Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Blames it on Obama’s friends! Hello Rick Davis!
8:11
McCain for Treasury secretary: Well, Obama and McCain agree on Warren Buffett.
Obama ducks the follow-up of who for Sec Treas, and talks about the need for economic relief for the middle class.
Obama talks about a need for a middle class tax cut, securing middle class jobs.
8:08
First question up: What are you going to do to fix the economy?
[missed Obama's answer to the first question]
First thing McCain is going to do about the economy? Stop foreign aid. That’s what he said. Then taxes, then the national debt (fit those together?), and then deal with home values by writing down mortgage value.
This live blogging is great. I’m watchin’ but I enjoy reading your comments as I do. Keep posting it.
the first questioner was allen schaeffer of clarksdale who worked for south central bell. don’t know how he got to nashville or got a question submitted.
I didn’t hear a mention of either Palin or Biden. Did I miss it?
nope
I watched CNN and the little lines-maybe I’m predjudiced but it seemed that the orange line-women-led the way and very soon afterward the green line followed. There was one exception toward the end during the mano-mano-victory at all cost-war session that the green line led.
Just watching these lines, I’d say Obama won-not by much but it was supposed to be McCain’s to lose and I think he did-he seemed to flatline a lot.
Just heard some poll #’s from people who watched the debate-on the economy & the financial crisis-Obama 58 to 37 ish. Yepper!
I love CNN’s dialometers. I notice a couple of things that McCain just can’t let go of that are absolute losers with the uncommitted. One is that Obama WON’T ADMIT that the surge worked, GODDAMNIT! The other is that Obama wants to negotiate with Iran WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS, GODDAMNIT!
It doesn’t matter to McCain what the larger issue is, the important things to him are "won’t admit" and "without preconditions." (Goddamnit.)
I tend to flip between MSNBC & FOX to get a couple of takes. Great moment on FOX – when questioning their focus group composed of independent voters in VA the majority agreed Obama won. Then Hume, trying to get a win out of it he asked something like “But they do believe McCain won on the economy?” The moderator then turned to the group, asked for a show of hands for those siding with McCain. Maybe 7 of 3o agreed. His comment “it looks like about half here agree.” The most amusing thing I have seen on tv in years – simply classic.
yeah, op99, he flatlined on those, huh?
Yepper, GG.
I also noticed that McCain eschewed "maverick" and "reformer," both of which flatlined for Sarah Palin last week. (Nor did he wink, lol.) Team McCain is learning from the dialometers, but they are not anticipating the dialometers the way Team Obama is.
Hopefully, when Team McCain notices tonight that “my friends” doesn’t do Johnny Friendly any good on the dials, they will make him stop saying it.
He’s been saying that for eons and you don’t change habits very easily at his age, op99. Every time I hear it now I almost gag.
I just heard Pat Buchanan say that the reason McCain left early is because he knew that he didn’t hit Obama on the personal level the way that Palin has on the stump and that he is “tormented” because he knows to win he has to but he couldn’t do it face to face. Yep-coward and rat!
Obama won. The debate seemed quite somber. I think the gestalt of the debate has something to do with the very dark clouds which have gathered over the heads of all of us, and all nations, concerning the economy. We are definitely in a world crisis. One which was not predicted in our rush to globalization of the economy.
“That one” and buying up bad mortgages so they can be adjusted to the present value of the house, a couple of things that are going to leave marks. And this little jewel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjWnpeH31ds (Hannity is anti-semetic?)
What a night.
Did anyone else notice that little trick McCain kept doing with the mic? At the end of each answer, he’d drop the mic with one hand and catch it with the other. It was like a stand-up act mixed with equal parts magician and cheese.
Hi, Phantom, yep, I spotted that too — agreed: as cheesy as “My friends” (which I never want to hear again in my life); probably a nervous message to himself “I nailed that one” — which he didn’t.
Another great moment – After the debate I was flipping between FOX & MSNBC when I saw FOX rolling out a focus group of independents in VA. A show of hands showed that Obama won. However, Hume tried to pull out a win for McCain asking “But McCain did win on the economy?” A show of hands was asked for again. Maybe 6 of 30 hands were raised. The response: “it looks that it’s about half the room Brit” followed by complete silence. It was a classic moment.
Nora Ephron on the “that one” remark: “McCain came close to making a mistake, and there will be a big deal made over his referring to Obama as “that one” because it was patronizing and revealing. But in the end that moment will seem like yet another misguided attempt at the sort of casual joke McCain fails to make work most of the time. If I were married to him, an unlikely scenario, we would probably have fought in the car on the way home tonight, because I told him a million times not to try to be funny, but he never listens to me.”
Not you, Tom.