Presidential Debate #2 Blog

[timvp]

I think Obama displayed more knowledge on the subjects of the questions.

It would have been more apparent if he at least answered 10% of the questions directly.

I don't remember an instance where I thought McCain just knew so much more about a topic.

Never said he did.

Obama's answers didn't seem hollow and misinformed.

When you don't answer actual questions, it's difficult to sound misinformed.

I didn't catch every question but the ones that I saw were adequately answered and Obama showed he had at least a basic knowledge.

So you went out of your way to say I'm wrong yet you didn't even watch the whole debate?

He said some things that were prepared, sure. Who doesn't? McCain did similar things.

Obama delivered much more prepared content than McCain.

Palin is an idiot who showed no grasp of basic topics.

Exaggeration.

Her prepared answers were her entire answers as opposed to Obama who used his talking points to go deeper into his policies.

Going deeper on a question that isn't asked still doesn't answer the question.

There. Happy? Don't call me a hypocrite gobbler.

Who said anything about " gobbling". Freudian slip?

My crusty ass? What smack bat are you referring to? When he didn't respond to me after I answered him?

So now you are angry at me for not answering yet you give Obama a free pass for not answering? If I were Obama in debate mode, I'd somehow be talking about about universal health care by now.

Then again, if I'm playing Obama in debate mode, you wouldn't be reading this . . .

[timvp]

But it makes my response to that tactic very different. Obama stuck to the speaking points because he wanted to, Palin did so because she HAD to.

As Obama likes to say, you used a hatchet when you needed a scalpel

I don't think Obama could have answered every question without going outside of his comfort zone and I think Palin could have successfully answered more questions if that was part of her strategy.

I really wish he hadn't bumbled his words on the wrong moments too, but like i asked earlier, did anyone else notice how he did a WAY better job talking in a normal cadence this debate? He did stumble and say some uhhhs but not nearly as much as before. Maybe he really can pass a 6th grade speech class.

I think Obama was just nervous in the first debate. You could literally see him search for words as he was talking the first time around. This time he was much more comfortable and his talk flowed much better. However, he still has a high percentage of errors for a lawyer who has been in politics for a long while. Maybe in the third debate he'll talk smoothly and take out his excessive verbal typos.

[timvp]

I think the Democrats having a black candidate running ensures 75/25 is a huge overestimation. I wouldn't call it close to 75/25 yet even with the way Obama is owning in the polls. I think a lot of people say they're voting for him, but at the last minute will find some way to rationalize not voting for a black man. McCain's going to have a huge comeback the last few days of this election, and I think it'll be pretty close on November 4th.

My 75/25 number was based solely on the facts of most people viewing Bush as a disaster, his poor approval rating and the fact that he's at the helm during an economic meltdown. The Republican candidate would have to overcome all of that, so if the two candidates were exactly equal, I'd say the Democrats had a 75/25 chance of winning the election. But yes, adding in the black factor (and the Hussein factor, for that matter) has definitely leveled the playing field.

I don't think this hypothetical could be argued: If McCain were the Democrat and Obama were the Republican, McCain would be curbstomping Obama in the polls. Overcoming Bush, the economy and being black would be too much for any one man to handle.

[2centsworth]

if Obama were republican he would destroy mccain. liberalism doesn't do well in national elections.

[timvp]

if Obama were republican he would destroy mccain. liberalism doesn't do well in national elections.

No way. Obama could beat the Bush label, the economy and being black?

[TomBrady]

Obama would be up at least 4-5 more pts if he was not black. If he were a white Southerner this wouldn't even be remotely compe ive.

I am not at all disappointed in the Democrats nominating him though.

[whottt]

timvp, stay away from my sigs.


Manny, Blaze, and CBF while we're at it, a more detailed descritption of McCain's plan:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/us...l?ref=business

Mr. Holtz-Eakin corrected one detail from the brief outline that the campaign issued Tuesday night after the debate. That outline said the plan would cost roughly $300 billion, which, it said, could be drawn from the $700 billion provided in the financial rescue package that became law last week.

But Mr. Holtz-Eakin said the financing could come from “several pots of money”: the bailout money,the F.H.A.’s separate authority to refinance up to $300 billion in mortgages, or the mortgage-finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the government now owns.

Do you guys see now how stupid your media is now?

This is everything I said last night, about where McCain(and others) were intending to get the money from. That it wasn't a new idea, not to do it, not to get it from the 700 billion or Fannie or Freddie, as Frank said(2 weeks ago), as Paulson said(nearly a year ago) as McCain's own site said(from nearly 6 months ago).


I told you guys this and was a called dumbass, a jibbering idiot...


Who's the dumbass again?

Aside from the media I mean?


I'm not just talking about CNN and MSNBS etc...I'm talking Fox too, all those beltway boy bags, in particular Krauthamer decried the socialism and new spending on top of the 700 billion dollar bailout.


None of these guy know , they don't know how the 700 billion bailout is going to work, they don't understand how to fix those mortgages, they don't even know what Freddie and Fannie do...yet they sit and interpret for the masses.


I may have to reconsider my position they are biased...it's entirely possile they are just stupid.


Anyway...apologies accepted.

[whottt]

No way. Obama could beat the Bush label, the economy and being black?

Being black doesn't hurt him near as much as having the middle name of Hussein IMO.


I'll go out on a limb here and predict nobdy named Adolph, Hitler, Manson, Lennin etc. will ever be elected President of this country(or at least not in our lifetimes)....or Hussein. Distinctive name with mostly a negative connotation? It's not going to happen. It's a subconcious thing...

[Cry Havoc]

Being black doesn't hurt him near as much as having the middle name of Hussein IMO.


I'll go out on a limb here and predict nobdy named Adolph, Hitler, Manson, Lennin etc. will ever be elected President of this country....or Hussein. Distinctive name with mostly a negative connotation? It's not going to happen. It's a subconcious thing...

Yep. John McCain is better. Just ask Able.

[whottt]

Yep. John McCain is better. Just ask Able.

you want to know something funny? It bothers me all the time that he's got Cain in his name and I wonder for a second every once in a while if he's the guy I should be voting for because of it.


Everytime someone says Obama is the anti-christ I immedtiately think about the fact Cain was the one who murdered his brother and wonder...

Plus McCain kind of combs his hair like Hitler and that bothers me...but since he can't comb his own hair I cut him some slack.

Believe it or not it does hurt McCain, he has problems getting the support of the conservative christian base...and not entirely because of his political stances. IMO his name is part of the problem with them.


If his name was Cain instead of McCain it'd hurt him a lot more....the Mc helps. But nothing helps Obama with Hussein. It's a bad political name in this country...it just is.

[whottt]

I mean seriously...if some dude was named Satan don't you think it'd cost him some votes? Same principle here.

[timvp]

Anyway...apologies accepted.

It looks like whottt was right.


I'm going to have to read over the thread again.

[MannyIsGod]

If its not new, why did McCain issue a proposal last night? Because its ing new. In other words, if its already law why does it have to be proposed? Gee, maybe because its not?

How hard of a concept is this for you Whottt?

[CuckingFunt]

As Obama likes to say, you used a hatchet when you needed a scalpel

I don't think Obama could have answered every question without going outside of his comfort zone and I think Palin could have successfully answered more questions if that was part of her strategy.

That may or may not be the case, but it has very little to do with my response to their debate tactics.

Having long since made up my mind on this election, quite firmly, I don't think that there's anything either candidate (in either the presidential or vice presidential debate) could have possibly said that would have changed my mind in terms of policy. Therefore, I was focusing more on issues of composure and confidence. I don't think that Obama was as evasive last night as Palin was last week, but I think he masked what was there a lot better than Palin did. The feeling was that he was much more in control of his answers than she was -- calmly avoiding is better than floundering and flustered, as far as I'm concerned. Especially from a candidate who, I believe, has already proven his intelligence on numerous occasions.

Now, the similarity in debate tactics is something that certainly should matter to the undecideds. They're the ones who should be making that comparison and/or asking that question.

[whottt]

If its not new, why did McCain issue a proposal last night? Because its ing new. In other words, if its already law why does it have to be proposed? Gee, maybe because its not?

How hard of a concept is this for you Whottt?

Give it up...there's nothing new about it. And it's not new spending either. Both of which everyone was claiming last night. As I said part of the reason they voted down the original bill is so they could change it to do this with it. It's also what they're going to have to do with Fannie and Freddie. It's what Barney Frank wanted to do. It's not a new idea, it's not new spending, and as for the idea of refinancing to fix the housing market in general, lots of guys have been wanting to do this for a while with or without Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, including John McCain, so of course they are going to do this now.

The only thing McCain did was hi-jack an idea by Barney Franks, Dodds and the Democrats...right from under Obama's nose, and Obama didn't have a clue about any of this either. That's why he sat there and let McCain do it last night.

Guarantee you Obama will be on board with this ASAP. But what I'll remember is he didn't say a word about it during the debate...he didn't know enough to do so, just like the Journalists.


It's a no-brainer than you do with the government already holding like trillions of dollars worth of mortgages(Fannie and Freddie) total, and with them about to purchase a load more of them with this bailout bill. They don't want to be holding 6 Trllion worth of toilet paper.

[MannyIsGod]

sigh, I wonder what the weather is like in the Whotttverse.

[whottt]

You want me to post the link of me saying he was going to do with the bailout money and you calling me a dumbass and saying that wasn't what the bailout was for? Not only is McCain saying it...Barney Frank said it the day they threw Paulson's plan out. It's not a new idea, it's not new spending, and yes, the 700 billion is going to be used for that, buying bad mortgages(and so are Fannie and Freddie)....whether McCain plans to do it, or not.


I can post the quote...



PWNT.

[MannyIsGod]

Whottt, for the first time this election season, you were right and I was wrong on that.

Unlike you, I can admit when I'm wrong.

[LARRY MERCHANT]

Tim...........m.........v.........p............is. ................on...................a..........qu ote.............wave......................that.... ................no.....................poster..... .................has.................ever......... .................recovered........................ .from.........

[SpursFanFirst]

Being black doesn't hurt him near as much as having the middle name of Hussein IMO.

I'll go out on a limb here and predict nobody named Hussein will ever be elected President of this country(or at least not in our lifetimes).

I disagree with this. I hope I'm wrong, but I think Obama has this election.

Maybe he'll surprise us and do a good job. I'm not holding my breath though.

[MannyIsGod]

I gave Whottt victory too early. McCain released a new draft of his plan today because there were errors in the first draft. Among those errors? You guessed it, it doesn't come from the same 700b in the bailout.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmi....html#comments

[clambake]

I gave Whottt victory too early. McCain released a new draft of his plan today because there were errors in the first draft. Among those errors? You guessed it, it doesn't come from the same 700b in the bailout.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmi....html#comments

damn manny. it's unimaginable the lengths that mccain will go to be elected.

what the happened to this guy?

[clambake]

A McCain campaign official explained the change: “That language was mistakenly included in the initial draft and it’s been corrected. It doesn’t reflect the intentions of the initiative, which necessitated the correction and the removal of the sentence. A simple mistake.”

jesus. this is 4 more years of incompetence.

[baseline bum]

Being black doesn't hurt him near as much as having the middle name of Hussein IMO.

Bull . Anyone who thinks racism is dead in this country has his head buried deep in the sand. Oh wait, look who I'm talking to.

[Nbadan]

What she meant to say...