A thread for discussion of the US presidential debate as it happens. As with last week’s vice-presidential debate, I won’t tell you shut up if you indulge in partisan name-calling. The other thread remains open for those wishing to discuss the presidential race more broadly.
Author: William Bowe
William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.
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My guess is about the same as the first debate. McCain hasn’t knocked anything out of the ball park but neither (being fair here) has Obama. That having been said, these two are not nearly as polarized as the VP debate was. Palin is a magnet. In a bad way 😉 …….
No major gaffes by either side that I’ve noted so far.
He is talking about Leibermann as if Leibermann were his running mate …… see what happens when you give into the extreme right wing and ignore your own ideas? 😉
The Nuclear Revolution! (Due to begin circa 2020-2030. Stay tuned.)
Obama talking about something that he and McCain agreed up on and the worm rises from the dead 😉
McCain admits he can’t see the lights.
Obama: “Washington’s done nothing on energy for 30 years and McCain should know, he’s been there for 26 of them.” hehe
LOL! McCain calls Obama “that one”.
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Was McCain implying that Obama will syphon some of the bailout money off to smuggle into the hands of his alleged terrorist cronies?
McCain talking about fundamental economics and trying to tell people that we need to Drill baby drill off shore now and the worm doesn’t like it ……
“My friends”……….does Mccain sell Amway on the side?
What buzzwords would be the worst to have in a skulling competition?
Ha! At the end of that answer McCain said that Obama SUPPORTED processing of spent nuclear fuel.
He meant to say he DOESN’T support it.
So glad they’re actually talking about health care.
[What buzzwords would be the worst to have in a skulling competition?]
Senator, health, energy, economy, wall street, washington, dollar, billion, tax
worm likes obama saying that he will make sure health care companies can’t refuse you for pre existing conditions …. 🙂
buzzwords – both candidates will say “god bless america” at somepoint in their closing statements
OK McCain, if you are talking about your $5000 health care insurance tax credits, you had better tell people that you want to tax their benefits on top of that, hope Obama doesn’t let that one go …..
[hope Obama doesn’t let that one go …..]
He should’ve mentioned it in his initial answer.
is health care in america a priveledge, right or responsibility? mccain says there is a responsibility to provide it …… obama says health insurance should be a RIGHT …..
go obama, mentions his mother died of cancer at 53 and that she couldn’t get health insurance because of preexisting conditions …….. shows his motivations, good man
McCain has said “my friends” eleven times already. His dementia is really kicking in.
I agree JulieM, the anecdote about his mother was strong.
Women are loving Obama’s spiel on health care.
obama talks about insurance companies who cheat their customers and the worm LOVES it ……. says he will crack down on the insurance company cheats …. says deleware gets all of the banks because of their loose banking laws there, and says he will close those loopholes so that insurance companies can’t do similar ……
McCain is still singing the same old tune – the private sector will solve everything, including the health system.
Will this man ever learn.
McCain: THAT ONE didn’t tell us the SIZE of the FINE.
By which I mean the worm.
Billbowe – earlier in the debate you might have noticed that Obama threw in the words mammary tests and maternity. Big spike.
We know you’re the voice of modern women everywhere William – no need to be coy 🙂
“We have gone to the four corners of the earth”
Newsflash! McCain thinks earth is flat.
Did McCain just point to the questioner at the end of his answer?
Is it just me, or does anyone else think McCain sound more and more like a used car salesman?
Obama sounds like a used car salesman to me. McCain sounds like an old fogey.
Obama talking about the strain that the Iraq war is putting on the US budget and the worm is topped out, men and women ….. 🙂 notes that mccain has also said we should do these things (put people back to work, etc.) but hasn’t said how to pay for it. Says part of the way we will pay for it is stop throwing money away in iraq, worm loves it …. 🙂
The blokes worm starts sliding down whenever Obama says “When I’m President”
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I guess it’s all subjective itep
The biggest moment according to the blogs is McCain referring to Obama as “That one”.
Diogenes what is the “my friends” count up to now? If you had picked those words in the various McCain cliche on-line drinking games you would be pretty drunk by now.
[The biggest moment according to the blogs is McCain referring to Obama as “That one”.]
I think so too, I think it is disrespectful. It is like how McCain refused to even look at Obama in the first debate.
A pretty uneventful evening if so.
[A pretty uneventful evening if so.]
I agree.
Which means Obama wins. Having dead heat debates won’t help McCain come from behind.
“Victory with honour” in Iraq says McCain. Straight out of the Nixon handbook, just before the US was unceremoniously kicked out of Vietnam.
It’s closer than the first one.
Ahaha “Crush, kill, destroy!”
Socrates
I’m not watching the debate (I haven’t watched any of them). I’m trying an experiment of only “watching” through other peoples comments on blogs. It makes it less boring and more objective. Dunno how “my friends” is going.
The shit is going to hit the fan aboiut “That one” from what I’m reading.
McCain said his hero is Ronald Reagan, then in the next question changed it to Teddy Roosevelt!
The zig-zagging McCainian logic at work.
Mcains hero is Teddy Reagan
or is it Ronald Roosevelt
[The shit is going to hit the fan aboiut “That one” from what I’m reading.]
Basically Obama was sitting on his stool, and McCain was standing a few meters to Obama’s left. Instead of saying “Senator Obama voted for it”, McCain kept looking a head and pointed to him while saying “that one”. So it was kind of the same as the first debate where McCain refused to even look across at Obama was speaking.
People say you’re green behind the ears Obama? Really? 🙂
Diogenes
I have only been watching for the past 8 minutes (two McCain quotes) and the count is 3 My friends.
McCain is standing there fuming over what Obama just said on the bomb bomb Iran quip.