# It's the official last Presidential Debate thread! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 15, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001 "2008-10-15T03:20:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/361 "2008-10-16T03:02:40Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Holy crap! No way. I refuse to believe that. McCain did not do badly at all. Apparently a bunch of independent voters disagree. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/362 "2008-10-16T03:02:42Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > CBS poll of undecided voters: > > Who won the debate? > > McCain (R) 22 > Obama (D) 53 …and the other 25% are still undecided? ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/363 "2008-10-16T03:02:50Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > sen. mccain sees any attack on his position as an attack on his person. this is why people perceive him as angry and cranky. > > sen. obama is able to separate the two and once again showed how to disagree in a civil fashion. he states were there is agreement, disagreement, and how possibly a solution can be made. he doesn’t take it personally and that helps him stay cool. > > it is very refreshing. Yes. And given that he has been given provocation again and again and remained calm, cool and civil. It makes McShame look that much more irascible and and petulant. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/364 "2008-10-16T03:03:07Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Holy crap! No way. I refuse to believe that. McCain did not do badly at all. I got it from Kos. I can’t remember what the numbers were on the last CBS poll. This is one of those “real” snap polls, not an internet poll. Crazy, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/365 "2008-10-16T03:03:08Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > CBS poll of undecided voters: > > Who won the debate? > > McCain (R) 22 > Obama (D) 53 Holy crap. People really don’t like the negative stuff this cycle. CNN poll just coming in: Obama 58% McCain 35% ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/366 "2008-10-16T03:03:31Z")
I thought McCain would have a choice between bringing up the Ayers attack and looking like a jackass or else dodging around it and looking like a coward. I underestimated him. He managed to do both. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/367 "2008-10-16T03:04:08Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > …and the other 25% are still undecided? Probably a tie for the rest. More detail will be up later. ---
**Author:** ![Qwisp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qwisp/32/397_2.png) [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/368 "2008-10-16T03:04:29Z")
On MSNBC Who won the final presidential debate? \* 109712 responses John McCain 32% Barack Obama 62% Tie 2.3% Not sure 4.5% I thought McCain did better than that. Did anyone else hear John McCain snort at the end of the debate when he was laughing at one of his own “jokes”? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/369 "2008-10-16T03:05:27Z")
Also the CBS poll: Shares your values Obama, Before the debate: 54 Obama, After the debate: 63 McCain, Before the debate: 53 McCain, After the debate: 56 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/370 "2008-10-16T03:06:27Z")
“And in tonight’s debate, it’s Senator Government versus Senator Colostomy Bag Full of Agitated Fire Ants.” ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/371 "2008-10-16T03:08:20Z")
The snap CNN poll: Favorable/Unfavorable Obama, before debate: 63/35 Obama, after debate: 66/33 McCain, before debate: 51/45 McCain, after debate: 49/49 ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/372 "2008-10-16T03:08:52Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Perception is a funny thing; I honestly thought that McCain came off the worst tonight. I disagree. Obama let McCain attack, but I don’t think he responded enough. Yes, they were bullshit debunked attacks, but so what? Obama let them go instead of dealing with them. Almost Kerry-esque. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/373 "2008-10-16T03:09:03Z")
[Watch Johnny here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EASpPlcVbdI)–he’s a deer in the headlights. Then count how many times he blinks in one thirty second clip. Dude did NOT do well! ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/374 "2008-10-16T03:09:07Z")
Oh, I thought McCain was going to choke when he had to come up with positive things to say about Palin. That was simultaneously hilarious and painful to watch. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/375 "2008-10-16T03:10:04Z")
I thought that Obama did well, but did not “put McCain in his place”–which is fine. I thought McCain came off as kind of random in some of his statements and responses. He was all attack attack attack, but no substance (really). I am so sick of McCain and his “I won’t share my plots and plans with you.” schtick. Advantage: Obama. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/376 "2008-10-16T03:10:13Z")
I don’t think McCain confused Down Syndrome and Autism. I think it was a deliberate tactic to appeal to more voters. I believe Autism and its related disorders affects more children than Down Syndrome. Since the number of diagnosis have been increasing, it certainly is ‘scarier’. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/377 "2008-10-16T03:10:15Z")
Watching it from here, up here in Canuckistan where we just re-elected Mr. Boring in his blue sweater, I gotta say, you Americans are lucky. You get all the fun. Someone told Mr. McCain to smile a lot. This was VERY bad advice. He looked more like Gollum as the evening wore on. I could scarcely bear to look at him. He is one creepy dude. Mr. Obama was presented with several gold-plated opportunities to attack Mr. McCain and he refrained. Instead, he calmly, rationally, and presidentially spoke about policies and plans - and Mr. McCain’s eyeballs looked about to blow out of his head. Yes, Mr. Obama looks better on TV than Mr. McCain does. But not only does he look better, he sounds better. Not the sound of his voice, you understand, as in timbre and pitch, but in what he has to say. He’s a class act. As for Joe the Plumber? The poor man!!! I did not realize that Colombia was so important to the US other than as a source of cocaine. I found that interesting. Seriously, Mr. McCain did not do himself much good. I watched the lines in the graph and Mr. Obama consistently made those lines rise up and Mr. McCain consistently made them flatten or fall. Another thing: no matter what they say out loud, most women are more or less pro-choice. Not “pro-abortion”, but pro-choice. The line on the graph reflected that very clearly. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/378 "2008-10-16T03:10:31Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > McCain keeps throwing around “you don’t tell them that!” > > How does McCain think diplomacy and trade agreements are settled; are negotiated? By unveiling at the last moment a secret plan that you’ve kept buried in a jar in your back yard? He keeps hitting Dr. Evil notes for me. He needs to start the pinky thing. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/379 "2008-10-16T03:12:36Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > I thought McCain came off as kind of random in some of his statements and responses. He’s WAY random. He always seems to be just sort of throwing out things in shorthand. I think that’s one reason pundits give him too much credit. They know what he’s talking about and can translate while the rest of us are baffled. And I pay a lot of attention! ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001/380 "2008-10-16T03:12:46Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > I disagree. Obama let McCain attack, but I don’t think he responded enough. Yes, they were bullshit debunked attacks, but so what? Obama let them go instead of dealing with them. He dealt with them when needed to, but he was presidential in being able to move on to topics that mainstream voters actually care about. The more I think about it, the worse I think of McCain’s performance. The worst of the three to undecideds and moderates, I’m betting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-official-last-presidential-debate-thread/468001.md?page=20)