September 26 - The First Obama-McCain Debate

Great Debates
101

I’ve been watching for a bit, and I don’t think Obama’s doing that well. His extemporaneous speech is stuttery, and he’s not coming across clearly; rightly or wrongly, he sounds a bit defensive. McCain has several well-prepared lines, and while they may not always be entirely relevant to the question, they’re well delivered, and seem to be landing. This is not just relative to expectations, either; I genuinely don’t think Obama is coming across well, and I say that as someone who fully intends to vote for him.

Euch, minus 73 million points for two uses of “maverick” in 10 seconds, though. Jesus.

102

So if you had “maverick” in the drinking game, you should have switched to “Mr. Congeniality” instead, or you’re gonna stay sober.

103

OK, OK… but i thought this was about gov’t spending; so i took it to be about our foreign aid, not our spending on oil.

104

Should John really be bringing up torture? Oh go ahead, mention Palin. . …

Please nail McCain on this, Obama.

105

So lets freeze everything?

McCain fucked up, he didn’t mention Social Security.

Piss off the old folks and the farmers. But hey, he’s mentioning veterans a lot.

106

Everyone take one shot every time McCain says he wasn’t voted Ms. Congeniality in the Senate.

107

Oh boy. McCain just opened Pandora’s Box. He played the “maverick” card and mentioned Palin. If I were Obama I would find a way to make him regret that.

108

The lesson we;ve learned from Iraq is “not to have a failed strategy?” I’m no military genius, but I think I would have known that to begin with.

109

The way he says it, it sounds like a cheap 1970s car.

110

Well, you can’t have a failed strategy that leads to a failed policy in another country. Betcha didn’t know THAT, Mr. Smartypants!

Daniel

111

Who’d a thunk Obama would sound better about foreign policy than he did on the economy.

112

I agree; I’m disappointed so far.

113

He’s doing fine. This is a presidential debate, not last comic standing.

114

Obama used the word “tactic” correctly. McCain is wrong. The surge was a tactic, not a strategy.

115

Can we get an Around the Horn style mute button for Lehrer?

116

Maybe I’m just as dumb as Obama. What’s the difference between tactic and strategy.

117

Ah, fairy tales about earnest young patriots who want to go kill Arabs. That’s so 2004.

118

McCain looks so creepy with the weird smiling thing.

But he sounds kind of good. I’m sick to my stomach.

119

What is the difference between a tactic and a strategy? Serious question.

120

I didn’t say it was. But he’s proving very difficult to listen to - purely as a matter of delivery, it appears defensive.

Neither of them is providing much content that isn’t vacuous at the moment. Appearance is pretty much the only distinction, and Obama is, in my view, losing.