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Second Presidential Debate - Open Thread

Talk among yourselves.

Previous Comments

ID
138750
Comment

Welcome to my adopted hometown everyone! :-)

Author
James Hester
Date
2008-10-07T19:02:55-06:00
ID
138751
Comment

McCain came out acting friendly toward Obama, anyway. Looked at him.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T19:05:24-06:00
ID
138752
Comment

I knew who I was supporting months ago. I wonder how many people really use these debates to pick a candidate?

Author
James Hester
Date
2008-10-07T19:09:24-06:00
ID
138753
Comment

Cheap shot by McCain regarding Obama's ties to Fannie and Freddie.

Author
James Hester
Date
2008-10-07T19:14:09-06:00
ID
138755
Comment

thanks, James!!! yeah, mc cain must be listening to negative feedback about him dissing obama in ole miss debate

Author
Izzy
Date
2008-10-07T19:16:24-06:00
ID
138756
Comment

I wish these guys would just answer the questions without pointing fingers at each other.

Author
James Hester
Date
2008-10-07T19:16:47-06:00
ID
138757
Comment

Brokaw sounds congested to me. Maybe it's just me.

Author
LatashaWillis
Date
2008-10-07T19:16:59-06:00
ID
138758
Comment

Actually LW...Belmont was serving drinks to the press before the event started. Maybe Tom had a little sip. I knew I liked him for a reason. :-)

Author
James Hester
Date
2008-10-07T19:18:53-06:00
ID
138759
Comment

I think Obama sounds more together, his ideas, McCain seemes a bit disjoined to me

Author
Izzy
Date
2008-10-07T19:28:30-06:00
ID
138760
Comment

Why the hell is Brokaw talking so much??? And what's with all the yes-or-no questions? He should know better by now, for goodness sake. Where's Lehrer when you need him?

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T19:39:13-06:00
ID
138761
Comment

Someone needs to remind McCain that his hero Reagan raised taxes in tough times.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T19:41:47-06:00
ID
138762
Comment

Brokaw is now asking MULTIPLE CHOICE questions. Argh. McCain really just pointed to Obama and said, "that one."

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T19:49:17-06:00
ID
138763
Comment

McCain is arguing with himself about offshore drilling. Obama already said he supports it. Palin-McCain are obsessed with drilling. Naively so. Oil companies love it, though.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T19:50:07-06:00
ID
138764
Comment

is it me, or does McCain sound insincere when he talks about healh care coverage?

Author
Izzy
Date
2008-10-07T19:53:39-06:00
ID
138765
Comment

McCain, put your health records online!!! Hair transplants???

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T19:55:16-06:00
ID
138766
Comment

excuse me, a $5000 tax credit is really just $5000 you don't pay tax on, which is what, maybe 20-33% of that back to your budget??? Which means, only a small portion of that $5000 "credit". He's SO wrong that it will cover basic health care - total BOGUS, some pay $1000 per month, he's going to give them $1500 tax they don't pay? wtf??

Author
Izzy
Date
2008-10-07T19:55:37-06:00
ID
138767
Comment

ARe you watching the graph lines on CNN? Intriguing.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T19:56:10-06:00
ID
138768
Comment

Um, earlier...McCain literally just acted like Obama thinking nuclear power ahould be "safe" and "disposable" and "what not" was nonsense. Did anyone else hear that?

Author
Lori G
Date
2008-10-07T19:57:19-06:00
ID
138769
Comment

The women are crawling at the very top through Obama's talk about health care.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T19:58:57-06:00
ID
138770
Comment

Well, the graph lines are showing that McCain pretty much levels everyone out. He's not doing as well as Obama is with the uncommitted voters. I disagree about Tom B. Brokaw for President!! I just love that he's basically telling them to sit down and shut up. Its making me laugh.

Author
Lori G
Date
2008-10-07T19:59:55-06:00
ID
138771
Comment

Izzy...just as an FYI...tax credits, like the child tax credit, come off of the total tax you owe. So...if you owe 10,000 in taxes, with a $5k credit, you would just owe $5k. So...it is a substantial.

Author
James Hester
Date
2008-10-07T20:00:23-06:00
ID
138772
Comment

Yes, I heard it, Lori. McCain has made some really innane comments to serious questions.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:00:25-06:00
ID
138773
Comment

Ladd-I told The Man (he noticed the women knocking the ceiling every time healthcare came up) that women have BABIES. And BABIES need doctors. My responses are going to be about ten minutes behind you guys...I Tivo'd and then reround that crazy nuclear part about five times just to make sure I heard it right. DON'T TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS!! :P

Author
Lori G
Date
2008-10-07T20:01:30-06:00
ID
138774
Comment

During McCain's Obama-bashing over "not understanding" military, the lines went way down. Lines way up on Obama on 9-11 and bin Laden! What a contrast.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:02:12-06:00
ID
138775
Comment

Obama topping out on Iraq and criticism of McCain! Oops, not supposed to tell you. ;-)

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:03:36-06:00
ID
138776
Comment

McCain flat on criticism of Obama wanting to bring troops home. Wacky contrast.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:07:07-06:00
ID
138777
Comment

McCain dipping below line when condescending Obama on Pakistan!

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:11:46-06:00
ID
138778
Comment

McCain talking about Afghan "freedon fighters"—does he know bin Laden's history? He's losing this one per the lines on the screen. Badly.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:12:43-06:00
ID
138779
Comment

One other (about ten minutes behind), McCain said we need a "cool hand at the tiller." I think that means he wants us to vote for Obama.

Author
Lori G
Date
2008-10-07T20:13:44-06:00
ID
138780
Comment

I'm not sure a candidate or a president should ever say they want to "kill" a specific person...no matter how big an enemy they may be.

Author
James Hester
Date
2008-10-07T20:14:19-06:00
ID
138781
Comment

Okay. I'm exactly four and half minutes behind you guys. Its like living in Europe-or something. Women are just LOVING Obama.

Author
Lori G
Date
2008-10-07T20:15:52-06:00
ID
138782
Comment

Is it just me, or is the between question "bantering" become more and more thinly veiled? McCain's got a shank. I swear.

Author
Lori G
Date
2008-10-07T20:18:52-06:00
ID
138783
Comment

thanks, James, I was thinking it was a deduction but you are right. I stand corrected. What do you think so far?

Author
Izzy
Date
2008-10-07T20:19:45-06:00
ID
138784
Comment

Yep, women adore him, and men don't hate him. ;-) For the most part, the line-people seem bored with McCain. He gets no blips from his attacks on Obama, and the lines go down when he does. Some of his lowest points, especially on foreign policy.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:21:40-06:00
ID
138785
Comment

I thought that they turned on the EKG when McCain was talking- and it was showing that he was already dead...

Author
Rico
Date
2008-10-07T20:23:04-06:00
ID
138786
Comment

Sorry, that was probably tasteless...

Author
Rico
Date
2008-10-07T20:23:44-06:00
ID
138787
Comment

"Evil Empire," yes or no? What a goofy question.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:24:12-06:00
ID
138788
Comment

Ricooooooo.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:24:48-06:00
ID
138789
Comment

We were just talking about how Mccain doesn't sway voters don't that probably aren't already going to vote Republican. Obama DOES.

Author
Lori G
Date
2008-10-07T20:24:48-06:00
ID
138790
Comment

The ekg does well when McCain talks about Russia

Author
Izzy
Date
2008-10-07T20:25:21-06:00
ID
138791
Comment

That is because his blood pressure goes up

Author
Rico
Date
2008-10-07T20:26:58-06:00
ID
138792
Comment

Obama spiking on Israel.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:28:18-06:00
ID
138793
Comment

... with men!

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:28:38-06:00
ID
138794
Comment

For real- I almost feel sorry for McCain this time...

Author
Rico
Date
2008-10-07T20:28:42-06:00
ID
138795
Comment

Izzy...I really think it's silly for candidates to get TOO specific on issues. Conditions and situations change on a daily basis. I think they should focus on core principles instead.

Author
James Hester
Date
2008-10-07T20:29:28-06:00
ID
138796
Comment

Ok, McCain just got the point on Russia. For once tonight he was frank, open, and honest. His answer was real. That was his one obvious point won.

Author
Lori G
Date
2008-10-07T20:30:23-06:00
ID
138797
Comment

Women love "direct talks"; men don't hate them, either. Doh. Women also heart food-stamp, next-generation talk

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:31:40-06:00
ID
138798
Comment

Agreed on Russia. The only point he even tied on.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:33:01-06:00
ID
138799
Comment

Obama just went off the screen with women on the "what do you not know" question...

Author
Rico
Date
2008-10-07T20:33:16-06:00
ID
138800
Comment

Weird that McCain drops when he talks about "serving his country." He may have fallen back on that too often. It's not working tonight. Women going up when he says "I believe," though. Then dropping again. More steady hand at the tiller.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T20:35:30-06:00
ID
138801
Comment

So- where is the best post-debate stuff? On TV I mean- too late to go anywhere without getting arrested...

Author
Rico
Date
2008-10-07T20:37:29-06:00
ID
138802
Comment

yes, that makes sense, james in nashville - yet people need some specifics. I wish people were more involved in the specifics, at times people just seem interested in a popularity contest.

Author
Izzy
Date
2008-10-07T20:41:23-06:00
ID
138803
Comment

McCain's wrap up (though sort of empty and scripted) was delivered fairly well-except for the last line. Obama won most points. McCain won on Russia. I would try to say that McCain won on others, but I zoned out on most of them. We were drinking whenever he said "Ronald Reagan" and "my friends" and that was enough. They did not shake hands. Could they be a little MORE obvious? Someone on CNN just said that "McCain's disdain for Obama is hard to hide." And, I think Anderson Cooper freaked out a little that someone said that out loud. I think it needed to be said.

Author
Lori G
Date
2008-10-07T20:43:52-06:00
ID
138804
Comment

Why did the McCains leave so soon after the debate? Thought that was strange. I also think McCain should have called Obama "that one." You say "that one" when you're at the butcher's picking a steak, not when you're talking about a person.

Author
LatashaWillis
Date
2008-10-07T21:10:37-06:00
ID
138805
Comment

I heard that Cafe Press already has "That One For President" t-shirts...

Author
Rico
Date
2008-10-07T21:13:27-06:00
ID
138806
Comment

A decent human being would not refer to his opponent, and a fellow senator, as "that one." It's as if he doesn't think Obama is human or worthy of being treated with respect. Whether he means to or not, he is going to convince folks real fast that he is, shall we say, stuck in the past with old ways if he cannot treat Obama with respect. People are going to start asking why. McCain is in deep sh!t. Period. And he put himself there with poor judgment and plain old nastiness. I think we're seeing more of the man who left his disfigured wife for an heiress than the honorable POW these days. Sad, because he could have stayed the latter. Now, when he talked about his days in the military, it barely raised a blip on the CNN screeen. He's worn out his welcome, it seems. Palin was the turning point. How low he has sunk.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T22:01:10-06:00
ID
138808
Comment

Obama tried to shake his hand, and McCain turned away. What an angry little schmoe. CNN poll said Obama won 56-30. Their huge panel of white people seemed rather blown away by it all. Oh, wait, Malveaux was there.

Author
DonnaLadd
Date
2008-10-07T22:04:11-06:00
ID
138816
Comment

What an angry little schmoe. I feel that is a good assessment of McCain's entire debate performance. He looked angry and snooty the entire time.

Author
Lori G
Date
2008-10-08T07:08:03-06:00
ID
138820
Comment

We were drinking whenever he said "Ronald Reagan" and "my friends" and that was enough. -posted by Lori G Good Lord! I bet you could hardly get your "my friends" drink down before the next "my friends" came out. All I heard was "my friends" and "fundamental difference." One could get alcohol poisoning from this game! Also, what was the deal with McCain's "Not you, Tom" comment when asked who he would pick as Treasury Sec? That was just weird.

Author
Tre
Date
2008-10-08T08:15:58-06:00
ID
138830
Comment

I heard that Cafe Press already has "That One For President" t-shirts… posted by Rico on 10/07/08 at 10:13 PM I made one. http://www.cafepress.com/TR3tshirts

Author
Tre
Date
2008-10-08T11:14:51-06:00
ID
138833
Comment

Cool shirts, Tre'! I've been soooo tempted to add Obama shirts to my gallery, but I'm trying to keep my site neutral to keep the riff raff away.

Author
LatashaWillis
Date
2008-10-08T11:25:12-06:00
ID
138838
Comment

The $5,000 tax credit doesn't doesn't look that good if you don't get insurance through your employer (or they drop the insurance) and you end up needing more than $5,000 to insure a family of four due to not being part of a group.

Author
FreeClif
Date
2008-10-08T12:13:05-06:00
ID
138839
Comment

Zazzle has "McCain, I am NOT your Friend" shirts. :D http://www.zazzle.com/not_mccains_friend_shirt-235703905510344311

Author
BobbyKearan
Date
2008-10-08T12:22:02-06:00
ID
138841
Comment

Right, Whitley... The other thing about a "credit" is that you have to have the funds to spend on insurance to begin with. Then, after the fact, you can get a "credit" for having spent two to three times the money to get health coverage. Big problem. I mean, if people could afford to buy insurance at all, they would. Nearly 50 million Americans can't. That $5K credit is not going to help anyone that isn't already insured, and because McCain proposes to also tax the benefits, it will probably leave more millions dropped from their employers plans. The only people who benefit from that piece of McCain horse manure are insurance company executives and stock holders.

Author
Ronni_Mott
Date
2008-10-08T12:53:45-06:00
ID
138845
Comment

Factcheck.org breaks down McCain's tax credit: http://www.factcheck.org/mccains_5000_promise.html I wonder how they managed to come up with a plan that seems like such a sure vote loser if people are aware of how it will work?

Author
FreeClif
Date
2008-10-08T14:00:28-06:00
ID
138847
Comment

Here's the kicker from factcheck.org: The federal government would send the money directly to insurance providers. The way they get people to buy into the plan is to never actually explain the details. People hear "tax credit," and assume that means cash in their wallets. It's a mistaken impression the Republicans are counting on.

Author
Ronni_Mott
Date
2008-10-08T14:45:33-06:00
ID
138849
Comment

Zazzle has "McCain, I am NOT your Friend" shirts. :D Oh, a fellow Zazzler! Graywalker, I have a Zazzle store, too. And a Cafepress. It's a great way to express yourself. You should try it. :)

Author
LatashaWillis
Date
2008-10-08T15:19:41-06:00
ID
138854
Comment

I thought the first debate was a push, but McCain got his ass handed to him last night. He had two good moments: The first part of his "Why should we trust either of you?" question (though he immediately screwed it up by making it about Obama), where he referenced watchdog groups, and his closing statement, which I thought was very strong. The rest was a long stammering mess. I don't know what happened but he combined the whiny cadence of Ron Paul with the repetitiveness of a bad telemarketer and I can't believe anyone enjoyed it, not even him. Obama didn't give his best performance, but he really didn't have to considering what he was up against; he cruised right through. I don't think McCain will reference asking for those Town Hall debates anymore because he really stunk up the joint last night. Obama's best moment, to me: Watch his interaction with the second questioner, the young black guy McCain treated like an idiot (telling him he didn't know about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, referencing the previous questioner as somebody affected by housing prices, etc). Obama, in contrast, looked him in the eye and answered his question. The difference was pretty tangible. It reminded me very much of the 1992 town hall debate where Clinton interacted in a natural way with the audience as Bush checked his watch. Tom Brokaw didn't screw up entirely, but he shouldn't moderate another presidential debate, or at least not another town hall debate. He has many strengths but this isn't one of them. Bob Schieffer will be a huge improvement. Next week's debate will also probably be less of a blowout.

Author
Tom Head
Date
2008-10-08T21:28:44-06:00
ID
138855
Comment

baquan, that is a pretty spiffy T-shirt!

Author
Tom Head
Date
2008-10-08T21:30:37-06:00
ID
138858
Comment

It was Obama's night, no question about it.

Author
Jeff Lucas
Date
2008-10-09T08:12:07-06:00

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