Third Presidential Debate Open Stream
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Debates, McCain, VideoWatch it…
And then talk about it below.
I suggest opening up two tabs with this post in both so you can refresh one while watching/listening in another.
One interesting note…the playoffs are on tonight so it may really cut down on people watching the whole debate. A bet a lot of people are switching around and that’ll really hurt McCain if he has a strong night.
Okay folks…this will be your last chance to do this for 4 years so make it count!
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, Debates, McCain, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Soon…soon…soon…
October 15th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Where is the room for John McCain to Succeed?
October 15th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Since they’re sitting down, I think that it’ll be harder for McCain to attack Obama.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Both candidates looking good…all the talking points.
“Lets try to tell the people tonight some things they haven’t heard.”
Heh…good luck.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
McCain opens by talking about “Fannie and Freddie Mae”. Freddie Mae? What’s that?
October 15th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Come on people! Jump in!
McCain is coming out strong with positive messaging. Good for him. Hope he keeps it up.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I don’t want to bail out people who knew they were taking a risk and could declare bankrupcy like any other American who’s defaulted on their home loan over the last several decades.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Obama’s talking into the camera, and McCain isn’t.
“Senator McCain and I agree…” and then hits him talking about wasting taxpayer money.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
New drinking game – take a shot everytime Obama says “Aaaaand..”
October 15th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Justin,
In response to my criticism that these aren’t really debates, you wrote:
You are aware that the campaigns SET the format for the debate right through a very elaborate process of negotiations? So, are you saying we shouldn’t hold the candidates accountable for the format that their campaigns set? I hope not, because that doesn’t make sense.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
McCain bringing up the plumber story. Interesting…
October 15th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Obama: “We don’t want to waste taxpayer money.” No we don’t.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
No, you’re right. Mea culpa.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
McCain really should have asked the question directly to Obama. When he said, “No, I don’t want to ask him a question.” and then……he asks him a question.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
McCain’s story about the plumber was pretty good!
Greetings, Ladies and Germs! Finishing up dinner, my daughter is coloring… it’s a good night. :)
–Ag
October 15th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
After awhile, it’s hard to even know who to believe on taxes.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
McCain isn’t looking good again. He looks testy. And the “class warfare” thing doesn’t work anymore. This is OLD politics.
Obama isn’t backing off his tax plan.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Obama’s going after the rich… ouch!
Is it just me… or is this a newer, tougher McCain? He seems pretty energized.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Someone who wants to start a small business expects to make $250,000 of taxable income his first year or two? I have news for Joe. He’s so stupid that his business probably won’t last a year.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I’m looking forward to an interview with “Joe the Plummer.”
I think taxing small businesses for earnings over $200k is a bad idea. Is that really Obama’s plan? He’s really dancing around this here.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I’m sorry folks, but McCain SHOULD NOT smile. It’s a very superficial thing, but it’s awful.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Alan, his tax proposal refers to personal taxes over $250,000. How many small business owners really make that much?
October 15th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
No. Over $250,000. However, there are going to be tax breaks for hiring inside the US. So some of those taxes could be offset.
But folks, as we ALL know, the money OVER $250,000 gets taxed at the higher rate, not the entire $250,000 before that. Those rates will not go up.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Me too!
October 15th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
McCain keeps using that 35% number like every business really pays that much. No allowance for legitimate deductions or loopholes. Will he be willing to close those up if he got his tax rate reduction? I doubt it.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
“every dollar I’ve proposed, I’ve proposed an additional cut” — Obama
I appreciate the idea, but that’s not how the system works. There are special interests behind those cuts. And those interests will twist arms in Congress and Obama will get maybe 10% of those cuts through. But I bet Obama doesn’t reduce his spending plans at all.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
The homeowndership decision was made already. McCain shouldn’t play this.
Both are avoiding questions. I think McCain is learning from Palin. He mghtt well say “I’ll get back with you.”
October 15th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
You could be right.
But man, McCain is REALLY off tonight. Sugar cane? Ethanol? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?!?
October 15th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Justin… agreed about McCain’s smiling. He looks a bit too much like Lon Chaney in the old “Phantom of the Opera.”
October 15th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
McCain is energized. He damn well better have some energy -it’s his last shot. So far, I’m giving it to McCain. Obama should be careful not to look too smug – the underdog thing could get some traction.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
No!!!
Not the overheard projector.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Jim, Justin — Thanks. For some reason I understood it as taxation of business profit (as distinct from personal income). Time to turn up the TV.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Did they give McCain uppers?
He seems like he’s on alot of caffeine tonight.
Did you see that little “haha” look he just gave Obama?
You can tell McCain knows he needs to attack tonight. He’s doing it, and frankly, doing it well.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Oh…good line about “I’m not President Bush”, but he looks like he wants to hit Obama in the face. This makes Obama look better.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
“I’m not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run 4 years ago.” — McCain
GOOD line.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
can you balance the budget in 4 years?
Mccain “sure i do”
as someone else on the site has said:
lol wut?
i heard no specifics on how he’ll do it
October 15th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Mr. McCain, you are a PATHOLOGICAL LIAR!!!. Balanced budget by 2013, my ass.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I’d like to see this planetarium McCain keeps talking about.
McCain still hasn’t answered HOW he will balance the budget.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Boom. Boom. Boom.
McCain just doesn’t have any ammo that can penetrate Obama’s armor.
Good punch at Fox News.
And ties him back with Bush.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Obama supported tort reform. Charter schools. Nice examples. If you didn’t know he voted straight-line Democrat 95% of the time, you’d think he was bipartisan.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
McCain’s “flow” on CNN is low for women and high for men.
Obama’s seems to be higher with women, and a little lower for men.
That’s not good for McCain.
Obama seems less prepared for tonight than he’s been previously…
October 15th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
why the overhead projector bs? PLEASE. McCain might be trying to sound tough, but he’s stumbling through this left and right. it’s like a shotgun hoping to hit a needle in a haystack
October 15th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Well, I wouldn’t call him a pathological liar, but that’s a pretty big stretch that he’ll get a balanced budget.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
THat’s one thing Obama never clarifies and he should – that the increase in taxes over $250K is for personal taxes, not business taxes. He missed an important opportunity.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
mccain has a creepy smile.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Uh oh!!!!
“palled around with terrorists”
October 15th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Alan, the mirror is there. McCain has not stood up to his party on economic issues for years.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Jim Lehrer is doing a KNOCK UP job tonight btw.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Jim S: Mr. McCain, you are a PATHOLOGICAL LIAR!!!. Balanced budget by 2013, my ass.
Or a wishful thinker. I can’t decide which is worse.
Oh goody… Bob Schieffer just changed the subject to the nastiness of the campaign. Now things should get interesting.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Wow. McCain is making a big stretch there about Lewis’ remark.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
McCain actually looks hurt by Rep. Lewis’ remarks. He’s not a good enough of an actor to fake that.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
mmm
good answer mccain. you regret some of the turns that the campaign has taken.
welcome back mr. mccain w/ a spine.
you look much better when you are not bowing down to the republican base.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Once again McCain is lying about his campaign, claiming that every claim of theirs is honest and nothing is negative.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Yeah, he’s throwing the Repub base under the bus. He even bragged ealier that he shares a policy issue with Hillary Clinton. Is the real Maverick back?
October 15th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Obama is handling the negative-campaigning issue pretty well. But I guess being ahead helps you weather the negative attacks. Still, I like how calm he looks about some of the horrible things said about him.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Town hall meetings are BS. all the questions are preapproved and who gets to attend them is not representative. How will 10 town hall meetings changing anything.
Also McCain has some nerve trying to play that ” you have a negative campaign card”
October 15th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Alan, unfortunately for McCain he’s twisting what Lewis said. I thought that what I heard he said was pretty bad but the full statement was referring to how the crowds were acting at the rallies.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
wait a minute — McCain seems gleeful that the Cards beat my Cowboys. That’s it. Can’t vote for anyone who doesn’t love the Cowboys.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
my feeling is that obama is a bit weaker on this debate than mccain.
ooh
nice handle on the lewis issue obama
October 15th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
McCain is losing it here folks.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Criticizing McCain’s health care plan is a negative attack ad?
October 15th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Gee, when did McCain criticize Palin for repeating over and over again that Obama pals around with terrorists?
October 15th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Oh, God. Not Ayers.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
fatality. obama wins.
‘tough vigorous debate w/o being disagreeable.’
cha-ching. thats the key of a good cabinet and great leadership.
best line (for me) of the year.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Holy crap… this is getting really, really nasty…
October 15th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
He said “Ayers”! Here it is. We’re shotgunning beers.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Is McCain ever going to let go of those friggin’ town hall meetings???
October 15th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Obama was VERY prepared for Ayers and Acorn. Can we move on now?
October 15th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Obama’s associations.
He haz gud onez!!!
October 15th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Go Bama! He baited McCain in bringing up Ayers, and he slam dunks it. Obama gets to talk about the big issues, his big advisors, and McCain has to keep going back to Acorn and Chicago politics. He looks small, and Obama looks visionary. Slam dunk.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
obama man.
he is kicking butt and tkaing names.
1. ‘we want to have disagreements w/o being disagreeable’
2. set record straight on acorn and aiyers
3. turned it around on mccain.
ooohhh acorn dig from mccain? true? obama may need to do dmg control
October 15th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
McCain at this point wouldn’t recognize a fact if it was a piranha the size of a VW biting his posterior.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I used to work for ACORN. I admit the are a bit radical but they know better than to intentionally put out voter fraud. ACORN has done great things for this country including anti-predatory lending campaigns and fair housing bills.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
OH!!!!
Comparing running mates!
October 15th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
YEssss running mate question!
HIT, HOMERUN!
Biden vs. Palin?
If Obama can’t make the score for Biden over Palin, he can’t earn this.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
GREAT QUESTION about VP choices!!
October 15th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
The Acorn controversy is a repulican invented non-issue. good work, danielle.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
obama missing chance to really take it to Palin on this issue
October 15th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Why is Biden better than Palin. Oh, gee, ya know, I’ll have to get back to ya.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
is it just me or is mccain losing it before our eyes? this answer regarding palin sounds like palin herself…
October 15th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
too much risk for Obama to bring up Palin’s (many) weaknesses. NOt enough upside, so he sidestepped it.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Obama, you should have answered the question about her qualifications honestly.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Good answer from Obama about Biden.
McCain talking about Palin sweeping out the cronyism doesn’t really play, but a good end with special needs kids.
Obama sidesteps the qualification question…and then hits him on special needs costs and the spending freeze. OH!
October 15th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
American’s have gotten to know Sara Palin (says mccain)
“Role model, reformer, faced down the oil companies, reformer, breath of fresh air, understands reform, understands special needs families”
That’s not the Sarah Palin I know.
Obama says Biden is experienced and points at what he’s done.
McCain says Palin is a woman, a mother, and handled the oil companies.
Obama win.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
obama….cmmon just SAY IT
IS PALIN QUALIFIED????
NO!
come on now. srsly
October 15th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Obama is smart not to overly bash Palin. She’s such a poor choice, any piling on by Obama would seem cheap.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Jim, that’s a post-partisan answer. :-)
October 15th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
It’s perfectly understandable for McCain to keep trying to hammer Obama on Ayers and ACORN. In fact in any other election year that would be pretty damaging. (No wonder McCain said Obama should have run against Bush in 2004!) But this year the looming financial crisis makes that and, well, everything else look like small potatoes. So, no big surprise that Obama was able to knock that aside.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
You know, Senator McCain, lots of people hate debaters who insist on trying to change the issue.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Does Schieffer look annoyed?
“Climate change” McCain chimes in with. He just seems really off his game here folks. Still looks testy. Obama looks steady.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Agreed, Obama would’ve gained nothing by tearing Palin apart.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
McCain: “He always says we need to spend more.”
Yes, yes he does. But McCain isn’t exactly running as a fiscal conservative. I’m pretty sure both these guys will expand government. Too bad.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Obama looked unsure and unready for the first 20 or so minutes, but he’s found his groove now.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Agreed Alan, but having a new push to build infrastructure and green tech could reap a lot of rewards.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Obama is looking in the camera. Did he take a note from Palin??
October 15th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I wouldn’t want him to “bash” her. Just look at Schieffer and calmly, quietly say “No.”.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Did someone give mccain a 5 hour energy drink?
He’s certainly got pep tonight…
October 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
BTW….CNN has Obama breaking 270.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
McCain looks clueless. vague. no specifics.
Obama looks into the camera. good job.
McCain has to get off of offshore drilling.
oil is down past 75 a barrel.
its no longer a burning issue.
fail
October 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Obama is side-stepping the fact that he pandered on NAFTA during the primary. It wasn’t JUST about enviornmental aspects. He was trying to win Ohio and Pennsylvania by pretending he could get jobs back.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Free trader? What an awkward turn of phrase..If Obama said he was a free trader, FOX would immediately run with “Obama” admits to being traitor…
October 15th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
WOW! McCain’s last answer about Colombia was completely incomprehensible.
And then Obama lays waste to him.
McCain is just outmatched.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Jim, “qualification” is Obama’s only weakness. No way would he touch it about Palin. Didn’t need to anyway. Everyone gets it.
Obama needs to keep reaching into the living room. He’s really getting his groove.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
A Columbian Free Trade Agreement”?!!!?!?! You have got to be kidding me. McCain should travel down there with all its labor issues, wars, farc etc.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Colombia, also the nation that has right wing death squads that murder labor organizers with no fear of punishment. Yes, point it out.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I hope you all realize that everything,
EVERYTHING
that has come out of McCain’s mouth has been a lie.
Not a half-truth, not a bending of the truth, an outright lie.
And I am enraged at Obama for not calling him out on this.
He is a liar, nothing he says is true, and everyone needs to wake up and understand this.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Justin — I 100% support projects to rebuild infastructure. Wish one of these guys would push that a little more.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
You know, the moderator is kicking butt.
he’s controlling the flow while still letting ppl finish.
good job.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
FYI: Bill Clinton supports the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Just saying.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Okay folks…this is over. McCain’s worst performance yet. Shaky, unsteady and Obama is hitting him on everything and is prepared for everything.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
NPR included in their news tonight how KC wanted to float a bond issue to fund sewer projects but couldn’t do it in today’s environment. They aren’t the only ones in this kind of bind.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Obama just hit an all time high with women and men on the cnn tracker. 100% for all of them.
McCain’s response 0′s it out…with women negative.
I think we’re going to end in a tie.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
My background is an undergrad in political science, my forte is in rhetoric, spin, and framing of debate/discussion.
On THAT basis, its a tie, lean McCain so far.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Once enough people buy into this federal pool, the government will be the biggest insurer in the nation and will have defacto control of pricing. It won’t be good for the system to have that kind of one-sided control.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Obama’s back in the living room. Good. Finally, he sounds like a policy wonk. He’s running away with it now. McCain’s energy now sounds shaky, and all he does is give laundry lists – very general.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Good God. MORE Joe the Plummer.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
The first “my friend” from McCain. Drink.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
this “joe the plumber” thing is not working.
i can’t even understand what mccain is saying.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Alan,
Mr. Clinton needs to rethink his position on some things. We are in an area where I strongly disagree with him. The kind of trade that he and far too many others want with third world countries will destroy our middle class. Did McCain ever actually vote for any of those education and retraining programs that he now says we need? I doubt that my wife the adjunct instructor at a community college thinks so.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
“Do you?!”
LOL…woops.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I don’t know why McCain hits the fine issue. He needs to explain HIS plan. Which is anemic. Ugh. So frustrating.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Justin,
I disagree, McCain brought it, today. He’s put Obama on the defensive, taking him a bit off his game. Still, I don’t think it’s enough for him to make up the deficit in the polls. Of course, we also have to wait for the spin, which more than anything determines where the conversation is driven the next morning.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Obama just turned “Joe The Plumber” argument around on him.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
UGHHH
Old McCain is back. Angry, upset, impatient, interrupting, petty, and it turns me off.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Alan,
Can you point out where the current system of 1200 insurance companies with different paperwork and a strong desire to not pay doctors or hospitals in a timely manner have actually done any better than the government?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Jim — I’m a big free-trader, but I’d support a moritorium on any new deals until we figure out our system of retraining and making sure Americans don’t needlessly suffer.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Sorry NYkrinDC. I just don’t agree. McCain is all over the place. Obama is steady. That’s what people are responding to. And his messaging is like his campaign, inconsistent and testy.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
5000 bucks ain’t nothin’
October 15th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Jim — current system sucks. I hate it. I’m just not convinced Obama’s plan is a great solution. McCain’s is worse IMO because it does almost nothing. I believe there are better ideas — I’ll let you know them as soon as I figure them out.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
McCain says that government should be smaller after he voted for the rescue bill. Hard argument to make.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
“Senator Government” might get some play.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
wait wait wait – Joe can’ afford the plumber business, but now – hey, he’s rich! I really am DYING to find a pic of this Joe guy. This is HYSTERICAL.
Oh, and did I mentioned that it took Obama to bring up McCain’s plan. McCain was apparently too busy talking about Joe the plumber to bring up his own ideas….
October 15th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
litmus test? Is this 2004?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Amazingly Roe v. Wade is just now making its way into the debates. Abortion has been conspicuously absent as a campaign issue up until now, even before the financial crisis.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
McCain makes a good point about Obama voitng against qualified judges. That was because he was planning to run for President.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
i can’t believe mccain just compared an organ transplant to a boob job. what the hell does he think insurance is for?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Marc Ambinder sez…
Yup. Obama won the health care debate tonight.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
For law questions, Obama beats the pants off of McCain.
His answers are thoughtful and nuanced.
McCain comes off a bit simply.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I must say, I’m feeling a bit jealous of Joe the Plumber, he’s gotten more attention that all the issues in this debate.
Justin,
I guess we’ll have to disagree on that. I think McCain has done better in this debate than in the two previous ones. Granted, Obama though on the defensive, has managed to stand his ground, hit McCain hard, but McCain has done much better than in previous debates overall.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
About Obama and negative ads…
From FactCheck…
Sen. Obama was somewhat misleading when he claimed 100 percent of Sen. McCain ad’s were negative. His claim is backed up only in so far as it regards a single week examined by the Wisconsin Advertising Project of the University of Wisconsin. In an Oct. 8 report, they concluded that, “during the week of September 28-October 4, nearly 100 percent of the McCain campaign’s advertisements were negative. During the same period, 34 percent of the Obama campaign’s ads were negative.â€
October 15th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
“We have to change the culture of America.”
Really John? I didn’t think that’s what Republicans did.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Spolier alert: I just flipped over to the NLCS game for a few seconds. The Phillies are crushing the Dodgers. Looks like a Phillies-Rays World Series…
October 15th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
By the way John…people want the right to choose. You’re not gaining ANY support here.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
uh oh. abortion type stuff. not obama’s strong point. mccain’s strong points in terms of speaking style.
wut
what is mccain talking about when he says voting present.
too technical.
btw good questions tonight.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I want them to bring up the new stat on American infant mortality. Repubs want babies to be born, but they don’t want them to have health care and live past their first year.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Obama’s just too good. He’s prepared for everything. Even those abortion questions, which I thought my trip him up. I’d hate to be in a real debate with him.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Obama talking about common ground on abortion. And then McCain attacks. It comes off as SO bad for him.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Obama’s position on abortion is one of the main reasons he’s won me over. It’s a reasoned, common sense approach… not just to abortion, but to the things that precede abortion: contraception, education, sexuality, decision-making skills.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Alan,
The government creates a non-profit subsidized agency. Medicaid, Medicare and VA healthcare will be rolled into it. You pay what you can afford in a sliding scale, just like Planned Parenthood does (I worked in their finance section as the IT department for a couple of years.). What is important is not health insurance but access to health care. This organization would not simply be an insurance provider but also help support free clinics where they exist and start their own clinics with a sliding fee scale where there are not enough primary care doctors. This is a bare skeleton that even has bones missing but it’s the outline of what I’d like to see.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
PRO-ABORTION! Why would someone that wants to be taken seriously use that phrase to describe someone else?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
I think both candidates miss the point on almost every issue. I don’t like how they talked about free trade while neglecting the issue that government regulation of trade may be the wrong thing to do in the first place.
Health Care is another area that is not the business of the government
October 15th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Parent responsibility! That’ll reach Independents.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Noc: I think voting “present” is kinda like saying, “I’m here, doing my job… but I’m not getting sucked into this mess!”
October 15th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Actually, I agree. Are you being serious?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
McCain’s answers to the abortion issue in short: “Good-bye, independent and moderate voters. I don’t really need you.”.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Great questions.
I’m really impressed w/ the questions.
It really teases out the nuances of each candidate’s views.
Obama answered this question having thought about the dynamics in education.
HOWEVER.
I have to say, I agree w/ McCain’s answer here. its about choice and being competitive. fire bad ones, keep good ones. make them compete.
Mr Obama. this is one area where I worry about your education policy. Competition is the key for the edu system. I know too many teachers who don’t give a crap and know they will never be fired.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Pssh, charter schools provide competition.
How about the excellent system of no public schools and all private schools?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
“I don’t think America’s youth is an interest group.”
Nice line.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Jim S: McCain’s answers to the abortion issue in short: “Good-bye, independent and moderate voters. I don’t really need you.â€
I was thinking that myself – he must know he’s beaten in the debates so he’s now just hoping to rally as much of the base around him as he can. The Right has gone a little wobbly on McCain lately, at least if that side of the blogosphere is any indication, and at this point all he has left to pin his hopes on is a hugely favorable turnout.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
How about the government leave education alone?
I go a private school and I believe it is the only way to get a quality education.
In what way is it right for the government to steal everyone’s money to subsidize schools? Private schools, ftw
October 15th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Trig doesn’t have Autism, McCain. He’s got Down’s.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Agreed.
Again…I think McCain lost big tonight. If he was the guy that’s giving this closing statement, somber, steady…he would have done well. But he can’t help himself, and that means he’s doomed.
And then Obama hammers the last 8 years and ties McCain to them. And then talks about investing in the American people. That means bigger government people. Hate to tell you, but that’s what it means. But can it be done better and more efficiently this time?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Okay folks…winners? Losers?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
So, Bob, the poor shouldn’t have any education available to them?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
McCain seems to have lust his luster near the end. While I think he did better than before, still could not beat Obama.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
@Agnostick
Voting present means you agree with the premise of the bill, but not the particulars. Sort of like you’d like to fund the troops, but you don’t agree with the pork barrel spending for bride to no where added to it. Each state has their own governmental particulars.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
The rise in Autism (and many other diseases and health effects – including cancer) comes largely from the increasing levels of toxins, pollutants and other chemicals humans have been releasing into the environment.
One of the biggest sources of these substances are coal plants – which McCain will always push forward and which Obama hasn’t said much against – advocating for clean coal is advocating for coal (there is no such thing as “clean” coal – it is an Orwellian term).
Another large source is Nuclear plants and their associated industries (mining, enrichment, etc.)
Again McCain lies, we do not have a solution to dealing with the waste from Nuclear plants and there never will be. Even the sun doesn’t get rid of it’s nuclear waste.
Speaking of which, we can meet all of our power needs through solar energy. In fact, we can meet many times our energy needs from solar.
Don’t listen to these “candidates” – do your own research, listen to the real experts, read a book or something. You will be shocked, amazed and finally outraged at the truth.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Obama won the closing arguments.
it was a brutal combo combined w/ a fatality. up up down down left rlght baab select start.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRqcfqiXCX0
enough said right there lol.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
I think McCain lost. He corrected some of his problems from earlier debates but blew it big time in other ways. McCain attacked. McCain lied. People know this. He made the mistake of bringing up Ayers and pushing it when most people don’t care and some actually resent it. As I said, McCain’s answers on abortion appealed only to the base. The insistence on interrupting Obama and blatantly twisting what Obama said is another thing that won’t help with independents.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Haha, best line of the night!
October 15th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Fox’s focus group just gave Obama the debate victory. However, they still say they won’t vote for him because they are not voting for a debater but a president.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I don’t know whether McCain has privately admitted defeat, or whether he’s belatedly realized that he physically isn’t up to the demands of the presidency anymore, or whether, deep down in his heart of hearts he just doesn’t want the job. Whatever it is, McCain no longer looks like he’s running for president. He looks like he’s going through the motions of running for president. It showed in the last debate, and it showed again tonight.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
At best for McCain a draw. I think he did as well as he could in terms of discussion of his policies, but whenever he mentioned Obama or Obama’s policies, he seemed so childish. And he’s definitely painted himself into a corner on the whole abortion issue and it’s nice to see him actually called on it in public. Independent voters don’t want Roe vs. Wade changed, but the only part of the republican base that McCain has left is the social conservatives and Roe vs. Wade is huge to them. I’m still amazed that he called Obama “Pro-abortion.”
I think the moderator did an excellent job. Good questions, and a good balance of allowing discussion while still keeping things moving. And both candidates did a somewhat better job of actually answering the questions.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Clearly McCain did better.
But weren’t we all expecting McCain to leave it all on the line?
But I call it a tie, lean Obama…
However, people watching the first 20 minutes will say McCain won.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
McCain will gain a few points since he has effectively adopted the underdog status. Obama was cautious (more than usual). But it’s not enough. Obama is the new Teflon Don.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I got an error message over here… didn’t get Donk.com back until a few minutes ago.
And… I missed about half the debate, to boot! :p
Still… I think copy writers, in assessing tonight’s debate… will essentially pull out their stories from the VP debate a couple of weeks back… substitute “Obama” for “Biden”… and substitute “McCain” for “Palin.”
McCain did a lot better tonight than most folks expected… and it might give the ticket a small bump in the polls for the rest of this week… but it wasn’t enough to overtake Obama.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
CNN is calling it for McCain, but I don’t see it. Sure he did better then he has, especially in the last debate. but Obama out spoke him and out thought him. He also had to bring up McCain’s own plan.
McCain also never answered how Sarah Palin would be good for the country if she were to become president (I’m debating with my girlfriend on the wording of that question, can anyone else clarify?)
October 15th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
McCain did a lot better tonight than most folks expected… and it might give the ticket a small bump in the polls for the rest of this week… but it wasn’t enough to overtake Obama.
I thought McCain came out strong, but lost it near the end. As I pointed out, even Fox’s focus group gave Obama the victory. McCain needed a clear victory and he didn’t come through.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Terry… thanks for the clarification on voting “present”…
Is anyone else watching MSNBC? Did anyone else see the little focus group with Anne Curry just now???
October 15th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I thought it was McCain’s best debate so far, largely because he did indeed look more energetic and was able to mask his contempt slightly more than in previous debates–meaning while he showed contempt, he at least looked at Obama and didn’t have a gaffe like his “that one” comment. Still, Obama seemed to have far more particulars in his plans and a superior grasp of most of the issues, so I’d give him the debate. His handling of the Ayers issue was fantastic I thought, and addressing it head on (as Obama’s addressed all these rumors) should only help him. Honestly, the whole thing made McCain look silly and desperate.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
The same thing happened to me, Agnostick.
Does anyone think that McCain did himself a favor with any voters with the totally surreal claim that he’ll balance the budget by 2013?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Again… Mitt Romney is yakkin’ on MSNBC… smooth, polished, smiling.
Again… McCain is kicking himself for not picking Romney for Veep…
Anyone else see Romney giving it another shot in ’12?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
No, I’m watching PBS.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Anne Curry was interviewing a group of six folks… three men, three women, I think.
One of the questions was something like:
“How many of you can see yourself not voting for Senator Obama, because of his race?”
Three hands went up… including one of the women, who looked to be either Asian or Hispanic!
I’ve got is saved to hard drive, I’ll try to pull it a bit later, maybe…
October 15th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Whoa. What morons.
Oh well.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
“I go a private school and I believe it is the only way to get a quality education. ”
Bob Adams, that is probably the most ignorant thing i’ve heard all week.
If you ever manage to graduate from your prestigious private school and manage to have colleagues of all backgrounds in the real world, your view will change.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
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October 15th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Okay, feeling a bit foolish here… Somewhere along the line the channel got changed from MSNBC… to NBC.
That Anne Curry thing happened on NBC.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
[...] As one commenter in our debate open stream said… It was a brutal combo combined w/ a fatality. [...]
October 16th, 2008 at 9:26 am
So far, all the conclusions by all the pundits are
totally based upon POLLS. Not a single actual vote
has been cast yet. Obama supporters gush at how
well their man has done in the debates, which proves
once again that Obama is a good debater and a good
speaker. It doesn’t say anything about his character,
judgement, or what kind of a leader he would be.
I still would rather trust a man who would not sell out
his fellow prisoners, even during 5 years of torture,
than to trust a man who betrayed a 20 year friendship,
for personal ambition. And … regarding this election,
until people actually vote … it ain’t over till it’s over!
October 16th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Live Blogging the Live Bloggers – It’s All Over…
Net net. It does not matter what happened in this debate. It does not matter what substance (or the lack thereof) was to be found in the questions and answers. Obama was cool. Obama was silky smooth. McCain made funny faces. Ergo, Obama won. That is it…