This came as a bit of a shock to me, but Arnold is definitely one of the most moderate Republicans I’ve ever seen and is willing to take chances giving his unique position as a Republican Governor of a solidly blue state. Also, let’s not forget that the state voted to okay medical marijuana back in 1996, so it’s a little easier to do.

From Politics Daily:

In February a state lawmaker introduced a measure that would decriminalize marijuana in California. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano suggested regulating and taxing pot could pump $1.3 billion annually into the state’s shaky economy. He got a handful of headlines but the bill didn’t spark much debate and Ammiano was mostly portrayed as a fringe figure from kooky San Francisco.

On CNN a month later Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) said the state should launch a pilot program that would explore legalizing marijuana. Sanchez likened the issue to the prohibition of alcohol last century and said most Californians believe pot laws should be relaxed. (A recent Field Poll supports her claim: 56 percent of California voters say cannabis should be legal for recreational use and taxed). The interview made the blog rounds since it appeared to be the first time a national politician addressed the issue seriously on a mainstream media outlet.

Today an even bigger figure has taken up the discussion on whether to decriminalize and tax marijuana. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it’s time to at least debate the issue. The Republican governor made it clear that he’s not for legalizing weed, but he doesn’t want to be afraid to talk about it.

First question…should marijuana be decriminalized?

Second…should Schwarzenegger just become a Libertarian already and shed the Republican label?

Is it me, or was this one of those moments during the campaign where the mood and momentum started to shift in Obama’s favor? Because right after this Obama won Iowa and then he was off to the races.

An interesting footnote if nothing else…

I was just sent the following by Dan Hill of Sensory Logic. He’s the facial coding expert you see making the rounds on the talk shows, etc., and he did a breakdown of the VP debate for us.

In any event, see if the following jives with your recollection of the events…

1. McCain clearly won the first 1/3rd of the debate, thanks in part to a nice blend of being both his trademark indignant (angry) combined with the largest single dose of halfway authentic smiling. The “I’m not George Bush” line, for instance, wasn’t spontaneous and you could tell because McCain was smiling (truly though subtly) even before he delivered it. Afterwards, he did show a little anger with tightening of the mouth and his eyes narrowed also a little, in anger. The intro of “Joe the plumber” was similar, lots of anticipatory smiles (canned piece, again), but enough of them to suggest the hope angle that McCain has a hard time conveying. When he picked on the “spread the wealth” comment, he showed anger with tightened mouth again.
2. The debate changed for good with the introduction of negative campaigning as the topic. Obama brought up the chanting of McCain supporters, saying “kill him.” Amazingly, McCain didn’t back down. Instead he said he “wouldn’t stand for” his supporters being criticized, and showed a little bulge below the mouth (a sign of heightened anger) that, I thought, showed him seriously off-kilter given the context of threats against the life of a would-be president!
3. That part of the debate ended with Obama showing for the first of several times a big smile to dismiss the obvious lurch as McCain went from Ayers to saying that the “campaign is about getting the economy back on track.” The smiles were clearly aimed as dismissing McCain, but Obama did do them without seeming aloof or overly condescending. (By the way, when McCain spoke of Ayers he seems to believe it’s a genuine threat because he arched his right eyebrow in fear/surprise, a move that few people can do intentionally (less than 10% of the populace) and because it’s such a rare expression by McCain.)
4. Another point where McCain lost the back 2/3rds of the debate from an emotive / facial coding perspective is when they were discussing healthcare and people vulnerable to not having coverage. When Obama said that McCain’s plan would leave the “old and sick” vulnerable, McCain took the immediate back-and-forth as his focal point and showed contempt (smirk) and upside down smile of disgust/anger instead of sadness/empathy for the larger point of people being in trouble. Indeed, for almost 45 minutes in the debate McCain struggled with a combo of smirking and anger management – not until the topic was helping unwed mothers with adoption (something the McCains have done) did McCain again show a genuine smile while on stage. In short, he needed more warmth than heat – but succumbed to anger yet again in this debate.
5. Other interesting point was that Obama showed an expression I hadn’t much seen before, and never so pronounced. His lower chin had a deep wrinkle as he showed disgust, anger and sadness at some of McCain’s more condescending remarks (never south of the border, “surprised you didn’t pay more attention” to vouchers in D.C. schools.) Starting in late August, I saw Obama show contempt (smirks) for McCain; this is pun intended a new wrinkle on his deepening disdain for McCain’s style of politicking – and of course McCain smirks, in turn, at Obama.

Ultimately, I just don’t think McCain has very good control over his emotions and that has really hurt him in these debates where subtlety and control matters.

Perhaps this is why people see Obama as a steadier, cooler leader?

Actually, you can bet on it.

At least we now have “Joe The Plumber” to talk about…

And that’s it. No more debates from here on out.

Next stop…November 4th!

Still, you’ll notice that it’s not like many of them are voting for Obama.

And so it goes…

Take a look…

Lots of weird choices by McCain tonight. No wonder he lost so decidedly.

Moving on…

I’d like to give this debate to McCain. He was at his strongest (although others disagree). And Obama was almost too laidback, too sure of his own staggering intellect and ability to reason his way out of any tight spot. But McCain just never landed the knockout. He spent too much time criticizing minute details of Obama’s plans and not enough time explaining how his plans will make us a better nation.

In a debate, disparaging your opponent’s ideas looks like offense but it’s actually defense. And McCain played too much defense tonight.

As for Obama, the man is pure silk. I can’t remember a politician sounding so comfortable delivering debate answers. Tonight, as in the previous debates, Obama sounded like he was just speaking off the cuff, as if he didn’t even have to prepare. I’m sure some people find that worrisome (oooh, he’s slimy), but I like it. I enjoy listening to the man because I believe he’s speaking from real knowledge and not just talking points. Even when I know he’s equivocating (as with his b.s. answer on his previous NAFTA opposition), he sounds reasonable, which makes me think he is reasonable. I’d like to have a beer or two with the guy and talk politics.

So, Obama won simply by holding serve. He just had to play prevent defense (to mangle my sports metaphors) and he did that well enough. McCain had to present a resoundingly clear alternative. But he wasted too much time going after Obama and not enough time promoting his own plans. He wants me to vote for him because he’s not Barack Obama. But he needed to convince me to vote for him because he’s him.

McCain did well, but just not well enough.

Complete and total destruction.

First Debate: Obama 51%, McCain 38%

Second Debate: Obama 54%, McCain 30%

As one commenter in our debate open stream said…

It was a brutal combo combined w/ a fatality.

up up down down left rlght back select start.

Indeed.

This is the biggest margin yet in ANY of CBS’ post debate snap polling by more than DOUBLE!

First Debate: Obama 39%, McCain 24%

Second Debate: Obama 39%, McCain 27%

As I said, Obama walked away with it. McCain’s temper hurt him badly tonight.

Get ready for a landslide.

Will this be the clip of the night?

“ZERO?!”

UPDATE:
Ben Smith agrees.

Marc Ambinder embeds too.

McCain’s economic plan: I wanted specifics. I got a reiteration of the $300 billion mortgage buyback plan which I don’t support at all. I was disappointed in that regard. Although I was glad McCain finally hit Obama on spending, even saying that Barack Obama’s answer to everything is to spend more. Unfortunately, McCain stuck to the ludicrous assertion that he can balance the budget in four years. If he’s going to make that claim, I need details but didn’t get them.

McCain did well on taxes. While “Joe the plumber” was an odd addition to the debate, McCain came off very strong regarding small businesses and taxes. I came away believing McCain won’t try to tax us out of our economic doldrums and think he raised real concerns about Obama’s plan, which seems very off-base during an economic downturn. Full disclosure: my wife owns a small business, so those taxes are a concern and I simply trust McCain more to protect our interests.

On healthcare, McCain whiffed again. I don’t have a problem with the tax credit, but even when you add in his regulatory changes, it’s just too little. It won’t work. I don’t like Obama’s plan but McCain gave me no reason to think he has a more workable solution.

I don’t believe McCain discussed the makeup of his cabinet, which was a shame. He did discuss Supreme Court nominees but, unlike some, Supreme Court nominees don’t drive my vote. Vice Presidents, on the other hand, do influence my vote and McCain’s defense of Sarah Palin was about as good as he could do given the material. But she is still a poor choice, no matter how McCain spins it.

I wanted to avoid anything outside policy. But Bill Ayers entered the conversation. As did Rep. Lewis. As did the hateful shouts at McCain/Palin rallies. That wasted a lot of my time and McCain seemed to try to extend it. He could have been making a case for himself but he spent the time dredging up issues that just aren’t important enough for a 90 minute debate.

In the first two debates I basically called them a tie.

Actually, the first debate I thought was a tie, so it went to Obama. The second one I thought Obama was much stronger at the town hall debate, but since I hate the whole “lowered expectations” game, I thought McCain lost more than Obama won.

Well folks, Obama won this one tonight.

On policy he was specific and with every attack on his policy point, he parried effectively and hit back at why McCain’s claims for sometimes even factually wrong. Also, and this isn’t surprising, Obama was calm, steady and simply owned a closer, personal format. At points he talked into the camera to the American people when it was appropriate and then engaged his opponent respectfully and directly. He also avoided opportunities to attack Palin’s experience, and as such was showing the post-partisan tone he promises to bring to Washington. And I think that’s what some swing voters are looking for.

On the other hand, while McCain had his own specifics on policy his temper still got the best of him. He was testy, interruptive and if I’m an independent voter at home, I don’t want to spend 4 to 8 years with this guy. And he just doesn’t seem to have the temperament to lead this country out of an economic crisis. Maybe if we were in the middle of a hard war, this would have been McCain’s year.

Oh, by the way, McCain brought up Ayers, but only after being prompted by the moderator and Obama answered it very directly and honestly. He owned that question, as well as the one about ACORN. They’re paper thin and it’s now evident to any voter who watched this one.

Obama is now 3 for 3.

Game over.

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!

What’s on your mind tonight?

What do you want to hear?

What do you NOT want to hear?

Any predictions?

Talk!

The debate is scheduled to begin at 9pm eastern (8pm central time). I live in the central time zone. When I go to Hofstra’s debate website, the countdown clock has the wrong time (see screen shot below). Apparently, whoever set up the website didn’t account for anyone living outside the eastern time zone to rely on it. Anyway, spread the word in case some may be confused.

For me, the countdown clock should read 1 hour, not 2…

I want the details of McCain’s economic plan, not rambling generalities, but the specifics of how it will work and why it is superior to Barack Obama’s plan. I don’t want McCain to assume I’m ignorant of economics. I want the gritty bits.

I want more than just an outlandish pledge to balance the budget in four years. I want to know how we can balance a budget, particularly during a recession. If McCain won’t raise taxes (which is fine by me), then where can we cut expenditures? What programs can handle a trim?

I want him to explain his healthcare plan again. I’ve dismissed his plan many times, but I’ve really considered Obama’s plan and I’m highly concerned that Obama is setting us up for the slow-road to nationalized healthcare or, at the very least, a system where the government defacto sets healthcare prices and payments simply by being the biggest player in the market. But if McCain’s alternative is really nothing more than a tax credit and a few regulation changes, I don’t really see how that helps us in the long run.

I want a better sense of what kind of people McCain would bring into his administration. I understand naming names is not always feasible, but I want a better idea of what philosophies McCain plans to embrace. Will he reach to academia or the corporate world? Will he look for old, steady hands or bright wunderkinds? Will he place a priority on competent management or bold new ideas? Picking Sarah Palin was putting the priority on the “wow” factor and that doesn’t fill me with confidence.

I don’t want to hear any attacks that aren’t policy oriented. I don’t have the time for it. I’m perfectly ok with listening to McCain point out the fallacies in Obama’s plans but I don’t want to hear about the fallacies in Obama’s character.

I will use this criteria to rate McCain after the debate, so stay tuned.

Three debates down.

One to go.

Join us tomorrow night as we react in real time to the final time we’ll see Obama and McCain go toe to toe.

Guaranteed to be fun or your money back!

Uh oh…here we go.

McCain is set to hammer the last nail into his presidential coffin tomorrow.

From CNN:

The comments, during an interview with St. Louis radio station KMOX, come after Obama and Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden were sharply critical of McCain for targeting the Illinois senator over Ayers at campaign rallies, but not when the two last met for a presidential debate.

“I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised I ‘didn’t have the guts’ to do that, because the fact is the question didn’t come up in that fashion,” McCain said of the last debate. “I think he’s probably ensured it will come up this time.”

Does McCain not understand that everybody will be waiting to hear him say something about it? So if he doesn’t, it’ll be a story. But even if he does, INDEPENDENTS DON’T CARE. Poll after poll after poll demonstrates that. In fact, McCain’s negatives have actually gone up as a result of these attacks.

Still, it’ll make for interesting television. :-)

Additionally, we criticize both campaigns on their respective weaknesses and offer some unsolicited advice for improvement.

And much more…

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