9:01 I'm watching on CBS News. Palin's nemesis Katie Couric is covering it.
9:02 Katie Couric reported the McCain's favorite pre-debate food is ribs and that he had them tonight. Hee.
9:04 Obama gets that "How is this going to effect ME?" is everybody's question. He doesn't sound as polished as I'm used to hearing, but a damn sight better than Palin did in the Couric interview.
9:06 McCain has Ted Kennedy in his thoughts and prayers. Good job.
9:07 McCain says people are going to lose their "credits." Other than that he's sounding really good.
9:08 Lehrer invites them to "negotiate a deal right here." AWESOME. Let's do that.
9:09 Obama said we didn't set up a "21st century regulatory framework." One could draw a parallel to the way we fought this war, BTW, but Obama doesn't go there.
9:11 McCain wants people responsible for economic crises to resign. Ahem.
9:13 NEWSFLASH McCain believes in the American worker!
9:15 McCain admits that the Republicans in power have been spending crazily and that the crazy spending is the Rs fault. Very interesting inchon landing there, Senator.
9:16 Do not make jokes. Do not make jokes about bears. ABSOLUTELY don't make jokes about bears when nobody's allowed to laugh.
9:18 Obama just compared the 18 billion in pork to the 300 billion McCain wants to cut from rich people's taxes. Nicely done, Senator. His words are coming much more naturally now. He seems to have warmed up.
9:20 McCain doesn't mean to go back and forth. We know. He tried not to attend the debate at all. Ba-dum-ching! McCain is back on pork barrel, I assume because that is what he was prepared for.
9:21 Nobody's talking about "change". I should have said I would drink when people said "Main Street." McCain says that the business taxes in America are the highest in the world.
9:22 Obama points out that due to deductions and loopholes, American businesses pay one of the LOWEST tax rates. Nice job, Senator.
9:23 I had not know about this health care tax stuff. I look forward to reading up.
9:24 I think McCain just almost called Obama "Captain".
9:25 TheCSO says McCain's doing a bad job with this facial expressions.
9:26 Jim Lehrer is asking Obama what he plans to give up as a result of the expenses of a slowing economy. Very good question. Obama nicely dances past the question and talks about biodiesel and stuff. He also favors hopes, dreams, etc.
9:28 How is it that Kerry had the most liberal record in the senate four years ago and Obama has it now?
9:29 Remind me to ask my local naval engineers about that boat he's talking about.
9:31 Lehrer called them both out on dodging the question. Obama's still dancing. But he talked about working with Tom Coburn.
9:32 McCain wants a spending freeze on everything but stuff Republicans like.
9:33 Obama favors scalpels, not hammers.
9:34 McCain believes in nuclear power. Actually, so do I.
9:35 Jim Lehrer is just not giving up on this question. Neither of them seems willing to admit that the economy will effect their administration.
9:36 Heh. Obama said "orgy"
9:37 John McCain just said he's not Miss Congeniality for the second time.
9:38 Jim Lehrer has officially given up trying to get them to answer the question.Now wants to know about Iraq.
9:39 McCain says we're going to win in Iraq
9:41 Has Obama mentioned that he was initially against the war? He's mentioning the surplus in the Iraqi economy again.
9:43 McCain sensibly points out that the ship has sailed on the decision of going in.
9:46 McCain sure spends a lot of time in Iraq. Think he pays for those trips?
9:49 Obama voted against troop funding before he was for it, or vice versa. My attention is wandering.
9:51 McCain is snarking on Obama for not predicting that the surge would succeed. I'm still pissed that the R's couldn't predict that the insurgents would fight the way the PLO does. I'm still pretty sure that *I* could have come up with that.
9:53 McCain has also been to parts of Pakistan that I can't spell.
9:54 Obama may be threatening Pakistan, but McCain once threated SPAIN. I'm totally getting a Ross Perot vibe from McCain tonight.
9:57 McCain has supported every damn war ever.
9:58 I know telling personal stories is a shopworn political tactic, but it REALLY makes McCain come off as Grandpa.
9:59 Obama says "No U.S. Soldier ever dies in vain." a nice comeback to McCain, but hmm...
10:01 McCain just snarked on Obama and Obama smiled. Come on, Obama, bait McCain some more. Make him lose it.
10:03 On to Iran. McCain is AGAINST additional holocausts. Wants "League of Democracies" which makes me think superheroes would be involved.
10:05 Point of personal privilege: I have long wondered if Iraq did have WMDs at some point but snuck them into Iran before we could get them. Nobody addresses this.
10:07 I forgive McCain for fucking up the pronunciation of "Ahmadenijad," but mispronouncing "Perestroika" was just sad.
10:08 Everyone's talking about how great diplomacy is. Sigh. To bad neither of the candidates is a badass awesome diplomat who WENT TO DARFUR AND GOT THE SIDES TO TALK Ahem.
10:11 Obama confirms that Spain is indeed our friend.
10:12 McCain should really stop trying to make jokes.
10:13 Is it just me or does McCain have some kind of Jack Nicholson thing going on with his voice?
10:14 When Obama gets annoyed, he gets BETTER. I think this is the law professor in him.
10:15 When McCain gets annoyed, his jokes improve, but he gets more incoherent. Also, the man who is standing on a box tonight is saying that North Koreans are short because they live in an oppressive regime.
10:16 Why are we asking OBAMA about Russia. He can't even see it from his house?
10:18 McCain has looked into Putin's eyes. Probably on another trip. Also, am I on glue, or didn't Georgia actually move its troops first?
10:20 McCain says "I've been to Georgia," and CC's brain starts going And California, and...anywhere I could run, took the hand of a preacher man and we...made love in the sun Thanks a lot, Senator
10:25 Obama brought it back around to Energy independence
10:26 McCain says that "Offshore drilling is a bridge." Yeah, we know what kind of bridges you people support.
10:27 McCain says "No one is opposed to alternate sources of energy" though one guy up there didn't bother to show up for the last big vote on them, and that guy was not Obama.
10:28 Eww... Does Obama actually think that airport security is making us safer?
10:29 Obama brings up how other countries not hating us is also a form of defense. Even I wasn't thinking of that, but he's right. Also, he answered Lehrer's question.
10:30 SDI is so fucking stupid. Nobody's going to shoot missiles at us. We don't need to fear missiles. We need to fear a crazy guy putting a big bomb in his rowboat and sailing into New York harbor.
10:32 McCain just compared Obama to Bush in an admittedly interesting inchon landing.
10:34 Next Thursday, the Vice Presidential Candidates will be debating. CC will be drinking every time somebody says "Alaska." Might as well call in sick for Friday now.
Analysis: I think they both did really well. Given that this was McCain's strong suit, Obama probably won because he didn't lose. But I wouldn't say either one got his ass handed to him.
CC
19 comments:
This is the ship he's talking about:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littoral_combat_ship
President Obama CAN'T cut taxes on 95% of the working people... NOT possible, because the bottom 40% don't pay any federal income tax!
Hmmm... when you're three score and twelve, you've got quite an inventory of anecdotes
Hey, CC, just wanted you to know that P and I are IMing about your live-blogging while P is watching the debate. I'm recording it to watch later, not being up to multi-tasking. How many shots did you get?
You're lucky- I was hearing Johnny Cash..."I've been everywhere, man, I've been everywhere..."
Re: 10:20 -- Ugh.
Now I need a shot.
Loving your live blogging. Particularly 10:16. Sadly, no one seems to be saying "Change."
You'd best pace yourself and instead of a shot, take a sip when someone mentions Alaska. And maybe you get a shot when someone refers to another politician as a "close personal friend of mine."
A NYT column about the health care tax.
What is it about McCain talking about how he's not Miss Congeniality? Twice in the debate. Is it a bizarre effort to say something like "I know I'm not likeable..."?
My wife --a political cynic-- pointed it out.
...are you sober cc?
Nah, it was only like six shots. That's nothin'
CC
((((You're lucky- I was hearing Johnny Cash..."I've been everywhere, man, I've been everywhere...)))
I'M lucky? You're hearing Johnny Cash and I'm still hearing the most annoying song of the entire 1980's, which is saying a lot.
CC
"10:20"
Ow. Ow. Ow. Cosmopolitan snorted out one's nose is not as pleasurable as one might think. But bwahahahaha anyway.
Okay, I challenge you to help me come up with a VP drinking game by Thursday.
a) shot every time someone says 'Alaska.'
b) shot every time for: 'experience,' or 'ready to lead'
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Try drinking on "fundamental" next time. Or maybe that only works when they're talking about the economy. You could also drink on "Senator Obama just doesn't understand ...." which I found really patronizing and annoying.
We definitely were thinking that the democratic league would involve super heroes. But we were also struck by the battle of the bracelets as if they were some sort of supernatural talisman.
The BF summed it up this way (which I thought was hilarious):
McCain: You besmirch the honor of your dead soldier, and I call on all Americans to-- SOULREAVER HARVEST BOMB ATTACK!!!!!
Obama: SOULREAVER FIST OF ALLAH, AID ME!
[Both attacks fail harmlessly]
Lehrer: It seems as though this contest will not be decided by the skills of the soulreaver. Next question.
I didn't catch the blogging when it was live, but I watched the entire debate (yay for me; I rarely do), and I think you did a great job.
I liked that Obama talked about math and science education.
Can't wait for the Palin/Biden debate - that should be interesting. You should take a shot any time the word "mom" comes up.
FYI, I looked up Obama's comment regarding FDR's action on the housing problem during the Depression. On June 16, 1933, the Home Owners Loan Corporation was founded. This corporation helped people by buying up mortgages from banks, and then refinanced them so homeowners would be able to afford the payments. When the Depression came to an end, the HOLC had saved over 20% of the mortgaged homes.
A provision under state law that allowed state courts to exempt mortgagers from foreclosure became a Supreme Court case regarding the Constitutional prohibition on state impairment of contracts.
As part of the New Deal, in 1938 the government created the Federal National Mortgage Association to buy conforming mortgages from banks. The money they got for the loans freed the banks up to make new loans. (This is essentially what the bailout does -- buy up banks' toxic securities so they'll have money to make new loans.)
Did you ever ask your naval engineers about the litoral combat ship, CC? I'd be interested in their take
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