9:00 No pinstripes on Katie tonight. You're welcome
9:01 I would totally lie and claim to be an "undecided voter" to get on one of these things. I wonder how many of these folks did.
9:03 The "No one's allowed to make noise, except now" thing reminds me of the Service of the Living Tradition every time.
9:04 Brokaw says many of the questions tonight are about the economy. The first one comes from a guy with an awesome accent.
9:05 I LOVE that Obama brought up AIG.
9:06 McCain felt at his pockets as if he couldn't find his keys. It was weird. McCain likes energy independence, he just doesn't, you know, bother to VOTE for it when he has the chance because that would mean showing up.
9:07 Everybody likes the bailout. Sigh.
9:08 Brokaw asks each candidate to name a treasury secretary nominee. OH GOSH, BROKAW'S ASKING FOR SPECIFICS! WHAT DO WE DO? McCain wants someone America admires and trusts. Judge Judy for treasury secretary!
9:10 I kid, McCain likes Meg Whitman from Ebay, Obama likes Warren Buffett.
9:12 Oliver, an african-american guy, has a question. I find it weird that "most of the people" he knows have had "a difficult time" in this economic crisis. Didn't the crisis start like two weeks ago?
9:13 McCain thinks you might not have heard of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Yep, he's going for the dumb guy vote. Either that or he's talking to Oliver. Probably not the time to be talking down to black people, Senator.
9:14 THECSO says: McCain just started talking about Fannie and Freddie's "risky loans" they started making. (I was wrong here. Turns out they DID buy a bunch of Alt-A paper.)
9:16 CC again: Obama is confident about the American economy. That makes one of us.
9:17 Brokaw: Is the economy going to get worse before it gets better?
TheCSO: Man, I wish Ron Paul were here to answer that. He'd be like "yep."
9:18 McCain likes American workers. Did you know that?
9:19 I don't like this undecided voter. She wears Sarah Palin glasses and she can't speak. Wait a sec... Sarah? Is that you?
9:20 "When George Bush came into office, we had surplus..." Obama says. It's that whole "Largest economic expansion in the nation's history" thing I was talking about when Hillary Clinton was running.
9:21 Speaking of Clintons, remember how Bill was the governor of Arkansas and he was running against a dude who had been director of the CIA and Ambassador of the UN, and he didn't seem to remotely think that Foreign Policy questions that were unfair in the least? Those were the days. Oh, yeah, McCain is talking...
9:22 McCain had the chance to say "Maverick" and didn't. I think that means all of y'all have to spit a drink out...
9:23 McCain LOVES that energy independence that he couldn't be bothered to show up to vote for.
9:24 Try to keep up, McCain. It's a debate. I like how he can fix entitlements, health care and energy problem, he just can't pick up his damn cellphone from the campaign trail to work on the bailout. That has to be the political equivalent of walking and chewing gum.
9:25 Obama knows how much gasoline is going for in Nashville today. Nice one, Senator.
9:28 Brokaw-Don't make jokes about the economy.
9:29 If we're paying 6.8 billion dollars for airforce tankers, that puts an interesting perspective on the 700 billion bailout.
9:30 Oh please don't bring up 9-11, Obama...
9:31 TheCSO is reading a twitter feed that has funnier jokes than this liveblog. Jealous.
9:32 TheCSO and I are confused by the whole "Town hall is McCain's format" claims. He's fumbling a lot more than Obama is.
9:34 Lisa wrote in the comments ""Every time Obama says, "And just one more thing," I imagine Tom Brokow giving him dirty looks and pointing to his watch."" Snerk.
9:35 She also asked about McCain's "rifle" comment. I think the idea is that a rifle is a precision instrument compared to a shotgun. It's McCain's version of Obama's "scalpel vs. hammer"
9:36 TheCSO offers more perspective on the size of the bailout: This year's budget for the Fairfax County Public Schools: 2.2 Billion
9:39 Cubit says: "Every time McCain pumps his fist, I'm reminded of one of those members of the lollipop guild welcoming you to munchkinland. " That's right kids, make me laugh, and I will put you in the liveblog.
9:41 McCain is now repeating his talking points.
9:42 What we need is a commission! And recommendations! If this whole president thing doesn't work out, McCain so has a job waiting for him at the UUA.
9:43 "If you talk too long, you don't have to answer followup questions" is NOT a good precedent to be setting. Oh, and do you know where we get the majority of our oil? The top supplier of oil to America is: Big bad terrorist Canada.
9:44 For the first time in history, a Republican just used "the French do it" as a justification for doing something. McCain doesn't like Spain, but he loves those cheese-eating surrender monkeys.
9:45 TheCSO says: Brokaw needs a gong.
9:46 Manhattan Project vs. Garages is an interesting question.
9:49 McCain doesn't answer, and doesn't do so in an annoying way.
9:51 Health care question, sorry, I'm zoning. But here's a fun fact: All those earmarks McCain is always talking about add up to 16 billion. So cut out earmarks and you could take that money and run one (admittedly large and wealthy, but still...) school district in Va for slightly more than seven years.
9:56 TheCSO points out that healthcare across state lines will just drive all healthcare to the place with the fewest regulations and the friendliest courts. Like banking.
9:57 Hairplug jokes. Ai yi yi.
9:58 Obama just brought up TheCSO's point about healthcare across state lines, and no more eloquently than theCSO did. TheCSO and I did this awesome little happy dance.
10:01 McCain has supported every Goddamned war ever. He calls this "good judgment"
10:03 Oh, please Obama, use "I don't understand" as a repeating theme and hit all of the things McCain has done that he doesn't understand a la John Travolta in "Primary Colors." Please?
10:04 Damn. He's not going to do it. Us Kathy Bates movie fans never get any respect.
10:05 Ok, even the "Obama DOCTRINE" even sounds sexy.
10:06 Obama brought up Hitler. Debate's over.
10:06 TheCSO asks "If we're opposed to 'ethnic cleansing,' why use such a happy term for it?"
10:09 Pakistan question. Obama hitting the Bin Laden button again, which I understand.
10:11 Three minutes ago, McCain's hero was Reagan. Now it's Teddy Roosevelt. Flip-flopper.
10:13 Who were these Afghan freedom fighters again? Could someone remind me? Senator Obama? Do you know?
10:14 As far as theCSO and I can figure out, McCain is in favor of attacking anybody Obama isn't.
10:15 Obama's taking the "speaking softly" bit and running with it. Yeah, bring on the snark.
10:16 I think the point is that you were joking about Iran when lives are at stake, McCain. Who we were joking with isn't the point.
10:17 TheCSO and I again wish Ron Paul was here, this time to answer the "reorganizing Afghanistan" question.
10:20 Sorry, I'm zoning on the Russia question. I think I'm still on the fact that McCain knows how to get Bin Laden, but won't tell.
10:24 Tom Brokaw asked yes or no question. If McCain had left it at "Maybe," I would totally have given him the point. As it was, his answer was like three times the length of Obama.
10:25 The next question is being asked by a very pink man named Terry who has been in the Navy. I bet those were rough years. Anyway, he wants to know what we should do if Iran invades Israel.
10:26 McCain respects Terry, but not enough to actually answer his question.
10:27 McCain is against holocausts.
10:28 Obama seems to get the "Umm...yeah. Israel is our strongest ally" point and his answer is a damn sight tougher than McCain's point.
10:30 Obama just made the first actually funny joke of these three debates.
10:32 The business of America may or may not be business, Senator McCain, but it's certainly not war.
10:33 When I think of "steady hands for the tiller" or indeed "steady hands" at all, John McCain does NOT come to mind.
10:34 I am planning to vote for Obama, it's true. But I haven't called either of the previous debates for the Democrat. I'm calling this one. I think McCain had his ass handed to him. I was really impressed by both candidates, though. There wasn't really any mudslinging though McCain was kind of a dick with the "that one" bit.
At the same time, I wish we could have a few followup questions. Obama came off a lot better, but neither of them had to answer questions that were particularly hard. I'm aware that I'm mostly making my call based on image. Obama watched McCain the whole time and McCain wandered around. Obama was willing to talk about Israel and McCain danced around it.
And honestly, the Israel question was an easy one.
Seriously, is "We're not taking any options off the table" such a hard answer when you're the REPUBLICAN?
On the cosmetics, Obama kicked ass. McCain didn't have any more substance, though.
As much as I appreciate Brokaw letting McCain drone on like a weird old man, I think next debate the lights should be where the TV cameras can see them.
47 comments:
9:12 Nobody ever admits to speaking just for themselves- it's always on the behalf of many.
"I bet you've never heard of Fannie May and Freddie Mac before this crisis" -- John McCain
We're not all stupid, Senator...
9:16 I love politicians who point fingers and then say "But you don't want to hear politicians pointing fingers."
Are you drinking every time McCain says, "My friends"?
Perhaps James Garner got an injunction against McCain saying "Maverick"
I'm thinking you should get a drink every time someone tells you how they've "reached across the aisle."
What did McCain mean when he said, "We're not rifle shots"?
Every time Obama says, "And just one more thing," I imagine Tom Brokow giving him dirty looks and pointing to his watch.
9:32 We all got drunk! Was that a shout out to debate drinking games?
He meant "We're not rifle shots... we can be a machine gun..."
6:28, Thank you CC
6:36...Dumb question...can we really expect to pay off a $10 trillion debt w/o raising taxes?
Every time McCain pumps his fist, I'm reminded of one of those members of the lollipop guild welcoming you to munchkinland.
I wish someone would call Obama on "tax cut for 95% of working Americans" Not possible- 40% of working Americans pay no federal income tax at all. You can't cut what isn't being charged. The only way 95% of Americans could get a tax cut is if he cut the SSI tax.
And speaking of their records... didn't McCain OPPOSE Bush's tax cuts first time around? Obama should call him on the election year conversion
SO done with "my friends"
The E section? Is that a Disneyland ride?
Does he really think that "my friends" thing is anything less than annoying?
I bet John McCains "Gold Plated, Budweiser paid for" healthcare plan would cover his hair plugs, if he asked really nicely...
Holy crap! CC called that one!
Oh, and I live in Chicago (in Obama's neighborhood, actually). The 3 Million dollar projector is the projector at the Planetarium at the Field Museum, which is used to educate thousands of children every year on astronomy and on our world.
A good deal at 3 million, John McCain....
9:57 Hey, if Dole can be a Viagra spokesman, McCain can be a Rogaine spokesman.
Lisa and I both believe that McCain should avoid using words like fossil (fuels), history and hairplugs.
McCain Doctrine??!? Tom Brokaw, did you just dig at Sarah Palin?
10:05 Ow- "moral obligation" for military action is risky ground... almost sounds like Bush.
On the other hand, McCain as a "cool hand on the tiller" is an image that's hard to summon. He's right in theory, but is he the right man to exercise that theory?
because our reputation is so good now?
I once saw an army Lieutenant tell a reporter who asked his opinion on ethnic clensing (when I was in Bosnia) "I beleive people should be clean regardless of race or ethnicity".
Lets' call it what it is.... genocide.
"I'll get Osama bin Ladin my friends" just sounds wrong.
And his little dog too?
McCain knows how to get Bin Laden?
Is this a secret he's been keeping?
Why hasn't he told anyone?
If he does not win, will he take his secret and go home?
Only Joe Biden knows how to fight in those mountains- after all, his helicopter was forced down there.
I'm annoyed that McCain doesn't seem to ever sit while Obama is speaking. Petty?
melani, no more petty than my wincing when Obama says "Pockistan"
fair enough, joel...
College roommate, meet blogging friend.
Blogging friend, meet college roommate.
It's like a wedding in here.
CC
McCain: "We'll be talking about countries that we dont know where they are on the map, some Americans"
Yes John, we know you think Americans are stupid.
The third debate where the winner was the person you were supporting before it began.
Pleased to meetcha, melani!
Thanks, CC. Very satisfying liveblogging experience, yet again.
Nice to meet you, blogging friend.
~College roommate
a rifle is a precision instrument compared to a shotgun.
I had to laugh at this. A rifle puts spin on it.
(I missed that original remark dashing into the other room for something.)
CC -- What was the actually funny joke?
I had rehearsal -- what was your sense of the general outcome? Did some kick butt? Was it close? Was it a bloodbath? Be fair and impartial, now, or I'll have to go look at the liberal mainstream media to get my answer.
I didn't see the debate b/c I was at the office, and based on that I'm not going to bother trying to get my work done quickly and rushing home for debates anymore -- I like CC's live blogging better, and it means I won't be arguing with my husband.
The only way 95% of Americans could get a tax cut is if he cut the SSI tax.
I suppose the EITC can be seen as a refund on the SSI.
Totally agreed with David about the planetarium. Obama's earmarks all seem to have been for pretty worthwhile projects by nonprofit institutions. Even better than the planetarium was the money he requested to improve Chicago's commuter rail; one way to decrease our use of cars is to make the alternatives more attractive.
no more petty than my wincing when Obama says "Pockistan"
Sounds like a slight variation on the British pronunciation (which is the one I know b/c it's also the Indian pronunciation). I prefer that to Paahkistan, which reminds me of how people tend to mis-prounouce my name.
Incidentally, the liberal mainstream media says Obama says it correctly. And at the Corner, pronouncing the names of former British colonies/ mandates the way the British don't is a reason to like a candidate.
Peacebang-
It wasn't a bloodbath, but I think it was a pretty clear victory for Obama. McCain didn't answer the questions clearly at all and seemed to almost wander around the stage. It didn't look like he could even look Obama in the eye.
The entire debate, Obama watched McCain with this bemused "Ain't he a stinker?" expression on his face.
As I wrote in my post, this was clearest with the Israel question, where McCain said something nice about veterans and blathered on for awhile and Obama essentially said "They are our most faithful ally. If they are invaded, I'm not taking anything off the table."
Duh? (And again, that answer should be even more obvious to a Republican.)
From what I've seen of the MSM this morning, McCain's referring to Obama as "that one" rubbed a LOT of people the wrong way. I just thought it was one more peice in the "ranty old guy" image, but a lot of people seem to have seen it as way over the line. So that's good.
CC
Kim,
Brokaw asked: What don't you know and how will you learn it?
And Obama answered: "My wife, Michelle, is there and she could give you a much longer list than I do. And most of the time, I learn it by asking her."
_______________________________
Of course, he went on from there to answer it more seriously. (Saying essentially that he doesn't know what's going to happen in the future, but trusts America to take care of it.)
It's not hilarious now, but it was a clever comeback at the time and gave the camera an excuse to pan to Michelle, who looked beautiful and smiled appreciatively.
CC
CC-- thanks. I did see that, and I liked it too. Though I didn't care for Michelle's red dress, but that's petty stuff....
Kim,
I thought she looked smashing.
If you mean the fact that it was red, well, one of my coworkers pointed out that Obama wore a blue tie, Michelle wore a red dress, McCain wore a red tie and Cindy wore a blue suit.
We like to think they coordinated.
CC
They'd HAVE to coordinate- how embarrasing would it be for them to arrive together in the same dress?
Cindy McCain is much more fashion forward than Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama dresses very well, but no more so than the woman in the office next to me. Mrs. McCain dresses fierce. I'm glad that none of the handlers have told her that she has to dress like she's middle class.
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