Third Presidential Debate Reactions

Pundits have already begun to weigh on tonight's debate. Here is a roundup of some of the reactions.

Marc Ambinder:

Tonight, we saw a McXplosion. Every single attack that Sen. McCain has ever wanted to make, he took the opportunity tonight to make.   Around 30 minutes in, McCain  seemed to surrender the debate to his frustrations, making it seem as if he just wanted the free television. His substance suffered; it didn't make sense at times.

New York Times:

This debate was a lot more confrontational than the first two, with Mr. McCain repeatedly taking jabs at Mr. Obama. Whether it was enough to reverse Mr. McCain's sagging fortunes remains to be seen.

Josh Marshall:

It seems like we've now seen McCain's Ayers/ACORN primal scream. I'm not sure Obama knocked anything out of the park. But at the end of it, I don't think McCain landed any solid punches either. And McCain was often incoherent and a bit kitchen-sinkish. Basically a draw, though if recent polls are any indication, the draw in debate terms may hurt McCain since people do not like McCain's attacks.

Andrew Sullivan:

McCain seemed almost wistful. Obama ended on "sacrifice, service and responsibility." Obama won this for the third time. A small prediction: there will be YouTube mash-ups of McCain's facial reactions on the split screen. And they will have a longer life, for good or ill, than many of the substantive exchanges.

Johnathan Chait:

I thought John McCain was more effective and coherent tonight than in the previous two debates. He mostly controlled the terms of the debate, in part by defining the average American as a plumber who earns more than $250,000 a year. His points, though often inaccurate, were not always rebutted (in part because Obama simply didn't have time to rebut every allegation.)

However, McCain lost the overall message of the debate. The cost of McCain's sharper tone was that he sounded more like a dogmatic Republican. Obama was softer, let many points go, but was much more effective at sounding like a moderate.

Mark Halperin:

McCain: Substance: Grade: A-
Style: Grade: B+
Offense: Grade: A-
Defense: Grade: A-

Obama: ubstance: Grade: B
Style: Grade: B-
Offense: Grade: C+
Defense: Grade: B+

Comments

[proudloudlib]

Was Marc Halperin watching a completely different debate than I watched? Or is he just that biased?

[old_lady]

My grade for Halperin
Halperin Substance: Grade: F
Style: Grade: B+
Offense: Grade: F
Defense: Grade: incomplete - to be determined

[postdem]

what debate was Halperin watching?
My grade for Halperin: do over, did not understand the assignment.

[nellie]

Defense grade = zero.

There's no defense for his commentary.

[amerifun]

McCain halloween masks should be selling great !

[proudloudlib]

No, too scary!

[jazkiljok]

besides myself, is there any other voter out there who's name isn't Joe, voting?

[oandjoe08]

say it with me....President Obama...President Obama!!

[joshuahmcdonald]

PRESIDENT OBAMA!

/sorry for shouting

[wadda]

There have been a number of comments about the darting tongue and the lip licking.

I think it comes from side effects to medication to keep him from blowing his stack at an inappropriate time, same like on national TV.

[RThM]

All Obama really had to do was stand there and watch McCain knock himself out. They both did an excellent at that.

[JEP]

Halperin's hanging haplessly onto the erratically twisting tire swing, with BBQ sauce dripping from his lips...

[politicojunkie]

Halperin is just being himself.

[RobChattaTN]

post-debate Greenberg poll:
Before the debate:

McCain: 54 favorable / 34 unfavorable
Obama: 42 favorable / 42 unfavorable

After the debate:

McCain: 50 favorable / 48 unfavorable
Obama: 72 favorable / 22 unfavorable

that about wraps it up!
Obama 08

[dem-forever]

Nobody seems to mention this but Obama (very smartly) made sure that McCain would have no choice but to bring up the Bill Ayers thing in the 3rd debate. That was very astute of him because it is clear that the more that McCain and his camp brings this up, the more McCain's poll numbers go down. In fact even in the debate, McCain was doing quite well until the Ayers things came up and things went downhill for him very quickly after that. So basically, Obama planted a little time-bomb and watched merrily as McCain pressed the plunger and blew himself up!!!!

Obama is a smart cookie and he will need these smarts to govern the country once he becomes president.

[aloha43]

Obama is such a class act.

Think of the things he could have brought up about McCain that he didn't throughout the debates and throughout the whole campaign.

McCain's ties to Keating5 and how he was reprimanded.
McCain's ties to Ayers.
McCain's people's ties to ACORN.
McCain's age.
McCain's poor choice in un-vetted VP.
McCain's Judgment as a pilot.
McCain's temper.
McCain's people's ties to Hussein.
McCain's lies.
Palin's lies.
Palin's abuse of power.

The list goes on and on.....

[SLCPunk]

Don't you mean McCain's ties to ACORN? He gave the frickin' keynote address at an ACORN convention two years ago!

You also forgot:

McCain's POW BS about how he "turned down" an early release when, in fact, all POWs were made this offer provided they made disparaging remarks about the US, which just about no one did...and the preferential treatment he received after the NVA found out his dad was the commander of the US Pacific fleet, because McCain told them (which also happens to violate the US Military Code of Conduct for those taken prisoner...like the above scenario).

McCain's poor military record, including 3 crashed planes (not including the one that was shot down)

McCain's infidelity which came after his wife was injured in an accident and needed his support.

But Obama's a class-act unlike, obviously, McCain.

[marasgram18]

Obama campaign needs to dig up the Bush interview after the tax cut he stated that he was not apologizing for it he was giving it to the people that make the money in this country. They need to tie it to McCain..it would be a great commercial

[stanschurman]

Mark Halperin must have been watching the debate on HDRCTV (High Definition Rose Colored TV) to give it to McCain. Johnny Mack started out not too badly, but his surliness got the better of him early on. He became almost incoherent at times, sputtering and stumbling over words, and almost changing topic mid-sentence. It's difficult to imagine this guy negotiating with Congress or in meetings with foreign leaders without losing it anytime they disagreed with him. His manic grins at the end of some vitriolic attack betray the possibility of some underlying imbalance that maybe should be examined.

If there was another debate, it would be wise for Halperin to watch it on the same tv sets that 53-70% of the public who gave it to Obama watched it.

[politicojunkie]

Mark Halperin is a repug. He usually sees things different from others in his writings. When he appears on tv he down plays his true feelings. I've seen this many times.

[jeen]

After watching these two men in last night's debate this thought crossed my mind. McCain seemed so clownish and Obama so self-assured. Which one do I want facing other world leaders? Obama '08. Yes!!!!!!

[aussiegal77]

I don't think that the average American (myself included) makes more than $250k a year, gross. My husband has his own business and quite honestly, it would take us a long time to even make anything close to $100k, let alone $250k.

Plus - Obama's plan calls for increased tax rates on incomes in excess of $250k. So if someone made $260k - they would have to pay an additional 4% tax on the $10k.

I see there is a theory that Joe the Plumber may have been a plant. Interesting!

So now we have John the Maverick, Sarah the Barracuda/Pitbull/Hockey Mom, Joe Six Pack and Joe the Plumber. A couple of more characters and we'll have a whole new cast of "Friends"! I vote for Sally the Waitress and Jack the Mechanic to round out the intrepid gang!

[etcetc]

You know what- I don't exactly feel sorry for Joe the Plumber. It's nice that he wants to buy a business.

But can't he just CREATE his own business? Can't he just leave the plumbing company he is at, and use the contact he has to start a new plumbing company.

Maybe the guy isn't such a good business man if he hasn't figured that out yet.

I own my own business, and I started it from the ground up. I had to make all my contacts on my own steam to get started.