The Debate: Round Two to Obama

Despite the hype, tonight's debate covered familiar ground, with less tension than the last debate. If this was McCain's night to change the conversation, he changed nothing, or lost ground, looking more tired and less competent than the last debate. Obama seemed more confident and relaxed than last time out. The format did not seem on its face to favor either candidate, except that it led the candidates to talk about the types of issues that work for the Obama campaign.

The discussions were more civil than one might have expected, although McCain's body language was often quite negative, and he seemed angry to me. I was surprised that McCain has so heavy on the ready on day one talk, given the fact that he has put Sarah Palin so close to the presidency.

I thought the health care discussion were more accessible to the listeners than the earlier debate. Obama did a much better job to sounding as though he would make the US more competitive. I was surprised that McCain criticized Obama for saying nuclear waste should be safe. Wow. Is that really a controversial position?

What was not discussed? Guilt by association apparently not a hot topic.

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Comments

[brocko]

The words of Senator Obama say it all in his "eannndahhhh" a word for "and"

eannndahh draft all American youngsters into the peace corps or military

eannnndahhhh making everyone suffer

eannnndahhh raise taxes on everyone

eannndahhh I will fine people for not insuring your children

eannndahhh I will use my dead mother again for votes

eanndahhhh Iraq is a huge success as it has a 79 billion dollar surplus

eanndahhhh let's bomb nuclear Pakistan

eanndahhhh I will talk directly to homicidal maniacs in Iran

eanndahhhh I'm going to make America suffer change

eannnndahhh I gree with Senator McCain on Russia

eannndahhhh I agree with Senator McCain

eannndahhh Senator McCain is right

eannndahhh Senator McCain trounced Barack Obama again in a second debate.

[dangnabbit]

I find it interesting that nobody has mentioned that McCain, when asked who would be his pick for Treasury Secretary, responded that he would pick Meg Whitman. Ironically, it came at a time when EBay announced that it would be laying off 15% of its workforce and that Executives would get 4 years of pay.

http://www.webguild.org/2008/09/ebay-layoffs-executives-to-get-4-years-pay.php

[3fingerbrown]

This is Howard Cosell, ladies and gentlemen, reporting from ringside. And there's the bell ending the 12th round of this heavyweight bout scheduled for 15 rounds.

The Obama fight plan--jab and move, jab and move--is working to a fare-the-well. The judges' scorecards show him comfortably ahead on points with but three rounds to go. McCain, the Annapolis Annihilator, needs to land a knockout punch of Dempsonian proportions to win. It'll be tough, fight fans, because Obama has exhibited an efficacious propensity for slipping the big punch that this reporter has not beheld since the halcyon days of my declamatory doppelganger, Cassius Clay. Even McCain's tactic of planting a buxom beauty queen in his corner, winking to all and sundry, hasn't distracted Obama, the proud Zulu from Honolulu. He has his eyes on the prize, as my close personal friend Dr. King might have put it with his customary aplomb, and we can see the frustration in McCain's face as his corner-men work frantically to get that diaper changed before the bell.

... and there it is, the bell for the 13th round ...

[enomaj]

I'm throwin' in the towel, Rock.

[BarackMarley]

I can't believe that McCain called Bin Laden's 'Freedom Fighters again; for driving the Russians out of Afghanistan. They were terrorists then and they are terrosists now.

McCain Calls Bin Laden's Mujahideen Freedom Fighters
http://newsone.blackplanet.com/elections/mccain-called-bin-laden-a-freedom-fighter/

[trouserpress]

Can somebody please run up a few thousand T-shirts bearing the slogan THAT ONE WON! Just to highlight the juvenile nature of McCain's insult.

[lincheryl]

They (a form of that) were available within two hours last night on cafe express. I am at work and that site is blocked, but search the site and there are even bibs with "that one" on them.

[Whinger]

The winning team, Obama / Biden, a touch of class!

[enomaj]

Did Obama hesitate when he realized he was going to dis Delaware?

[Territc]

No, he always stops and thinks to make sure he is saying the right thing. Remember the 57 states comments. He has learned from that. If you are not sure, think first before opening your mouth. And he didn't dis Delaware he stated a fact. Their loose laws.

[tuttlemsm]

"I was surprised that McCain criticized Obama for saying nuclear waste should be safe. "

I was stunned when he said this, and I'm even more stunned more pundits haven't picked up on that.

[ElBruce]

Well, screw your Liberal "safe" nuclear energy. Lots of countries have unsafe nuclear energy and they're doing just fine! If it's good enough for North Korea it's good enough for us!

[the-lexicon]

jeez...shows what you know.

Uranium 235 is very liberal, wimpy. Uranium 238 is very Republican, very strong.

Did you know that Palin can see russia from her house, because her house USED TO BE IN RUSSIA?

lexicon

[demfriend]

I really wanted to hear how McCain has big plans to cut Medicare and how many would lose benefits. Also when McCain went into the service recod he has and how he has served in the Senate and his love for the troops and vets i nearly lost my breakfast and this was after dinner debate! That the listing came out today to show who in Congress has really supported the troops and vets McCain rated a D. Not the first time either. How this can be unilized is obvious but who in MSM is willing to help put it out there? The vets for freedom group also bought the nausea pill as they lie in their ads and it isn't nice to have vets lie as they are when the "D" rating applies to them also. Oh Obama got a "B" not an "A"but a "B" much advanced from the D on McCain's head for poor service and assistance to out finest he says he loves.

[MatoSka]

McCain's comments about Medicare and Social Security should have been underscored by Obama, but I am sure that the American people see his intentions. Remember though that it was Clinton who ended "welfare as we know it".

[Tenley]

John McCain says Social Security is easy to fix -- yeah I can do that. He's been in Congress these 26 years when we've had how many blue-panel Social Security bipartisan commissions that led to exactly zero change? Not so simple. And bin Laden? Simple, I can do that, I gotta plan. Wanna share it? Why haven't you initiated it yet already?

[CeeCee]

"That one" is THE one!

Vote for Obama.

[MyTake]

OK, Obama won.

But the best thing that happened in this debate was that both got together at the very end and blocked Brokaw's view of the teleprompter.

That was a fitting end to this hideously managed debate format hosted by an equally hideous host. Two of the three should just retire!

[fauxmccoy]

i don't think i've ever seen anyone look as awkward as nixon in a debate, but mccain just blew that out of the water. he could not have looked less relaxed if he were strapped to a handtruck with his handlers neurotically wheeling him all around..... come to think of it, that might not be an improvement.

i thought i was imagining things when he blew off obama's oferred hand, but i guess it's mccain who needs to eat more carrots.

[metatron1970]

I couldn't get into it like the first two debates. I've heard both of them use those talking-points so many times before I didn't have much of a reaction to anything that was said tonight, and they often repeated the same arguments they've used before. Obama was better, but perhaps that's just my bias. In truth, this debate was dull as dishwater and probably won't help either candidate to any appreciable extent, though if it doesn't generate a spike in McCain's figures Obama could be considered to have benefitted most. Obama at least could claim coherency which McCain (who prefaced seemingly every answer with "My friends. . . ") could not boast, with such curious claims as "We've got to stop sending $700 billion overseas"--an absurdity which was repeated twice. And McCain needs to lose the "earmarks" argument, which does not seem to be of any interest to anybody outside of McCain & Palin. Invariably that argument is immediately followed with Obama's mantric "Only $18 billion have been spent in federal earmarks." We've heard this song-and-dance before from both of them, and, frankly, we're just not that interested. And I'm also getting tired of hearing both candidates pledge unequivocal support for Israel in her non-existent conflict with Iran. "We don't want a second Holocaust!"---gee, that's nice. Don't think anybody is going to disagree with you there.