"My Friends," It's Over

First, let me just say that the format of tonight's debate was a disservice to American democracy because NBC and Gallup went out of their way to fill their ersatz "town hall" with the most checked-out, uninformed and disengaged "citizens" who remain "undecided" after eight years of George W. Bush, two foreign quagmires, and the worst economic meltdown in 70 years. Usually "town hall" meetings are made up of the most engaged and active citizens in the community. Not tonight. In October 2008, if you are still "undecided" -- I'm sorry -- you are either a cretin or a beast. Having said that, I believe it was clear tonight that Barack Obama has a far superior understanding of the moving parts of government and American society than John McCain ever had.

Obama's responses were substantive and grounded in a philosophy of governance that respects the rights of all American citizens and not just the privileged few. McCain is obviously wedded to the same old Milton Friedmanesque laissez-faire failed policies the Republicans have been ramming down the nation's throat for three decades as evidenced by his prescriptions on health care, energy, and "entitlement reform." McCain proved, once again, that he is running for Bush's third term. McCain accusing Obama of having "cronies" and "friends" on the board of Freddie and Fannie who are responsible for the current financial crisis is hypocritical and dishonest. McCain talks about American workers being "the best in the world," which is interesting since he has one of the worst voting records on labor union issues in the U.S. Senate. Again, hypocrisy and dishonesty. McCain used the same tired old Republican euphemisms for privatizing Social Security and health care. Nothing Obama said tonight was either hypocritical or dishonest.

It was brilliant of Obama to point out that even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has denounced McCain's health care scheme to tax benefit payments. Obama was the first to mention 9/11 and spoke eloquently and passionately about the unity of purpose the nation felt in those early months after the attacks and how we must regain that sense of purpose. McCain only offered his warmed over platitudes about "fighting" for this, and "fighting" for that, and "America is Great" and "David Petraeus" and "victory and honor" in Iraq and "earmarks" and blah, blah, blah.

McCain used the annoying term, "my friends," 21 times. He referred to the "Afghan freedom fighters," which, unfortunately included Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. His "spending freeze" (other than defense and veterans benefits) is the most regressive proposal of any candidate since Steve Forbes was hawking his "flat tax." McCain has stolen all of his material either from Hillary Clinton or from Obama.

But the really terrible part of this whole night was what was not said. Sarah Palin and John McCain have been using slurs and smears against Obama that are sliding very close to being racist or at least white supremacist. Sean Hannity has Andy Martin, a vicious anti-Semite, on his show slamming Obama. They are trying to turn up the heat and resurrect the idea that Obama is some kind of terrifying "Other," but McCain tonight dialed it down to appear "presidential," which he is not. McCain is NOT the "steady hand on the tiller" that he talked about twice during the debate. He is a shaky warmongering hand who has bad judgment: bad judgment on picking Sarah Palin, bad judgment on helping Charles Keating (and that's according to a Senate committee), bad judgment on the war in Iraq, and bad judgment on how to deal with the economic crisis.

We elect a president, in the best of times, who we "want to have a beer with." We elect a president in the worst of times who understands the challenges we face. Barack Obama understands the challenges of the 21st Century. John McCain does not.

Read more reactions to the Obama-McCain Town Hall Debate from HuffPost bloggers

Comments

[spell]

With "friends" like McGrumpy and Hatemongering Barbie, we don't need enemies. Oh. Wait. We have lots of enemies. George Bush made them for us. And McAngry wants to carry on that tradition. Thanks but no thanks, "my friend."

Obama/No Drama 08

[Freesia2]

21 times. Thank you Mr. Palermo, I tried to keep tabs for the fun of it,, but then he said "that one" and I got busy hissing at the tv and I lost count. 21 times. I'm trying to invision 4 years of hearing him assume I'm his friend every day and telling me so. I can't do it. I don't care if he is old and emotionally needy, I just can't.

And if they don't stop inciting to violence (which is exactly what they're doing) I hope he and Palin spend some quality time being detained by the FBI and Secret Service. Enough of that garbage. He's "Presidential" my patoot.

[adrianfrsj]

"Friends" don't tax other friends health insurance.

[SoCalGal44]

If any of you has seen "Crimson Tide," you've seen what happened in this debate. Obama is Denzel Washington trying to be reasonable, while McCain is Gene Hackman wanting to start a nuclear war without a second thought. Scary how life imitates art, isn't it?

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

I think Palin is out in those Redder than Red areas fomenting a kind of lynch mob mentality that is even lower than the Swift Boaters of 2004 in smear tactics because it is dangerous. They are playing with fear and anger and channeling that fear in dangerous ways towards certain people -- I've seen that movie, it's called the Weimar Republic.

[aloha43]

Thank you for the great article.

Did you....or anyone else notice that McCain said "My Friends" 21 times during the debate? It's really getting old.

[Rule Of Law]

I'm not his friend.

[Doofus]

I understood that the Weimar Republic was an attempt to establish a liberal
democracy in Germany during the period at the end of & after WW1. It failed
mainly for economic reasons, brought about by crushing settlement terms
after WW1. Was there a movie? Anyway, friends of Palin+McCain seem to be
aiming more towards what came after Weimar, Adolph & *his* friends.

Further, what is the deal with the McCain proposal to buy back bad mortgages
to keep the foreclosed in their homes? There is NO way that Obama could have
proposed such action & got away with it. A deft move by the Repo Man, no?

[N2theblue]

I live in NC, and found out yesterday that even if you plan to vote a straight ticket in the NC elections, you STILL have to place a separate vote for President. Simply voting a straight ticket WILL NOT enter your vote for PREZ. Don't know how many other states may have this situation on Election Day, but I can guarantee that this is going to cause problems.

[Doofus]

'Straight-ticket voting (also called straight-party voting) allows voters to choose a party"s entire slate of candidates. Voters make one punch or mark on the ballot in order to vote for every candidate of that party for each office on the ballot.

A total of 17 states presently offer straight-ticket voting (STV). With a few exceptions, the straight-ticket option is available in all elections, including primaries, and applies to all offices on the ticket, including federal, state and local races.'

Some of us are in places where you've still got to make an X next to a name. Much better, really.

[kinderworld]

Sounds confusing to me, and I am sure the republicans are trying to confuse the voters with this.

[PDXKevin]

His "my friends, my friends" line always reminds me of a Saudi cab driver in Dubai, who said to my shipmates and I, "My friends, my friends, bus is not coming, bus is not coming!" Just as the bus pulled up behind him.

[Rule Of Law]

If McCain has any sense, he'll be watching out for that bus, because Cheney and Rove will be driving and Sarah will be the first to jump of after they use McCain as a speedbump.

[Kalie]

#1 - I am hoping that our country won't allow another election to be stolen. Should this even begin to occur, we have to rise up and nip it in the bud.

#2 - With John McCain being so out of touch, I have to think that there are probably one or two other sitting Senators or Reps that are also out of touch. We all need to really look at who we have in place in the Senate/House and vote for those "in touch" on Nov. 4th. For example, in my state, I didn't even realize the ages of some of the incumbents. It gets so comfortable for them to keep their house and senate and state jobs that they never want to leave, regardless of what they bring to the table or how out of touch they are. We simply can't afford the ineffective and those not watching out for all of the people.

[LexLuthier]

Kalie

This is a full-length documentary film, so you might want to bookmark it and watch it when you have time. It speaks to your concern #1.

http://www.freeforall.tv/

[magicmary]

PLEASE SPREAD AROUND!!
I am hearing from Greg Palast on various Air America shows that people should if at all possible vote early so if they challenge you, you still have time to jump through whatever hoops you need to for your vote to count. He is advising people to stay cool and do not use provisional ballots. He's even saying that absentee voting isn't so hot either. I don't have all the data on this stuff but the voting early idea sounds like a good idea!

So if in doubt or if you are voting while black or hispanic, please vote early. If your house is in foreclosure - you still get to vote!!!

[Karma7]

McCain looked and acted like a desperate used car salesmen trying to sell you a wreck with no steering wheel, blown out tires, no clutch or gears, and thinks the mirror above the dashboard, which reflects all the road accidents it caused behind it - is the front window.

McCain even sounded like one - repeating "My friend", "My friend", "My friend", "My friend" over 20 times as if trying to convince you that he's not cheating you on the sale of this unreliable heap of crap.

[DennyCrane]

My friends, my friends, my friends. I wanted to shoot my TV every time he said that. Does John McCain think that if he says "my friends" often enough that we'll start to believe we're his friends? Then again, that is the Republican philosophy. Repeat a lie often enough and people will start to believe it.

[JamesInDenver]

If the CNN gravity bars are correct, its becoming a major turn off to the audience. Saying "my friends" just before you attack your opponent, comes off as extremely insincere.

[Doofus]

Be hopeful. Be confident. Be careful. But it's not over til the morning of November 5.

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

I should add that I won't believe Obama will be president until I see him being sworn in this January.

[newpantaloons]

You and me both. I am worried about this voter suppression business, in many states, we have already heard about. I am also worried about out-right theft of the votes by Diebold and other shady voting machines. I realize that would be problematic for the right wing if Obama is ahead in the polls by at 'least' 10 points, but in many states that probably won't be possible. AND, if Obama is elected, fair and square (?), I wonder if this 'financial crisis' will be a reason to declare 'martial law' by these criminals in the White House. They feel safe with a 'McCain presidency', but, with an 'Obama presidency', not so much.

[Doofus]

You're in California, I'm in Massachusetts. We can't be too sure about
how presidential election politics is going to work in the vast red middle
of the US, unfortunately. BUT, if the polls in many, various states continue
to indicate significant majorities for Obama, and the hypothetical electoral
votes are added up, then it looks pretty good for 'That Guy' on Nov 4, my friends.

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

Yes, perhaps I should have titled it, "My Friends," It Should Be Over -- I played on the title of a blog I wrote during the Democratic primaries -- I can't see how even independents and undecided voters would put McCain in charge -- he is clearly the wrong person during these perilous times.

[Stefano]

One of the things that scares me is accuracy of the polling. Last night, I once again stupidly watched the debate on CNN, but that silly "people meter" actually said alot last night. (Its a graph showing undecided Ohio voters reaction to the answers) While this may be the most unscientific measure ever used by a national news outlet, last night based on the meter, Obama blew McCain out. Most of Obama's answers soared, but when they asked the same people who they were going to vote for after the debate, a majority picked McCain. If this is a small microscosm of what "undecided voters" are thinking, its clear to me that they are looking for any excuse not to vote for Barrack. (infer the obvious on that one) If after 2 years of campaigning you claim to not know Obama, than I fear you fall into that category that really doesn't want to vote for Barrack, regardless of the facts.

[tonycoyle]

I had a very similar thought while watching that... even when McCain's graphs were positive, they were rarely above the halfway positive - Obama's were frequently off the chart. I do not recall and negatives for Obama, but many instances of real negative for McCain.

Before the undecided's were introduced for their show of hands, my wife and I were certain it would show at least 2 to 1 in favor of Obama, simply based on the ticker. For those 25 folks to say they were split 10 for McCain, 12 for Obama, and three unknowns, is to say they do not even believe themselves.

After eight years - the only real undecideds are the functionally delusional, or the 'in denial' phobics.

[dps1]

Interesting enough I am one of those undecided ohioans along with my wife. Actually we want to vote for Barack Obama very much. However after over a year of campaigning we still have no idea what to believe about him. We have followed politics very carefully over the past year. Each and every time Obama speaks he seems extrememly insincere and distant. He sounds like he is only repeating a prepared speach. Actually in many of his earlier interviews he repeated the exact same comments and sentences. Look at the transcripts if you dont believe me. I do believe that he did a better job of not getting on people's nerves last night with slamming his opponent.

[Doofus]

If Peg Noonan of the WSJ says, in an unguarded moment, 'It's over', who are we to argue?

[sueno]

McCain ended his speech with saying that "Americans want a strong hand on the tiller"-
McCain sounds like America's version of "Lord Nelson",
an old, dusted-off, battle-ax, ready to keep up the fight and gloriously sail off to the end of the world.
Problem, this is the 21st century, McCain is living (mentally) in the 1970's, and holding on to his family's tradition of living in a state of war, hence, why he wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years.
McCain isn't a smart man, he's a smart politician, that's different and why his campaign is losing.
America's people are more astute than McCain believes. Yet, he will lie, cheat, and mis-direct,
hoping that you'll love his beautiful smile-

[Perry Clease]

"McCain ended his speech with saying that "Americans want a strong hand on the tiller""

It takes more than a strong hand to control the ship of state. You also have to be smart enough not to steer it into shoal water. Remember McCain is the guy who wrecked several warplanes before he ever got into combat.

[dps1]

Neither "major" candidate will give an honest answer to questions posed. They both have bad ideas on foreign policy. I believe Osama Bin Laden is a bad person, but attacking and pillaging other countries who dont really like us in order to get him is a terrible idea. WE SHOULD NOT EVEN BE IN AFGHANISTAN WITH OUT THE SUPPORT OF ITS PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT!! And why is Barack Obama so set on changing Afghanistan and Packistan's governments to democracies. We are not even in Packistan and yet he wants to impose a government on them. I thought that is what he said was the PROBLEM with Washington, and now he wants to become the problem himself. What makes him so sure that everyone really wants a democracy? In some countries the people couldn't care less about government as long as it doesn't get in their way. Why would you want to force a humungous government like ours that he calls the problem in this country on others. He just doesn't make sense. With the MASSIVE number of huge blunders on policy both candidates made last night, I can't believe anyone can say that either actually won. I believe if anyone actually payed attention to the debate that they would quite obviously like each candidate less. It is not about who won, but about who shot himself in the foot less. It was terrible.

[2bad]

I agree with everything your story contained. I do have a problem with it's title though. "It's Over", I'd be very careful with declarations like that. Have you forgotten 2000? There are so many ways this election can be stolen, paperless ballots being number one on the list! There have been several groups warning about electronic voting and the serious problems they've discovered. Not to mention the Supreme Court. Has there been a change in that line-up that would make a different "selection" for the next POTUS than in 2000?