My friend Tim Russert, who didn't pull his words, famously said on the night of the North Carolina and Indiana primaries: "I think we now know who the Democratic nominee will be." Tonight I think we know who the next President will be.
The debate was a crossroads. For two weeks, John McCain has lurched down a dead-end road on the economy, from happy talk about "sound fundamentals" to gloom about economic crisis; alternately out of touch, confused and self-contradictory; then desperately reaching for another stunt with his blundering, transparently opportunistic intrusion into the financial rescue negotiations which crimped his debate prep. He clearly could have used more.
Barack Obama was crisp, reassuring and strong -- in short, presidential, as he has been throughout the financial storm of the past two weeks. McCain was not as bad as he has been recently; but much of this debate was fought on what was supposed to be his high ground. As the encounter ended, Obama not only controlled the commanding heights of the economic issue -- and he not only held his own on national security -- but clearly passed the threshold as a credible commander-in-chief. McCain kept repeating that Obama doesn't "understand." But he clearly did. McCain made up no ground. That's similar to what happened in 1960 when Nixon ran on the slogan "Experience Counts" but found it didn't count that much when voters decided JFK was up to the job after the side by side comparison they saw in the first debate.
So what does McCain have left? Behind on the economy, no longer able to slip into the White House on the now disproven claim that only he can handle national security, he has two more debates but no big offer to the country. And then there's the VP debate -- which is likely to be seen as the peril of Palin. (Can't they give her a basic briefing, maybe in a spiral notebook -- or is it too much to read and too hard to remember?)
McCain has nowhere to go but stunts, warmed over stump lines, and lying ads -- which pollute his brand more than they hurt Obama, and the ugly hope that backlash may save his feckless campaign. The press will mostly miss the point: Obama met and surpassed the test.
Does no one else here think Palin is now getting the finest briefings, using the most modern technology and advisors, not to mention performance-enhancing supplements in order to get her as ready as possible for the debates? The Republicans should surely be able to find top-quality people to prep her for the debate. The problem is that she may simply not be capable of assimilating that much info that quickly. I also assume that if they decide she can't, they're going to go to Plan B - what that is, I'm not sure, but assume it includes lots of Neocon talking points, repeated ad nauseum.
Rumor has it she will have a mic in her hair/behind her ear. Rove thinks of everything!
(meaning, they are actually following things unfold, reconsidering,
and will not vote for McCain.)
Many will be voting for Obama ! Everyone I know , is.
Oh and then there's the religious rhetoric. OMG, you'd think they were Islamic extremists ranting about Jihad... no seriously, I don't see any difference. They seem to think that voting Democrat shows a weakness of their faith and a lack of personal character.
I should probably point out that I am the only person in my family with a college education. Come to think of it, most of them either dropped out of or just barely graduated from High School. I don't know if that really has anything to do with it, I'm just sayin'... :)
Also, remember Reagan being 15 points or so behind Jimmy Carter in August?
Bush losing all the debates to Kerry?
Bush losing all the debates to Gore?
Daddy Bush being significantly behind Dukakis?
McCain being out of the primary race.
Hillary being a slam dunk winner before the primaries.
And McCain just keeps right on quacking....
And so sorry, Bush didn't win either election honestly. SCOTUS stole the first one for him, Diebold the second.
Make that "he was put into office despite an abundance of evidence that he was not elected"
I'm thinking right about November 5th you'll be able to add 'McCain leading Obama in August' to your list of examples of why the race isn't over until the votes are counted...
You also might not want to site GWB in 2000 as an example of someone WINNING an election. Any ties this year are going to go to the party controlling the House... McCain can't rely on a tie putting him in the Oval Office.
FWIW, SOME of us NEVER though Hillary was going to win the primaries.
honk honk
Mainstream media is going to spin John McCain and Palin just like they did George W. Oh, they may fake like they are not, but they will grab onto any facts which are in John McCain's favor. They are spinning Palin as a "Mom". Who could be against "Mom"? My husband used to say, "if you want anything, just add "moms".
Mainstream media are right wing enablers. They haven't changed and I don't think they will. No one holds them accountable for distorting instead of reporting. As long as they are able to distort the truth, ordinary Americans are victims of disinformation. The majority of people are too busy to research facts, they count on the nightly news to tell them what they need to hear. Sad thing is they still trust the spinners. SAD! SAD! SAD!
I see "hope hope hope" for an ultimate celebration. O'bama/B'iden and the entire Demo'cratic movement are even getting some shocking (if begrudging) respect from more talking heads and networks than ever before.
I and a whole lot of other people can hardly wait for the next debate - but since you don't think they mean a thing, I don't suppose you'll bother to watch...
Be that as it is, even the MSM has to yield to the current state of our nation and the opportunity to make it whole. There will be plenty of manufactured drama for the MSM to promote regarding a President Obama, as well as the remedies and inevitable challenges we will face in the next 4 years. But even this strain of MSM contempt for facts and fact checking is innoculated against the possibility of a Palin VP or McCain hothead 4-year virus. They live here too.
The other person diminished himself further by his negativity, drama, repetition, and erratic behaviors. He is chained to the past and exhibits no knowledge of having learned from past bad decisions.
Barack Obama is intelligent, level-headed, professional, and inspiring.
McCain is none of these.
If the people don't see that, our country is much further gone than I think.
Palin notwithstanding.
Unfortunately, for democrats, democratic nominees have won the debates in the past two elections. Kerry beat Bush, and Gore beat Bush.
You remember them. President Kerry and President Gore.
And VP candidate Quayle was pilloried often before Daddy Bsh beat the democrats.
And McCain is his clone.
Not like a president HAS.
Besides, I've got no problem with people fooling around on the side, as long as they don't author legislation that makes what they are doing illegal (Craig). It's between them and their partners.
OBAMA/BIDEN '08
Obama/Biden 08
Florida
They had to have the word 'change' drilled into them for the last 20 months as anyone who proposed any new or different policies didn't register in their pea brains as 'change'. Ya see. I'm going to take off the shirt I'm wearing and put on a different shirt. But, then I'd have to explain to the Obama people that I'm 'changing' shirts so they understand. God. They're allowed to vote.
We have a winner for most useless and poorly formed thought of the day!!!!!
We'd love to give you our usual gift of a Bush/Cheney button, but you'll have to make do with this McCain/Palin sticker instead.
But being serious, what the heck are you trying to say? Or were you going for dribble?
I still plan to vote for Obama and will cheer with the rest of the country when he wins. I'm just sorry that my state will not be one of the ones that are "blue"
Brick