It wasn't like Obama won this brilliantly, but McCain lost it bigtime.
There were a few statements McCain made that he'll regret-- that future retirees will have to settle for less than current retirees. And he called for a spending freeze, which he also called for in his first debate. Hello! It's a basic business tenet. You have to spend money to make money. Maybe that's something Paulson doesn't get either. You don't buy bad debt. You invest in good projects and assets.
But there were a lot more problems for McCain. He became repetitive, like Sarah Palin, stuck on talking points-- stale, tired talking points-- and he looked stiff, rigid, inflexible, unable to adapt and think on his feet. It was like he was doing reasonably well letting loose with the assault his people planned for him, but he had no ability to really dive deep into real discussion.
<blockquote>The CNN Snap Poll Results Who expressed his views more clearly in the debate?
Obama 60 McCain 30
Who spent more time attacking his opponent?
Obama 17 McCain 63
Who seemed to be the stronger leader?
Obama 54 McCain 43
Who was most likeable?
Obama 65 McCain 28</blockquote>
All the snap polls run by the networks showed Obama winning handily, except for one measure-- Who was more aggressive? McCain won that one. Oops. Gotta watch THAT phrase. McCain referred to Obama as "that one" and the Obama campaign jumped on it. Was it racist, objectifying a black man?
McCain kept throwing the same stuff at Obama that Obama had effectively rebutted in the previous debate.
Near the end, McCain claimed that he followed the speak softly and carry a big stick motto of his "idol" Teddy Roosevelt and chastised Obama for telegraphing his plan to enter Pakistan to pursue Osama Bin Laden.
Obama came back brilliantly, hitting a home run, reminding McCain of his "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" and destroy N. Korea remarks.
McCain looked like a hypocritical idiot after than.
Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com and is a columnist with Northstarwriters.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.
To learn more about me and OpEdNews.com, check out this article.
and there are Rob's quotes, here.
To Watch me on youtube, having a lively conversation with John Conyers, Chair of the House Judiciary committee, click here Now, wouldn't you like to see me on the political news shows, representing progressives. If so, tell your favorite shows to bring me on and refer them to this youtube video
My radio show, The Rob Kall Show, runs 9-10 PM EST Wednesday evenings, on AM 1360, WNJC and is archived on www.whiterosesociety.org Or listen to it streaming, live at either www.wnjc1360.com or here.
A few declarations.
-While I'm registered as a Democrat, I consider myself to be a dynamic critic of the Democratic party, just as, well, not quite as much, but almost as much as I am a critic of republicans.
-My articles express my personal opinion, not the opinion of this website.
I listened to about half of it, and it seemed that McCain exploited the format very effectively.
Each time he stated his position, McCain also mis-stated Obama's position. Obama was constantly forced to correct the misimpression that McCain created, and this put him on the defensive. Repeatedly, Obama was unable to define his own ideas, because they had already been defined by McCain. I thought McCain's tactic was unfair and quite effective.
by
Josh Mitteldorf (17 articles, 60 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 41 comments)
on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 6:01:52 AM
Time after time, I listened to Obama and screamed at the radio. The Republicans have used the Big Lie to define the world's reality, and we need Obama to not just to modify the policies, but to root his vision in the real reality.
- I heard Obama praise Bush's initial response to 9/11, saying the country was more unified and safer as a result.
- I heard Obama talk about military adventures in Afghanistan and potentially Pakistan to go after Osama bin Laden.
- I heard Obama endorse nuclear power.
- I heard Obama agree with McCain and Brokaw that Social Security and Medicare need to be scaled back because there isn't enough money. The truth is that the Republicans created this fiscal crisis by vastly increasing spending (on war) while slashing revenue (by cutting taxes on the wealthy). The "Social Security crisis" can be best averted without touching Social Security, simply by slashing military spending and taxing the rich.
- I didn't hear Obama promise to investigate crimes of the Bush White house, to pierce the veil of secrecy behind which they operate, or even acknowledge the crimes that are already in the public record. (When the last questioner asked, "What don't you know, and how do you intend to find it out?", this was a perfect setup to talk about secrecy and crime in the Bush White House.)
- I didn't hear Obama place blame for the current financial crisis squarely on the shoulders of Bush and McCain. The crisis was created by profligate war spending + deregulation, both of which are Bush policies that McCain has supported and pledged to continue.
by
Josh Mitteldorf (17 articles, 60 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 41 comments)
on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 6:22:55 AM
ALABAMA EDITORIAL ABOUT DEBATE SAYS IT ALL FOR ME:
The paper in Birmingham Alabama, almost as Deep as you can go into the Deep South, had this to say, and to me this says it all:
"It's not a pretty sight, as a man who not so long ago commanded genuine bipartisan respect - in 2004, Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry tried to recruit McCain as his running mate on a "unity" ticket against Bush-Cheney - descends inexorably into a Rovian cesspool of fear-mongering, race-baiting and character assassination."
by
Stephen Fox (79 articles, 2 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 443 comments)
on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 9:32:50 AM
They're both thoroughly unacceptable, but McCain is pathetic
& odious; while Obama is far more polished, comports himself with dignity, & is much better at the game.
Obama's dignity contrasts strikingly with McCain, who comes across as a cranky aging vulture, eager & willing to debase himself in pursuit of the Big Prize. It's disgusting that such a low-minded unprincipled creep is in public life in any capacity, let alone being a finalist for the presidency.
Obama, on the other hand, while very smooth & rhetorically capable, is hardly any better than McCain in terms of policy. The 2 of them basically agreed on various lies last night about Russia, Iran & Israel. Both defend the indefensible -- US militarism, & fealty to Wall St. Both bowed down before this "America is a force for good in the world" nonsense.
by
Richard Mynick (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1213 comments)
on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 11:49:09 AM
Rob, as the leader of a "Progressive" and "Liberal" newsite, must back Obama. Yet Rob, as a person who understands that his readers do not like lies, propaganda, and fascism, must try to make it seem that he is only reluctantly supporting Obama because McCain is so much worse.
Rob is stuck between a rock and a hard place. It must be difficult being put in this situation. And although I do not often like the viewpoints he expresses, I certainly do not envy the responsibility he has undertaken. To keep his site up and running, there must be concessions made, politicians appeased, and popular viewpoints repressed.
I am glad that there are still a large number of people who can see past the lies and above the whole right-wing/left-wing paradigm and see that the two groups are propping each other up through an illusion of opposition, preventing change, and benefitting a very few people who sit atop the system.
It doesn't really matter that Rob has chosen to play partisan politics as the election does not matter. Forget the politicians.. save yourselves!
(You too Rob. They don't give a damn about you, freedom, peace, or America. Be careful.)
by
Ferdinand (17 articles, 4 quicklinks, 29 diaries, 233 comments)
on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 4:25:42 PM
5 comments
How would you rate this?
You must be logged in (if signed up) to do ratings.
It's free to signup! And easy. And takes just a minute or two....
Must Read (
Well Said (
News (
Touching (
Funny (
Supported (
Interesting (
Inspiring (
Valuable (
