Comments on: Final Debate, Final Analysis

By: Doug Wenzel

Doug Wenzel — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:31:05 +0000

Obama represents the ideological vanguard of a progressive resurgence that will soon relegate the discredited neocon philosophy to the ash-heap of history. It’s no accident that every time McCain spoke his arguments created a logic train wreck in the minds of most intelligent listeners while Obama’s answers consistently recognized reality and how to deal with it. McCan may claim to be an independent thinker but his record as well as his current proposals (taxes, economy, foreign policy) are in lock step with the extreme right-wing of his party. It is pathetic to watch his clumsy articulation of such worn out ideas such as capital gains tax breaks or health care tax credits, tax reduction being the cure all for every ill. This indicates McCain is little different from all the other snake oil salesmen that the Republican Party has foisted upon us the last 28 years.

By: simon li

simon li — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:57:47 +0000

You can have another 10 debates and McCain would still be McCain. This whole campaign, he has been plumbing the depths and all he found was himself – choosing Palin, abortion, class warfare, Joe the plumber, a long line of McCains, palling around with terrorists. The most telling is that he’s proudest of his military service which says everything there is to say about his conviction that this nation is an incarnation of war and bomb bomb bomb. It’s been a subconscious Bush campaign all the way and what’s that word middleclass – never heard of it.

By: Joe the Plumber, and Roe v. Wade | Comments from Left Field

Joe the Plumber, and Roe v. Wade | Comments from Left Field — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:37:51 +0000

[...] did not have an exception for the health and life of the woman. Several bloggers — including Kyle at this very blog — brought up McCain’s attitude on this issue as one that, in addition to being heinous [...]

By: John Churchill

John Churchill — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:37:48 +0000

McVain was abysmal and petulant.

By: Bisenta Scott

Bisenta Scott — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:53:01 +0000

They said Obama was flat in his reponses in last night debate, WRONG! Obama was Cool, Calm, and Collective; he was saying “I got this” he did just what he was suppose to do sit back and let McCain make a fool out of himself. McCain on the other hand has been grasping for straws ever since he picked the “lipstick pitbull hockkey mom, Sarah Palin, “What good that did him”. McCain is now in the attack mode thats all he got to fight with, old fark. McCain go ahead and face it you are all wash up and as they call you the Maverick get on your horse and head on down to the Prostarosa. Adios!

By: Wayne

Wayne — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:55:48 +0000

Speak my mind, right?

ok; John McCain is absolute shit. I have no respect for some pathetic pro-war, highly insensitive, immoral crusty old man who cheats on his loyal spouse because she had an unfortunate accident which altered her appearance. You know what that tells me, and should tell the general public? If you cannot remain faithful in marriage; what makes us think he’ll be faithful to Americans as president? It flat out tells me that the man has no morals, hideously low family values. Whats more? This pathetic sub-human not only avidly supports Bush’s bullshit ill-conceived war, but makes statements like: “We’ll stay in Iraq for 100 years” – you know what? Why don’t you take your pitiful disgusting ass to Iraq and stay 100 years yourself. Precious young children should NOT, NOT-NOT be losing their parents and guardians for a war. A fucking war man.. what has this shit accomplished? many American lives completely wasted. kids growing up without their beloved parent. Other nations hate us as America, and I can 100% thoroughly understand why. Other countries hating us is justified. Look at what our current president does. The leader of the free fucking world. Killing, bombing innocent civilians, and lying about the shit like its no problem. Golfing amidst it all. living it up. fucking up our economy spending money on this WAR. and you know what, this is our fault.. for not impeaching this piece of monkey shit. This is the man who McCain has voted in favor with. This is the man who will continue to make our country look like stir-fried ape shit. (or should I say we the Middle class, and Lower class). John McCain, who must have been high when he picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate, totally deserves no respect. I wish Obama would have picked his sorry ass apart when he had the chance last night. When the opportunity for Obama to deal some serious damage came (“do you Obama, think Palin is fit for presidency?”) he played the passive agressive card, like usual. oh well.. He really doesn’t have to say what we already know anyway. Who gives a shit about Sarah Palin? Some airheaded, highly unprofessional valley girl with no clue about anything. I don’t even want to get started on her. “well whad’ya know joe” … ..stfu. she just sounds painfully fucking stupid everytime she opens her mouth.

Barack Obama/ Joe Biden along with the strong support of Hillary Clinton = Yes.

FUCK YOU MCCAIN. seriously, fuck off loser.

random: Im a proud 100% Californian born and raised, and I’m all in favor for Obama. again, Fuck you McShame. dirty crust-infested piece of rotten shit.

By: merge divide

merge divide — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:02:55 +0000

“McCain was completely incapable of sustaining any momentum, and clumsily returned again and again to his “Joe the Plumber” gimmick. It was clear that John had “jumped the shark” when he began talking directly to the unseen “Joe”, and congratulating him for being “rich”. I think he realized too that he had blown his “last best chance”. His eyes started flittering back and forth like he was lost and scared, and he began to make the faces that have been the source of so much speculation regarding his temperament and stability.”

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:32:29 +0000

Not to toot my own horn (ok, precisely to toot my own horn), but the clear consensus opinion coming out of last night’s debate makes my comments to Kyle’s post the other day look downright prophetic. McCain’s attacks backfired or at least didn’t work (ok, that was a relatively easy prediction). But more importantly, he showed just how bad he is at being mean without appearing to be mean…his mannerisms and condescending tone were almost an exact replay of how he behaved in the last primary debate in California towards Romney (which, you will recall, was my example of how bad McCain was going to look).

By: DrGail

DrGail — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:07:28 +0000

Forgive me for playing psychologist yet again, but making observations of people’s behavior/statements and interpreting them (correctly) is what I do for a living.

I also have noticed that McCain did not change his approach from one debate to the next. Even on issues he knew would be coming, he showed no evidence of having learned anything. You pointed this out with respect to “the middle class”, and that is certainly a stark example.

The same thing showed up within the confines of the single debate last night, in that he made his attack, Obama got a chance to clarify, and then McCain came right back with the same attack. It showed someone who doesn’t listen and doesn’t think on his feet.

I guess you could say that, overall, McCain attacked Obama but didn’t engage with him.

It’s almost as though McCain set out to prove that he is resolute and doesn’t change his positions on a whim, but did so by stubbornly refusing to adapt his approach to suit the circumstances rather than by articulating the key themes (or principles) underlying his various positions and policies. This made him come across more as a caricature of a “straight talker” than as a person with a clear vision for the future that is tempered by pragmatism.

In Obama, I detected a bit of impatience as he had to explain over and over again, using many of the same words and phrases, his policies (on taxes, for example) to cut through the distortion promulgated by McCain and his surrogates.

It was almost as though he was disappointed that, even after multiple consistent restatements of his positions, people still weren’t getting it. In essence, proving him wrong on his assertion that “the American people are smarter than that”. A teacher disappointed by his slow students, if you will. I can’t blame him for it, but his slight frustration was apparent.