I decided to just watch last night rather than blogging. (I don't think many people read my blog during live events anyway -- there are many more reputable people live blogging. :) )
Anyway, after watching and thinking on it, a few random thoughts:
1. The town hall format sucked. This wasn't a debate, it was like two separate but interwoven press conferences. The lack of interaction between the candidates made this a complete bore, even worse than their first debate. And of the 60,000 or millions or whatever of questions that were supposedly asked, Brokaw (or whoever) chose some rather remarkably unremarkable ones.
If this is what McCain had in mind with all his whining about Obama wanting to do town halls, I'm glad Obama refused.
2. Like the first debate, there was no clear cut winner here in terms of content. But Obama was far more commanding as a stage presence. This was a gross miscalculation on the part of the McCain camp in their assumption that McCain would beat Obama in a town hall style forum -- his body lanuage compared to Obama's makes him come across as small, frail and impatient. His pacing and wandering also didn't help him.
3. Tie goes to the leader. Obama didn't really hit the ball out of the park but he didn't have to. McCain did, and he wasn't close on anything approaching a knockout punch, just like the first debate.
4. All the people who thought McCain was going to really come out attacking Obama forgot how difficult it is to get away with this when your opponent is sitting right there and there's a live audience. McCain was wise not to try.
5. The "that one" comment was the only faux pas of the evening. And I'm not just reacting to what pundits have said about it -- I was rather surprised at the moment it happened. I don't see any racist undertones to it as some have suggested, rather, it just underscores McCain's lack of respect and consideration for his opponent.
6. McCain wants to let everyone refinance their mortgages? What happened to the party of personal responsibility and fiscal responsibility? Where are the hundreds of billions of dollars needed to do this going to come from?
7. Obama's answer on Russia was his low point of the evening. He was rambly and uninspiring.
8. Asking if something is a "right, a privilege or a responsibility" is nonsensical.
9. Obama should have responded directly to McCain's accusations about the former wanting to "fine" people with respect to his health care plan. I just assumed that was a distortion but Obama didn't clarify it, which left me thinking that McCain must have hit a nerve.
10. Every time McCain says "I know how to get bin Laden", more people ask the obvious question: "If you know, why haven't you helped the current administration get him now?"
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2 comments:
"1. The town hall format sucked."
Agreed. I actually saw John McCain at a townhall meeting 8 years ago, and it was far more interactive and robust. I wonder if it was Obama or McCain that was behind the silly rules? Logic suggests it would be Obama, since he hid from the other townhalls, but Paul Begalla (Dem hack) was the main person railing against them later on.
"2. Obama was far more commanding as a stage presence."
Agreed. McCain was the same way 8 years ago when I saw him. I find him very human in this setting, but not very Presidential.
"6. Where are the hundreds of billions of dollars needed to do this going to come from?"
Out of the $700 bil that was already approved. Apparently, he is suggesting that we buy the mortgages from the banks and write off a chunk of the homeowners' liability (presumably about 3/7 of the value). That will cut down on foreclosures, but it will also guarantee that this bailout yields a huge loss, rather than the original potential for breakeven or profit.
"8. Asking if something is a "right, a privilege or a responsibility" is nonsensical."
It was a bad question, but, for a lawyer, Obama's answer was awful. No lawyer would ever say that public health care is a "right." Rights are those things guaranteed by the Constitution - you know, in the aptly named Bill of Rights. Just to put that in perspective, public education is not a "right" in the United States, so there is no freaking way that public health care is.
"9. Obama should have responded directly to McCain's accusations about the former wanting to "fine" people with respect to his health care plan."
He said Obama would fine small businesses. Obama's website says they will require large businesses - nothing about small - to pay to help out with health care costs, so presumably they'd be fined if they didn't. I'm surprised Obama didn't try to change the way it sounded, but McCain seems right that there will be some fines, just probably not of small ones like he said.
"10. Why haven't you helped the current administration get him now?"
Indeed.
I actually liked his response regarding Russia, I thought it was measured and the best he could do to such a stupid question.
Agreed that Obama projected much better and sounded better, but that could be my own bias since I have no respect at all for McCain. I used to think he was tolorable when he went on the Daily Show, but not anymore.
Pet peeve... the "my friends" started to drive me nuts. Egads.
Loved Obama's closing. Just loved it. Completely tuned McCain out.
Regarding OBL... I agree. If he knows how to get him and hasn't, Senator McCain should be brought up on treason charges.
Seriously.
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