Presidential Debate: Round 2

Okay, it's after midnight eastern time. Let's stop feeding Gizmo or we'll have these creatures multiplying all over A2K.

LOL

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A McCain surrogate just said in the Wall Street Journal that McCain intends to cut medicare by 1.3 trillion dollars to pay for his economic plan.

Um.... No.

Looks like he just lost Florida. Probably Nevada as well.

Surely you jest.

But seriously, I wonder if a story like that will make its way to Florida and Nevada in time. It's an important story, but it's not very interesting in terms of ratings, so broadcast press media may not take it there.

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For Sozobe and others, here's the debate transcript:

http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2008c.html

Strange to see you... or frankly anyone from across the water suggesting there might be a wrong time for the next U.S. President to be considerate and/or polite.

You are absolutely correct_DIEST TKO. Every right has a paired responsibility.

Does Joe from Chicago have the right, the same day I began posting to follow my posts with pictures of animals?

Does Nimh have the right two days after I began posting to attempt to belittle me and suggest that no one respond to my posts?

Does Cyclocipthorn have the right to state that I have posted in the past and never (in his opinion) had anything important to say?

If they do, then I have the right to respond in kind and use the same ploy they use on me.

But, Diest TKO,if you can look at some of my early postings in the past, you will discover that I was indeed very courteous. People began to slur me when they discovered that I followed up every error that I viewed in their posts.
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In the distant past,I found that posters could say the nastiest and demeaning things about some of my political heros but when I responded in kind, they cheered because then they could remove me from the threads.

I can be as courteous as anyone and if I am removed for whatever reason, I can stand it. It has happened before but in my own mind,Diest TKO,I know the real reason why some of the LIBERALS will not address me--IT IS BECAUSE I SHOWED HOW ERRONEOUS THEIR IDEAS WERE TOO OFTEN.

I note that you have studied Russian. You are probably aware of the writings of the great Solzhenitzen.You know, of course, why so many Russians were jailed. They wrote things the Soviet Leadership could not abide.

Yep, that was one of the observations I was going to make. He did indeed look OLD. (I watched the first 20 minutes or so.) I was watching the audience-o-meter during those transitions -- when he'd go from the stool or whatever to the position he took for most of his response. Even though he was talking, the meters stayed low.

Some other observations I made before I turned off the 'puter:

- Format favors Obama I think. He's good at town halls... but nobody thinks he is. Lots of opportunities to look strong and physically vital next to McCain. And there won't be a cheering audience for McCain (so far as I can tell..?) which I think might discombulate him a bit (as compared to "real" Town Halls.) [I said that here too, earlier.]

- No cheering either though, good (Tom just said)

- I think Obama being able to look right at questioners, respond to them, connect with them, that's good

- wow the audience meter is way up there!! (CNN) [Obama was talking]

- Yep, McCain looks creaky next to Obama

- hmmm audience meter is high for mccain too -- men are noticeably lower though... and it's fading as I type

- Interesting gender divergences with McCain... women like him more, men don't. maybe just has to do with that specific group (like one woman is a McCain supporter undercover )

- They do NOT like attacks. Audience meter went down on "Obama was the second-highest recipient of Fannie/ freddie money"

- Oooh good answer here. Too professorial? [that was when the young guy was asking how the bailout would affect his life, Obama answering]

- ooooh rick davis, go Obama! [Obama responded to the Fannie/ Freddie thing by saying something about McCain's campaign manager]

Then I had to go.

Oh, dont be silly (whats up with you today anyway?). They wont say "Magyarorszag" if they ever get round to talking about Hungary either, when thats how they pronounce it here. Or, if you want an example that at least wouldnt be totally mistifying, "Frahnce" instead of the American "Frence". Moskva instead of Moscow, Rossiya instead of Russia. Etc.

And again, I dont give a flying F how Obama pronounces the name of a country, and anyone who's going to make political hay about this against him is pretty dumb. But the argument that Obama talks to the US voters about "Pokistan" in a townhall election debate because he hopes it will help with successfully negotiating with Zardari is pretty outlandish. You dont have to defend every single point, no matter how trivial, about Obama y'know.

Thanks!

Really? I'm Dutch, so that's pretty non-American myself, and I live in Hungary, and I've never heard anyone complain about it.

Foreigners say "Budapest" when Hungarians pronounce their capital "Budapesht". Not to mention the Hungary vs Magyarorszag thing. And my hometown in in Holland is "Den Haag", not "The Hague". And I've never heard anyone complain about Americans or other foreigners pronounce it the "wrong" way, nor do Americans pronounce it any more wrongly than other foreigners (you should hear how Italians garble these things up). Really, a non-issue.

I'm big time for Obama too, and I would never ever vote for conservatives/Republicans/rightwingers. But sometimes Obama supporters will argue about anything, no matter how far-fetched, when he is criticized.

Reading the transcript now: here's the Rick Davis quote I had in mind:


Immediately followed by (I was typing at the time and missed it):



excellent

This is how things are shaping up, so far:

Obama 349 McCain 174 Ties 15



www.electoral-vote.com

Link:

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

(At first I thought this was about how people scored the debate....)

Nice to see Ohio have that blue outline, I'll do my damndest to get it a nice solid Illinois blue...

Thank you, sozobe! I just realized I didn't include the link, so I went back and added it!

Yes, the map is of the electoral college votes.

What's really cool is, notice how Texas isn't solid red?

Oh, I didn't notice you added it, sorry to be redundant...

is the debate over yet?

did i miss it?

I think I did that at the same time you were posting.