Who's watching the debate?

[Rapunzel]

Re: Who's watching the debate?

You really think Biden will crush Palin?

I mean he's been VERY entertaining lately with his gaffes. I'm starting to wonder if he got paid off by the Clintons to sabotage Obama.

I think it will be an equal-opportunity foot-in-mouth festival (the veep debate).

Re: Who's watching the debate?

Paging Jenn P - just making sure you're not in labor!

Not in labor - we were watching at a friend's house.

RE: the "talk to each other" thing ... I said "What is he? A marriage counselor?" Although I did eventually find it disconcerting how McCain absolutely REFUSED to look at Obama. Obama (to his credit, I think) did keep looking at McCain.

Re: Who's watching the debate?

You really think Biden will crush Palin?

I agree that Biden is a cringe-a-moment / what-will-he-say kind of guy, but after Palin's performance with Gibson and now Couric, I think Biden would basically have to call her a "little lady" or suggest that she go home and care for her children in order to lose this. I have no doubt that she's intelligent, but this is a HUGE learning curve ... and last night she still insisted that being governor of Alaska meant that she had foreign policy experience b/c they're neighbored by Russia.

I write all this while crossing everything that I've got hoping that Biden makes it through w/o swallowing his own foot.

[moonlight]

Re: Who's watching the debate?

Biden has been prepping for this (wanting to be in the white house) for what... decades? I think he knows his stuff and I think she is a bit wet behind the ears. It's going to be great! Even if she is able to stump him, it's going to be awesome seeing him get all flustered and judgeyjudge on her. And you know at some point she is going to get that deer caught in headlights look and ramble about "change." Can't wait!!

Re: Who's watching the debate?

Hmm... I didn't watch it. I was hoping to come here for the meaty substance - a shortcut to the hot topics. But it sounds like the most important things I missed were the ties.

Not worth trying to catch it online tomorrow?

[spotty_dog]

Re: Who's watching the debate?

Not worth trying to catch it online tomorrow?

I have watched about 20 minutes of it online tonight (CNN.com had the first part up about an hour after the end,) and I'm finding it, I don't know, surprisingly worthy of being called a debate? They are making their points and counterpoints very well and speaking clearly and delineating themselves from each other while sticking to the point at hand. It's kind of refreshing. It's just that it kind of strikes me as not much more than you'd find on a campaign website. I've lost interest and I think I'm going to go read my book instead. Part of the problem is I know who I'll support regardless of what comes up in the debate; I think you've been a bit divided on the issues, so maybe you'd find some clarification in their words? Might be worth trying to watch it at least, if you do find it pointless and tune out you haven't lost much except a few minutes of your time.

[alison]

Re: Who's watching the debate?

I think they were both about even - I don't think either one won the debate. I do think McCain "lost" in the sense that this was his topic to win.

So, Palin is in hiding, looks like. I suppose that's smart, since tonight you don't want her to pull another I-can-see-both-Russia-and-Canada-from-my-window.

[Tenacious_D]

Re: Who's watching the debate?

I wouldn't say that anyone "won" the debate. Heck, I can't even really say they answered many of the questions for me. It was funny as all heck to watch Jim try and get them to "talk to each other"...that clearly wasn't going to happen. We watched the first hour and then switched over to Netflix live to watch This American Life w/ Ira Glass...now that was entertaining AND I learned something.

Re: Who's watching the debate?

I had been looking forward to this debate for a long time. I watched, and it was boring...I fell asleep around 10.

I thought McCain looked reluctant to be there from the moment he stepped on stage. It took him about 20 minutes to get warmed up. Obama looked ready from the get-go. I thought McCain used the questions more to bash Obama and his record than to actually spell out any plans or ideas. McCain rambled a lot, too. And what was that 'this is the end of the beginning of the end...' McCain just didn't strike me as very well prepared. I also didn't care for McCain's opening announcement about Ted Kennedy being hospitalized; it seemed out of place and insincere. Was he going to announce sports scores next in other news?

IMO Obama won this one easily.

[Tenacious_D]

Re: Who's watching the debate?

... I also didn't care for McCain's opening announcement about Ted Kennedy being hospitalized; it seemed out of place and insincere. Was he going to announce sports scores next in other news? .

How could I forget that really awkward intro....what was that about?!?!

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Who's watching the debate?

And by that time the announcement wasn't even accurate. At the time he said that MSNBC was already reporting that Kennedy had been sent home and was fine.

Re: Who's watching the debate?

One thing I know for sure is that I won't miss the VP debate. hehehehe He's going to CRUSH her. I can just feel it. It's going to be like those really bad highway accidents that you just help but look at.

How can anyone who gets the MOST relevant political history to our current economic crises wrong been seen as a good debater? For someone who has as much political history as Biden, and one whom is sappose to be working with the candidate in regards to approaching the US with their economic plan - he is hardly a credible debater. I only heard this tidbit from my dad, never heard the press even cover this:

Joe Biden's denunciation of his own campaign's ad to Katie Couric got so much attention last night that another odd note in the interview slipped by.

He was speaking about the role of the White House in a financial crisis.

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed," Biden told Couric. "He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"

As Reason's Jesse Walker footnotes it: "And if you owned an experimental TV set in 1929, you would have seen him. And you would have said to yourself, 'Who is that guy? What happened to President Hoover?'"

To me the president and vp to come should for crying out loud know at LEAST when the depression was, and whom the president at the time was...

But... the question is, does Paylin know?

[madeintaiwan]

Re: Who's watching the debate?

One thing I know for sure is that I won't miss the VP debate. hehehehe He's going to CRUSH her. I can just feel it. It's going to be like those really bad highway accidents that you just help but look at.

How can anyone who gets the MOST relevant political history to our current economic crises wrong been seen as a good debater? For someone who has as much political history as Biden, and one whom is sappose to be working with the candidate in regards to approaching the US with their economic plan - he is hardly a credible debater. I only heard this tidbit from my dad, never heard the press even cover this:

Joe Biden's denunciation of his own campaign's ad to Katie Couric got so much attention last night that another odd note in the interview slipped by.

He was speaking about the role of the White House in a financial crisis.

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed," Biden told Couric. "He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"

As Reason's Jesse Walker footnotes it: "And if you owned an experimental TV set in 1929, you would have seen him. And you would have said to yourself, 'Who is that guy? What happened to President Hoover?'"

To me the president and vp to come should for crying out loud know at LEAST when the depression was, and whom the president at the time was...

But... the question is, does Paylin know?

I didn't watch the interview but perhaps Biden was referring to Roosevelt's New Deal which was created while he was president to provide relief and recovery to the economic system during the great depression.

Re: Who's watching the debate?

Not worth trying to catch it online tomorrow?

I have watched about 20 minutes of it online tonight (CNN.com had the first part up about an hour after the end,) and I'm finding it, I don't know, surprisingly worthy of being called a debate? They are making their points and counterpoints very well and speaking clearly and delineating themselves from each other while sticking to the point at hand. It's kind of refreshing. It's just that it kind of strikes me as not much more than you'd find on a campaign website. I've lost interest and I think I'm going to go read my book instead. Part of the problem is I know who I'll support regardless of what comes up in the debate; I think you've been a bit divided on the issues, so maybe you'd find some clarification in their words? Might be worth trying to watch it at least, if you do find it pointless and tune out you haven't lost much except a few minutes of your time.

Thanks - And yes, I'm still divided on some issues. I will try to listen to it today.

I didn't watch the interview but perhaps Biden was referring to Roosevelt's New Deal which was created while he was president to provide relief and recovery to the economic system during the great depression.

I agree - this sounded like a reference to a comment Roosevelt made in the extended aftermath of the stock market crash. Not that I'm a historian or anything - or that I'm defending Biden. The word "When" was perhaps poorly chosen by him, but then, I'd hate to examine my own candid dialogue in writing.

[Sheherezade]

Re: Who's watching the debate?

Biden seems like a smart guy that needs to slow down his mouth till his brain clears what's about to exit it. I'd imagine he says "You know what I mean" a lot of the time. I'm sure he was talking about the enactment of the New Deal as a response to the Depression - and mixing in that today's politicians would get on TV to talk to the press. It does come across as "Whaaat?"

I think he is a smart and capable man....but I'm glad that the silver tongued Obama would be nearby to smooth over his foot in mouth moments.

I actually enjoyed the debates. I didn't think they brought a lot new to those of us that have been exhaustively reading/listening to speeches and such, but I thought they were both serious. My catch phrase for the night : Serious men for serious times.

I think both will do a better job than the current administration. I am in line with Obama's views. I'm all in favor of turning the page to a new generation of leadership. I thought he gave more details to answers than McCain. I was surprised (and frankly horrified and disturbed) that CNN's post debate commentary criticized Obama for doing so asking people if he seemed too "wonkish or professorial". I honestly think we are headed for a cultural revolution some times. As a duel Ph.D family, I keep waiting for the truck to pull up and take us "troublemaker eggheads" off somewhere. :huh:

Of course, I think McCain is a smart man too... and I laughed when he said "horseshit" in primetime!!

Best line for McCain: Let me get this straight, Iran's leader says he's going to bomb Israel and we say no you're not? That's ridiculous! (Here, Obama did look naive. I don't think he is, but the line did make him seems so.)

Best line for Obama: He (McCain) said the other day he wouldn't meet with the leader of Spain! Spain's a NATO member! (That's when McCain said horseshit....but he did say that a few weeks ago....although later reports said he was confused in the interview about who they were talking about...)

Favorite moments for anyone else?