um, john mccain came across as a little stronger than i had hoped he would. also, i thought it was a bit odd how obama swiftly maneuvered a question on russia, so that he could talk about our need for alternative energy sources and energy independence instead.
anyone else notice how obama frequently called mccain "john," while mccain always referred to obama as "senator obama?"
overall, i'm hoping that obama will come across as stronger on the domestic policy debates.
He certainly did come on strongly, but I'm not sure I mean it in the same way as you. He got emotional, and he looked angry and even annoyed almost the entire. A lot of reactions I've seen so far have been that he came across as "creepy" or some such
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I was watching on CNN, and they had this little gauge at the bottom that showed realtime reaction from focus groups, labelled as Democrat, Republican, or Independent. I kept cracking up because every time McCain mentioned his running mate or said something like "And I've been there!" in a discussion of foreign affairs, all three lines instantly plummeted. :D
Was slightly distressed by how easily the Independent line went up whenever anyone said pretty much anything at all. Sheesh, yes, each candidate has pretty words, but don't you people know how to read between the lines? On the other hand, was pleased that all three lines generally stayed above the median when Obama was talking foreign policy, though the red Republican line tended to hover closely... and that frequently the red line was the only one above the median when McCain was talking foreign policy
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Yeah, McCain stuck really strongly to his talking points, but then again Obama wasn't much better in that regard. He did hammer Obama pretty hard on certain issues, but whether or not the voters will buy it remains to be seen.
As for independents, these usually come down not to the issues, but to appearances. Like Al Gore's sigh. And an angry, annoyed mccain vs. a smooth, calm Obama is going to stick with some people. I've already heard several comparisons to Nixon vs. Kennedy, where the smooth young "upstart" was confident and in control and the old embattled veteran looked uncomfortable and irritable.
Yeah, I was like DO NOT LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THAT when he brought up veterans and how he supports them, but he totally let it go. There was a lot of that.
It was good, but it wasn't as entertaining as the Bush/Kerry debates from 2004. I think there was too much legitimate debating and not enough bitching at each other. I demand entertainment!
I couldn't really tell who came off better in this one. I was disappointed at how together McCain seemed, but he still seemed creepy and yellow. When Obama smiled and laughed at McCain's stupid comments, he looked charming. I think Obama 'won', but I am worried that he didn't answer the economic questions directly enough and couldn't shoot down McCain on the experience front. I wish they could've brought up the fact that McCain's more liable to die in office, but that's probably too morbid for a debate >:).
Yeah. I've heard a lot stressing that Obama has to keep it together - if he looks at all angry or even goes on the offensive, he suddenly becomes the angry black man berating an old white war hero on stage, and if that happens McCain could run the rest of his campaign stark naked and still win. He's got to tread a fine line, but he's doing admirably well so far
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I only saw the last half of the debate (was getting my new dog!). Naturally, I thought Obama was clearly more together, presidential, and sane. I just wonder whether the independents feel the same. Those "Senator Obama just doesn't understand..." sneers seem childish and creepy to us, but they might be convincing to some schmuck in Florida or, uh, Ohio.
I think in terms of debating policy Obama was the winner, but it might be even as far as winning votes goes.
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anyone else notice how obama frequently called mccain "john," while mccain always referred to obama as "senator obama?"
overall, i'm hoping that obama will come across as stronger on the domestic policy debates.
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Was slightly distressed by how easily the Independent line went up whenever anyone said pretty much anything at all. Sheesh, yes, each candidate has pretty words, but don't you people know how to read between the lines? On the other hand, was pleased that all three lines generally stayed above the median when Obama was talking foreign policy, though the red Republican line tended to hover closely... and that frequently the red line was the only one above the median when McCain was talking foreign policy ( ... )
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As for independents, these usually come down not to the issues, but to appearances. Like Al Gore's sigh. And an angry, annoyed mccain vs. a smooth, calm Obama is going to stick with some people. I've already heard several comparisons to Nixon vs. Kennedy, where the smooth young "upstart" was confident and in control and the old embattled veteran looked uncomfortable and irritable.
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"What Senator Obama doesn't understand is..."
Seriously. I had no idea he understood so little until McCain told me!
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Also, shots for "Senator McCain is absolutely right, but..." and McCain talking over Obama's protest of "that's not true-"
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I couldn't really tell who came off better in this one. I was disappointed at how together McCain seemed, but he still seemed creepy and yellow. When Obama smiled and laughed at McCain's stupid comments, he looked charming. I think Obama 'won', but I am worried that he didn't answer the economic questions directly enough and couldn't shoot down McCain on the experience front. I wish they could've brought up the fact that McCain's more liable to die in office, but that's probably too morbid for a debate >:).
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I think in terms of debating policy Obama was the winner, but it might be even as far as winning votes goes.
But maybe I'm just a pessimist?
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but never mind the debate, what's this about a dog?!
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