Round Two: Old Man Yells At Cloud

Barack Obama and John McCain will face off tonight in their second presidential debate. The "town hall" format debate will be held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. With McCain collapsing in the polls, this debate offers him an opportunity to change the dynamics of the race. The buzz is that McCain will attack Obama personally as he and Palin have been doing the last few days. While both McCain and Palin have whipped up their supporters into a murderous frenzy with their campaign rallies, it is unlikely that the debate audience will chant "terrorist!" or "kill him" in response to McCain’s hate speech tonight.

So, this debate takes place amidst a fractured reality. On the one hand, the economic news that has dominated the minds of Americans the past few weeks is growing increasingly more grim. On the other hand, McCain and Palin have been going after Obama personally in a last desperate attempt to turn the tide of the election. What storyline will dominate the debate tonight remains to be seen. Its the economy versus hate speech.

Game on.

I will try to live blog the debate below.

 


 

9:00 PM First question is on bailout. Obama responds by saying bailout was first step, and then a middle class tax break is needed. McCain responds that we need energy independence, then brings it back to saying that he would renegotiate mortgages with struggling homeowners. Claims that is his idea – but this is already part of the bailout package. McCain did a good job at trying to feel the questioner’s pain, trying to channel Bill Clinton.

9:15PM McCain says he suspended his campaign to help citizens. Insults citizen by saying he has probably never heard of Fannie or Freddie – bad attempt at populism, John. Now he lashes Obama and his "friends" at Fannie/Freddie. It was all Obama’s fault that the credit crisis happened. Obama comes out  explaining to the questioner why the bailout package was needed – without it, small and large businesses wont make payroll and people will lose their jobs. Bill Clinton would be proud. Pivots and slams McCain by telling everyone that McCain’s campaign manager lobbied for Freddie.

9:20 PM Questioner wants to know how either man can be trusted. Obama says both parties to blame, but its worth remembering that Bush turned surplus into defecit. McCain says system is broken but he is a "consistent reformer". Says he is bipartisan. "We need to reform". Uh oh, he is about to launch into earmarks. This is not as big an issue as he thinks it is, since he just voted for a pork laden bailout bill.

9:25 PM McCain says he doesnt need to prioritize between healthcare, energy, and entitlement reform – he can do it all. Obama says we obviously have to prioritize. Starts with energy. Point to Obama. He knows the per gallon gas price in Nashville. Hits McCain on tax cuts to Exxon Mobile.

9:30 PM McCain gets first internet question. Sweet irony. Asked what sacrifice America needs to make, he says he wants an across the board spending freeze, except defense and a couple of others. Not a winner. Obama invokes 9/11. Says, given the chance to ask Americans to sacrifice, Bush told people to shop. Says we need to move to energy independence. People have to help in the transition away from imported oil.

9:35 PM McCain throws out nasty zinger about Obama raising taxes. I am not watching CNN, but I suspect the audience response probably was heavily negative. Bad move John.

9:37 PM Obama jabs without being nasty. He says the "Straight Talk Express just lost a wheel" when McCain talked about taxes. Obama owned the tax answer. If you make under quarter million dollars not a dime of your taxes will increase. If you make less than $200,000 you will get a tax cut. McCain wants to give $200 billion to big corporations and another $100 billion to millionaires. Wall Street CEO would get $700,000 in tax cut under McCain’s plan while the middle class get nothing.

9:40 PM McCain says he will answer question on how to fix social security, but then doesnt answer question. Says he’d behave like Reagan and figure it out – I almost that he said he would ask what a maverick would do and then do it! ๐Ÿ™‚ On medicare, he says he’d form a commission to study the problem.

9:45 PM Obama’s best answer of the night was on response to global warming. He said we needed to invest heavily in green technologies. It will create jobs and fuel our economy the same way the computer revolution did.

9:50 PM McCain just referred to Obama as "that one", pointed at Obama without looking at him. Now, that was a very nasty turn. He is upset and he is speaking very fast.

9:55 PM McCain is walking around as Obama is speaking on healthcare. Not sure what is going on, but he may still be upset from the previous question.

10:00 PM McCain speaking about deregulating healthcare across state lines. He says Obama will fine you if you dont insure your kid. He is now pleading. He tried to make some joke about hair transplants – not sure if he was trying to make a dig at Biden.

10:02 PM McCain says healthcare is not a right, but a responsibility.

10:05PM Obama says healthcare is a right. Says his mother died of cancer still fighting with insurance companies to get coverage. Says McCain voted against children’s healthcare.

10:08PM Topic switching to national security…

10:10 PM Question is how will economic problems impact our ability to be a peacemaker in the world. McCain responds by saying we need a strong military, and we have fought from freedom all over the world. He was right about the surge, he says. He says Obama doesnt understand foreign policy.

10:12 PM Obama says he agrees with McCain he doesnt understand some things. He says he doesnt understand how we attack a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, while al Qaeda gets stronger elsewhere. He says McCain cheerled the invasion of Iraq. Obama says we do not have the resources nor the allies to act worldwide because of the blunder in Iraq. He will change that.

10:15 PM McCain says he was right on the surge, Obama would have brought troops home in defeat.

10:20 PM Question is whether we should attack al Qaeda in Pakistan. Obama says if Pakistan will not act, the US will. McCain says that we cant announce our intentions, we must work with our allies, etc. Obama comes back on rebuttal and says #1 priority has to be to kill bin Laden – if US has him in our sights, we take him out. McCain thinks he is scoring points here, but Obama has not only the right strategy here, but also the strategy that most Americans would want after what bin Laden did on 9/11. I am not sure why McCain goes at this over and over again – its a lose lose for him, makes him look weak.

10:25 PM Obama says McCain doesnt speak softly. McCain sang "bomb bomb bomb Iran" and threatened to nuke North Korea. Doesnt sound like a guy who speaks softly and carries a big stick.

10:27 PM Obama says we need to focus on Afghanistan, move troops to Afghanistan from Iraq. McCain says Obama right about Afghanistan, but the surge in Iraq worked dammit! Says General Patreas will set strategy in Afghanistan.

10:30 PM McCain lobbies for Georgia to be in NATO. Apparently Georgian money going to McCain advisors is really paying off.

10:31 PM McCain says Obama would talk to Iran without preconditions, and McCain wont allow a "second holocaust". Obama says he must use all tools at our disposal, including diplomacy to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Says he favors direct talks to deliver tough message.

10:35 PM Last question is what dont you know and how will you learn it. Obama says its the challenges you dont expect are the ones you are likely to face as president. Talks about his personal history and the deteriorating conditions in the last 8 years. He says this country gave him opportunity and nowhere else would it have been possible. Powerful summation. McCain also talks about his personal story. He says he believes in this country and wants another opportunity to serve. He also finishes with a nice summation.

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7 Responses to Round Two: Old Man Yells At Cloud

  1. What a fun few days in my hometown! Barack Obama prepared for tonight’s debate in Asheville, and the whole town was on Cloud Nine! He drew 28,000 at a rally Sunday (not bad for a town of 70,000 people! Do you participate in rallies when a candidate comes to a town near you, or do you just hear about it on the news?
    You can vote in my poll regarding who you think won the debate tonight at peoplepowergranny.blogspot.com

  2. Mash says:

    Hey Granny, 28,000 is pretty awesome. I got to see Obama once at Nissan Pavillion close to my house and then I drove down to Fredericksburg to try to see him. It was an overflow crowd of 26,000 so I only got to hear him from the back – but it was still great.

    (voted in your poll)

  3. my dad recently got a Hair Transplant, it was very expensive but the results are worth it.-,”

  4. my dad had a hair transplant and it was very costly“~

  5. gas prices would steadily go up and the supply dwindle and the saudis like to increase their profit margin’~~

  6. my dad recently had a hair transplant. the results were great but the cost is very high*~.

  7. gas prices will always increase that is why we should focus on alternative energy sources ”

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