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You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2008 / Debate Post Thread

Debate Post Thread

by John Cole|  October 15, 20089:45 pm| 112 Comments

This post is in: Election 2008

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Since I did not watch, I will state for the record that this was the best debate. This guy was glued to the tv screen:

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112Comments

  1. 1.

    liberatemeiexinfernis

    October 15, 2008 at 10:26 pm

    McCains handlers told him to comeback with a solid response to every Obama answer (ie dont give Obama any ground) and everytime he did, it seems like he didn’t know what to say….its like he forgot and fizzled…its like that feeling you know..of running to the restroom to take a dump and then losing the desire to take it once u get there

  2. 2.

    jnfr

    October 15, 2008 at 10:28 pm

    McCain was angry and twitchy and really unpleasant to watch.

  3. 3.

    plus C

    October 15, 2008 at 10:28 pm

    McCain actually said Obama voted against Breyer. And nobody laughed at him.

  4. 4.

    jrg the plumber

    October 15, 2008 at 10:30 pm

    If you sit by the river long enough, you will watch your lifeless enemy float by.

  5. 5.

    BP

    October 15, 2008 at 10:31 pm

    I wish I hadn’t watched.

    TPM promises a video compilation of McCain facial expressions and tics. When it’s put together, I’m sure it will serve as the best possible summary of the debate.

  6. 6.

    malraux

    October 15, 2008 at 10:32 pm

    Has anyone counted the ratio of chance to offer the final word on a topic? At the start, it seemed like McCain got all the last words.

  7. 7.

    plus C

    October 15, 2008 at 10:32 pm

    And somebody should have brought a box of kleenex the second time McCain brought up John Lewis. And maybe an inhaler, since I could hear him breathing the whole time.

  8. 8.

    J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford

    October 15, 2008 at 10:34 pm

    If you enjoyed Obama-McCain 1 and Obama-McCain 2 then you will love Obama-McCain 3. Obama was cool, calm and collected – yet aggressive enough to show he’s not a wimp. At times McCain looked like he was going to bust an aneurysm. Once Obama coolly discussed Ayers and Acorn (35 mins in) McCain seemed to deflate and wound up sputtering the first thing that popped into his head.

    The numbers back confirm that it was more of the same. CNN and CBS both show Obama won hands down.

  9. 9.

    Delia

    October 15, 2008 at 10:39 pm

    McCain is a very, very confused and unpleasant old man. He not only confused Breyer and Alito; he confused Down Syndrome and autism. He also makes funny faces at the teevee camera.

    I’m going to watch a tape of last night’s Daily Show and then maybe Stargate Continuum to see if the Stargate team can finally defeat the last of the Goa’uld. I’m sick of politics and need change I can believe in.

  10. 10.

    gbear

    October 15, 2008 at 10:39 pm

    Well this debate was pretty much like the others for me. I didn’t watch it and when I tried to check out the live blogging on BJ, the site was inaccessible until an hour after the debate ended. This is my favorite site for both main posts and comments so I felt somewhat deprived. I missed you guys. (edit)

    Everyone except the TV pundits seem to think that Obama blew McCain out of the water tonight. The polling has been devastatingly pro-Obama. My favorite summation of the night was from John Aravosis:

    John McCain just spent the last 90 minutes sitting across from the next president of the United States, and he knew it. And he wasn’t pleased.

    Must suck to be him tonight. I want to see his campaign staff twist in the wind tomorrow.

  11. 11.

    burnspbesq

    October 15, 2008 at 10:44 pm

    Two pathetic demises in one night – McCain and the Dodgers.

    Neither will be missed.

    Manny Ramirez has a better chance of being elected mayor of Boston than McCain has of being elected President of the United States.

    "But, but, but, Manny’s not running."

    "Precisely."

  12. 12.

    kommrade jakevich

    October 15, 2008 at 10:44 pm

    Bu-but, McPOW promised to "whip his you-know-what."

    And now the angry old man will have to face his angry voters (who probably thought he’d come out with a cat-o-nine-tails and flog the MUPpity Negro), and explain why the only smacked ass was his own.

    Was it only Monday, that McPOW told his friends "We’ve got them right where we want them"?

    Oookay. File "McPOW is a bottom," under shit we didn’t really need to know.

  13. 13.

    Brian J

    October 15, 2008 at 10:45 pm

    1. I think Brad DeLong is right in saying that joetheplumber.com, the site of a plumber from San Antonio, Texas, is about to have massive traffic.

    2. I also think the D. Aristophanes is right when he says that McCain "has a thing for exposed ass cracks." What else could explain his insistence on mentioning this man no matter what sort of question was asked? If that’s not a man crush, I don’t know what is.

    3. I loved that the people working in the background laughed out loud when David Gergen was asked where McCain goes from here and what he does now and then responded "Beats the hell out of me."

    4. I really, really love that the commentators on television are talking about Indiana and North Carolina was legitimate swing states. I also like seeing Georgia and North Dakota and other red states light pink. This is how you expand the map, motherfuckers.

    5. I really hate the fact that my winter allergies have returned. I guess it’s now time for me to only be able to breathe out of at most one nostril at a time.

  14. 14.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    October 15, 2008 at 10:45 pm

    Winners: plumbers named Joe. Autistic children. Everyone who enjoys seeing Bill Bennet, David Gregory, Andrea Mitchell and other dishonest shitnozzles fume impotently at the thought of Americans being impudent enough to form their own opinions.

    Losers: condescending assholes who blink a lot and make small children cry when they grin.

  15. 15.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    October 15, 2008 at 10:45 pm

    McCains handlers told him to comeback with a solid response to every Obama answer (ie dont give Obama any ground) and everytime he did, it seems like he didn’t know what to say….its like he forgot and fizzled…its like that feeling you know..of running to the restroom to take a dump and then losing the desire to take it once u get there

    Or waking up at three in the morning and really really having to piss and then.. nothing.

  16. 16.

    Crusty Dem

    October 15, 2008 at 10:47 pm

    I’m sorry you missed it. Ok, that’s a little strong, but I will say that Schieffer was infinitely better than Brokaw, Ifill, or Lehrer. Straightforward, open-ended questions, the opportunity for interactions, just a perfect setup for a solid debate. The only disappointment was the candidates. Obama was good, light on his feet, unflappable, solid. McCain started off ok, but he devolved into desperation after ~30 minutes. His one "zinger" was the laughable "I’m not George W Bush" line, which would’ve been pretty weak even with a good delivery, which McCain is not gifted with… Everything was pretty well downhill from there; McCain is incapable of attacking Obama effectively, while Obama just didn’t feel the need to return fire.

    I’m not sure that Obama won, but I’m certain that McCain lost. He’s basically unarmed out there and it’s painful to watch him struggle, or it would if I didn’t find him so despicable.

    Crusty +3 (I can’t handle a debate with any less)

  17. 17.

    Comrade Nixon Hailfire Palin

    October 15, 2008 at 10:48 pm

    I have taken exams where I knew I was toast and couldn’t wait for the time to be up. McCain has three friggin’ weeks. I feel for him.

  18. 18.

    jnfr

    October 15, 2008 at 10:49 pm

    "No one is pro-abortion" is exactly the right answer to that question, but he could add something like "Who do you want to decide whether you can have an abortion? Do you want the state deciding, or do you want to make that decision for yourself, with your family and your doctors and your clergy or friends?"

  19. 19.

    Cassidy

    October 15, 2008 at 10:50 pm

    Just once I wish Obama had called him a lying sack of shit, though.

  20. 20.

    John O

    October 15, 2008 at 10:51 pm

    The snap polls tell the story.

    It’s going to be hard for McCain to recover.

    The next few days’ poll results will be interesting.

  21. 21.

    jibeaux

    October 15, 2008 at 10:51 pm

    The fundamentals of McCain’s campaign are strong.

  22. 22.

    Dulcie

    October 15, 2008 at 10:51 pm

    @plus C: Thinking that Obama was in the Senate to vote on Breyer’s confirmation to SCOTUS and thinking that his running mate’s baby is autistic just shows how much this man needs to be kept far, far away from any type of power. I hope that Arizonans send him back to his ranch in Sedona in 2010.

    I can’t believe he actually mocked women about abortion – that women or their doctors are faking serious health conditions in order to have an abortion? WTF? He didn’t do himself any favors with independent women tonight.

  23. 23.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    October 15, 2008 at 10:52 pm

    Do you want the state deciding, or do you want to make that decision for yourself, with your family and your doctors and your clergy or friends?"

    Joe the Plumber should be making decisions about our plumbing.

  24. 24.

    Brian J

    October 15, 2008 at 10:53 pm

    Bu-but, McPOW promised to "whip his you-know-what."

    If that was his goal, then as they say on the Internets, EPIC FAIL.

    Of course, tomorrow, the spin from McCain at a rally will go like this:
    My friends, this is what the angry left fails to see. Their candidate may be ahead in the polls. Their candidate may have more money than me. Their candidate might have informed opinions and concise answers to our nation’s problems. Their candidate may be able to answer a debate question coherently. My friends, the angry left, the angry liberals of this country, this is what I–what we–what some of the American people–the angry left–the Democrats–fail to see. They fail to see it, my friends. They fail to see how angry people are. My friends, I am angry, I am very angry. I am angry about earmarks. I am angry about spending that has gone way out of control. My friends, if Barack Obama, if he cannot control–if Barack Obama cannot control the incredible levels of spending on negative advertising he’s spending on–my friends–if he can’t control that, how is he going to control spending in Washington? My friends, this election is about a choice. It’s about how angry the American people are. I understand anger. I understand it. I know how to go after it, my friends. I know how to get it, how to defeat it. I understand that. I’m going to eliminate anger….[pause for awkward eyebrow movement] My friends, we have them right where we want them.

  25. 25.

    Tsulagi

    October 15, 2008 at 10:54 pm

    Since I did not watch

    Didn’t miss a whole lot. Biggest think I took away from it was you could almost smell the desperation in McCain through the TV.

    McCain finally brought out in a debate the serious wingnut adults’ arrows they just know are Obama slayers: Ayers, ACORN, and infanticide. About the only one left out was the birth certificate and citizenship. Maybe Palin is saving that arrow in her quiver.

    No doubt McCain following the lead of the shining lights in Righty World will prove to be grand strategery. Commander Erick of the 1st Amored ShortBus at RedState thinks so…

    Tonight we finally saw what so many of us have been waiting for. John McCain mopped the floor with Barack Obama.
    …
    Not sure if he was then talking about Palin or the election, but the excitable Erick later followed…
    This becomes very doable for John McCain tonight. It becomes very doable.

    I think at this point we’re all waiting for Joe the Plumber make an appearance so we can get the final verdict. Sorta like Groundhog Day.

  26. 26.

    Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)

    October 15, 2008 at 10:54 pm

    Watch this video of McCain reacting to Obama; unbelievable.

    McCain and his handlers are very tone-deaf if they think Americans give a rat’s ass about William Ayers. But McCain had backed himself into a corner on the Ayers issue, and thus was forced to face it.

    There were two possible outcomes: 1) He could raise some doubts about Obama’s character, or 2) Obama would snatch the issue away from him and beat him senseless with it.

    You know what happened, don’t you?

  27. 27.

    John O

    October 15, 2008 at 10:54 pm

    Right on, jnfr.

    It’s all about control, and Obama blew an opportunity there.

    Still, he’s in good shape, and what you pointed out is pretty clearly what he believes.

    I watched on CNN to get the dial reactions, as well as the pie charts of the pundits, because I find both so funny, but something jumped out at me tonight, and that was women were wildly more positive about Obama than they were McCain.

    Still, since I think Cheney got his personal invitations out to terrorists to attack on Nov. 3 before his old black decrepit heart went south again, I take nothing for granted.

  28. 28.

    jrg the plumber

    October 15, 2008 at 10:54 pm

    My Friends, I am worried about the competency of our American senior citizens. They are below the world average in Math, Science, English, and Current Events.

  29. 29.

    Comrade Jake

    October 15, 2008 at 10:55 pm

    Just once I wish Obama had called him a lying sack of shit, though.

    Me too, but you know what – he’s got our votes. Tonight was clearly about going after the remaining undecideds. And on that front, only one of these guys is capable of showing any restraint, and it ain’t the cranky old dude.

    I love the insta-polls, because they throw such a monkey-wrench into the mediots’ attempts to construct a "McCain won" narrative or that he had his strongest debate. Look for those to be gone next cycle.

  30. 30.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    October 15, 2008 at 10:57 pm

    I wonder how General Petraeus feels after being forsaken for Joe the Plumber? John swore they’d be BFF. I kind of feel bad for the guy.

    [edit – Tsulagi beat me to it:]
    And also for Erick at RedState, whistling past the graveyard:

    Tonight we finally saw what so many of us have been waiting for. John McCain mopped the floor with Barack Obama.
    …
    Throughout the night, Barack Obama looked distant, like he did not want to be there, like he was annoyed. He really looked annoyed all night.
    …
    McCain on the other hand looked like the comeback kid — the guy who knew he had to do well. And he did.
    …
    Here is why it mattered.
    …
    Between October 24th and 27th of 1980, Jimmy Carter was ahead of Ronald Reagan by six points. Obama is up three in the traditional Gallup poll and up eight in the expanded Gallup poll.
    …
    This becomes very doable for John McCain tonight. It becomes very doable.

    Keep talking, Erick. You just might convince yourself.

  31. 31.

    Brian J

    October 15, 2008 at 10:58 pm

    Thinking that Obama was in the Senate to vote on Breyer’s confirmation to SCOTUS and thinking that his running mate’s baby is autistic just shows how much this man needs to be kept far, far away from any type of power. I hope that Arizonans send him back to his ranch in Sedona in 2010.

    I disagree. Those are honest mistakes.

    I think he needs to be kept away from a position of power because, after spending almost three decades in Washington and almost two years on the campaign trail, he still can’t articulate a coherent policy for almost anything. It doesn’t look like he doesn’t care. With each passing day, it looks like he doesn’t get it.

  32. 32.

    SnarkyShark

    October 15, 2008 at 10:58 pm

    Bama won. He did exactly what he was trying to do. He is surfing a wave and giving Kelly Sl8ter a run for the title.

    Its less about merely standing up and thrashing some mushburgers, and more about riding huge pipe while totally redefining the sport.

    Plus he totally pissed in KKKarls face.

    Rove politics exposed, staked through the heart and given a garlic flavored enema on a Mexican beach at high noon.

  33. 33.

    WarrenTerragon

    October 15, 2008 at 10:58 pm

    McCain actually said Obama voted against Breyer. And nobody laughed at him.

    Obama probably palled around with people who voted against Breyer.

    Same thing.

  34. 34.

    handy

    October 15, 2008 at 10:59 pm

    So now the debates are over, do we finally get to see the Michelle "whitey" video?

    Oh, and Dodgers (aka Manny): HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

  35. 35.

    cain

    October 15, 2008 at 11:00 pm

    I’m ready to put money for election night so that we get some extra fire power so I can actually comment throughout that day.

    Did all of dailykos show up or something? Good grief.

    cain

  36. 36.

    Comrade Trotsky

    October 15, 2008 at 11:00 pm

    I actually thought McCain did reasonably well on debating points, but of course it’s the visuals that ultimately determine who wins and loses. And it terms of visuals, McCain was a disaster tonight. His bulging eyes and weird facial expressions will dominate the media narrative over the next few days. I can’t wait to see what SNL does with that.

  37. 37.

    kommrade jakevich

    October 15, 2008 at 11:01 pm

    This post-debate pic needs to race through the internons like Drain-o.

  38. 38.

    Joe the Plumber

    October 15, 2008 at 11:02 pm

    With the amount of tongue juts, McCain did to my butt tonight, my crack is now clean.

    Now if only Palin would do the same thing to my pipe.

  39. 39.

    Comrade Jake

    October 15, 2008 at 11:02 pm

    Heh. Josh at TPM writes:

    How long does a presidential candidate have to go on Intrade before they get de-listed?

    Check out the Intrade nos if you get a chance.

  40. 40.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    October 15, 2008 at 11:02 pm

    I love the insta-polls, because they throw such a monkey-wrench into the mediots’ attempts to construct a "McCain won" narrative or that he had his strongest debate. Look for those to be gone next cycle.

    Or seriously abused by packing them with fake "undecideds."

  41. 41.

    ronathan richardson

    October 15, 2008 at 11:02 pm

    CNN and CBS polls confirm that McCain’s strategy of explicitly twisting what Obama says and rolling his eyes doesn’t work.

  42. 42.

    Seanly

    October 15, 2008 at 11:02 pm

    McCain came across as a big old asshole. I think he did ruffle Obama a little early on, but then Obama kept swatting down McCain’s lousy attacks from the previous debates.

    A hatchet & a scalpel to federal spending? Fuck that.

    I, for one, welcome more government spending. I work in the infrastructure business (design bridges) and I think when the economy totally tanks we can put all you muthafuggers to work rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. Works projects, biatches! I design ’em, you all build them. Every dollar spent on infrastructure generates another six for the economy whereas a tax cut dollar generates a few cents.

    And the bridges don’t even have to be for cars & trucks. I’d do light rail, mag lev, whatevah.

    EDIT: I loved how McCain was staring at Obama for the first few minutes like his handlers told him to & then later on he was letting the LSD do it’s thing & looking all over the place.

  43. 43.

    Comrade Stuck

    October 15, 2008 at 11:03 pm

    I knew a guy once who had a bad case of hemorrhoids and every time he sat down he’d make faces and twist and squirm just like Mccain tonight. Maybe John just needs an assectemy on election night, when Obama hands it to him. He can take it home then and store it in a bottle of formaldahyde on the fireplace mantle.

  44. 44.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    October 15, 2008 at 11:03 pm

    His bulging eyes and weird facial expressions will dominate the media narrative over the next few days. I can’t wait to see what SNL does with that.

    The good news is that McCain doesn’t need a plane to fly back to Arizona tonight.

  45. 45.

    ThymeZoneThePlumber

    October 15, 2008 at 11:03 pm

    From now on, we are all Plumbers.

  46. 46.

    Delia

    October 15, 2008 at 11:04 pm

    You arrogant libs know nothing. If you would just bother to waltz over to the true believers at NoQuarter you would know that McCain performed brilliantly — BRIILLIANTLY, I SAY — and the MSM has been engaged in a conspiracy to hide Obama’s perfidy from the unsuspecting public.

    I won’t bother to link to the site as everyone here is familiar with all internet traditions and knows how to find the place just fine. Personally, I think it’s the Illuminati who are undermining McCain. I think they’re putting a combination of meth and Ambien in his morning coffee and it’s scrambled his brains. Maybe I should drop Agent Flowbee a line.

  47. 47.

    Joshua Norton

    October 15, 2008 at 11:04 pm

    Why bother watching. Everything will be replayed about 1,000 times for the rest of the week. You can’t escape it.

    I’ve stopped listening to Air America because I hear more Repiggie clips than I hear on Fox Noise.

    Just because the program host bashes the recorded wingnut afterwards doesn’t make any more pleasant to sit through.

  48. 48.

    gbear

    October 15, 2008 at 11:04 pm

    @Brian J:

    Well I don’t have to pay ANY attention to the elections from now on. Brian just did a perfect ‘shorter remainder of the McCain campaign’.

  49. 49.

    Jay C

    October 15, 2008 at 11:05 pm

    Well, trying to be reasonably fair about the third 2008 debate, I’d have to say Sen. Obama did moderately well: but that this is going to translate to a CW that this was a big "win" for him: mainly because Sen. McCain just did (IMO) so piss-poorly.

    McCain takeaway lines from 10/15:

    – Demeanor: tics, twitches, rictuses. Lookin’ good, John!

    – ACORN, Fannie Mae: bullshit: easily called

    – Joe the Plumber: another laugh-line for late-night comedians

    – Ayers "associations" : great slapdown by Barack: citing all Republicans

    – Taxes, taxes, taxes : (YAWN!)

    – Abortion: women’s health issues are "pro-abortion BS" Wow.

    – Negative campaigning: all Obama’s fault: McC "proud" of rally crowds

    That last bit will really look well when soundtracked over videos of Bubba Joe Klanboy and the Mrs. at a Sarah Palin rally, adorned with Confederate-flag tattoos and holding signs saying "Lynch Obama" (or more likely: "Linch").

    Game Over.

  50. 50.

    dobrojutro

    October 15, 2008 at 11:05 pm

    McSurly consistently dilutes his points with little bits of information that form ad-hoc in between ‘my friends’ and wherever his point ends-up. He can’t help himself when he remembers a talking point or thinks up a good line – has to blurt it out even if someone else is talking. Muddled information delivered irritably. How the hell did he get the nomination again?

  51. 51.

    handy

    October 15, 2008 at 11:06 pm

    assectemy

    Quick, somebody call Websters and the OED guys. I think we have a new candidate for Best New Word of 2008.

  52. 52.

    Nicole

    October 15, 2008 at 11:06 pm

    Am I the only one who noticed that McCain talked about being eloquent like it was a bad thing? God forbid we have a President who speaks well.

    Of course, as my husband points out, back in McCain’s youth they didn’t have words.

  53. 53.

    pendragon

    October 15, 2008 at 11:07 pm

    My Phillies are in the World Series. Was there some kind of debate tonight? Lol.

  54. 54.

    kommrade jakevich

    October 15, 2008 at 11:08 pm

    Between October 24th and 27th of 1980, Jimmy Carter was ahead of Ronald Reagan by six points. Obama is up three in the traditional Gallup poll and up eight in the expanded Gallup poll.

    Huh?

    OK, someone buy that dumb prick a new calendar. See if that helps.

    Christ. I guess thinking about baby rape has gotten him all disoriented.

  55. 55.

    Brian J

    October 15, 2008 at 11:09 pm

    I will say that Schieffer was infinitely better than Brokaw, Ifill, or Lehrer. Straightforward, open-ended questions, the opportunity for interactions, just a perfect setup for a solid debate.

    I thought this format was a lot better, too, although I wonder if it’s because of the moderator or because it was set up that way. I will piss on the media if I think it’s justified, but I’m legitimately curious if the moderator’s hands are tied when it comes to leeway with the format. Exactly what would have happened, for instance, if Ifil allowed back and forth between the candidates like Schieffer?

    Also, did anyone else notice that Schieffer went up and shook McCain’s hand, looking like he was pleased to see him, while he look in Obama’s direction as he walked past him? Unless I missed something, it looks like a pretty big snub of Obama.

  56. 56.

    ThymeZoneThePlumber

    October 15, 2008 at 11:12 pm

    McCain talked about being eloquent like it was a bad thing?

    Remember who he is talking to. Law and adjudication are bad things. Science is a bad thing. Health care access is a bad thing. Compassion for rape victims is a bad thing. Diplomacy is a bad thing.

    Eloquent talking? That’s for people who appreciate all those other bad things.

  57. 57.

    A Squirrel

    October 15, 2008 at 11:13 pm

    Larrison

    Pretty damned funny.

  58. 58.

    malraux

    October 15, 2008 at 11:13 pm

    @Brian J: I’ll agree that naming the wrong supreme court justice was just a brain fart. But the autistic thing wasn’t. He went on in some detail about the "autism epidemic" and how important it was to do extra research into the cause. It showed that he was pretty sure that his running mate’s newborn was autistic. Its not just that he named the wrong special needs category.

  59. 59.

    Comrade Jake

    October 15, 2008 at 11:13 pm

    Well the Frank Luntz focus group is full of win.

    "This is a good night for Barack Obama, Brit."

    Suck it, assholes.

  60. 60.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    October 15, 2008 at 11:13 pm

    @Nicole:

    Am I the only one who noticed that McCain talked about being eloquent like it was a bad thing? God forbid we have a President who speaks well.

    With his first "eloquent" jibe, I thought he managed to come off even snottier and more condescending that he did with "that one" in the last debate. John McCain, always exceeding expectations.

    @Jay C:

    – Negative campaigning: all Obama’s fault: McC "proud" of rally crowds

    I liked it when McCain tried to equate criticizing racist shitheads and scary whackjobs with attacking military wives and WWII vets. That was cute.

    Also, fuck those assholes at DKos. This will haunt my dreams.

  61. 61.

    Gary D

    October 15, 2008 at 11:14 pm

    I am sure Sarah Palin is surprised to find that she has a child with autism.

  62. 62.

    Comrade Snark Based Reality

    October 15, 2008 at 11:15 pm

    In honor of tonight’s snap polls:

    Gunman Kills 15 Potential Voters In Crucial Swing State

  63. 63.

    Dennis - SGMM

    October 15, 2008 at 11:16 pm

    McCain has definitely sewed up the woman’s vote. The way he said the word "health" iced it. Women may have suspected that selecting Caribou Barbie as his VP was an act of complete cynicism know now that it was.

    Watch for Cindy McCain to show up on crutches and sporting two black eyes after "suffering a fall."

  64. 64.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    October 15, 2008 at 11:16 pm

    I think McCain was telegraphing his post-Senatorial calling tonight: finding a cure for autism or special something or other.

  65. 65.

    Brian J

    October 15, 2008 at 11:18 pm

    Well I don’t have to pay ANY attention to the elections from now on. Brian just did a perfect ‘shorter remainder of the McCain campaign’.

    Thank you. After weeks of trying, I think I finally got it.

  66. 66.

    ThymeZoneThePlumber

    October 15, 2008 at 11:18 pm

    assectemy

    It needs to be ‘assectomy’, but, yeah.

  67. 67.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    October 15, 2008 at 11:19 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    I thought he was already booked to appear in Viagra commercials with Britney Spears.

  68. 68.

    kommrade jakevich

    October 15, 2008 at 11:22 pm

    @Brian J: My friend, that was alarmingly accurate.

  69. 69.

    Geeno

    October 15, 2008 at 11:24 pm

    Obama laid back and took what openings McCain gave him. McCain is at a reach disadvantage (to torture the boxing metaphore) and couldn’t get inside and land anything solid, which pissed him off, and it showed later in the debate.
    I’m inclined to agree with the pundits that this was McCain’s best showing, but, guess what, he still lost by a wide margin.
    If this debate has any effect on the polls – it’s to Obama’s good.

  70. 70.

    Brian J

    October 15, 2008 at 11:25 pm

    I liked it when McCain tried to equate criticizing racist shitheads and scary whackjobs with attacking military wives and WWII vets. That was cute.

    If by "cute" you mean pathetic, cowardly, and stupid, then yes.

    Seriously though, this goes back to what some blogger said a week or so ago. It might have been Steve Benen or someone like him, but regardless, the point is that even when the truth is easier, they lie, or do something similar. If McCain had simply said that they were campaigning in a tough manner and didn’t mean to incite any possible violence, it would have worked for him, at least partly. He could have mentioned, rightly, that the vast majority of the people there are not shouting out insane things without bringing up military wives and veterans to needlessly tug at the hearts of viewers. He could have brought up the rally the other day when he told a woman, "No, ma’am," when she said he was an Arab terrorist and countered with the claim that Obama was a good family man he just disagreed with. Instead, he skated around the issue like a child. The truth would have served him and his campaign very well, but he chose something else. It’s just incredible.

  71. 71.

    A Squirrel

    October 15, 2008 at 11:26 pm

    @kommrade jakevich:

    I could not believe those pics were real…Jesus…

  72. 72.

    jnfr

    October 15, 2008 at 11:27 pm

    @Dennis – SGMM:

    Dennis, I’ve often wondered about Cindy’s regular little injuries. Which probably makes me a terrorist.

  73. 73.

    Brian J

    October 15, 2008 at 11:30 pm

    but he could add something like "Who do you want to decide whether you can have an abortion? Do you want the state deciding, or do you want to make that decision for yourself, with your family and your doctors and your clergy or friends

    I’m pretty sure he said exactly that.

  74. 74.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    October 15, 2008 at 11:31 pm

    This will haunt my dreams.

    That’s Zombie McCain coming back from the dead for the eleventeenth time this election cycle.

  75. 75.

    Brian J

    October 15, 2008 at 11:32 pm

    He went on in some detail about the "autism epidemic" and how important it was to do extra research into the cause. It showed that he was pretty sure that his running mate’s newborn was autistic. Its not just that he named the wrong special needs category.

    That’s a good point.

  76. 76.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    October 15, 2008 at 11:34 pm

    That’s Zombie McCain coming back from the dead for the eleventeenth time this election cycle.

    Heez In my Airspace, Rearin Hiz Head

  77. 77.

    Dennis - SGMM

    October 15, 2008 at 11:34 pm

    How about that line about ACORN being a "threat to the fabric of democracy"? Kind of rich coming from any Republican supporter of G.W. Bush.

  78. 78.

    Willmoore Kendall

    October 15, 2008 at 11:36 pm

    Enjoy it while you can, moonbats!

  79. 79.

    DonnaInMichigan

    October 15, 2008 at 11:37 pm

    McCain 7.0, just doesn’t get it. He never said the "middle class" again tonight….although he could say Ayers, Acorn, a dozen times.

    Even his closing speech, it was ALL about him…..nothing about what HE as President will do for us, the middle class, the poor, the ones that are worried about our jobs, homes, healthcare..nothing…it was about HIM, and his accomplishments….

    Can you say:

    "President Barak Obama".

    ’nuff said.

  80. 80.

    Pastafarian

    October 15, 2008 at 11:39 pm

    Here’s a candid picture of Joe the Plumber.

  81. 81.

    dr. bloor

    October 15, 2008 at 11:45 pm

    4. I really, really love that the commentators on television are talking about Indiana and North Carolina was legitimate swing states. I also like seeing Georgia and North Dakota and other red states light pink. This is how you expand the map, motherfuckers.

    Anyone heard Mark Penn babbling lately about how Obama can’t win in the general because he lost to Clinton in Ohio and Pennsylvania?

  82. 82.

    Brian J

    October 15, 2008 at 11:48 pm

    McCain 7.0, just doesn’t get it. He never said the "middle class" again tonight….although he could say Ayers, Acorn, a dozen times.

    Have I been hallucinating, or was there some video of McCain addressing ACORN within the last year or two? I thought it was on TPM, but I can’t seem to find it.

    If there is such a video, and McCain did indeed do it, I am not sure why Obama didn’t bring it up. If the group is indeed so nefarious, it’s a fair question to wonder why McCain has associated himself with the group in the past.

  83. 83.

    L. Ron Obamanov

    October 15, 2008 at 11:48 pm

    Enjoy it while you can, moonbats!

    Oh yes, we will enjoy it for the next eight years.

    Also, your blog is first-rate spoof. Thank you for the laughs.

  84. 84.

    dr. bloor

    October 15, 2008 at 11:49 pm

    Can you say:
    "President Barak Obama".
    ‘nuff said.

    Somewhere, tonight, I would imagine John Paul Stevens was looking at the teevee screen with the same relieved gratitude that the Grail Knight had when Indiana Jones finally turned up to claim the grail at the end of "Last Crusade."

  85. 85.

    Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)

    October 15, 2008 at 11:51 pm

    @Willmoore Kendall:

    Enjoy it while you can, moonbats!

    I clicked over to yer blawg, Willmore. Six total comments since Oct. 2? Ouch…

  86. 86.

    jnfr

    October 15, 2008 at 11:51 pm

    There is video of McCain at an ACORN convention, and I don’t recall where I saw it, but DailyKos is a good bet. They find everything.

  87. 87.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    October 15, 2008 at 11:51 pm

    Anyone heard Mark Penn babbling lately about how Obama can’t win in the general because he lost to Clinton in Ohio and Pennsylvania?

    In Mark Penn’s defense, he’s a douchebag and moran.

  88. 88.

    Zuzu's Petals

    October 15, 2008 at 11:52 pm

    I can’t believe he actually mocked women about abortion – that women or their doctors are faking serious health conditions in order to have an abortion? WTF? He didn’t do himself any favors with independent women tonight.

    Yeah, Maddow and Matthews both busted him on that big time. They found whole finger quotes around the word "health" incredibly condescending and dismissive, and felt women of all political persuasions would be offended.

    I loved that Chris Matthews, talking to two male commentaters, said something like "If three guys can figure out it’s insulting to women, just imagine what women think."

  89. 89.

    boonagain

    October 15, 2008 at 11:52 pm

    Too fucking funny!!!
    Joe isn’t registered to vote!!

    Epic, epic fail.

    You can’t make this stuff up.

  90. 90.

    Zuzu's Petals

    October 15, 2008 at 11:53 pm

    There is video of McCain at an ACORN convention, and I don’t recall where I saw it, but DailyKos is a good bet. They find everything.

    Not just "at" the convention…he was the keynote speaker.

    Granted, it was on immigration topics, but still.

  91. 91.

    jnfr

    October 15, 2008 at 11:55 pm

    Just a note: earlier I had a BSoD on this thread and now it’s gone. Weird.

    Edit: Never mind, it’s back.

  92. 92.

    Phoebe

    October 15, 2008 at 11:55 pm

    Ok, but how do you even confuse Breyer and Alito? How?

  93. 93.

    Phoebe

    October 15, 2008 at 11:57 pm

    And thanks for mentioning Mark Penn. I’m so happy he’s gone.

  94. 94.

    kommrade jakevich

    October 15, 2008 at 11:58 pm

    @A Squirrel: Only the first one was up when I posted the link. (McPOW showing off the moves he learned as an extra in the Thriller video) Holy Christ on a surf board. I guess he’s trying to secure the vital "Bill the Cat Fan" voting block.

    Ack! Ack!

  95. 95.

    malraux

    October 16, 2008 at 12:00 am

    As a somewhat all encompassing point about all of the debates, one thing I’ve noticed as a significant difference between Obama-Biden and McCain-Palin is their formulations of solutions. McCain and Palin, when asked about an important problem, give a list of things that need to happen but that are not the domain of the president/federal government. Saying that we need computerized medical records is important, but unless you are proposing a way to get them, its not relevant to why you should be president. Obama and Biden will list a problem and what their solution is. It feels as if the Republicans believe that the role of the president is strictly symbolic.

  96. 96.

    Calouste

    October 16, 2008 at 12:08 am

    @Nicole:

    FTW!

    This literally made me cry with laughter.

  97. 97.

    Brian J

    October 16, 2008 at 12:11 am

    Granted, it was on immigration topics, but still.

    If the group is responsible for all of the economic destruction that McCain claims it is, then he should be asked about his association with the group.

  98. 98.

    Jeff

    October 16, 2008 at 12:12 am

    So Sarah Palin’s family values are ok to use when speaking of kids with special needs but not ok when it comes to abstinence only education and choice.

    Just checking.

  99. 99.

    Brian J

    October 16, 2008 at 12:13 am

    I loved that Chris Matthews, talking to two male commentaters, said something like "If three guys can figure out it’s insulting to women, just imagine what women think."

    Is it just me, or has he been quite watchable in recent weeks?

  100. 100.

    John Cole

    October 16, 2008 at 12:16 am

    @Brian J: Sarah Palin appalls him. We shouldn’t give him too much credit for that, since Palin is quite obviously appalling.

    Plus, one of the things that normally drives us crazy about Matthews is he embodies the inside-the-beltway civility stuff, which means he gets horrified when people in a campaign call someone a terrorist.

  101. 101.

    ThymeZoneThePlumber

    October 16, 2008 at 12:17 am

    If there is such a video, and McCain did indeed do it, I am not sure why Obama didn’t bring it up.

    Yes, seen it a couple times in the last few days, on Countdown I think. McCain made the keynote speech to ACORN two years ago.

    Here ya go, Maddow video.

  102. 102.

    NR

    October 16, 2008 at 12:19 am

    After the debate, I decided to look in over at Riverdaughter’s place. I haven’t been over there in a few months.

    They’ve gone past crazy and all the way into full-on, One-Flew-Over-The-Cuckoo’s-Nest, batshit nuts. I have to say, it made their comments on the debate highly entertaining.

  103. 103.

    Josh E.

    October 16, 2008 at 12:25 am

    @NR: Me too, Nr. It’s completely ridiculous. I figure the tone would be "they both suck" but they’re almost all McCain supporters now. Clearly they are principled progressives who care deeply about the issues.

  104. 104.

    Phoebe

    October 16, 2008 at 12:36 am

    Matthews was pretty good today talking to some Repub , grilling him about the purpose of the Ayers issue –
    "But what specifically does this reveal about Obama?" He wouldn’t let go, but the guy absolutely would not answer the question. Matthews finally let him get away with some blather about "character" without asking him "but what exactly does it say ABOUT his character?" But he tried.

  105. 105.

    Jeff

    October 16, 2008 at 12:37 am

    Also, anyone who talks about an Autism epidemic (codewords for the anti-vaccine crowd), does not deserve to talk about science.

  106. 106.

    cain

    October 16, 2008 at 1:24 am

    @kommrade jakevich:

    Jeezus, that was FUNNY. Pics already sent to family. They’ll get a good laugh out of that! haha

    cain

  107. 107.

    Delia

    October 16, 2008 at 1:30 am

    Actually, some of the people in my neck of the woods are ready to move past the vaccines-as-the-cause-of-autism and explore themes like timber companies and agribusiness using indiscriminate herbicide spraying that drifts into populated areas as possible villains. But I somehow don’t think that McCain wants to go there.

  108. 108.

    Delia

    October 16, 2008 at 1:34 am

    Poor Cindy. You can tell she knows she’s stuck with a crazy old coot who’s running around the country making a fool out of himself on her dollar.

  109. 109.

    rachel

    October 16, 2008 at 5:25 am

    @Delia: I feel sorry for her too, but… When someone picks a married man who’ll cheat on his wife to be with her, nobody can be terribly surprised that he’s a dick to her as well later on.

  110. 110.

    Chinn Romney, polygamist

    October 16, 2008 at 8:50 am

    That was some fab reality teevee! Does it get any better than watching an old albino mouse, painfully aware that he only had 90 minutes left to find the cheese lever, race around in circles, pressing every lever in sight, and none of them working? This compassionate conservative thinks not.

  111. 111.

    b. hussein canuckistani (comrade)

    October 16, 2008 at 9:41 am

    I’m sorry to see the Dodgers out. Every post-season game Joe Torre managed was a slap in the face to the Yankees.

  112. 112.

    Comrade Stuck

    October 16, 2008 at 9:48 am

    @ThymeZoneThePlumber:

    It needs to be ‘assectomy’

    Elitist!

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