<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/59124558@N06/8048744369/” title=”McCain-follows-Obama-in-3rd-debate by dengre.bj, on Flickr”><img src=”http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8039/8048744369_1fe3cb77a0.jpg” width=”460″ height=”349″ alt=”McCain-follows-Obama-in-3rd-debate”></a>
Debates are pretty scripted, rehearsed and over-hyped. More than that, they do not really matter all that much when you look into their impact over the years. Still, it is early October and space must be filled.
The above photo is real. It was taken by Reuters at the end of the 3rd debate in 2008. For me, it captured the 2008 campaign perfectly. It was a moment of magic.
Is it possible that the debate this week might also produce a rare moment of debate magic? Could there be a fresh image like the one above? Could Mittens craft a new anvil for his campaign with a catchphrase or zinger to aide his fall. Or perhaps he’ll go for the full wingnut and have a Ni-CLANG moment.
What do think…
If nothing else, a thousand drinking games will bloom (and we needed a new open thread to plan them).
Cheers
Lojasmo
I have nothing to add, but that I loved that moment. Best moment of the entire cxmpaign.
Bruce S
Has anyone ever figured out what this was about?
Reasonable 4ce
What exactly is a Ni-CLANG moment? I’m too lazy and drunk to Google it.
Southern Beale
My favorite part about the above-pictured moment were all the photoshopped parodies. I posted some on my blog at the time.
The internet wins the media cycle.
Yutsano
Every time Willard says, “Job Creators”, chug.
Ripley
Release THAT ONE!
Just Some Fuckhead
Any bets on how long it will be until Romney slips up and asks Obama to fetch him and the moderators some more refreshment?
RedKitten
@Reasonable 4ce: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcZ9ku_wInw
Bruce S
@Reasonable 4ce:
“Clang” is where they bleep out the “gger.” I’m pretty sure.
Like Santorum’s attempt to turn his “Black” into “Bla…hhh”
JPL
I just want to find Mr. Puddles. Also, too.. two chugs for a comment about losing our freedoms. I’m still looking for Mr. Puddles and haven’t had time to look for my freedoms.
Joel
I’m tired of the constant discussion of “NI-clang” moments. Not going to happen. And if it did, it would have been preceded by many more significant moments. Let’s face the opponents we have, who are plenty bad enough.
That said, Sam Wang makes a persuasive argument that the debates matter; more for the brand, not the candidates.
beltane
Ugh, there is a photoshopped picture of Romney & Ryan tongue kissing that’s making the rounds on FB. Brain bleach please.
Ripley
It’s a reference to a self-censored “n!gger” utterance in Blazing Saddles.
RedKitten
And the more this campaign goes on, the more that Obama reminds me of Sheriff Bart…
Omnes Omnibus
@RedKitten: Mongo have feelings for Sheriff Bart.
third of two
This had me giggling all day.
I am easily amused.
wasabi gasp
Search the black fella’s pockets and I’ll bet you find that old man’s air.
Arclite
You know, this was just McCain getting confused about which way to go around the table. As much as I despise McCain, I think this is used completely out of context. Not that the Repubs don’t use Dem stuff out of context all the time, but still.
raven
Anybody watch “Call the Midwife”? It’s a BBC show and really good!
forked tongue
@Southern Beale:
Yes, since this photo was posted here I was going to direct people to the WFMU remix contest. But I can’t believe you didn’t include this immortal classic among your favorites:
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/images/2008/11/04/ralphie_mccain.jpg
Until the day I die this image will never not make me laugh.
zzyzx
@Joel:
Agreed. It would be nice to have an easy win but we’re going to have to assume that our opponents aren’t going to be that dumb.
Violet
@Bruce S:
If you look at the video, McCain wasn’t sure which was to go to exit the stage after the debate. He did that thing we’ve all done at some point–move one way, move the other, then realize you are doing it and mimic your back and forth movements while making a face. Unfortunately for him, it’s this face.
I felt so bad for McCain and yet it’s one of the most hilarious things to come out of the whole campaign.
Narcissus
The old man is clearly thinking “dat ass”
kc
I know it’s not fair and stuff, but that pic never fails to make me bust out laughing.
maya
Only if Romney drops trou.
MazeDancer
Sen McCain looks ridiculous, but Sen Obama looks 23. He looks so vastly younger than he does now. The President is a young, fit, happy, healthy guy with a loving family. But the stress of that office has aged him enormously.
How would McCain have ever withstood it? Thanks to all the Dieties of Freedom McCain and that insane Hearbeat away Veep candidate were not elected.
Violet
@maya: I saw what you did there. Golf clap.
Geoduck
If we’re dredging up old photos, here’s a classic Romney moment from 2008. Even the Freepers couldn’t put a good spin on that one.
Lojasmo
@Arclite:
At the very least, it was unpresidential, and undecorous.
Lojasmo
@Arclite:
At the very least, it was unpresidential, and undecorous.
S. cerevisiae
So has anyone seen anything about Drudges big scoop? Is it the Whitey tape? Has Chief Editor Korir been notified?
MoZeu
@Southern Beale: Believe it or not, I have never seen these before, proving that this is the picture that just keeps on giving. I just about peed my pants.
Lawrence
http://www.hostesscakes.com/products/zingers
Zingers come in 3 flavors. Raspberry (red) zingers that appeal broadly to the White Working Class Males. Vanilla zingers for Mitt’s friends in the 1%. And chocolate zingers for the Ni-Clang crowd. I would donate tonight if the DNC parked a Hostess truck in front of the debate venue.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Geoduck:
In one swift move, the alien stripped off it’s protective blue-green skin and revealed the body of a perfectly manicured Republican politician. It began immediately to shake hands with onlookers.
SiubhanDuinne
@Southern Beale:
I’m sitting here laughing like a drain.
Bruce S
@Violet:
“I felt so bad for McCain”
Oh come on! No you don’t.
jibeaux
@S. cerevisiae: I started the video, noticed that it was a speech from 2007 at Hampton University attended by many many people, clearly quite public and not surreptitiously recorded by a bartender, and also noticed that it was apparently talked about it in 2008 without much fanfare.
Bombshell fail, in other words.
Bruce S
@Joel:
Yeah, no need to Clang out “The Food Stamp President!”
Violet
@Bruce S: No, really, I did at the time. I could totally see myself doing the same thing and then the camera snaps at the completely worst time and there’s that picture for posterity. I could see what he was doing and the human part of me felt for him.
Didn’t stop me from laughing at the photochops, nor did it stop me from being glad it happened to McCain and not Obama. But yeah, I did feel bad for him.
Bruce S
@Violet:
Sounds like it was pretty fleeting…
burnspbesq
@Yutsano:
Why are you trying to kill everyone?
Violet
@burnspbesq: I think Mitt’s going to try some really dumb line like “I’m for The 100% of America” and expect people to respond positively and instead there’s going to be this feeling of “Huh? WTF?” in the audience.
Violet
@Bruce S: I still feel bad for McCain. Simultaneously, I think it’s hysterically funny.
RaflW
Well, if the Hannity-Carlson ni*clang meltdown tonight is any indication, Mittens has the worst back-up team ever. Way worse that Gramps McCain.
Splitting Image
@Southern Beale:
My favourite version of that picture was this one:
Evolution
There are probably other Republicans more worthy of being photoshopped into that picture, but McCain made his bed (and brought Sarah Palin to national prominence) so screw him.
evap
Nothing will ever top Mr. Puddles. Even now, four years later, I am giggling when I think about it. Jon Stewart’s finest moment.
low-tech cyclist
I know what Romney’s big zinger is!
He’s gonna ask the audience, “Are you better off now than my horse was four years ago?”
His second big zinger is…well, as you know, there’s been a buildup that he’s going to show empathy at tomorrow’s debate. So his second zinger is:
“See, I’m being empathetic! Look at me being empathetic!”
It would be more accurate without the ’em’, of course.
artem1s
the Mittster was having some faux outrage about something Joe Biden said referring to the Bush tax cuts ‘burying the middle class’. It was pretty tame considering it was Joe. So my bet is the ‘moment’ is going to come during the VP debate. Quite possibly something along the lines of Joe doing a spit take every 5 seconds as a reaction to Ryan’s gob-stopping stream of never ending lies.
James E. Powell
@artem1s:
I expect Biden to spend most of the debate smiling at Ryan like a combat veteran listening to a recent ROTC graduate describe his plans.
I’d be inclined to just call him a liar, but Biden is a much better man than I am.
Violet
@James E. Powell: I agree. I think Biden is going to go for affable and try to paint Ryan as an adorable puppy who is going to chew up everyone’s shoes if he’s let out of the kitchen.
Seonachan
I can’t believe no one linked to this photoshop yet.
Or this one.
wasabi gasp
There probably isn’t a hippie on Earth who would like to see Obama crush Romney more than does McCain.
Nell
My kid just saw this photo and asked: ” What’s he saying? ‘I didn’t like that hotdog’?”
wasabi gasp
wrong pipe wiener
stinger
I look for one of the zingers to be along the lines of “Mr. President, are you ready to go? ‘Cause you’re fired! (I like being able to fire people.)”
Forum Transmitted Disease
I love that pic. McCain actually displaying a sense of humor. If he’d managed to throttle back his raging inner asshole, he might have done much better in that matchup.
Better than Romney, who shows no sign whatsoever of possessing a sense of humor. Or human decency, for that matter.
Soonergrunt
@maya:
I see what you did there.
EDIT–Violet (and probably others) beat me to it.
Soonergrunt
Wingnut fail:
Drudge-Hyped Obama Video Turns Out To Be Publicly Covered Speech From 2007
Where is Political Observer/Veritas/Shit-Britches or whatever he’s calling himself this week to tell us all about how “this is going to blow the lid off, man”?
Djur
@Lojasmo: Check out George Fuckin’ Will over here. Before you know it, presidential candidates will be wearing bluejeans and drinking beer instead of tailored suits and peasant blood.
Jamie
Sure, John McC just fucked up. It is still really funny.
I don’t like the guy, but I can cut him that much slack. However, he needs to have a sense of humor, too.
Opie_jeanne
@raven: There’s a movie??? I read the book. It’s excellent.
John Revolta
I still think “Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran” was pretty funny. Too bad he probably meant it.
Arclite
@Lojasmo:
I’m calling bullshit here. It was a human moment, we all get confused, and McCain was saying, “I screwed up going around the table, and see what an idiot I was there.” Is he an idiot in general? Sure, but this event has nothing to do with that. It’s much better when his idiot moments are deep character flaws like “I don’t know how many houses I own” or Mitt’s 47% comment.
xian
@Bruce S: saw it live. McCain turned the wrong way, turned back, and was making a silly sort of “look I’m confused” face, saying “bleagh”
xian
@Violet: also “My fellow prisoners.”
Patricia Kayden
@Soonergrunt: But Blackity Black Obama speaking in front of a Blackity Black audience is still VERY scary after 5 years, doncha know?!!