Hi, PW. I thought Obama was great. He’s just so calm and smart. McC is just an angry old man living in the past. The past isn’t looking too good for most Americans.

PW!!

Unfortunately there are bunch of angry old folks who like him.

Among some folks online, the reaction was that Obama “lost” because he didn’t bite out McCain’s throat and spit it back in his face.

that doesn’t describe me – i thought the country lost because obama couldn’t articulate a way forward that addresses our very real problems.

Yeah. And considering how shook up folks are over the events of the past week, that very same calm competence that sounds boring to some bloggistas is like comforting mother’s milk to the uncommitteds.

The uncommitteds certainly thought he did. And it was to them, not us, that his words were addressed.

Actually, I’m not so sure about that. I think seniors are really scared now with good reason. Also seniors are not stupid – they have been through a lot of things and want some peace and stability in their last years. McC doesn’t show that he even understands that.

Good morning!

I am thinking more about the haters that the Bushies and McCainicacs surround themselves with and George’s 25%.

Yeah. Polling shows that Obama’s senior gap not only no longer exists, but that Obama now leads with them.

By the way: While I was hunting up the poll links, I found out that Ron “Rove/McCain” Fournier’s apparently been at it again, putting lies in the AP “fact check”.

Have you recovered from the convention and police state?

Last night at the Debate Party I went to…. (over 200 from the progressive groups) Meet in Tempe AZ…… one HRC diehard delegate said that Obama’s debate performance has moved her to Obama….. what we had was a lot of shouting out McCain lies….. and no one won the Debate bingo game…… dang ….

Obama was annoyed, clearly, at being called naive, etc. I wish he would have swatted at that fly. But I loooove that he brought up bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran!

All McCain needed to enhance his image was a cane to jab in the air for emphasis.

BarbinMD has that up over Kos.

What place was the party at in Tempe?

Great point PW!

It’s worth remembering that we are not the target audience – and Obama played very well with that audience.

Yup, that’s the link I found.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/…..ent-931946

Check out these new Obama ads by veterans. The ads shame McCain and all Republican chickenhawks.

Eggszacktly. Too many times we forget that we medium-to-high-info types aren’t the majority, much as we wish we were.

Al Rodgers’ screenshots of CBS’ instant-polling coverage lay it out quite nicely.

specter from the senate floor just said that the bailout package they are negotiating is now over 100 pages long.

I wish Obama had said something like Sen McShame can’t look me in the eye when he is lying about me

Great catch, Blue!

We all met at El Penasco Restaurant…. on a Friday night….. we took over the joint and used All their chairs….. One room had the DFA and the Drinking Liberally … and the other was all the Young D’s……

i thought the country lost because obama couldn’t articulate a way forward that addresses our very real problems.

Nicely said.

I understand ABC refused to interview Biden after the debates because they couldn’t interview Palin. Of course ABC didn’t mentioned the fact that Republicans are keeping Palin on a tight leash and under wraps because she is such a disaster. Wish there was someone to stick a microphone in the face of that pompous and pamered ass Charlie Gibson and ask him why Biden wasn’t interviewed.

Well if you can’t flim flam with something short and sweet make it long and dull.

The uncommitteds certainly thought he did. And it was to them, not us, that his words were addressed.

well, i’m uncommitted and obama could have won my vote this week. i am very sad that he did not. that he, in the midst of an economic crisis and and a mccain campaign on self destruct, continues to treat the campaign as an episode of american idol instead of an opportunity to seriously address, or even discuss, what is happening is profoundly disappointing.

I didn’t hear a lot of the things I would have liked to hear last night, but as others have pointed out I’m not the target audience at this point. I’m an educated voter with scruples so I can’t vote in a way that might allow McCain to win.

And as I pointed out on my blog this morning, even if I didn’t hear Obama say what I wanted to hear about foreign policy and the economy;

a) he was better than McBush/Chalin
b) Even if Obama isn’t where I’d like him to be, he will most certainly have advisers and cabinet members who are much closer to my opinion — as well as some who are more blue dog than I would like. But a McCain administration would be filled with radical, right-wing ideologues who are all nuttier than Johnny McLoon himself.

I think what irritated me during the debate is that McCain was acting petulant and not getting called on it. In hindsight, it was better not to confront him directly regarding his rudeness. The polls seem to suggest a significant number of undecided voters saw it for what it was.

Unless you have the luxury of dual citizenship you had better get off the fence and support Obama. What realistic choices do you have?

From McClatchy:

McCain misstates some facts in foreign-policy debate

…

On Iraq, McCain went after Obama for opposing the 2007 surge into Iraq, contending that the addition of 30,000 troops succeeded in suppressing the sectarian violence that was ravaging the country.

“This strategy has succeeded, and we are winning in Iraq. And we will come home with victory and with honor,” McCain said.

Many experts inside and outside the U.S. government, however, say that while the surge was crucial, it was not the only factor that has led to an 80 percent reduction in violence. Gen. David Petraeus, who oversaw the surge, has also said he will never declare a U.S. victory in Iraq.

“This is not the sort of struggle where you take a hill, plant the flag and go home to a victory parade,” Petraeus said in a Sept. 11 interview with the BBC. “It’s not war with a simple slogan.”

…

Ha! Obama won a point every time he got to say, “That’s not true!” No sane person can believe anything leaking from the mouth of McSame.

You are serious aren’t you?

i haven’t talked with my cousins yet about last night’s debate, but in my imagination (after many such conversations) i can just hear them saying some like the following:

I didn’t hear a lot of the things I would have liked to hear last night, but as others have pointed out I’m not the target audience at this point. I’m an educated voter with scruples so I can’t vote in a way that might allow Obama to win

What realistic choices do you have?

McCain and Obama are the choices, but are they realistic?

campaign as an episode of american idol instead of an opportunity to seriously address, or even discuss, what is happening is profoundly disappointing.

Sadly with our current political climate leaving the ultimate decision up to the small percentage of low-information voters, it kind of is an episode of American Idol.

If Obama seriously discussed the real issues facing us and the practical ways that we need to address them, it would have sunk his campaign. Most of the “swing voters” don’t want to hear that — I suspect you are the exception since you aren’t exactly a low-information voter. If the electorate was made up with more people like you, we probably woudln’t be facing a lot of the problems we face today.

There’s a lot about Obama that doesn’t thrill me, but since I think the alternative is a very real possibility of total fascism, I’m all in the Obama camp.

Obama trapped himself into supporting the right-wing position of demonizing Chavez, Ahmadinejad, Putin and other straw men/boogie men. Now he’s stuck defending these ridiculous indefensible positions and agreeing with McCain. Who has the hairier chest? Especially revolting is the Chavez demonizing. Driftglass said that Obama had treated the gutting of FISA as a speedbump. That seems apt.

Obama is still the lesser of two evils and McCain’s Bushco tax cut gifts to billionaires would surely be the end of us Soylent Greens. Perris’s “taking back what was stolen from the middle class” is a powerful argument against McCain’s tax and spend sliming. Too bad Obama is afraid to say it. It is a remark that can be defended. Evidence abounds.

McCain performed well beyond my expectations. He must have had the right dose of amphetamines to sharpen his mind and keep him alert. All the lying aside, he delivered a good performance.

Obama did what he needed to do in presenting himself to undecided voters as a nice, decent, smart, guy.

I found that Obama has been speaking clearly in the last week about the economic crisis and what he thinks needs to be done…. I am really surprised….. Obama has been having conference calls with congressional leaders since the announcement and working with them….

What marks it for me is a man who has run a excellent 50 state campaign like clockwork AND in the black….. who can and does focus on more than one thing at a time and grasps complex subjects…… I want the Obama management skills managing the Federal government……We all need to have the re-establishment our trust in the workings of our government…..

protest vote for, probably, whoever is expect to be in third place in my state.

LOL. Jabbing at the air with a cane for emphasis! Priceless.

Those are powerful.

Among some folks online, the reaction was that Obama “lost” because he didn’t bite out McCain’s throat and spit it back in his face.

guilty as charged.

It would have felt like justice. Just too fucking mad about too many things to easily stomach politeness when dealing with republicans.

Evidently, I am not in the majority.

fuck it, first we get him elected. He’s not going to do all I want to see done, but *anything* that he can do to stop the insanity of the last eight years is light-years better than the alternative.

To say that this country cannot survive another republican administration is not hyperbole or cliche. It is a very simple fact.

No snark.

I agree with all but the last. McCain’s nuttiness is second to none. The danger is that other right-wing idealogues in his administration would have the necessary competence to transform his nutty thoughts into actions.

I didn’t hear a lot of the things I would have liked to hear last night, but as others have pointed out I’m not the target audience at this point. I’m an educated voter with scruples so I can’t vote in a way that might allow Obama to win

Doh!!! That was a very serious mistake on my part. I meant to say that I cannot vote in any way that would allow McCain to win.

I feel like I need to shower or something just knowing that I typed that (accidentally as it was)

McBush/Chalin

nicely done!

McCain isn’t a realistic candidate. He’s the fantasy candidate for the mentally bewildered.

Pachacutec is upstairs!
Why Does McCain Blink So Much?

the ultimate decision up to the small percentage of low-information

that indeed is the nut of the problem.

i want to be one of the votes that obama has to court. the only way i know to do that is to make my vote something he has to earn.

What matters: Obama gained votes. McCain’t lost votes.

my vote something he has to earn.

I completely understand, and I’ve felt that way in the past, but I honestly feel the stake are too high in this election. This could very well be our last election that anyone can pretend isn’t completely fixed if McCain wins.

Not possible. You have set the bar so high there is no way he could win your vote. You have already said you probably won’t vote for him.

I have come to the following conclusion;

the world is SO ready for a democrat, they would declare obama the winner if it was close

I thought obama was terrible, the polls show he was great.

this leads me to beleive those polls that showed a close race between obama and mccain were indeed gamed.

I know the following;

when I have a bet with a friend on a boxing match and it is close, both of us are certain our boxer won the match, we see punches the other thinks were blocked, we see blocks the other thinks landed.

if the majority think obama won this debate to me that means the majority REALLY want obama our next president

i understand and support your decision. it just isn’t mine. this is a tough one.

Morning, PW. I love the shots of Michelle and Barack at the end of the night, on your UPDATE link. She will be the classiest first lady in a long, long time and yet another reason to vote for Obama.

I just got my pollworker assignment for Nov. 4. Working with the same crew as the last 5 years, we expect a huge turnout in our red-to-blue neighborhood. In 2004, we had a lot people in line at 8pm; they didn’t finish voting until almost 9pm and Bush carried by a small percent. This year will be worse better, I predict. We may not finish the voting until 10!

Not possible. You have set the bar so high there is no way he could win your vote. You have already said you probably won’t vote for him.

i was planning to vote for him until he broke his promise re fisa telco immunity and then lied to us about it. my vote has been his to win back since then. last weekend, when obama was reported to have given paulson’s plan to rob the taxpayers some pushback – i applauded him. i see now that his push back was nothing more than kabuki.

if showing some leadership and wisdom in addressing one of the critical issues that confront us is too much to ask, then i guess you are right – i’ve set the bar too high.

I would like to see Obama mention early in the next debate that there is a rising movement called ‘fact checking’ and then go on to correct McCoin’s bullshit from this debate.

Do it in a polite manner.

That will put McCoin on notice and may force him to second guess his own lies on the spot. That may upset him enough to blow himself up.

Please tell us that you are in a safe State!

I think for a lot of us frustrated progressives, we projected our own desires onto Obama. We wanted to see him attack McCain over the braindead policies of the last eight years which McCain has vowed to continue.

But we’re already going to vote for Obama. What he needs to do to win is convince the undecideds to vote for him rather than Grampy. And he won’t do that being fearsome or aggressive, he’ll do that by being controlled and presidential.

Here from EPU Land, I have to say that while I agree that I wanted a more clear and definite statement from BO, eg, how trickle-down differs from bottom-upwards views of how an economy works, and I hate his ‘well if we can’t beat them over there, we need to fight them in some other Over There’.

But this was a debate in the South. Apparently McCain’s handlers were informed by their friends in the area that not showing for the debate would be considered bad manners. And that in the South, ‘manners matter. (heard it on Chicken Noodle). In any case, looking at it from my oh-so-delicately poised undecided rellies’ POV, so glad it didn’t come down to a Jerry Springer brawl.

Seniors, I am one now, should remember that in 2000 while Florida was cheating Duhyba into the WH. The Repugs put the governor, I think of Idaho, on national TV. He said “The idea of a 70 year old walking up to a voting booth scares the hell out of me.”
I saw that clip twice that day and it completely disappeared from the TV news and was never commented on.

In addition, now that I am senior, my life savings have been lost, twice to Reaganomics. I won’t loose directly this time around for the simple reason that I will not live long enough to reearn and reinvest the amounts that were taken by Kenny Boy Delay, John McCain, Duhyba and his brothers, and all the other happy “Shockingly Aweful” Repugs that have run this great nation into the status of a third world debetor nation.

PW Here are some poll results that confirm what you are suggesting.

WASHINGTON –

A CNN-Opinion Research Corp poll using telephone interviews with 524 adults who watched the debate and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Who “won” the debate 51% Obama 38% McCain. @60% said both did “better than expected”. 7/10 said each seemed capable of being president.

“Obama was widely considered more intelligent, likable and in touch with peoples’ problems, and by modest margins was seen as the stronger leader and more sincere.” The majority said McCain spent most of the time attacking his opponent.

A CBS-Knowledge Networks survey involved online interviews with 483 selected “Uncommitted voters” who saw the debate. CE +/-4 points. From this group of “Uncommitteds” 39% said Obama won the debate, 24% said McCain. 37% called it a tie. Most critically, 2 out of 3 felt Obama understands their needs than McCain.

The only good news for McCain is mixed- that 68% said he is prepared to be president, but this was unchanged from the same percentage as before the debate. 60% now said they felt Obama is ready — and while a lower score than McCain, it’s a strong 16% improvement from what the same sample of uncommitteds responded before the debate (44%). Far more said their image of Obama had improved as a result of the debate than said it had worsened. McCain’s image had gotten better rather than worse, but by a modest margin.

All of this suggests that in what appears to be a very close race Obama eliminated a great deal of the issues that have allowed McCain to stay close. Given that the second poll were “undecideds” it could portend an even greater climb in results for Obama over the next weeks.

I went to a debate party at this venue yesterday. It’s about a half-mile or so from my cabin, as the crow meanders.

There were debate parties at that location four years ago, but none of them were as well-attended as the one last night.

The place was full (I finally got my food order about an hour after the debate was over) and the crowd was a totally Democratic crowd all the way.

Obama looked and sounded presidential. McCain looked and sounded like a tired, worn-out old man.

Just for fun, here is a musical “tribute” to Sarah Palin which landed in my email box this morning.

John McCoin doesn’t understand and that’s something you can believe in!