Live Blog and Chat: Presidential debate
posted at 8:00 pm on September 26, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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I’ll be live-blogging the first presidential debate, scheduled to start at 9 PM ET. I’m using the Cover It Live system again tonight, but I’m combining it with the Ustream chat room from my show. That way the community can interact with each other as well as with me while I live-blog the debate. Jazz Shaw from The Moderate Voice will be moderating the chat, and don’t forget to register at Ustream to participate!
Here are the keys I’ll watch in the debate:
- If they stick to foreign policy, McCain has to get aggressive with Obama and demand specifics. McCain wants to emphasize his long experience on foreign policy and military affairs. Obama needs to keep the debate on general themes and criticize George Bush while avoiding getting pinned down on specifics.
- If the debate switches to financial policy, which I expect, the dynamics change a little bit. Obama is perceived to be stronger here, and he will need to get specific in order to demonstrate that. McCain still needs to aggressively push Obama on his inaction on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in 2005-6 and emphasize that government meddling created the financial meltdown.
- Obama reacted poorly when Hillary Clinton went after him in Pennsylvania. If he starts stammering his way through questions, he’s rattled. And no one gets under people’s skin like McCain.
I’ll watch the debates on C-SPAN. No one is providing an embeddable live-stream for the debate, as far as I know.
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I remember the Kerry/Bush debates and the MSM sexed up the polls to show that Kerry had won when clearly he hadn’t.
Who are you going to trust? Your own eyes or the drive-by’s.
Mojave Mark on September 26, 2008 at 11:48 PM
One last thing about about Luntzes Dunczes (trademarked)
They said he came off a displaying too much emotion essentially. (Paraphrasing a couple of the folks.) Doesn’t matter. If he was more docile, they’d say he was too weak and ready to fall asleep. I am at the point where I go with what my own senses tell me and screw the news and commentary. I was as animated as Mac at the end and just plain embarrassed for Obama. I would not honestly feel that way if he didn’t completely own the last two thirds of that debate.
No question. And what debate did they see with him stammering? Didn’t happen!
hawkdriver on September 26, 2008 at 11:50 PM
Vote (toward the bottom of the page)
http://www.politico.com/
indythinker on September 26, 2008 at 11:50 PM
Obama’s closing comments right at the end about Kenyan children looking up to America in the 1960s, whereas now, “not so much” were a real turnoff for me, but I haven’t heard anyone else really pick up on them. They’ll get forgotten in the din, but that attitude pisses me off: Vote Obama and/so that the world will love us.
Fortunata on September 26, 2008 at 11:51 PM
Yeah, people throughout the world no longer look up to America. Which explains why they keep comming over, eh?
wolfva on September 26, 2008 at 11:53 PM
Screw the world loving us if the cost is the extreme liberalization of this country. And that’s what it’s all about.
hawkdriver on September 26, 2008 at 11:54 PM
Politico is a hotbed for libtards. I don’t expect that poll to be even remotely accurate.
dugan on September 26, 2008 at 11:54 PM
hawkdriver on September 26, 2008 at 11:43 PM
Ah, I see. Well if we got that out of it, I sure as he11 hope we weren’t the only ones. Especially the independent voters.
Django on September 26, 2008 at 11:54 PM
Wow, Hannity actually stumped Gibbs (Obama advisor) just now. Gibbs couldn’t list one foreign policy accomplishment by Obama. That can’t be good.
dugan on September 26, 2008 at 11:56 PM
Where is Palin??? Does anyone have an in with the McCain campaign? Why doesn’t she get to give her 2 cents for our guy?
CCRWM on September 26, 2008 at 11:57 PM
Kissinger already smacks down Obama….just posted…
Deanna on September 26, 2008 at 11:57 PM
hawkdriver on September 26, 2008 at 11:54 PM
Couldn’t agree more.
And no, Dugan, I don’t expect the Politico poll to be any more accurate than say MSNBC. Last time Olby did a poll the percentages remained fixed, no matter how many votes were cast.
mushroom on September 26, 2008 at 11:58 PM
Well, if Sarah Palin had answered similarly, you know what they’d be saying. Oh, she had no clue, she just agreed because… blah, blah, yada, yada
McCain has a ton of Obama ad material there. Question is will he use it and go after them, like they’ve all dog-piled Palin. I’d say it’s payback time.
hawkdriver on September 26, 2008 at 11:59 PM
Even stranger…he said his father came here in the 60s because of the American Dream, anybody can make it here if they work hard, etc. Why did he only stay long enough to get his doctorate, and then go directly back to Kenya? And then to say that people around the world don’t want to live here, and don’t love the US…I guess that’s why we don’t have any illegal immigrants, or a huge waiting list for folks who want to immigrate legally.
funky chicken on September 27, 2008 at 12:03 AM
I honestly think if the debate got the viewer-ship the polls will move on this performance! The media is going to have to sell it’s very souls to spin at the amplitude it would take to really get folks to believe that Obama won this!
Psst, the Clintons still haven’t climed in. And last time I heard Bill talking…
hawkdriver on September 27, 2008 at 12:04 AM
Gibbs can’t name a single Obama foreign policy accomplishment? ooooo I see a great 527 ad
funky chicken on September 27, 2008 at 12:05 AM
I think that word pretty much describes the level of objectivity of their polls.
electric-rascal on September 27, 2008 at 12:07 AM
One thing that just occured to me, is how Obama is always saying that if we didn’t have to spend the 10 Billion dollars per month in Iraq that we could use it for blah blah blah.
Well lets say we did that, use the money for free health care and teacher pay, and building flower gardens. Then where the hell would we get the money to defend ourselves in the next confict?
pappy on September 27, 2008 at 12:09 AM
They’ve no discernible soul remaining, from what I can tell; they sold out to
Satansocialism long ago.electric-rascal on September 27, 2008 at 12:10 AM
Standard template answer: Tax the rich.
electric-rascal on September 27, 2008 at 12:11 AM
And big business. Because, you know, their money is completely seperate from the common citizen’s money.
wolfva on September 27, 2008 at 12:12 AM
That’s what I was afraid of. Then we would go back to step one and say if we weren’t spending that money we could blah blah blah.
And so on…
pappy on September 27, 2008 at 12:13 AM
Yep. McCain and Republicans have tried to pretend that they’re going to get a fair, civil hearing from the media so, hey, “let’s take the high road.” That fair hearing ain’t gonna happen. Period. They need to not pull their punches. I mean, don’t offend people with a bunch of seething crazy stuff but drop the hammer on Jesus Obama.
Django on September 27, 2008 at 12:14 AM
Chrissy Matthews is foaming at the mouth about McCain not looking at Obama. He said he’s never seen a candidate with such contempt for his opponent.
fossten on September 27, 2008 at 12:14 AM
* * * IMPORTANT * * *
WE NEED TO GET OUR VOICES HEARD!
VOTE ON THE DEBATE AT:
http://WWW.DRUDGEREPORT.COM
MechEng5by5 on September 27, 2008 at 12:14 AM
* * * VOTE ALSO ON * * *
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26906945/
MechEng5by5 on September 27, 2008 at 12:15 AM
Feel free to add to this list if you find more polls.
We can’t let the leftists control public opinion.
cnn also has a poll.
MechEng5by5 on September 27, 2008 at 12:18 AM
Wow, our usually left-biased Sky News Australia has McCain the winner!
http://www.skynews.com.au/
Omega_Rage on September 27, 2008 at 12:20 AM
Obama was on defense tonight, and it showed. The ad McCain’s crew had up within minutes of the debate shows they’ve listened to a lot of Obama speeches, and could pick off the sound bites easily. I don’t expect it to be so easy in the future, as Obama adjusts his rhetoric to avoid giving any points to his opponent.
If anyone remembers the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Douglas won the first few, but Lincoln trounced Douglas so soundly in the final two debates that, although he lost the election, it enabled Lincoln’s run for the Presidency several years later (he won the “popular vote”, but the Democrats controlled the legislature, and direct election of Congress was a distant dream of the 20th Century).
This debate, I think, goes narrowly to McCain. We’ll see how the media and factcheck.org do things, but if fairness is about in the world, McCain ought to pick up a point or two.
I’m amused at the one topic in foreign policy that both Obama and McCain thought was toxic. If Jim wanted to really stir things up, he would have brought up our relationship with the Mexico. Both Obama and McCain had the chance to talk up Mexico during their extemporaneous spots, but both stayed well away.
As with Lincoln-Douglas, there will need to be a few more debates to clarify the differences one way or the other.
unclesmrgol on September 27, 2008 at 12:21 AM
BULLETIN…BULLETIN…BULLETIN…
HURRY UP YOU GUYS AND VOTE AT AT POLITICO.COM. THEIR POLL IS SHOWING THE ONE AHEAD.
YankeeinCA on September 27, 2008 at 12:24 AM
Mccain….obama MAN…..silly boy
enough said
mdreb on September 27, 2008 at 12:30 AM
Why? Who gives a shit about some lefty web site poll fraud?
Jaibones on September 27, 2008 at 12:44 AM
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
Obama’s overall performance tonight considering the impression out there that McCain would “demolish” him on foreign policy. I guess the poll’s tomorrow will tell. At least the one’s not influenced by the mischief going on in here. Now I’m off to tell the KOS and DU dummies to vote at Drudge. :D
Chimpy on September 27, 2008 at 12:56 AM
I thought McCain held back on the economy. It would have been easy for McCain to blast Obama, Dodd and Frank on Freddie and Fannie. Why didn’t he?
Because Country First. A deal needs to be made. This weekend. Such an attack would not help.
Mr. Joe on September 27, 2008 at 1:04 AM
I thought McCain won across the board in every catagory on every issue. Obama was on the defensive and he just looked plain terrible.
t.ferg on September 27, 2008 at 1:19 AM
Obama tag line of the night: “John, No, no, no. No, no, no. I never said that. You lie. Kissinger agrees with me.”
McCain: “I have known Kissinger for 35 years senator. And I guarantee you that you are wrong.”
Bwahahahahahaaaaa!!!!!
csdeven on September 27, 2008 at 1:23 AM
Obama > “John, I have a bracelet too.”
Chimpy on September 27, 2008 at 1:31 AM
Is there any chance he said to himself, Carp, I was supposed to talk about mine first? :-)
He is not the same without his Tele-Prompter.
hawkdriver on September 27, 2008 at 1:34 AM
Because that was the original purpose of the Mboya Airlift(s), to bring Kenya’s most promising students here to learn what Americans know and take that knowledge back to Kenya and benefit that country.
baldilocks on September 27, 2008 at 2:21 AM
Mac gave O’bama a major beatdown!
O’bama looked like a weak, scared adolescent standing next to Mccain!
SaintOlaf on September 27, 2008 at 2:32 AM
John McCain: I have years of foreign policy experience
BHO: Me too! Me too!
John McCain: I like Jim Lehrer’s suit
BHO: Me too! Me too!
Reminds of a SOAD song
the_stoics on September 27, 2008 at 2:54 AM
>me
the_stoics on September 27, 2008 at 2:55 AM
dunno if it I shoulda been laughing or offended when Obama started talking about how we should treat returning vets as if McCain was completely clueless. Someone help me out here, which candidate was in the military? Which one actually sacrificed for his country? I mean, to listen to Obama it was him.
Yeah Hawk; Obama kept saying he’d send in 3 brigades. But to do what? He never did explain that. Hell, you can send the entire US Military there, but without a STRATEGY they can’t do much.
wolfva on September 26, 2008 at 11:39 PM
What good would a strategy do? Reid and Pelosi would simply tell us the war is lost any way.
N4646W on September 27, 2008 at 3:32 AM
McCain: I attended the National War College!
Obama: Uhhh… I’m friends with a terrorist! and I’m friends with Farrakhan!
McCain: I took off and landed jet aircraft onto aircraft carriers!
Obama: ride funny looking bikes around Chicago with a helmet!
McCain: I was in Prison as a POW
Obama: I could have went to prison for snorting coke and doing marijuana and taking bribes from a criminal, and talking to the Iraqi’s about troop levels ummmmmm uhhh errr umm well.. and I could still go to prison if the FBI digs around to much into Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae and Lehman Brothers you know there is a guy names Auchi that had a sh*t load of money in Lehman.. err ummm why am i inditing myself.. this is off the record right? we are just talking smack right? ummm I did NOT say any of this.. I didn’t say anything about Rezko, Ayres, or Rev. Wright did I? just damn.. let me eat my waffle already!
McCain: is that the type of person America wants in a leader?
Chakra Hammer on September 27, 2008 at 4:44 AM
Well, that is the kind of thing they have to pull out when there isn’t any substance to criticize McCain on. It is all about body language now for the Dems. They have been hitting Palin on body language now they will hit McCain.
BTW, in a televised debate you speak to the camera, you dolt Matthews. You are not there to convince Obama, you are there to convince the American people. I suppose after doing television all this time Chris Matthews hasn’t learned that yet.
Hawthorne on September 27, 2008 at 5:35 AM
On Luntz:
Those were uncommitted voters like I am Ronald Reagan.
What a load of crap.
That one woman saying she didn’t care about the past and was only interested in today was red flag.
That group was Astroturfed.
drjohn on September 27, 2008 at 6:38 AM
Oh yeah- and when they said that McCain stammered as opposed to Obama, I could not believe I was watching what they claimed to be watching.
I think McCain said “um” twice and Obama stuttered constantly.
When does Luntz figure this junk out? Is he really that dense?
drjohn on September 27, 2008 at 6:43 AM
But but… Chrissy has to constantly look down at his legs to check out those tingling sensations, just to make sure he didn’t wet his pants. He’s way toooo busy to look at the camera. :)
poxoma on September 27, 2008 at 8:01 AM
Me too moment:
McCain: In the Hanoi prison, they routinely tied me up, whipped me and called me all the names in the book.
Obambi: Oh..Oh.. me too, me too. Every Saturday night, Michelle ties me up, whips me good and calls me names too. Umm..Ehh, umm, and I like it. :)
poxoma on September 27, 2008 at 8:06 AM
If the world hates us so much now, why have Germany & France recently dumped liberal, anti-US heads of state & elected conservative, pro-US ones? I think Italy has as well, & judging from Brown’s polls the UK will soon I’ll bet.
jgapinoy on September 27, 2008 at 8:18 AM
drjohn on September 27, 2008 at 6:38 AM
Well it was great how Lutz tells how they interviewed people and then told how to get into a Focus group. Sure people do not Lie, to get in there do they? We have never sen that before like hmmm Michigan.
Gracelynn on September 27, 2008 at 8:43 AM
“I have a bracelet too. What’s his name’s mother gave it to me”
bloggless on September 27, 2008 at 8:57 AM
I have logged on to drudge last night and this morning and found no polls at all. If you have a better link and it isn’t closed, please post it.
Also msnbc has frozen theirs.
Bambi on September 27, 2008 at 9:40 AM
You know if I were a senator and some young jerk kept calling me john, I wouldn’t be looking at him either. (Don’t you just hate those phone calls when some young person refers to you by your first name?)
Crissy matthews is well – crissy matthews. Just a younger/older whatever olberman.
Bambi on September 27, 2008 at 9:45 AM
Dems win debates…republicans win elections.
I believe Kerry was called the winner in all three of the 2004 debates.
People don’t like Obama.
McCain is likeable
joepub on September 27, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Ummm, Tom, ummm, Jim, errrr, errr Jim, ehhhh John(balked for moment to see if he got it right)No one has reported this……….
He couldn’t get McCain’s first name right and he won the debate? I think I watched a debate in another universe. In my universe, I caught Obama in four outright lies. Will write about it later once I stop laughing. McCain owned him from beginning to end. No, Obama is not ready to even debate.
By the way, no media can be trusted……….
adamsmith on September 27, 2008 at 2:42 PM
Strangest thing I observed was at the end of the debate. I haven’t seen anyone in the media talk about this either. Obama’s mic was still hot, and as he made his way over to his wife, he says to her, “Hey, how ya doin’?”. Thought that was a strange comment to make to your wife. Maybe it was just nerves?
adamsmith on September 27, 2008 at 2:46 PM
UPDATE TO MR. PHILLIP BERG’S LAWSUIT AGAINST BARACK OBAMA BASED ON OBAMA’S INELIGIBILITY ON HIS CANDIDACY AS REGARDS THE REQUIREMENTS OF NATURAL BORN CITIZENSHIP ACCORDING TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Partial excerpt from an email I sent Mr. Berg:
“I trust the judge did not originally dismiss your lawsuit because it does indeed have merit. We, as Americans, in order to fulfill the intent and directive of our Constitution are bound by patriotic duty to determine the legal status of any citizen running for the Presidency of the United States; such determination of status having to do with a requirement that said citizen must be a natural born citizen. Mr. Obama should be required to present pertinent evidence that would allow a judge or qualified public official to determine if he is, or is not, a natural born citizen. It is a legal requirement.”
Mr. Berg sent this copy of Mr. Obama’s and the DNC’s response.
Update: http://www.nextgenerationcorp.com/NextGenBlog/?p=66
It appears that Mr. Obama is trying to stall the matter. The outstanding issue is Mr. Obama’s birth certificate (Certificate of Live Birth). It appears that so far he has obfuscated this issue as well by providing, or having his agents provide, a false certificate of birth for publication.
But to Mr. Obama’s determent, the people of the United States of America demand that he (Mr. Obama) remove himself from eligibility to run for any political office for which he is not qualified and/or for which he (Mr. Obama) will not publicly present authoritative qualification for his candidacy as required by the Constitution of the United States of America.
God bless.
AdrianS on September 27, 2008 at 4:15 PM
If the world hates us so much now, why have Germany & France recently dumped liberal, anti-US heads of state & elected conservative, pro-US ones? I think Italy has as well, & judging from Brown’s polls the UK will soon I’ll bet.
jgapinoy on September 27, 2008 at 8:18 AM
European conservatives are just as willing to sell out Europe to the ummah as the liberals.
Elric66 on September 27, 2008 at 5:32 PM
Chrissy Matthews is foaming at the mouth about McCain not looking at Obama. He said he’s never seen a candidate with such contempt for his opponent.
fossten on September 27, 2008 at 12:14 AM
That Mathews now hes’ a quick study eh?
By the way Chris I have even more contempt for the guy who has his own presidential seal, own presidential coins, own presidential airplane sans American flag on all and who went to the gym in Germany rather than meet with wounded warriors.
My contempt knows no bounds.
Can we now hold the Messiah in contempt of America?
dhunter on September 27, 2008 at 10:56 PM
BHO kept called Senator McCain “John” whereas McCain showed him due respect by always referring to him as Senator Obama. Who cares how many times he looked at him, they’re not a couple.
Mojave Mark on September 28, 2008 at 11:01 PM
I watched the debate on Fox HD. One particular moment stood out to me and i think McCain needs to use it in an ad ASAP:
There was a moment in the debate where McCain was speaking of Vietnam and the subject of torture briefly. You could tell this is a topic that hits him pretty hard personally. Everyone knows that, even the Democrats.
Well the camera switched a diagonal view of both candidates and you could see Obama raising his hand to interrupt McCain, again.
Totally classless. I wish a veterans group would grab this and run with it.
tflst5 on September 29, 2008 at 8:16 AM
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