Seems like another tie, with Obama getting the edge. McCain started out strong, but seemed like he got tired as it went on. Obama again came off presidential, and McCain with his "that one" did himself no favors in the Grumpy Old Man department. But McCain also showed more passion than he has before. Overall, I don't think either side moved any votes they don't already have tonight. No one appears to have made any game-changing attacks or gaffes. Again, a wash means Obama wins.
UPDATE: I should add that McCain's proposal for the government to buy up $300 billion worth of bad mortgages and re-negotiate them directly with the lender sounds like a potentially winning proposal. It sounds like one the Democrat should have been pushing. I like that McCain had the nerve to offer it. I also know for certain the right wing will eat him alive over that one, calling it pure socialism. I imagine it to disappear off the radar within a few days.
10:30pm Obama has a nice answer saying that Michelle teaches him what he "doesn't know".
10:25pm An audience member asks an interesting question: would you be willing to commit American troops if Israel's security were threatened? McCain uses the answer to praise the questionerl, a petty officer. Obama actually comes the closest, saying that no military options would be left off the table, and that we would not allow a U.N. veto over our military options.
10:23pm Brokaw asks them if the current Russian dictatorship is an "evil empire", with only a "Yes or No" answer. McCain gives perhaps his best line of the night: "Maybe".
10:21pm Same with Obama. They're both just saying nothing, tip-toeing around war with Russia. Obama drags it back to bin Laden just to get the audience's attention again.
10:19pm Sorry, I dozed off for a minute while McCain said something about Russia.
10:12pm Both candidates shake a follow-up out of Brokaw on the Pakistan question. Once again, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why McCain wants to get to the left of Obama on pursuing bin Laden into Pakistan.
10:08pm One Katie Hamm throws a softball to Obama, asking him if we should cross the border of Pakistan to pursue bin Laden. "We will kill bin Laden, we will crush Al Qaeda."
10:03pm Brokaw: "What is the Obama Doctrine with regards to military force?" "What is the McCain Doctrine?"
10:01pm Word is that Obama aides are happy about their guy's performance so far, and that CNN's "viewermeters" are leaning Obama the majority of the night.
9:58pm Obama's description of how health care corporations would all move across state lines to one state with no regulations was effective. However, his using Delaware and credit card companies as his example isn't exactly the finest nod to his running mate.
9:55pm Obama bringing his mother's death while fighting with health care bureaucrats up was moving, and effective. He also nailed McCain on voting against S-CHIP.
9:51pm Obama nails McCain on taxing employer-based health care benefits. Awesome.
9:49pm "Do you believe health care should be treated as a commodity?" This should be interesting.
9:47pm It's interesting to watch Brokaw throw his weight around with these two. Quite a contrast from Ifill and last Thursday.
9:42pm McCain must be like, "I know this is an audience of 'undecideds', but I can't believe there are this many undecided black folks. I've gotten like 4 questions from 'undecided' African-Americans' already."
9:40pm McCain sounds passionate, if substanceless, on bipartisanship and entitlement reform. I'm not sure where "base-closings" come into play, though.
9:37pm Brokaw: "Will you give Congress a date certain within 2 years of taking office to reform Social Security and Medicare?" Um, no, because we're politicians, and we're not fucking suicidal.
9:35pm McCain: "I am not in favor of tax cuts for the wealthy." That is bullshit, and Obama needs to hit him hard on it.
9:33pm Glad that Obama is hitting McCain again on the uselessness of tackling $18 billion in earmarks, when Sen. McCain wants to give away $300 billion in tax cuts to the wealthy. "All of us are going to contribute, all of us are going to make sacrifices."
9:30pm Obama's line about how President Bush told Americans to "shop" as a form of sacrifice is good. But he has to tie it back into an attack on McCain.
9:28pm The next question asks what sacrifices the American people will have to undergo. McCain veers into cutting wasteful defense spending. How, exactly, is cutting bloated defense contractor's perks a "sacrifice" for the American people?
9:25pm Obama actually prioritizes them: Energy, Health Care, Entitlement Reform. He just seems a lot clearer on these issues, but I do recognize the possibility of my bias.
9:23pm Brokaw asks the candidates to place in order of priority Energy Policy, Health Care, and Entitlement Reform. McCain says "we can work on all at the same time". Bullshit answer John.
9:19pm Obama gives probably his strongest answer so far to Theresa: it's warm, it's humble, it's specific. And without being patronizing, he thoroughly explains how both parties aren't equally responsible for how screwed up things have gotten in this country.
9:17pm McCain: "Sen. Obama was not on my letter." Well, of course he wasn't—do we really think McCain invited Obama to share anything with him?
9:13pm Obama is smart to actually answer Oliver's question about how the bailout helps average folks, contrary to McCain.
9:12pm I'm surprised McCain so directly attacked Obama for his Freddie & Fannie connection. Obama's going to have to throw Rick Davis into this. "Um, your campaign manager is their lobbyist, Sen. McCain." He also didn't answer Oliver's question.
9:10pm Obama is staying on a cool line of attack, diverting his answers as much as he can to criticizing the economic policies of the Bush administration, by extension McCain.
9:06pm McCain seems energized and comfortable in this format. He has a strong opening answer, and appears to introduce a new real estate bailout proposal.
9:05pm Obama has a good line about demanding the $400,000 back from the AIG junket. But he didn't answer the gentleman's question as specifically as he could.
9:02pm
McCain walks out, greeting Obama as warmly as I guess he can.
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