Round #2: McCain and Obama Spar Again

By Staff Staff | Posted at 1:17 AM

With a presidential and vice presidential debate behind their campaigns, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama went at it again on Tuesday evening, sparring in a town hall format. OFB's Editor-in-Chief, Timothy R. Butler, and contributing editor Jason Kettinger analyze

Jason Kettinger: This debate started horribly. Any of us who have followed these proceedings for 18 months—and I have—could recite the respective lines by heart. On a personal note, I am not angry at the last 8 years, nor at the failed policies of George W. Bush. I might use the phrase, “vaguely dissappointed.” On the other hand, McCain needs to know that I neither celebrate, nor believe in, his alleged independence. We don't need a contrarian; we need ideas.

Phrases like, “the most liberal Senator” and “tax and spend” have no meaning as attack lines when a coherent philosophy outlining the relation between man and the State is missing. The only counterpoint to what Obama is offering is a vigorous defense of capitalism and markets, which McCain is clearly unable to do.

He must say that it is immoral to restrict the so-called free market as a matter of anthropology, philosophy, or even theology. Otherwise, it looks as though Obama is modifying markets by way of regulations to make them more free or just, and it's hard to quibble with that. I give a slight edge to McCain in this section for mentioning Obama ties to Fannie and Freddie, and for saying that defense appropriations are corrupt.

Obama once again showed his depth and ability to understand foreign policy, which some supposed was a weakness. Though this section was very even, it was notable for its agreement. I cheer that development, because it means that alleged differences are means to an electoral end, a way to cheer one's entrenched supporters, and not substantial. I grant the slightest of edges to Obama here. Interestingly, they both essentially punted on the humanitarian intervention question. McCain has the most to lose here; Obama can coast on the reality that a hypothetical intervention doesn't cost you anything, and gets you free sainthood points.

In terms of substance, McCain has barely won. In terms of style, McCain sounds desperate. The Arizona senator's attacks slid off Obama like rainwater. He needs to stop attacking Obama himself, and focus on the problems with statism. The overall score is 1-1, but with a decided edge for Obama.

Timothy R. Butler: The real loser in this debate was America. Unfortunately, while we could have had 10 Town Hall meetings if Obama had really been willing to debate McCain on the issues, as he claimed he was, we only got one lousy one. Tom Brokaw, while good at enforcing the rules of the debate, was not nearly so good at picking out the questions to ask from amongst those submitted — the questions he picked were largely parallel to those of the debate less than two weeks earlier, leading one to wonder if Mr. Brokaw had simply not seen that debate.

Both candidates performances were relatively even, with each oddly coming up strong in their respective weak areas. McCain appeared most engaged and directed in the sections that focused on the economy, finally going on offense concerning the economic crisis, by strongly presenting his own work to try to prevent it and suggesting how Obama (and his fellow travelers) helped to bring the crisis on. This presents a portion of the narrative that has been discussed by Sen. McCain's campaign but has not been very well presented by the candidate himself. Love it or hate it, McCain's mortgage rescue plan also stall Obama's attempts to paint McCain as someone only concerned with businesses and not individuals.

On the other hand, McCain appeared relatively weak on issues such as how America should respond to an attack on Israel. He gave fine answers, but lacked the sort of strength we might expect from McCain. While Obama was hardly robust, that he even held his own with McCain here was essentially a win for him.

It was only in the last segment, when Sen. McCain invoked some soft echoes of the rousing end of his acceptance speech in reply to the question, “What do you know you don't know,” that McCain seemed to spring alive again. Why doesn’t McCain keep repeating the enthusiastic call to “fight with me” that served him so well in August? Right now, Senator, people want someone to fight for them and with them.

All in all, McCain might have been said to have won the debate, but not by as much as he could have, and given his weak polling, a win would have been beneficial. Obama, while not particularly strong either, only needed to keep from losing support and he surely managed that in this second go-round.


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Re: Round #2: McCain and Obama Spar Again

American VOTERS are mad as HELL at MSM Obama cronies! Like CNN & MSNBC! And is causing the outrage against Obama. MSM is no longer helping their candidate, because they are openly in the bag for Obama, voters are taking that extreme anger out on Obama, the risk you take. MSM, CNN have jeopardized the security of the American people by deliberating continuing to openly hide serious facts and associations of Obama. HOW DARE YOU jeopardize our great but troubled country? Yes Voters are getting extremely angry at Obama, he continues to lie and refuses to answer questions that EVERY person running for leader of the free world would have to answer. Obama keeps reaching back to Chicago political past for policy advisers, and pulling one despicable, vile, and even evil “rabbit” after another out of his hat. The list of Obama’s radical associations is long and it keeps getting longer. Some are now well-known, but many are not.

VOTERS-STAND UP FOR YOUR COUNTRY, DO NOT LET A TABLIOD CABLE NEWS LIKE CNN and MSNBC decide OUR President!

DEMAND OBAMA ADDRESS THESE SERIOUS RADICAL TERRORIST CONNECTIONS! TODAY!

(Bloomberg) — Nigerian Stock Exchange Chief Exec Ofc Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke being investigated holding a fund-raising event for U.S. presidential candidate Obama, Agence France-Press reported U.S. electoral laws forbid donations from foreigners to electoral campaigns. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ0cq4Nytu8

(World News) 23 years at TUCC with Jeremiah Wright and James Meeks. Racist sermons on You tube. He chose the most radical church in the country; Obama chooses to immerse himself and his daughters in hard-core ideological radicalism. Never before has this country considered such a radical leftist for its chief executive.

Michael Pfleger and his hateful and race-hating ramblings, Obama met while carrying out his own radical social activism as community organizer at ACORN, (radical organization) now under Federal investigation for Voter fraud in helping Obama. No one believed he won the caucuses, now we know why. WASHINGTON: RNC filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against the Obama for an America campaign acceptance of foreign national and excessive contributions. The Obama campaign has failed to comply with federal campaign finance law in its fundraising.

Penny Pritzker, heads Obama National Finance Committee was president of Superior Bank - massively failed, she literally bought her way out of jail paying $460 MILLION fine; was the very epicenter of subprime loan scandal” that has come to eat this nation’s financial system alive.

Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson, Obama camp advisor and headed Obamas vice presidential selection committee, discovered he benefited from sweetheart loans from subprime king Countrywide and was fired.

Tony Rezko certainly and his federal indictments and financial dealing with Obamas of course and William Ayers, US terrorist bomber, Obama-co-lecturer, fellow board member, neighbor, and friend.

Terrorist William Ayers Communist Frank Marshall Davis, obama mentor; Saul Alinsky and Gerald Kellman (Kellman’s Woods Fund is how Obama hooked up and began his long relationship with Ayers.

Chicago lawyer Mazen Asbahi, Obama camp national coord for Muslim affairs also stepped down after news about his stint on the fund’s board - which includes fundamentalist imam - prompting The Wall Street Journal inquiries about relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and his long personal relationship with Hamas Jamal.

Obama desperately needs voters to forget hes the son of a Muslim father who served an incredibly brutal and corrupt Kenyan government; to forget he attended a madrassa in Indonesia and practiced Islam; forget that he campaigned in Kenya on behalf of Raila Odinga, who relied upon chaos, corruption, and violence in his campaign; numerous associations with radical Muslims; forget the photographs of Obama in traditional Muslim clothes, hanging with Muslim radicals such as Mazen Asbahi and anti-Semite Rashid Khalidi.

The mainstream media has frankly put the security of our great country at risk with an Obama coronation media like CNN & MSNBC is the only way Obama managed to steal the Dem nom. It’s extremely concerning that so many Americans could care less about who their candidate really is?? Simply amazing and frankly scary.

www.atlah.org/broadcast/ndnr07-28-08.html

www.dontvoteobama.net

Posted by jos - Oct 11, 2008 | 12:57 PM