Second Presidential Debate Liveblog
Second Presidential Debate
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
Town hall format; domestic/foreign policy
How long will it take McCain to pivot from tax policy to William Ayers? Will Obama respond in kind and bring up McCain's much more controversial associations? Will Brokaw make up facts again to help McCain? Will either candidate get thrown a curveball from an audience member? We're about to find out.
Consider this another open thread. You can find the "McLiar Bingo" drinking game here.
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9:00 pm: And we're off. John McCain actually makes eye contact.
9:02 pm: Meter peaks on Obama's opening response. Economy. Economy. Economy.
9:04 pm : McCain: "It's nice to see you at a town hall, Senator Obama." Dick.
9:07 pm: McCain looks spooked at getting the first follow up. Obama continues to pound home his economic message.
9:10 pm: McCain: Fannie and Freddie are responsible for the subprime mess. Nope.
9:15 pm: Obama: "I gotta correct McCain's history. Like Always... I never promoted Fannie. In fact, John McCain's senior economic advisor was a paid lobbyist for them."
"You're not interested in politicians pointing fingers."
9:20 pm: Obama is pre-empting McCain's attacks perfectly. It's almost as if he's egging him into retaliating with his trademark sneering condescension.
9:25 pm: Obama is getting his contrast jabs in, but focusing on specific economics problems and his solution to them. McCain delivers clichéd, packaged talking point and lame attacks.
9:27 pm: Obama is crushing home him core economic message.
9:35 pm: Obama is selling his economic policy so successfully that McCain's lame talking points are flat lining.
9:37 pm: C'mon Brokaw: Let Obama correct McCain's tax distortion.
Obama: "The Straight Talk Express Express has lost a wheel." How refreshing is it to hear a Democrat go on the offensive re: taxes? This ain't your fathers Democratic Party.
9:47 pm: The debate is not about you, Brokaw. Let them answer the questions.
9:50 pm: Obama on McCain's proposed health care plan: "What one hand giveth, the other hand taketh away."
9:55: Memo to McCain: Don't remind voters of how old you are by talking about hair loss.
9:57 pm: Switching to foreign policy now. Obama wins the economy HANDS DOWN.
10:02 pm: McCain again says Obama "doesn't understand."
10:04 pm: Obama: "He's right: there are some thing I don't understand. Like invading iraq in response to 9/11." As Ari Gold would say, "BOOM!"
10:05 pm: The Obama Doctrine: A moral force for good in the world.
10:09 pm: Audience question: Should we go after UBL in Pakistan against their will? Someone answer this for me: Why is it controversial to hunt down bin Laden in Pakistan even if they say no?
10:13 pm: Stay the f*ck out of it Brokaw. Allow follow ups. The audience wants to hear the candidates, not your annoying interrupting.
10:14 pm: Obama: "How can a guy who sings about bombing Iran claim to 'speak softly'(ala Teddy Roosevelt)" ZING
10:16 pm: If John McCain knows how to get bin Laden, why won't he tell Bush?
10:19 pm: See here.
10:20 pm: McCain polling high on the issue of Russia. It's a shame (for him) that voters couldn't care less about the issue.
10:30 pm: Strong closings from both.
VERDICT: Putting my Obama partisan hat aside, if this were a baseball game, Obama just threw a one-hitter. He dominated the economic portion, and dominated foreign policy just as equally. McCain raised the meters at points, but Obama matched him at every turn and stayed directly on message. Obama also did a perfect job at pre-emptively disarming all of McCain's attacks. The Arizona Senator simply couldn't keep up.
eom
Does Brokaw HAVE to talk??
eom.
Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night.
ah hum ahhhh just getting ready
too much makeup!
The world didn't change, they just started to pay attention.
thank you thank you
I think McGoo is desperate and he will start slinging mud. I just hope Obama rises above it.
in your face mcmelanoma
Mcjunkit
"my friends" "Maverick"
If he starts winking like Palin, run for the hills!
/at work-not watching
Brokaw sounds like a caricature of himself
Jesus, what's the deal with the amount of bald old guys in the audience? Definitely a McCain crowd.
-DT
eom
I really hope Obama studied the 92 townhall debate with Clinton and Bush senior.
101 on how to own a town hall debate by William Jefferson Clinton.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ffbFvKlWqE
A thing of beauty.
Infrastructure projects!!!
I'm LIKIN' IT!!!
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
first name ummmm
Hasn't McCain voted many times against alternative energy?
We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.
- Will Rogers
Energy and drilling will SAVE US!!
Reform...from Mr. Keating Five...he's gonna fix home values...now we're buying up homes! LOL! Mr. Anti Government.
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
another $500,000,000,000,000,000,000
throw more money at em
McTownhall is already breaking the rules ....
My friend phil, tom
Say what you want about McCain but the guy knows how to play to a crowd.
Already, by answering that one question, McCain looks vastly superior to Obama in this setting.
calling everyone he meets or sees "my friends" isn't working a crowd. It's "used car salesman" talk.
Q: How can you tell when John McCain is about to tell a lie?
A: He says "My friends..."
Even though I still think McCain lost, this debate shows me even more how much Palin is out of either man's league.
If a drone kills a child in Kandahar, do the crying parents make a sound?
Wrong! McCain does NOT know what the hell is going on.
and he didn't. Not a good way to start.
Who will McGrampy nominate for Treasury Secretary...someone we recognize...like Meg Whitman!?!?!....riiight...we all know HER..
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
yeah, warren buffet is going to be treasury sec. yeah that's right. dipshit
McLame's first attempt at a stab re: townhalls failed. *chirp chirp*
And what's this $700 billion dollar figure we're sending to other countries? I didn't know Wall St. was a country.
McCain has no idea how this hurts those that don't make millions. Here we go again with Meg Whittman...Ebay, didn't they just announce a 10K job cut?
You mean to bail out Wall Street?!
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
He's praising an Obama supporter. Who is this old guy and what did he do with the McCain slander monkey of this week?
We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.
- Will Rogers
warren buffet is older than mcshame
I can HEAR him inhale ...and it sounds like slurping. Is he ill?
wasn't that Cheney's economic solution? ebay!
Ebay, my friends?!
Gonna be a long night...
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
Yep...McCains campaign has flatlined and he still enjoys the idea of evey citizen working from home.
This country can't afford McWar .......
don't break the fucken rule johnny. alright?
Okay Brokaw!!! You need to borrow my WATCH!!!!!?????
TB looks like a crypt keeper with all the makeup. Meg Whitman? -- maybe selling Whitman Sampler candies out of CVS but not as Treasury Secretary.
No, it's bailout.
So far there are 2 instances of "my friends." Just sayin'.
i'm already drunk
I hope the two shots of whatever you're drinking are good. ;o)~
"I'm gonna buy up all those bad loans (pay off my bud's rather than get them to dicker), and sure it will be expensive (for you sucka!!!!)
Suspend? ...... Flat Out LIE!
asking the question.
Didn't even look at him for more than the first couple of seconds while answering the question!
Obama's cool, calm, collected!
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
Thus far.....Obama hasn't answered either question put to him...he move on to tangents replete with campaign rhetoric....not specific plans.
How can Obama NOT have an idea of who a good treasury secretary would be if he were elected? Warren Buffett? Puh-leese.
Not off to a very good start just yet.
And all I have heard from old Cain is the same names he has always pushed out to the people. Thanks for the observation though, I do agree to some extent, but to be totally fair, neither have.
ummm that was McCain's answer
YAAAAY!! McCain blaming poor people....what's next...telling old people that they are leeches on government?
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
OMG !!!
Democracy is too important to be entrusted to politicians.
Rise Up!
Protest!
Thats an excellent question...greed, access, main street is paying and I will ensure they always do...tax cut, tax cut. Here come the cronies argument and Obama just got hit with a load of B.S. He is not going to tell the rest of that story is he....
Again with this bullshit?
Nice to see BO agreeing with the maverick while McCain keeps smearing him.
McPow sounds like he's high on something. Meanwhile...
Poor mccain looks like a doddering old geezer.
Ooohh, McCain just said "Obama's cronies". I don't think that will sit well. This will be an extremely ugly campaign.
What a socialist!
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
Brokaw scores one with "who would be your Treasury Sec?"
Both McCain and Obama run scared.
McCain=Phil Gramm
Obama=Bob Rubin
nuff said.
I wish we had Nader in this debate.
Why don't they just duke it out and let's all go to bed when the first one falls! (I bet it would be McCain, but he'd put up a little fight at first.)
not surprisingly hahahahahaha
deregulator
Great rebuttal by Obama on McSame's lame attempt at planting the problems surrounding Fannie Mae at his feet. Excellent.
McLIAR
Yay Obama!
Obama, much more Presidential ....
You got that right...Barack.. don't need politicans pointing fingers... we'll point fingers.... Here's one special for you McCain....
McCain will say that the regulations in place need to be updated and the people holding oversight will have to do their jobs...
Watch McCain's body language. He already purposely stood right in front of Barack to block his view. Now he's nervously pacing while Barack is speaking. Too bad McCain's stool is too tall for him. Brings back memories of that crate... lol
i hope to god that you were tortured and it was a sick inside joke. if not you are a dispicable person and you can get the hell out of my country and if you dont like that come down and see me and we will settle your dispicable speech man to man if you can handle that
McCain's debate strategy: My party has controlled all 3 branches of government for most of the past decade and the shit has hit the fan across the board. It's all Obama's fault.
Mcshame is going to attack
Maybe. maybe not
great answer mclame
One can not keep homes over-inflated with "deficit spending" and expect a correction. It does not work that way. The value adjustment will have to occur at both the home value level as well as the MBS and credit default level.
clean up Wall Street? HOW. Is he advocating regulation now?
They call him Flipper...Flipper...so old he's frighteeeninggg...no one can seee...a working organ in heeee...so he got Palin..Palin...to make him loook youngerrr...
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
It's just time to just put the cards on the table.
wish I was confident. Iceland declaring bancruptcy. all markets sinking.
Remind the people how that worked out today on the street. Don't talk about letters, seeing how you chopped up the last letter you spoke about.
NO YOU DI-INT! You look like a nice young African American man, I'm sure you never heard of the top two mortgage/lending institutions in the country before.
That was a stupid thing to say!
what good did your fucken letter do old man?
Name the bill you authored to go with that letter dude....
I'm surprised Obama didn't wail McCain on the horrible whopper about receiving the second largest Fannie+Freddie contribution ever. Guess McCain hadn't read the NY Times article about that...
America's workers are the best in the world! McAsskiss
Workers are not fundamentals ...
Wasn't there a riot at the Pakistani stock market today?
Yup. Pakistan is going bankrupt. The global economic crisis is a reality.
McBush
I blame Bush and his criminal cohorts ......
Mccains breathing seems really labored doesnt it??
his breathing and ideas are labored
Lying takes a lot of energy. ;-)
!
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
we can't afford McBush
When McCain distorts, it's Barack's job to hit him back IN the debate.
So far, so good. But I feel McCain is gonna come out with some old man desperate shit soon.
-DT
NOT BLAMING THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
It took two questions to get McCain to start slinging the mud... classy! I am really starting to loathe that man. He's going to blink me to death.
Obama needs to reassure this person that he will not allow this type of behavior to happen again with his party. People don't trust politicians because they have failed so many times and always asked...err, made the taxpayers pay for it.
McLame and Failin .....
Send them Home ....
I'm a maverick
MAVERICK!
You can't trust them.
Good question Theresa now somebody ask about justice and accountability.
Mr. Reformer...never met a lobbyist he didn't like...in fact...so much so...he hires them.
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
Just like the bipartisanship you displayed by suspending the campaign.
Now that is some funny stuff, tauting a bill that he is violating as we speak.
answer the god damn question old man
eom.
maybe because, more often than not, they are advocating SANE ideas and policies unlike your prez's bullshit
Bi-partisanship? ..... He can't even look Obama in the eye!
he didn't see many because he was never there
Same old lie...Obama's platform CUTS spending...shifts priorities...and takes care of middle Americans.
When is the cut Medicare question coming?
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
can you say sex lives of crabs
Looks absolutely scared of McCain right now. Hahaha
Obama better hit cain hard, he did run out of time...the light went out.
Drill baby drill!
eom.
He doesn't realize who has the last word on each question.
Mccain just lies is 800 year old ass off
HEALTHCARE
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
didn't mccain just propose buying up all the bancrupt homes in the country?
Did I just hear MCcain use the word middle-income!!!??? The earth just shifted on its axis!!!
Lieberman, yeah that's working across the isle!
Lame!
Old Tom just let McCain have time for two questions since he went on a B.S. tirade
Does it seem to anyone else that McCain is getting a lot more air time here?
Brokaw is imbedded in McCain's campaign. He should not be steering this debate.
you can take care of them all at once.... what a lameass answer. Shows an inability to make any type of a coherent choice. Ugh! ;)
He keeps walking all around, and his voice sounds nervous.
HEALTHCARE HEALTHCARE HEALTHCARE HEALTHCARE HEALTHCARE
McPow is blowing it! He's totally disoriented!
I'm talking about both the town hall debate and this message system. I miss old C & L.
give it time...it may workout. Although, I don't like the having to do math each time I comment.....
who's the old guy? where in the heck's palin?
Hey- did anyone else see that Sarah Palin look-a-like in the back row?
actually, just stop talking.
Reform healthcare...cut benefits and blame Democrats.
More NUKES! MORE NUKES!
Oh...he's not talking about the BIG $5,000 healthcare tax credit.
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
Your ass is giving gramps a free pass to ramble on and give stump speeches.......
Brokaw has been giving them both extra time in the minute follow up question. Hopefully they'll both be reigned in on the time limits. I'd like to see some more of the questions answered.
Just what terrorist organization are we buy gas from???? Some Puuullleeezzz tell me!!! I think Palin needs to get on this immediately!!!!!
He's got experience reaching across the aisle to Joe Lieberman? The man campaigned for him and spoke at the GOP convention. He's a Republican.
this is painful to watch
Thats the way Clinton did it in 1992...speak about the family and not about the other moron sitting next to you.
is McShame stupid???
does a bear shit in the woods?
etc, etc, etc.
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