ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!

[sumpnz]

How am I supposed to vote for McCain now.  He just said in the first question, THE FIRST FREAKING QUESTION, in the debates that he wants to have fed.gov buy up troubled mortgages and re-write them to reflect reduced value of the homes.

A pox on them both!

[MillCreek]

Recall that Biden said something similar; i.e.:  change the principal amounts on outstanding loans.  I guess that since both of them say this, this will be a part of their platform.

[CDiPrecision Gunworks]

[unnecessary comment deleted] what do u think the 700 + Billion thing that they did last week was for??.. you guys sleepin or what?

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

The 700 billion thing had nothing to do with rewriting loan principals.

[txgho1911]

The only option now is Palin. Put her in the VP seat so John can hurry up and retire.

[sumpnz]

Recall that Biden said something similar; i.e.:  change the principal amounts on outstanding loans.  I guess that since both of them say this, this will be a part of their platform.

Oh, I know.  I was furious about that too.

[CDiPrecision Gunworks]

Yeah it does...its just the first step...Welcome to Socialized markets...they voted on it last week.

[sumpnz]

[deleted]... what do u think the 700 + Billion thing that they did last week was for??.. you guys sleepin or what?

We are polite here (most of the time).  So I'll hold my tongue and give you a chance to show you can be polite here.  Poke around.  See some of the other topics.  Learn a little.  Then shoot off your mouth when you can do so intelligently.

[Balog]

If you can overlook illegal amnesty, gun show loophole, free speech suppression act and all the other things MacDaddy has done, adding "socializing the housing market" to the list seems almost insignificant.

And is it too late for me to take advantage of this unique investment opportunity by getting an enormous mortgage I can't afford so the fed.gov can buy it up and write it down for me?

[sumpnz]

If you can overlook illegal amnesty, gun show loophole, free speech suppression act and all the other things MacDaddy has done, adding "socializing the housing market" to the list seems almost insignificant.

Touche.  I do remember having him as a Senator and I was not at all happy.  I had to vote for the Libertarian candidate the last time his seat was up.  At this point the distinctions between Obama and McCain are getting troublingly narrow.  I'll probably still vote for him, though I think I'll need the Scope patch, a fistful of Dramamine, and a clothes pin over my nose to do so.

I almost hope he vapor locks or something around Nov 5 (not really, but ...).  Be nice to get Palin in there from the start.

[CDiPrecision Gunworks]

my post was in fun mostly, not mean spirited. Sorry for any ruffled feathers.

As for McCain and his history, all you need to do is look at his opponent and decide which one has the history, character and morals that will benefit you and your family.. then vote for that guy. McCain has it hands down for me..(McCain was my 4th choice in the primary elections ..I didn't vote for him then)

[sumpnz]

my post was in fun mostly, not mean spirited. Sorry for any ruffled feathers.

Teh intrawebz makes it hard at times to communicate in the manner that one intends.  Appology accepted.

Stick around.  We're an eclectic bunch of folks. 

[HankB]

The first question . . . THE VERY FIRST QUESTION!!!

I was wondering how McCain would throw the election, and I guess now I know.

On the other hand, I wish I'd bought a bigger house, instead of one I could actually afford. 

And it looks like Brokaw selected boring questions specifically to PREVENT anything unexpected from happening . . . I mean, his guy IS ahead in the polls, after all, and there's no sense upsetting the apple cart . . .

[Lennyjoe]

John sure as hell didn't help his position tonight. In fact, I think he took a step backwards. The questions were pretty much the same you would here at any other debate.

[txgho1911]

Wheres my list. So much work for da hammer.

[Monkeyleg]

Yes, HankB, I'm sure there were some questions having to do with negative campaigning or other issues that would have allowed McCain to attack.

Still, he did have some opportunities, but didn't take them.

I'm afraid the race is over. Get used to President Obama.

[CDiPrecision Gunworks]

Nahh..GW Bush lost all his Debates.. didn't do much to hurt him at the polls.

[don]

Yes, HankB, I'm sure there were some questions having to do with negative campaigning or other issues that would have allowed McCain to attack.

Still, he did have some opportunities, but didn't take them.

I'm afraid the race is over. Get used to President Obama.

  Both were wise to steer clear of negative campaigning. On national television that could backfire. Obama had a list of 16 negative ads to which he was prepared to respond and had he done so convincingly to just one think of what that would have done to McCain's credibility. McCain may be ahead in the polls but I put my money on McCain.[5.00] I'm not too confident. I have yet to pick a winning candidate since Nixon.

[Monkeyleg]

CDiPrecision Gunworks, Bush was ahead for practically the entire year. With Obama similarly having been ahead most of the year, he didn't need to win this debate, he just needed to break even.

[longeyes]

McCain's task was to make people realize that it would be crazy and dangerous to put Obama into the White House, even if that took some fear-mongering.

He failed.  He utterly let Obama off the hook, even let Obama co-opt some of his best issues, gave Obama a chance to be JFK-like.

I think debates are won or lost early on, and early on McCain seemed unfocused and, yes, sorry, old, whereas Obama seemed focused--and full of ****.

Too bad **** sells, but it does, especially to the unsophisticated and uncurious America we have bred over time.

I'm still voting for McCain, because I don't want a Supreme Court that guts the Bill of Rights, but it will take a thunderclap to win this one for McCain.  We thought McCain was an old warrior, and we got the first part right.

[BReilley]

How am I supposed to vote for McCain now.

I had that same reaction when he voted for the first bailout bill.

Then I had it again when he voted for the second one.

Then Obama talked, and I remembered.  McCain is at least blaming *people* for the trouble.  Obama is forgiving people and blaming the "system".

[longeyes]

Yes, Obama is blaming "the system," but that's what people want to hear.

The system was created by us.  All of it.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Right or wrong, McCain thinks that the political center is where victory lies.  It was clear that's what he was shooting for tonight.

Y'all may think it's a mistake on his part, and maybe it is.  But you can't deny that that's what he's been doing for the entire campaign.  It's been successful for him so far.

[agricola]

Some views:

i) McCain had so many chances to attack Obama during that debate it was untrue, and he missed all of them.  From the clear-cut (Obama's word-for-word repeat of his dangerous Pakistan policy, which demonstrated he really did not get it at all) to the obvious (the intervening in the Holocaust thing), to the blatantly obvious (the failure to challenge the regulation argument - it should be obvious that we need more effective regulation, not more regulation).  McCain dropped the ball numerous times and could have scored big hits.  The one time he did visibly rile him he allowed it to go away.  It was almost like he was trying so hard to remember a script he wasnt actually listening to what Obama was saying.

ii) Why on earth did he support Obama's getting another go at a question?

iii) Was there any prior announcement of that McCain proposal for Govt purchase of home mortgages that are in default?  You cannot just land a huge policy like that in the middle of the debate without it being trialled first, it just looks (well it did to me) that he had just thought it up.

iv) Obama was awful throughout, except when talking about his wife.  Palin was criticized for not answering the questions during the VP debate, but Obama raised the bar to a whole new level, and as said above his answers that were not lies were clear openings for McCain.

v) the questions were (with one exception, the one about both parties being useless) awful, though the moderator was far better than the first one and that horrible Ifill woman.

In short, McCain lost tonight.  Up until today I thought he had a chance in the race generally, but short of some radical change in fortune / some random event this election is Obama's.

[Manedwolf]

I am utterly horrifed. McCain didn't call Obama on any of his outright lies.

Remember the boots-wearing singing Obamatons in the video? I guess you'll have to get used to groups of those coming to your kids' school, bellowing at and roughing them up if they refuse to sing the praises of the Glorious Leader.