Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ya-ta Boy]

I'm not going to continue this silliness with you, Gopher. This thread is about discussing our reactions to the debate. People's reactions to the debate are what determine who won. What we post registers our decision, even if it is in our tiny little puddle.

If you don't want to debate the outcome of the debate, please find another thread.

[Gopher]

[daskalos]

Partisan that I am, I liked my candidate's responses better, but the point here is that no one lost. (So, yeah, I voted tie.) No one effed up so badly that we can call the race over after tonight. This debate changed no one's mind, I'd venture to say, but it will be interesting to see the effect it will have on those undecideds. My guess (partisan that I am) is that Obama did better with them than McCain did. We'll see.

Also important to remember is that "winning" a debate doesn't always equate to winning an election, unless of course we use voting day as our debate metric. (GWB was embarassingly awful in the 2004 debates, but it didn't really matter.)

[VanIslander]

Jim Lehrer did the worst

"look at each other" .;... multiple pathetic attempts to get the candidates to talk to each other

he simply didn't know how to do it

he seemed incompetent

[mithridates]

I thought it was mostly a tie, but I'm just one person. Here's what a poll of 500 undecideds says:

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/09/26/politics/horserace/entry4482028.shtml

[Kuros]

Obama won, but it was a squeaker.

This may simply be because he had more preparation.

McCain was more trying to emphasize that he's been places and name-drop, whereas Obama really was articulating a compelling strategic framework.

But really, an excellent performance by both sides. For a Presidential debate it was very focused on the issues and substantive. It was an absolute sea-change from the lack of depth from years past. I really think the internet has made the candidates more precise and particular about factoids and data.

[bangbayed]

[Gopher]

CNN is running a Time piece that grades B. Obama A- and J. McCain B- for tonight's debate.

[Rteacher]

I voted "tie", but - as politically savvy CNN analyst David Gergen noted - John McCain's fading campaign needed more than than a tie to advance his chances of winning.

Of course, they're still a threat to try to steal the election somehow, but I think the Dems will be more vigilant this time...

(Hopefully, the Secret Service will effectively protect the candidates - and the next President...)

[riverboy]

I saw it very close. At the beginning of the campaign. I had a lot of respect for McCain and saw him as a sincere decent guy. If I could vote, and he was not so pro war, I would have been behind McCain all the way. The only real issue I had with him was his Iraqi war stance.

Even though he did well in the debate, he came across as very arrogant and condescending towards Obama. That is the only difference. No one wowed me and neither did a thing to properly address the economic crisis.

[Tiger Beer]

Tie.

They both said the things they needed to say. No losers.

I thought it was interesting Obama addressed McCain as 'John' throughout the entire debate, I don't recall McCain ever addressing Obama by name, always as if he was somewhere else saying 'Senator Obama said'.

I think part of McCain's problem is he has made so many misstatements about Obama's campaign, and knew they were half-truths, and then now he was challenged by them with the person able to address them immediately. It made McCain look away most of the time like a kid being scolded.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Mith posted some really interesting numbers above. Compare them to the votes on this poll:

[Milwaukiedave]

I thought it was close, but a slight advantage for Obama. Both got off some good zingers. I also felt Obama should have been more assertive especially when it came to McCain repeatedly saying, "he doesn't understand".

There are 2 more debates between Obama and McCain and I'm sure it's going to get a little more dirty as we get into the 2nd and 3rd debate. My guess is this debate will do little to change the polls.

[traxxe]

I'm probably voting Obama. Though I guess if some dramatic logic hit me that I have thus far missed I could happily changed my vote for McCain. Being native to Arizona I have respect for McCain.

That said I think McCain had the better debate. He made Obama look bad by noting how he did not go to Afghanistan. Afghanistan is Obama's big trump to the war in Iraq and I find it pretty ridiculous he didn't have the forsight to go there before the campaign. Especially considering his sub-comittee being involved with issues there.

Obama was articulate and good though. His quality of speaking I feel is better than McCain's but I would hope to see a tad more passion out of him.

[aka Dave]