Observations from Debate #3: McCain v. Obama

I watched the debate on my network of choice, C-SPAN, they have this wonderful split-screen approach of covering the candidates. Barack Obama was on my left and John McCain on my right. Of course, John McCain was as stiff and robotic as ever. Was he erratic? You betcha! Barack Obama was cool as a cucumber. As in previous debates, he behaved presidential. McCain sat there grimacing, making weird faces and smiling inappropriately.WTF!?

Other observations:

• The winner of the debate was Joe the plumber, he was mentioned over twenty times.
  I guess John McCain saw this as an opportunity to relate to everyman but it got to be downright annoying after the third time Joe was mentioned.
• McCain delivered the best line of the night, “I’m not George Bush” but blew it by delving into the quicksand of a mother’s health with regard to a late term abortion later in the debate.
  He didn’t win any votes on that one but it does go to prove my theory that abortion and a woman’s right to chose are personal issues, not political ones.
• I didn’t learn anything new about either candidate that I didn’t learn in the first two debates. It was just more of the same issues rehashed.
  It was almost as if on cue when talking about health care, McCain was going to tell us about his $5,000 tax credit. That put me to sleep. I fail to see how a $5,000 credit is going to help me afford health insurance when I don’t have it. I sure as heck am not going to be crossing state lines to get some cheap healthcare. How ridiculous is that?
  
• For all that talking McCain did, he accomplished very little.
  He skirted around his accusations about Obama’s paling around with terrorists. This was a non-issue and nothing said that more than McCain’s approach. It was more ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ than ‘Gotcha’. Obama neutralized him.
• I didn’t buy McCain’s phony outrage about negative campaigning and Obama’s unwillingness to repudiate John Lewis’ criticism.
  It was as if he himself was the victim of the attacks and smears. He wasn’t.
• Ask any American what her concerns are and I guarantee you that Bill Ayres and ACORN won’t make the top five.
• Michelle Obama redeemed herself by wearing a beautiful purple dress with gorgeous accents.
  Yeah, Michelle!
• Obama let the opportunity to criticize Sarah Palin pass him by.
  The barn door was open on that one. Obama was gracious and classy and didn’t say a critical word. He was right, she is a politician but she is also a bunch of other things too.
  

After watching all three of these debates, I’m not convinced this is the best format for people to find out where the candidates stand on the issues. Neither candidate changed my mind about anything. I voted yesterday.

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Observations From Presidential Debate #2

1. Not one shout out to or mention of Sarah Palin.
   While it would have been prudent to tout his running mate’s background on energy and foreign policy, McCain talked more about Senator Joe Lieberman instead.
2. McCain stumbled about the stage looking uncomfortable and unwell.
   This is my opinion. McCain hasn’t released his health records yet and probably isn’t going to.
3. McCain tells a young African American man “I bet you hadn’t heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac until a few weeks ago”.
   Presumptive, a tad bit condescending plus he forgot the man’s name and didn’t even bother answering the question.
4. I thought we already bought up the bad mortgages in the $700 billion dollar bail out.
   Sounds like McCain wants to increase government spending. I call it pandering to the middle class and if we were to believe some of his Republican comrades, the reason we’re in this mess is because loans were given to minorities and other undesirables.
5. Still no mention of the middle class.
   McCain still can’t bring himself to say middle class.
6. Obama owned the debate, he was calm, cool and Presidential. McCain looked cranky and ill-at-ease.
7. “That One”
   McCain still can’t say Barack Obama or look him in the eye. Take it how you want it, but it seemed dismissive of McCain. At least he didn’t call Obama “boy”.
   
8. I love Michelle Obama but I did not like that dress she was wearing.
   She looked very plain and underwhelming.
9. Me thinks John McCain might be embarassed about the personal attacks and mudslinging.
   I would be too if I were lying out of my a** and making up things about my opponent that I’m not brave enough to say it myself.
10. Barack and Michelle Obama stayed after the debate to shake hands and take pictures. What happened to the McCains?
    I’m sure it was probably way past John’s bedtime but if you’re trying to win over the undecided, you should stick around and chat with the audience.
    

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Cindy McCain Sets the Record Straight

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John and Cindy McCain, originally uploaded by cq.swat.

During a visit to Children’s Hospital today in Nashville, Cindy McCain, wife of Republican Presidential candidate John McCain told reporters:

Sen. Barack Obama has “waged the dirtiest campaign in American history”

She looks for her husband John to set the record straight in tonight’s debate. I can hardly wait!

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Running Scared: The John McCain Version

Poor John McCain, he wants to postpone his campaign so he can focus on the financial crisis facing Wall Street. If he postpones his campaign until next week, that means he also wants to postpone his upcoming debate with Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. If he postpones Friday’s debate then that also means the Vice Presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden will also be jettisoned. How convenient! Neither McCain nor Palin are ready for a debate about real issues so using the financial crisis as an excuse not to debate is another smokescreen by McCain to avoid any serious discussion about the issues facing this country.

After months of telling us that the economy is fundamentally sound and decrying regulation at every turn, McCain finds himself looking very unpresidential–flustered, detached and erratic.His running mate, Sarah Palin when grilled by CBS News anchor Katie Couric about specific instances of McCain’s support for more regulation, summed it up best.

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Barack Obama Brushes Off ABC News Philadelphia Debate

Here’s one reason why I love Barack Obama.

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Link of the Day: FactCheck

I had a chance to catch about 30 minutes of the Democratic presidential candidate debate on CNN. I like it when neutral parties host the debates because you never know what kind of spin the network is going to put on the debates. Last night Anderson Cooper and Larry King were providing commentary. During the break from the podium to the armchairs, I noticed all of the candidates but Hillary Clinton talking to the crowd and shaking hands during the break. She was noticeably absent. Maybe she had to make a potty run or freshen up her make-up or something, but I didn’t see her anywhere.

The next thing I noticed was how Larry King and Anderson Cooper only talked about the three front runners and basically ignored the other candidates(Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Mike Gravel), like they weren’t even there. All of the candidates made some good points but to only limit the discussion and commentary of candidates to Clinton, Obama and Edwards was detrimental to everyone. It was not a three way debate!

The relevance of New Hampshire primaries is lost on me. Besides being one of the first primaries, New Hampshire is not representative of what of the actual US population looks like or who they might vote for. Hispanics now make up the largest minority population in the country but New Hampshire’s population is primarily white. I saw one person of color in the entire audience unless the others were hiding in the dark.

FactCheck breaks down the lies and exaggerations made by the candidates last night just in case you are interested. You shouldn’t be surprised that there was no clear winner. All I saw was a very smug Hillary Clinton making lots of generalizations about the Republicans and John Edwards admit he was wrong for voting to invade Iraq. That was a smart move, Hillary better take some notes. Front runner status ain’t guaranteed, just ask Howard Dean.

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CBC Still Committed to Fox News Debates

The Congressional Black Caucus Institute (CBCI) has released another statement saying that they are still committed to the presidential debates they are co-sponsoring with Fox News. Claiming these debates will be an opportunity to “help educate African Americans and others on key issues of national policy”, CBC Institute also claims this will an opportunity for candidates to present their ideas in an unfiltered atmosphere.

Perhaps it was the Fox News slogan, “fair and balanced” that won CBC Institute over. With none of the Democratic front-runners attending, this debate will likely end up being a debate for the Republican presidential candidates. We know they don’t have a beef with Fox News because its their “fair and balanced” opinions being presented on the network 24/7/365.

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Playing the Race Card with Obama

Plenty of folks have complained about the Congressional Black Caucus Institute’s (CBCI) decision to co-host the Democratic presidential debates with Fox News. A massive email and telephone campaign launched by ColorofChange.org failed to reverse the CBCI’s decision. They’re determined to reach a broader audience and believe Fox News can help them. CBCI cares nothing about Fox News’ record for distorting and misrepresenting black Americans.

The alternate route to shut these debates down with Fox News has been to contact the Democratic candidates and persuade them not to participate. It appears to be working. John Edwards was the first Democratic presidential candidate to say he wouldn’t participate in the CBCI-Fox News debates. Now Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have said they will bypass the debates as well.

Former president of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Elijah Cummings has called Obama’s decision not to participate in the debates “unfortunate”. Cummings has it twisted. The fact that CBCI chose to partner with Fox News is “unfortunate”. What about John Edwards and Hillary Clinton? Isn’t their decision not to participate “unfortunate” too? Not according to Cummings since he only singled out Obama on this issue.

Sounds to me like Cummings is trying to play the race card with Obama to me. If he were an avid viewer of Fox News, he would know that there is nothing “fair and balanced” about them. He has overlooked the fact that Fox News ran a story falsely linking Obama to jihadists. Aside from that piece of false reporting, the network attacks Obama and from what I’ve heard he refuses to appear on any of their shows. I can’t blame him; they have used everything from his middle name to cigarette smoking to his Muslim father to attack him.

Cummings should know that this isn’t a “black thing” and should reserve his criticism of Obama for some other issue. He and the CBCI keep bringing up the fact that they hosted debates with Fox News back in 2004 as if that absolves them of their poor judgment in 2007. It doesn’t. We know there is nothing “fair and balanced” about Fox News or their treatment of Barack Obama.

(Photo taken from MSNBC)

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CBCI: Reaching for a Broader Audience with Fox News

I hardly ever agree with anything Jesse Jackson says or does but this time I find myself on the same side of the fence with the reverend. Our brethren over at the Congressional Black Caucus Institute (CBCI) have wrongly partnered with Fox News to bring us the 2008 presidential debates. Jackson issued a press release condemning this decision (let the congregation say “amen”).

I’m astonished at those CBCI people, they must never watch Fox News or don’t give a damn about how the commentators and guests on that network routinely bad-mouth black people. Aside from that, a campaign was launched by ColorofChange.org to shut this deal down by having constituents call and send emails to members of the Congressional Black Caucus. In spite of the 12,000 emails and nearly 800 phone calls, the CBCI went ahead with the deal anyway. Board member and Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (MI) summed up the their decision by saying:

I am pleased that Fox News will broadcast two CBC Institute debates and especially honored that the Institute will host a debate in Detroit.

To avoid further scrutiny CBCI’s press release quotes Board Chair Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson from Mississippi as saying their goal is to present the presidential candidates to the “broadest audience as possible”. Fox News does appeal to a broad audience, a kind of audience that blames illegal immigrants for the rising crime rates, thinks the word “articulate” is a compliment when describing a black person and believes Katrina victims turned the Superdome into a ghetto in three days.

As if they have sworn some kind of blood oath with board members, no one in the CBCI has spoken out about this deal. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have been painfully silent on this issue as well. I think it’s great that CBCI wants to sponsor the presidential debates, it goes along with their mission to train young blacks in the political process but Fox News is the wrong partner. By cozying up with them, the CBCI is sending a message that they condone the network’s disdain for the black people. They are more concerned about acceptance from this “broad audience” than they are about principles, dignity or pride.

(Photo by ostwestfoto)

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