Debates of all ilk

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Betty

I wanted them to have a buzzer sound when their time up and have thier mikes cut out. That would have encouraged them to keep within their time limits.

Well, for the next one, then. The light bulbs on the podium, right in front of the both of them, red, yellow, green.

[The Lovely Mrs. tod]

Originally Posted by Snowflake

Well, for the next one, then. The light bulbs on the podium, right in front of the both of them, red, yellow, green.

Maybe they can get a sound guy to bring a previously agreed upon theme song gradually up ...

[Strangler Lewis]

Electric shock. Although McCain would probably keep talking through the shocks to prove how tough he was.

Maybe for every extra ten seconds a candidate keeps talking, the moderator drowns a puppy.

[mousepod]

I feel dumb. I had to look up "tiller".

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by mousepod

I feel dumb. I had to look up "tiller".

Take away your pirate card!

[Strangler Lewis]

I know he's used that phrase to show he's an old navy man, but I couldn't help thinking of the Moby Dick chapter "Hand on the Tiller," which in school we discussed as indicative of the somewhat homoerotic leanings of the enterprise.

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

I know he's used that phrase to show he's an old navy man, but I couldn't help thinking of the Moby Dick chapter "Hand on the Tiller," which in school we discussed as indicative of the somewhat homoerotic leanings of the enterprise.

Hmm. Looks like I was wrong about that chapter heading. Turns out there's nothing gay about "Moby Dick."

Well, maybe this:

"Squeeze! squeeze! squeeze! all the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers' hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say, � Oh! my dear fellow beings, why should we longer cherish any social acerbities, or know the slightest ill-humor or envy! Come; let us squeeze hands all round; nay, let us all squeeze ourselves into each other; let us squeeze ourselves universally into the very milk and sperm of kindness.


Would that I could keep squeezing that sperm for ever! For now, since by many prolonged, repeated experiences, I have perceived that in all cases man must eventually lower, or at least shift, his conceit of attainable felicity; not placing it anywhere in the intellect or the fancy; but in the wife, the heart, the bed, the table, the saddle, the fireside, the country; now that I have perceived all this, I am ready to squeeze case eternally. In thoughts of the visions of the night, I saw long rows of angels in paradise, each with his hands in a jar of spermaceti."

[Tenigma]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Thank goodness no one said "Maverick".
I lost track of how many times "my friends", "look" (mostly by Obama) and "fundamental" were used.

I completely agree, "maverick" would've had me doing the ol'

If nothing else, the debate to me didn't seem to have any clear winner on answers. They both did OK, but for the most part it was a snoozer. There were a couple of interesting moments, though, including:

McCain trying to (I *think*) say jokingly, "That one." Except as with most of the rest f his "jokes" during the debates, it fell flat. Worse, because of his general body posture and his odd whisper-speak tone of voice, it actually gave the phrase a kind of cruel tone. I can just see the Penguin referring to Batman and saying, "And you know who tried to save the burning building? That one! Nyuck nyuck nyuck." I don't think that's what he wanted to convey.

...and the bloggers are all over that one. "How dare McCain use such a phrase! He can't even bring himself to say Obama's name!"

Whatever. I think it's blown out of proportion. I thought it was an attempt a humor that fell flat. Although I REALLY don't think McCain meant it in an insulting manner, unfortunately for McCain, I think it came off that way.

When asked by Brokaw whom they would consider appointing as Secretary of the Treasury, McCain's first answer was, "Not you, Tom." HUH?

Yet again, McCain was trying to be funny. And it didn't work. I think part of the problem was that he didn't say anything else in that sentence, and it came out kind of brusque, so whatever disarming quality a joke may have provided there, completely missed. Brokaw was kind of taken aback by it initially too, I think.

When Obama mentioned that McCain said accused him of being green behind the ears and just spouting off, and how McCain is somber and responsible, McCain laughs in the background and says thank you.

Unfortunately for McCain, I think Obama had that whole line memorized... including that pregnant pause (and there was NO way to know that McCain would say anything, although it was almost like McCain fell right into the trap), because in his next breath, Obama said McCain was the guy who sang "bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran," called for the annihilation of North Korea, and said "next up, Baghdad."

Kind of shut McCain up real fast, that line did. I thought that was Obama's big zinger (especially since McCain took the bait).

However, Sen. Obama, the line is NOT "bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran." You left off a few bombs there. Would've been better if you'd said it right.

[And while I'm at it, McCain may have mentioned that as some sort of inside joke or attempt at humor, but I heard Rachel Maddow later say that the McCain camp started using the Beach Boys' BarbaraAnn song in his stumpings afterwards, so it may have been a joke but they did run with it.]

Originally Posted by Alex

Also, while it may sound good and seem directed at helping Main Street, but the government simply buying all the mortgages and repegging them at current value is simply a horrible idea. For either end of the political spectrum.

I'm not sure what McCain is thinking with that.

I think McCain wanted to come out with something new and shiny, that he could offer to the audience as a take-away from the debate. I agree that just buying them up is terrible; it will simply encourage everyone who feels even remotely financially challenged to throw up their hands and ask for government assistance. It would be far easier to have government help these folks renegotiate their mortgages to get a better interest rate or help them get off of their adjustable-rate mortgages so it's not fluctuating so much.

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

I have to wonder why John McCain was so clearly uncomfortable with the format he pushed and pushed for. He even got in a dig about Obama not wanting to participate in Town Hall debates. Yet Obama was poised, comfortable and ultimately presidential. McCain was nervous, testy, petulant and obviously ill-at ease.

That's because the debate format from last night was unlike any town hall format McCain's ever had. That wasn't a town hall. Like Alex said, it was two parallel press conferences.

The town halls McCain does is much more free-wheeling. The moderator barely moderates at all. The audience last night were required to read off the question they had submitted; the regular ones don't have such restrictions. And most of all, in town halls the candidate gets to take more time answering the question, and then have a back-and-forth exchange with the person asking the question. The audience member can ask for clarification, disagree with the candidate, whatever. It has the potential to be a very interesting exchange.

This town hall didn't resemble anything like that. It was terrible.

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

"Steady hand at the tiller" is not a line he should have used, much less TWICE.

Very ineffective for me because I didn't know what a tiller was. Since it's a rudder on a small boat, it makes sense since McCain is an old Navy guy, but I think it would've been far more effective for him to use the imagery of navigating a large carrier through dangerous waters or something. Instead, "tiller" made me think of a till plowing through a little vegetable garden. So I got this image in my head of an old man holding the till in an old garden. Plodding and old. Not good.

Originally Posted by Alex

Of course, I'm not sure why anybody would agree to moderate such an event in the first place. [Brokaw's] only job was to read note cards out loud.

I thought it was amusing at the end when the two senators went to stand together to face the audience, and in so doing, blocked Brokaw's view of the teleprompter... and Brokaw had to ask them to move so he could read the monitor. lol.

[innerSpaceman]

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

Turns out there's nothing gay about "Moby Dick."

I'll say. Yccck. We don't like it that much.

[Alex]

I blame Tom Brokaw for the time violations. He should have interrupted them and moved them on when their time was up. Rather than whining afterwards about how they weren't following the rules.

Of course, I'm not sure why anybody would agree to moderate such an event in the first place. His only job was to read note cards out loud.