Comments on: Debate Verdict: McCain snatches defeat from the jaws of victory http://bennett.com/blog/2008/09/debate-verdict-mccain-snatches-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory/ A regular old blog Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:51:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Richard Bennett http://bennett.com/blog/2008/09/debate-verdict-mccain-snatches-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory/comment-page-1/#comment-427342 Richard Bennett Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:13:43 +0000 http://bennett.com/blog/?p=4972#comment-427342 I love that sense of humor. I love that sense of humor.

]]> By: Shadow http://bennett.com/blog/2008/09/debate-verdict-mccain-snatches-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory/comment-page-1/#comment-427341 Shadow Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:10:19 +0000 http://bennett.com/blog/?p=4972#comment-427341 McCain soundly beat Hussin just as Gov Palin throughly splattered Biden tonight.The markets will swiftly make an up swing once President McCain is elected.  God forbid, if the muslim is elected blue fabric will be in strong demand.. McCain soundly beat Hussin just as Gov Palin throughly splattered Biden tonight.The markets will swiftly make an up swing once President McCain is elected.  God forbid, if the muslim is elected blue fabric will be in strong demand..

]]> By: Mumon http://bennett.com/blog/2008/09/debate-verdict-mccain-snatches-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory/comment-page-1/#comment-427340 Mumon Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:00:32 +0000 http://bennett.com/blog/?p=4972#comment-427340 You're right; it's time for Obama to put away the Bush brush; McCain's an incompetent in his own right. You're right; it's time for Obama to put away the Bush brush; McCain's an incompetent in his own right.

]]> By: Richard Bennett http://bennett.com/blog/2008/09/debate-verdict-mccain-snatches-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory/comment-page-1/#comment-427337 Richard Bennett Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:10:13 +0000 http://bennett.com/blog/?p=4972#comment-427337 I watched most of the debate, and my immediate reaction was that Obama won it as well. But the first reaction gave way to the realization that Obama relied too heavily on painting McCain with the Bush brush, and even though that's mostly accurate, it doesn't square with the public's perception that McCain is a maverick.<br><br>The main thing Obama should stress is that this is not a time to send a team of disjointed, free-wheeling mavericks to Washington - we need a sober team with good judgment and grasp of economic matters. As teh man said, in presidential politics "it's the economy, stupid." I watched most of the debate, and my immediate reaction was that Obama won it as well. But the first reaction gave way to the realization that Obama relied too heavily on painting McCain with the Bush brush, and even though that's mostly accurate, it doesn't square with the public's perception that McCain is a maverick.

The main thing Obama should stress is that this is not a time to send a team of disjointed, free-wheeling mavericks to Washington – we need a sober team with good judgment and grasp of economic matters. As teh man said, in presidential politics “it's the economy, stupid.”

]]> By: Mumon http://bennett.com/blog/2008/09/debate-verdict-mccain-snatches-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory/comment-page-1/#comment-427336 Mumon Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:51:11 +0000 http://bennett.com/blog/?p=4972#comment-427336 From what I've read and seen, McCain lost the debate rather big, evidently because he did not engage Obama. He never made eye contact with him; he never referred to him in the 2nd person, and as one of Josh Marshall's readers pointed out, that kind of makes him look like the gamma monkey, and evidently snap-polling of undecided voters wound up scoring for Obama.<br><br>Don't get me wrong: I think Obama could have done much better on the foreign policy bit (the "surge" per se <i>didn't</i> work, it was the pay-offs to sheiks that did the trick; we could have saved oodles just by writing checks and sending troops home). And it took forever for Obama to point out that McCain didn't know the difference between a strategy and a tactic.<br><br>But one thing is evident: these things are won viscerally, not because Americans actually delve into policy. From what I've read and seen, McCain lost the debate rather big, evidently because he did not engage Obama. He never made eye contact with him; he never referred to him in the 2nd person, and as one of Josh Marshall's readers pointed out, that kind of makes him look like the gamma monkey, and evidently snap-polling of undecided voters wound up scoring for Obama.

Don't get me wrong: I think Obama could have done much better on the foreign policy bit (the “surge” per se didn't work, it was the pay-offs to sheiks that did the trick; we could have saved oodles just by writing checks and sending troops home). And it took forever for Obama to point out that McCain didn't know the difference between a strategy and a tactic.

But one thing is evident: these things are won viscerally, not because Americans actually delve into policy.

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