I Started The Evening…
By Mitch Berg
…almost as despondent as Roosh seemed to.
Mac generally does well in a “Town Hall” format – and I personally don’t like “town hall”-style debates a whole lot. And like Roosh, my first impression was that Mac was too polite; that he didn’t go inside and mix it up with Obama nearly enough.
And then I thought slept on it, and didn’t feel nearly so bad.
Just as Mac doesn’t need to play to the media (indeed, just as he and Gov. Palin need to outflank them and go directly to the people), Mac doesn’t need to destroy Obama; he needs to convince millions and millions of people who are not political junkies – people not remotely like me, by the way – that he’s someone they can trust to lead this nation during the most difficult time in recent memory. He needs to appear like a statesman and a leader, not a trench-fighter (that’s Palin’s job – one she’s finally gotten to take on in the past week).
While last night’s performance was bound to leave doctrainaire conservatives and political junkies [Roosh and Berg raise their hands, glancing nervously about – Ed.] a little unsatisfied, Mac knows that they’re not the ones he needs to win; while that issue may have been in doubt six weeks ago, putting Palin on the ticket guarantees that no movement conservative who’s not in Lori Sturdevant’s rolodex is going to stray. That means Mac can – and, last night, did – play to the vast horde in the middle who don’t care much for “R” and “D”, but who do balance their checkbooks and watch their 401Ks and whose kids are going to be of military age sooner than later.
And I don’t think Mac lost a single vote in that crowd last night.
He needed to look like a leader, a statesman, a President. And I think he did.
October 8th, 2008 at 9:24 am
You’re absolutely right, Mitch.
McCain’s job is to introduce himself to voters and reassure them that he’s got the experience and temperment to be President. He needed to convince people to be comfortable with the idea of President McCain.
He didn’t lose a single vote last night. Victory!
It’s all over for That One.
/jc
October 8th, 2008 at 9:31 am
When you’re behind this late in the game, ties are losses. Obama just reduced his magic number.
October 8th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Is Colbert coming up to contract time?
Because I don’t think, no matter how hard you wish, Slash, that you’re gonna get the job.
October 8th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Mitch, the polls disagree with you. Undecideds moved toward Obama. Obama’s favorability is up, while McCain’s hasn’t changed. Look for Obama’s lead in the national polls to get up to 10 percent; McCain has run out of time.
October 8th, 2008 at 9:42 am
I’m pessemistic. All of MSM is supporting The Messiah. So McCain needs to buy advertising to get his message out. Yet The One is outspending McCain by many factors. (Thanks to those illegeal contributions).
Good news? The One and his bosses in Congress should go nuts with left wing legislation (like eliminating the statute of limitations on lawsuits) so Republicans should have a 1994 in 2010.
October 8th, 2008 at 9:43 am
the polls disagree with you
Some polls. To say “the polls” presumes some agreement or – even more absurd, the morning after the debate – unanimity.
Ten points? Whoah, Jeff – call from Pauline Kael!
October 8th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Chuck, putting aside the partisan silliness in your message, I believe change will be thrust upon whomever wins, in measures you’ve never dreamed of. In fact, if they DON’T move radically, they are far more likely to have a ‘1994’ than otherwise.
October 8th, 2008 at 9:46 am
I will admit that after I slept on it and heard Bill Bennett talk about McCain’s summary at the end, I felt better…
…about his summary at the end at least.
Although even then, I, like some of the callers on Bennett’s show, lamented the fact that McCain, when asked “What don’t you know…?”
Didn’t say “I don’t know who Barack Obama really is. I don’t know why some people feel he is qualified. I don’t know why his associations with leftist radicals and admitted terrorists isn’t cause for more concern in the media and among liberal voters.”
What he did say was powerful and certainly eloquent.
It just wasn’t enough for me.
To Mitch’s point, my wife represents the less afflicted of us, and she wasn’t won over, which was cause for concern for me because she’ll vote for McCain either way. What of those on the fence?
October 8th, 2008 at 10:06 am
My favorite moment is when Maverick communicated with that one. Moved in on him and gave him the bird. You know, the finger? Plus Maverick was inverted.
It was a really great move.
/jc
October 8th, 2008 at 10:07 am
I agree with the Clown. Man, I hate that.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Why do people who believe the 2000 (&2004!) elections were stolen by the GOP think that polls and debates have any meaning?
A few rigged voting machines, a little voter intimidation of ethnic minorities, and, my favorite, using color schemes in polling places that make gay people physically nauseous, and Nov. 4th will belong to McCain/Palin.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:30 am
“My friends”. How many times? Thirty?
McCain missed too many openings. He didn’t listen to Obama’s replies and let too many opportunities pass. He referred to his notes to remember the questions and his talking points, and that looked weak.
Obamamania didn’t turn in a strong performance, but McCain would have done better if he hadn’t shown up.
McCain lost almost every point. He was especially weak on health care.
Of course his plan is written by the HC lobby and designed to effectively take the very chance of coverage away from those who most need it.
He missed the opportunity to really connect the Dems and the Fannie/Freddy debacle.
He had a chance to go for the kill on that and either chose not to, or flat-out wiffed.
No mention of Ayers either, but that may not have been a mistake. That is only flying with his supporters right now.
Only on the Pakistan and the Russia questions did he sound as if he knew what he was talking about.
The Iran waging war on Israel question was idiotic. How long would that last? 5 minutes?
Most importantly, he lost the “look and act” test. Unfortunately that’s what counts for most viewers. It left me wishing I’d listened to it on radio, so I could make-believe it was a tie.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:59 am
I’m not sure the length of a possible Iran/Israel war is the point in which folks are concerned.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Forget how the debate looked to the folks who’ve already made up their minds, unless it shook any of them up. Me, I don’t care if Obama looks Presidential; I’ve long concluded that that thin-resumed Chicago politician would be a disaster as President (particularly with a Democrat-controlled Congress), and he could deliver his practiced lines superbly and it won’t move me. And forget the Obamamaniacs, too; they’ve swallowed the hook, the line, yea, verily, and the sinker, and he’ll reel them in.
But don’t ignore Frank Luntz. His focus groups consist of just the kind of folks who have to be moved, one way or another, for McCain to win, and they moved the wrong way last night, albeit not much.
I’m not preaching despair. I think that in the next very few weeks it’s possible for McCain and his supporters to make the case that in a time of crisis, the country is far safer with McCain in the White House than Mr. Hopey-Changey; I think it’s also possible that enough of the Obama Youth and NotSoYouth have intimidated enough people that the only safe criticism of The One is in the safety of the voting booth that the polls are off by just enough for McCain to be able to pull it off.
But he’s got to do better, and so do his his supporters. And that includes Palin. People should be scared at the notion of the Freddie/Fannie mess being “cleaned up” at the direction of Dodd and Frank, at foreign policy being outsourced to Joe Biden, at . . .
Well, you get the idea.
No, McCain hasn’t run out of time, and the people who are trying to sell you despair do not have your best interests at heart.
But it’s sure not in abundance.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Badda: Here’s the transcript of the question. It’s a stupid question. The US wouldn’t need to defend Israel, at least from Iran. Iran would be gone if it attacked Israel. Now, if Russia intervened… but that’s not what was asked. (I thought McCain was going to slobber all over the guy. Obama’s reaction was much more restrained and appropriate.)
“Shirey: “Senator, as a retired Navy chief, my thoughts are often with those who serve our country. I know both candidates, both of you, expressed support for Israel.
If, despite your best diplomatic efforts, Iran attacks Israel, would you be willing to commit U.S. troops in support and defense of Israel? Or would you wait on approval from the U.N. Security Council?””
October 8th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Of course his plan is written by the HC lobby and designed to effectively take the very chance of coverage away from those who most need it.
McCain should responded with this Obama-esque answer:
“Even if I want to take your health care away, I don’t have the votes in Congress.”
October 8th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Oh, I think the question was nutty, but it points to something that the next President is going to have to deal with. Right now, unless something changes dramatically, Iran will shortly — no more than five years out, probably less, possibly much less — have both a nuclear weapon and the ability to deliver it to Israel.
That will almost certainly not be stopped by diplomacy, Obama quasi-“tough” diplomacy in particular.
Who would you want in the White House making the hard calls as the months, then weeks, then days tick away before that crisis comes? (Me, I want Harry Truman, but he’s not available.)
October 8th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Yes, that’s question I recall… but that doesn’t change my statement. I do not believe folks are concerned with whether or not a potential war between Iran and Israel would cross the five minute mark.
Folks are concerned about the potential involvement of other players after the fact. Russia, as you say, is certainly one of them. I must say, I’m curious as to what Europe might do, as well as various Middle Eastern areas.
October 8th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
The US used the threat of atomic warfare to keep the Soviets from conquering Western Europe, and we never had to drop a bomb in the Western hemisphere.
Kim Jong Il is using just the threat of building & equipping nuclear tipped warheads to blackmail his neighbors.
There are more things to fear about a nuclear armed Tehran than a pre-emptive attack on Israel.
October 8th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
joelr Says: “(Me, I want Harry Truman, but he’s not available.) ”
I think Chuck Norris is though. wink
October 8th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
The Messiah, San Fran Nan, Harry Ried, running our country with no opposition. No brakes to their plans.
Why don’t you just give a couple of cases of beer and your car keys to that 17 year old kid down the street.
October 8th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Chuck said: “Why don’t you just give a couple of cases of beer and your car keys to that 17 year old kid down the street.”
Good idea, Chuck, but the Constitution prevents Bush for running for a third term.
October 8th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Oh, there would be brakes.
In ’93 Hillarycare & gays in the military couldn’t be implemented even though the dem’s controlled both houses and the presidency.
Bush’s soc security reform was blocked though the GOP controlled both houses & the presidency.
October 8th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Clownie concluded “When you’re behind this late in the game, ties are losses. ”
Al Gore was up 10 points “this late in the game” back in 2000.
October 8th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Hate to step on your wingnut whistling-past-the-graveyard talking point, but like most of the stuff you kooks believe, ‘taint so.
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/10/09/tracking.poll/index.html
Turns out Bush was leading this time eight years ago and Gore closed the gap, winning the popular vote but losing the election 5-4.
October 8th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Well, I just posted a link showing you have your head up your butt, Kerm, but looks like its stuck in Mitch’s moderator review queue. But let me suggest that in the future, when you kooks are tempted to pony up easily verified facts, verify ’em first. Cause you’re giving up some very easy points to the Clown.
October 8th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Haha, I reread the post. I say that Kerm’s head is in Mitch’s moderator queue. No indeed. It’s in Kerm’s butt! Also “its” should be a contraction.
Once again, Angryclown will have to sack his girl. Good help is so hard to find. Maybe some runner-up Miss Alaska….
October 9th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
“It’s in Kerm’s butt!”, “stuck in Mitch’s moderator review queue. ”
Okay, AC, we get the idea. How’s the Mets doin’? Sweaty and muscular? What’s your favorite scene from “Pulp Fiction”anyway? I don’t think Uma Thurman makes an appearance.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
You’re the one who likes to wear biker gear, Mr. Gimp
October 9th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
“The way Kerm looked at it, his head was your birthright. He’d be damned if any slopes gonna put their greasy yellow hands on his boy’s birthright, so he hid it, in the one place he knew he could hide something: his ass. Five long years, Kerm wore his head up his ass. Then when he died of dysentery, Kerm gave me his head. I hid this uncomfortable piece of meat up my ass for two years. Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family. And now, little man, I give Kerm’s head to you.”