It's the second round of McCain vs. Obama. While there will be no live blogging tonight, there will be pre-debate chatter, and possibly, if all parties are still awake and functioning, post-debate analysis(*). Back joining me this evening will be SeaBean accompanied by StitchWiggler. And as a special enticement for you to read, we will have a SPECIAL MYSTERY GUEST joining us. Who? you ask. Click through around 9pm tonight and you'll find out.(*)Using the term "analysis" in its loosest sense.
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This is a "Town Hall" debate so it'll look a little different tonight.
The Rules:
- The questions will be culled from a group of 100 to 150 uncommitted likely voters in the audience and another one-third to come via the Internet. Brokaw selects which questions to ask from written queries submitted prior to the debate.
- The Gallup Organization makes sure the questioners reflect the demographic makeup of the nation.
- An audience member isn’t allowed to switch questions and will not be allowed a follow-up either. His or her microphone will be turned off after the question is read and a camera shot will only be shown of the person asking — not reacting.
- The moderator, Tom Brokaw, may not ask followups or make comments.
- McCain and Obama will be provided with director’s chairs, but they’re also allowed to stand. They can’t roam past their “designated area” marked on the stage and are not supposed to ask each other direct questions.
Pre-Debate Chatter
8:01pm
Sister T: It's just me and StitchWiggler right now. SeaBean and THE SPECIAL MYSTERY GUEST are delayed on urgent shopping business. The debate won't start for an hour, but I've got PBS on all the same. The show NOVA is on. The theme is Arctic Dinosaurs...in case you are interested.
8:13
Sister T: StitchWigger, what are your expectations for tonight's Town Hall debate?
StitchWiggler: [utter silence]
Sister T: Yep, I'm just no good at holding a conversation with a dog. I'm much more of a cat person.
8:35
Sister T: SeaBean and THE SPECIAL MYSTERY GUEST have arrived.
SeaBean: We have arrived!
Sister T: Would you like the honor of introducing THE SPECIAL MYSTERY GUEST?
SeaBean: Why yes, I'd be honored. Our special guest is MamaBaer, spelled that way because of her ties to Germany, even though she isn't German.
MamaBaer: Auntie Lulu says I'm German, she introduces me as her German Sister.
Sister T: MamaBaer is SeaBean's mama.
SeaBean: Uh-huh.
8:40.
Sister T: What are you looking for in tonight's debate?
SeaBean: I want to see how Obama does without a teleprompter.
Sister T: He didn't use a teleprompter in the last debate.
SeaBean: I didn't see it.
Sister T: This debate is a Town Hall hall so he'll have to move around and not use a teleprompter.
MamaBaer: You didn't watch the fist debate?
SeaBean: No. I am a horrible American.
MamaBear: Did you watch the VP debate?
SeaBean: Yep. But it was on a Thursday when lots of people watch.
Sister T: Did we ever watch it! You should read the blog.
8:43
SeaBean: Ugh! The discussions this week at work have been outrageous. Because I don't care for Sarah Palin, at work they automatically think I'm pro Hillary.
MamaBaer: That's a stupid implication.
Sister T: I think the important question is who StitchWiggler would vote for.
SeaBean: PDS.
MamaBaer: PDS?
SeaBean: StitchWiggler is a socialist, she keeps me honest.
8:45
Sister T: What's the biggest way anybody could screw up tonight?
SeaBean: Someone could trip and fall on a cattle prod and electrocute himself.
MamaBaer: That's very far fetched.
SeaBean: Well, it's the very worst screw up I can think of.
8:46
MamaBaer: I got my Florida absentee ballot and there are 10 people running for president. I like getting the absentee ballot so I can get a good picture of the issues.
SeaBean: Do people ever ask you your opinion while you are working polls?
MamaBaer: They do, but I am not allowed to answer them. I just smile and nod so they think I'm agreeing with them.
SeaBean: Have you ever witnessed a poll worker giving an opinion?
MamaBaer: No.
SeaBean: Would you have to report it?
MamaBaer: Not as far as I know.
8:47
SeaBean: So as a poll worker what do you do?
MamaBaer: I stuff the ballot box.
SeaBean: So you stick it in?
MamaBaer: Oh no, everything is private and secret
[detailed discussion of balloting measures]
SeaBean: So when you stuff the ballot box what do you mean?
MamaBaer: I lied. I just thought it would be cool to say that.
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Quasi Live-Blogging
I reinstituted the live blogging because other than a buying-up-home-mortgages plan by John McCain and an expand-the-peace-corps plan by Barak Obama neither candidate said anything new and it turned out I really didn't need to pay that close attention.
9:29 McCain talks about cutting defense spending by getting rid of government contractors. SeaBean is a defense contractor.
SeaBean: Nooooooo. My job!!!!
9:33 Obama talks about expanding the Peace Corps across the country.
SeaBean: He's talking about creating the CCC again.
Sister T: McCain keeps pacing around back there. He's making me nervous. Like a caged tiger.
9:35 Obama does some nuanced talking about scalpels and hatchets, the audience's eyes glaze over.
9:35 McCain accuses Obama of being Herbert Hoover and of encouraging protectionism because he will raise taxes.......I'm not following that logic.
9:37 McCain talks about his tax breaks for middle class families with children.
SeaBean: What about those in the middle class who don't have children?
9:38: Obama: "the straight talk express lost a wheel on that one"
9:39: Obama explains his tax plan in detail.....eyes glaze over.
9:40: McCain thinks fixing social security is easy. He claims it's been done before.
Sister T: If it got fixed before why do we need to fix it again?
MamaBaer: It was a bandaid.
9:42 Moderator, Tom Brokaw, is getting quite pissy about the Senators not sticking to the alloted time rules.
9:43 McCain answers a question about the environment. As bad as the economic/financial crisis is, an environment question is, nonetheless, a breath of fresh air.
MamaBaer: Hah, he forgot her [the question asker's] name.
Sister T: What was it?
MamaBaer: Ingrid.
Sister T: Pretty name. I think McCain is just throwing out eco-friendly words.
MamaBaer: Could be.
Sister T: I think we should change up the drinking game to every time you hear a loose metaphor.
SeaBean: Or simile.
Sister T: Brokaw is sooo upset.
9:47: Brokaw lectures them about following the green, yellow, red time lights.
9:48: McCain talks about funding research and development. SeaBean is still upset he talked about eliminating her job....which is government defense contract funded research and development.
9:50 Discussion turns back to Health Care.
Sister T: What is McCain doing back there? He keeps walking around and smiling at the group of people around them. Maybe he's winking at the crowd like Sarah Palin. The winking worked well for her.
9:51 Obama still droning on about Health Care.
9:52 Red light, Red light. Obama should stop. He's not. Brokaw is probably freaking out.
9:53 The digital signal bleeps in and out on the TV screen.
Sister T: Damn digital TV!
9:53 McCain talks about putting medical records online.
SeaBean: That's a terrible idea. It works horribly for the military.
MamBaer: I agree.
Disclosure: MamaBaer is an Army wife and SeaBean is an Army brat. They know the benefits and the pitfalls of federally funded health care.
9:54 McCain talks about getting hair plugs...as a joke...that no one laughs at. Was that a Joe Biden dig?
9:55 Question from Brokaw: is health care a right, priviledge or responsibility. McCain says responsibility, but I sort of think that when he elaborates on what he means by responsibility he ends up defining health care as a right.
9:56 Obama says it is a right.
9:57 Obama basically throws out the debate rules, tells Brokaw to shove off and just starts talking. (He doesn't do it as rudely as I make it sound).
Sister T: McCain is up and walking around again!
MamaBaer: Probably because Obama's got a red light.
10:00 Debate questions turn to national security.
10:01 McCain: "we don't have time for on the job training"
Sister T: [cough!] Sarah Palin [cough!]
10:02 Obama brings the national security talk back to the economy. Smart move.
10:04 Brokaw asks about the use of troops and force in humanitarian interventions. Obama answers that by talking about a "moral interest" in international conflicts. McCain doesn't answer the question.
10:06 Obama sits patiently while McCain talks. He looks more calm and relaxed in contrast to McCain's pacing. This could be a problem for McCain.
Sister T: So does McCain support human intervention or not?
MamaBaer: He supports thinking about it and not being a hot head.
10:09 Audience member "Katie" asks Obama about cross-border raids into Pakistan.
MamaBaer: A little too late for that question. [Bush is doing that right now]
10:15 McCain says "bomb-bomb-bomb-Iran" was just a joke. I don't think Iran's laughing.
10:16 Brokaw: "if either of you becomes president...as one of you will"
10:19 McCain doesn't think there will be another cold war with Russia, and he really, really, really doesn't like Putin.
MamaBaer: Wasn't this supposed to be a one minute question?
Sister T: The rules have sort of been thrown out the window at this point.
Sister T: Putin's name makes me think of turkey in German. [Disclosure: "puten" is a word used to refer to Turkey meat in Germany]
SeaBean: Me too.
MamaBaer: Hah. All I think of is "rootin' tootin' putin"
10:24 Brokaw asks if Russia will become an evil empire.
SeaBean: very Rage Against the Machine.
Sister T: very Star Wars.
10:25 Finally, an Iran question about what to do if Isreal and Iran got into a war.
10:26 McCain won't wait for that pesky UN Security Council. He'll go all in.
Sister T: what about speaking softly? he's skipping right ahead to the stick.
10:29 Last question from some internet user in New Hampshire: What don't you know and how will you learn it. Obama makes a joke about marriage and talks seriously about unexpected challenges and then talks about "hope" and "change" stuff not related to the question.
10:32 McCain gives an equally lame answer. He doesn't know what all of us don't know. He talks about unprecedented challenges in areas we don't even recognize on the map.
MamaBaer: That's because there's not enough [geography] education in this country.
10:33 It's over. Two down, one more to go. But before he closes, Brokaw gets pissy with the Senators for blocking his sightline to the teleprompter.
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Post Debate Analysis
Not much analysis here. We're too tired I guess. Thanks for reading. Come back for the next debate where there will be more chatter and some more attempts at live blogging. Special thanks to MamaBaer for her input and insight. And no thanks to StitchWiggler who slept through the whole thing. Humpf!
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