Last Night's Debate

Not TOO much to say about the debate last night. Once again, Ethan was afraid that McCain had won, I reassured him that Obama had, and the pundits agreed with me.

Things I noticed:

• Both candidates were asked to discuss their plans on various issues. Obama answered these questions directly. McCain spent most of his time pointing out the flaws in Obama's plans rather than selling his own. Not surprising since his plans are utter BS and aimed at destroying an already vanishing middle class

• McCain kept huffing and sighing off camera every time Obama was talking. Did he think that would play well with the public? He doesn't seem to be able to differentiate being "aggressive" from being "angry/haughty/condescending/a total prick"

• The confident, non-aggressive smile Obama trained on McCain every time McCain was talking smack about him. That's my favorite Obama debate tactic. You can almost read his thoughts. You know he's sitting there the whole time thinking, "Corpse, PLEEZ!"

• How the pundits IMMEDIATELY seized on McCain's abortion gaffe re: the "health of the mother" exception for late-term abortions. Good for them! And keep running that soundbite, please, for any women out there who might have missed it. Wave bye-bye to any undecided women out there, Johnny

And one non-debate-related observation:

I've been saying this for a long time, but will finally post it since it's relevant to the upcoming holiday. MSNBC political analyst Richard Wolffe (whom I adore) has a big, candy corn-shaped head. I affectionately squeal "Candy Corn!" with glee every time he comes on-screen. It could also be likened to Frankenstein, also holiday appropriate. See for yourself. I couldn't find a decent still shot, so the attached video will have to suffice. He's approx. 3:47 seconds in.

I love candy corn. If his head were actually a giant piece of candy corn, I would eat it in sections from chin to forehead. I'm a touch OCD when it comes to certain things.

Victory Dance

Can I get a "whoop whoop!" for my main man, Sen. Barack Obama? By the end of the debate, Ethan was worried once again that it was too close to call. I reassured him that, despite everyone's expectations that tonight would be a blood bath, both candidates stuck to the issues and Obama always wins on the issues. The CNN poll confirmed this, though the spread was narrower than I thought it should be.

Ethan thought the debate was also very boring and many people in the blogosphere agree. Once again, that's because they stuck to the issues and the issues aren't exciting to the average viewer.

Andrew Sullivan (Republican), called it a MAULING--advantage Obama. He picked up on several things that I also found odd or troubling during the debate. Namely, McCain blowing off Obama's handshake at the end (I missed the first 20 mins, so I don't know if he shook his hand at the beginning), the "that one" comment, his weird habit of pacing behind Obama while Obama was talking, etc. He left out McCain calling for a spending freeze while simultaneously wanting to buy up bad mortgages, though.

There's also been a lot of post-debate hubbub about the McCains hightailing it out of the debate while the Obamas stayed to greet and talk to the crowd and give autographs and pose for photos. I thought that was very personable of them. I'm sure the McCain campaign will spin that as the Obamas acting like "celebrities." The talking heads kept asking "why" the McCains left so abruptly. Duh, because it was way past his bedtime.

Holy crap, I can't wait for the last debate.

If the McCain campaign has any sense whatsoever, which we've already established that it doesn't, they will cancel Palin's remaining stump speeches and hide her away from the public eye until election day. She is not helping them. AT ALL. I know it doesn't help the Democrats for me to keep reiterating this, but she's an embarrassment and a liability for the ticket. WHY DON'T THEY SEE THIS???? They're some willfully ignorant motherf*ckers.

Ethan just poked his head in to say, "Man, you got a lot to say about a BORING debate!" What can I say? I didn't find it as boring as most. I thought Barack was on message and smooth like butter. What more could the Dems ask for?

Can the McCain/Palin campaign get any shadier?

It appears as though the McCain campaign sent in operatives to hinder the Troopergate investigation. Palin repeatedly claims she has nothing to hide, so why not let the investigation proceed and be done with it?

If she truly has nothing to hide and allows authorities to complete the investigation, the matter could be wrapped up well before election day. A finding in her favor would render the investigation a non-issue.

This on the heels of McCain's pathetic publicity stunt re: suspending his campaign and returning to DC to single-handedly solve the financial crisis REEKS of desperation. Did anyone buy that for a single second? How could a candidate who's widely considered to be weak on economic issues be so crucial in orchestrating the bailout? What could he possibly have to contribute? That's a rhetorical question, btw.

I shall enjoy watching the campaign continue to implode over the remaining weeks until election day. With great glee. So, so much glee.

Ooh--update since I originally posted this! Looks like Johnny Boy is going to show up for the debate after all despite the bailout package not being finalized. Nice to know he's a man of his word and stands by his decisions regardless of public opinion. Fucking asshole. I hope the public backlash from this latest publicity stunt throws him off his game tonight.