I'm biased. I support Barack Obama wholeheartedly. But I was ready for McCain to do better in the town hall format. I was wrong. John McCain did much WORSE in this format than last time. In the first debate I though the two were roughly tied, with an ever-so-slight advantage to Obama for beating expectations on foreign policy. In this setting McCain looked aged, … [Read more...] about The Clincher
Snap Polls: Obama Won
We seem to be seeing the same trend as after the first presidential debate and the VP debate: Pundits and political junkies saw it as a tie, but voters in snap polls give the edge to the Democratic candidate. The results from about 500 uncommitted voters surveyed by CBS: Who won the debate? 39% say Obama, 27% McCain, 35% rate it a tie. How did the debate impact vote … [Read more...] about Snap Polls: Obama Won
Why Did McCain Not Use the Smear Card Tonight?
Sorry, Bill Kristol. McCain did not use the smear card tonight in the debate. Doggone, I know you are very disappointed, but who really cares about that. Just a short and from-the-gut reaction to this aspect of tonight's debate. After all the muckraking---uncomfortably close to inflammatory incitement---by his pit-bull running mate, I was amazed that McCain did not get … [Read more...] about Why Did McCain Not Use the Smear Card Tonight?
2nd Presidential Debate… and My Head Exploded!
Okay -- I understand now why McCain wanted the Townhall debate format. He is much, much better in this setting. Yes, he looked extremely stiff -- and next to Obama, downright ancient. But McCain's demeanor, and his answers, were much improved from the last debate. Furthermore, these questions were exponentially better than we've seen to date, and I was thrilled to hear … [Read more...] about 2nd Presidential Debate… and My Head Exploded!
Donna Brazile’s Not Going To The Back Of The Bus
Donna Brazile is on ABC right now: The homework assignment that Senator McCain had tonight was to come in and change the fundamentals of the race. He couldn't do that because Senator Obama would not allow it. Brazile is on a roll. On the “If I Were Running This Campaign” panel this past Saturday morning [full-length video] Jeff Toobin remarked, “It’s Donna’s world; we just … [Read more...] about Donna Brazile’s Not Going To The Back Of The Bus
Volunteer This: Live-Blogging the Second Obama-McCain Debate
If you're interested, I'm live-blogging the debate and its aftermath (media reaction) over at my place tonight: Click here. Feel free to offer your comments. (Obviously, we'll have a lot of reaction here at TMV, too.) … [Read more...] about Volunteer This: Live-Blogging the Second Obama-McCain Debate
Tonight’s Debate Audience
This is the only town-hall style debate where audience members are allowed to ask questions, so some are wondering how the audience members were selected. Mark Blumenthal has the answer. Participants were selected with the help of Gallup based on the pollster's criteria for "likely voters" and with the intent of finding people who mirrored Nashville's undecided voter … [Read more...] about Tonight’s Debate Audience
Watch Tonight’s McCain-Obama Debate
Tonight's McCain-Obama debate at Belmont University in Nashville TN will be broadcast on MSNBC and C-SPAN and streamed live on msnbc.com, cnn.com and C-SPAN. NPR will fact-check. … [Read more...] about Watch Tonight’s McCain-Obama Debate
Scary Town Hall Debate
Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News … [Read more...] about Scary Town Hall Debate
Debate Night Media Alerts
UPDATED. I'll be the guest on the pre-debate festivities at The Rick Moran Show tonight at 8 pm eastern. After that, as previously mentioned, I'll be moderating a live debate chat at Hot Air, so stop by. (UPDATE: Ed Morrissey will be doing a live blog of the debate at that link tonight, so stop by and refresh often!) Once the debate is wrapped up, I'll be posting my take on … [Read more...] about Debate Night Media Alerts
C-SPAN Debate Hub: Blog Heaven! (Reprised)
If you haven't visited C-SPAN's Debate Hub you don't know what your missing. The site's garnering praise from both sides of the aisle... MyDD from the Left: C-SPAN has a real neat Debate Hub feature on their website which is a great place to watch and follow the debate, particularly for those without a television. The Hub is also tracking the blogs -- including MyDD, which … [Read more...] about C-SPAN Debate Hub: Blog Heaven! (Reprised)
The Politics of Smear in America: Kommersant, Russia
Is it reasonable to hear Russian criticism of U.S. election smears and mudslinging, when their national election, held recently, featured the outright arrest of opposition candidates? Judge for yourself by reading this op-ed article by Nikolay Zlobin of the Russian newspaper Kommersant, which appears to be in the form of a warning to Barack Obama: Zlobin writes in … [Read more...] about The Politics of Smear in America: Kommersant, Russia
John McCain: Articles of Mass Distraction
Today's MUST READ by the highly talented and perceptive Jerry Remmers, who like me has the San Diego Union as his newspaper alma mater... Be sure to read it before tonight's debate. … [Read more...] about John McCain: Articles of Mass Distraction
Gallup: Obama Opens 9 Point Lead Over McCain
The latest Gallup Daily Tracking poll shows Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama opening a 9 point lead over GOP candidate Sen. John McCain: The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking poll shows registered voters preferring Barack Obama to John McCain for president by 51% to 42%. The nine percentage point lead in Oct. 4-6 tracking matches Obama's highest to … [Read more...] about Gallup: Obama Opens 9 Point Lead Over McCain
Random Pre-Debate Thoughts That Might Be On Topic…
Since Governor Sarah Palin has blasted on the scene, I've been wondering how she would have done if she were running in the Republican primary. She would have stuck out like a sore big toe among that super-dull crowd of McCain, Thompson, Giuliani, Romney, and others (well Mike Huckabee was not that dull). Can you imagine the "Sarahcuda" on the debate stage hurling zingers at … [Read more...] about Random Pre-Debate Thoughts That Might Be On Topic…
Obama McCain Political Debate Context: Polls Still Show Volatile Race
When presidential hopefuls Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and GOP Sen. John McCain debate tonight, the growing conventional wisdom in some circles is that Obama is firmly on a path to victory -- but. in reality, polls still show a still-highly-volatile race. A race where a debate -- a gaffe, a well-delivered charge that strongly connects with people, a memorable prepared or … [Read more...] about Obama McCain Political Debate Context: Polls Still Show Volatile Race
The (Lost?) Vision of the Founding Fathers
In a thread yesterday, commenter JSpencer made reference to "the brilliant minds who conceived this country". Although the context was narrowly contemporary (the 2008 election), the comment spoke to something I've been thinking about a lot lately. Would the Founding Fathers recognize the system we're using today? Are we on the path they tried to set us on? If not, where do … [Read more...] about The (Lost?) Vision of the Founding Fathers
On the Air for the Next Debate (And Live Chat!)
Today (at a special time of 1:30 pm eastern, 10:30 am pacific) we'll be taking to the air once again for some pre-debate analysis on Mid Stream Radio where my partner Cindy and I will be joined by Ed Morrissey to answer the question of whether or not this election is really over, or what - if anything - John McCain can do tonight to reverse his fortunes. Shortly after that, … [Read more...] about On the Air for the Next Debate (And Live Chat!)
Is This What It Has Come Down To?
John McCain delivers yet another invective-filled stump speech, this one at a rally in New Mexico. He asks rhetorically: "Who is the real Barack Obama?" Someone shouts: "A terrorist!" The crowd cheers. McCain remains silent. Meanwhile, Sarah Palin is doing her part in Clearwater, Florida, telling a rally where reporters are herded away from the audience by … [Read more...] about Is This What It Has Come Down To?
Greetings from Tennessee
Tonight all eyes will be focused on my home state of Tennessee, where the debate will take place at Belmont University. While I'm not a native of this state - I was born in New Jersey, moved to Virginia as a child, went to grad school in Illinois and live here permanently - I can say a fair amount about the great Volunteer State. First of all, Tennessee is divided into three … [Read more...] about Greetings from Tennessee