RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Politics and Current Events The Third and Final Presidential Debate 10/15/08

oh you don't like Promod? I didn't know I just assumed you would never let G-man get inside your head like that.

Actually I vote in every election as a matter of civic duty and I now walk my infant daughter with me to the polling precinct to instill the habit and tradition in her.

So Obama won again and almost unanimously, everyone says that McCain FAILED to revive his sagging fortunes. All he managed to do was make himself look angry and rambling. he was like an old Model T attack machine, rambling incoherent right wing attacks, most of the time completely out of the context of the subject at hand, they'd come unexpectedly and jarringly, like if the rickety attack machine backfired or something.

Even the fOX news focus group called it for Obama. Of course FOX didn't release the actual numbers,but the real news outlets did:


From The New Republic. Look at the favorability ratings - they HATED McCain. Obama's favorability went from 42 before the debate to 72 after. McCain dropped from 54 before to 50 after. But then look at the unfavorable rating. Obama's unfavorables dropped from 42 to 22. McCain's, however, rose from 34 to 48. And, this was a focus grouped that was undecided, but started out leaning towards Mccain.



CNN Poll: Obama wins debate, 58-31





CBS Poll: Obama wins debate 53-22
Holy cow!!!!

Fifty-three percent of the uncommitted voters surveyed identified Democratic nominee Barack Obama as the winner of tonight's debate. Twenty-two percent said Republican rival John McCain won. Twenty-four percent saw the debate as a draw.



ABC News (George Stephanopoulos) McCain’s Best Debate, But Obama Still Won: During a fast-paced, spirited, and sometimes heated debate, McCain had his best debate, but Obama still won. WINNER: Obama.
STRATEGY: Obama: A McCain: A
STYLE: Obama: A McCain: A-
ACCURACY: Obama: B McCain: B

and here is the nights most damaging part for McCain:

TIME (Jim Poniewozik) Women Don’t Like It: Dial group report 2: Um, Sen. McCain, women don't like it when you put "health of the mother" in air quotes.

The LA Times concurs:



the entire point of Sarah Palin was supposedly to get all those uncommitted Hillary voters. McCain there, tactical genius that he is, managed in 2 casual derisive swoops, to make launching a stupid crude right wing attack against Obama into a self inflicting wound that is going to cost him dearly among those women he thought Palin was going to attract.

Now to be fair to G-Man, who i'm sure is going to launch is usual tired attacks against the media and declare that McCain is there to save us all from high taxes (since we're ALL millionaires apparently), here's a poll that McCain actually won:

CNN POLL: Who spent more time attacking during the debate?

McCain – 80%
Obama – 7%



Good.

then McCain, tactical genius that he is, made his final impression on the American public:


Yes, this is the man who has the temperament and maturity to be President. Of course after that bit of stupidity, Obama joined his wife and they both exited the stage, McCain refused to hold his wife and then jumped ahead and left his wife behind to walk off herself. I found that a bit odd a way to cap off the evening...

Look at the favorability ratings - they HATED McCain. Obama's favorability went from 42 before the debate to 72 after. McCain dropped from 54 before to 50 after. But then look at the unfavorable rating. Obama's unfavorables dropped from 42 to 22. McCain's, however, rose from 34 to 48. And, this was a focus grouped that was undecided, but started out leaning towards Mccain.

As I type this, Stan Greenberg is briefing reporters on his focus group of undecided voters in Colorado. He said the respondents felt Obama "won" and that the results were "more decisive than either of the last two." That's a reference to Greenberg's previous focus groups, which also came away preferring Obama.

The most striking result came on the favorability ratings. Although the focus group was officially undecided, it leaned towards McCain. Here were the favorability-unfavorability ratings for each candidate at the start:

McCain: 54 favorable / 34 unfavorable

Obama: 42 favorable / 42 unfavorable

Here's what the ratings looked like after the debate:

McCain: 50 favorable / 48 unfavorable

Obama: 72 favorable / 22 unfavorable

My son is dressing up as Obama this Halloween, we bought an Obama mask at Wal-Mart and my wife is sewing together the Muslim get up he wore in Kenya!

What you are saying is true. I also comend you for doing that with your daughter.....my Dad used to do the same thing with me. Your vote does make a difference. And you may be right about the blacks, but I will need to see it to believe it. There are a couple of things that make me think this is not over though. First, you say that people are tuned in and I agree but I disagree that if more people vote it favors dems. Yes there are more dems registered but many of them have never voted ever.....nor will they. Also people being tuned in also makes them pay really close attention to both candidates. The way you see Obama and the way I see McCain may not be the way about 15% of voters out there see either of them.

Second, Obama is polling about 49% right now in the polls nationally......but only 82% of the 49% are definitely going to vote for him. That is a gallup fact......so that means 18% may change their mind. Who knows. Bradley effect may have some effect but I am thinking it won't but who knows on that as well.

All I'm saying is I honestly don't think we'll know till late Tuesday night or early Wednesday.....and if Ohio is close and decides the election I would assume we would have a challenge ala 2000 and the dems will know how that feels.

But like I've said in the past I hope if Obama wins he governs somewhat for the center otherwise I may go out of business and the economy will suffere terribly.

oh and the debates don't mean shit.....Bush lost to Gore and Kerry and he did ok. McCain did well enough but not great. Obama is a very weak candidate with no record at all of anything saying the word change does nto magically make it happen. A good debater would have made Obama look very stupid. I felt there were at least 5 major opening last night that McCain just couldn't capitalize on.