9.27.2008

The First Presidential Debate

OK, I can't help myself - how about we do an open thread? I'll start with a few basic questions:

What was your overall opinion of the debate? (questions, time spent on questions, etc)

Name two points from each candidate that you agreed with, and two you disagreed with, and why.

Who do you feel "won" based on content, and explanation of policies and platforms?

Who do you feel "won" based on presentation?

Overall, who do you feel came out on top?


Did the debates change your opinions at all?


Aaaaaannnnnddd let the debates, BEGIN!

10 comments:

Fran said...

Good luck on your art endeavor-- here are my answers...

• What was your overall opinion of the debate? (questions, time spent on questions, etc)

I thought the debate was lackluster
The moderator kept letting Mccain prattle on long after his time was up & he kept saying talk to each other. Mccain looked away in a different direction & was incessantly blinking his eyes-- like morse code.
At least develop high school level debate formats for hell's sake.

•Name two points from each candidate that you agreed with, and two you disagreed with, and why.

McCain wished Senator Kennedy well & I wholeheartedly agree. For the record, Kennedy endorses Obama.

McCain said it is not wise to announce war plans-- I agree on two levels.
1- they should not be making war plans.
2 - not a good idea to give the Taliban & al Queida a heads up.

Obama had a momnet of naming a list of things McCain was wrong about
WMD's
Welcomed liberators in Iraq
Easy war
Quick war
No Sheite/Suni conflict
& threw in the HELLO! Spain is a part of NATO-- the old coot was not sure if Spain was a friend or foe.

Diplomacy- Obama is wiling to come to the table & talk.

Things I disagree with

#1 McCain
#2 Palin

Hahahaha
Well its true--
but if you want more specifics
McCain echos the same bullshit Bush did.
He blathers on about cutting spending, but you danmed well know where the spending cuts would come from?
Social programs, education, welfare, libraries.
He favors letting the oober wealthy pay less taxes.

He goes on about pork barrel spending, yet misses the elephant in the room.... the financial sinkhole we call the illegal occupation in Iraq.
Apparently he does not see war spending as wasteful or problematic.

I loathe his 42 nuke power plant scheme.
Two words: Toxic waste.

Palin is just an insult to our intelligence & I don;t want her picking Supreme court justices, banning books or putting her pea brained self anywhere near a position of running this country.
She is a pro life nut job, and very dangerous.
the hypocritical stance of asking for her daughter's privacy, yet would have no qualms making our private decisions for us.

I hear Obama echo a maybe on nuclear as clean energy..... but damn that toxic waste. He should be better for his own 2 kids.

I don't like the rumblings of Obama saying we need more troops in Afghanistan & maybe Pakistan too.
The then Soviet Union spent 10 years in Afghanistan & finally bailed out.
We've logged 5 years there too & things are only getting worse. Get a clue!

• Who do you feel "won" based on content, and explanation of policies and platforms?

OBAMA!

•Who do you feel "won" based on presentation?

OBAMA!

• Overall, who do you feel came out on top?

OBAMA!

•Did the debates change your opinions at all?

I feel even more strongly, McCain is a blathering idiot.
I think he can;t look at Obama because he is racist
McCain can;t fathom a Black guy a the helm to the point of not even being able to look his opponent in the eye..... that makes McCain a lessor candidate & person.

His bringing up old historic references Ike,etc was disturbing. It's like he's an old senile grandpa running off about old memories..... voters want to talk about here & now & how we will fix all the Bush atrocities.... McCain is a part of the Bus atrocity set.

Stop Supporting Fake News said...

Here's a summed up analysis of what Obama had to say:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C05cxpIO71c

Anok said...

Fran, thank you for the well thought our response.

Devlin, I'm glad I actually watched the debate, and not some propagandist right wing hate crap like what you posted as a response.

You should try making informed decisions and actually WATCH and LISTEN to the debates - and not just what you want to hear, or cute youtube videos that do everything but help voters get actual information.

So tell me, what policies of McCain do you support? Which Palin policies do you support?

Can you name any, or will you just redirect us to youtube again?

Or, like Palin, do you just get your news sources "From all of them!"?

This is an open thread for debating - but you have clearly shown us why McCain supporters don't debate. They can't, all they can do is post youtube videos with a loop of a stutter, instead of anything worth debating.

Come back when you've grown a brain, and decide that it's OK to use it.

Unknown said...

an anarchist watching debates on tv? dudde you are as phoney as crab meat in a chinese salad. i didn't wach the debates but i can tell you who last: the american citizen.

Anok said...

Yes, this Anarchist watches the debates of the people who will be running the country she lives in.

It's called information - and while an Anarchist society is something I would love to see some day (but probably never will) I will be forced to live under a government run by one of the people who debated and will continue to do so.

Apathy is not intelligent, helpful, or practical.

In case you were unaware - their decisions will affect you, regardless of your political affiliation. SO involvement - and education about the people who will have such an effect on your life is vital.

Wouldn't you agree?

Unknown said...

TV is information?
I thought it was propaganda, miss information and mass manipulation.
No TV = Apathy - Watching TV = Helpful, practical, vital???
No, I wouldn’t agree at all.

Anok said...

Buddha, you seem to have confused news sources - such as the News hour with Jim Lehrer, or C-span's unbiased/moderated coverage of what our government is doing with American Idol, and other "reality" TV shows.

Yes, "TV" can be bad - but news, be it through TV, internet, news papers or magazines is a must.

Presidential debates are not apathetic fluff like the shows you frequently see on TV.

No wonder our country is in the stinking mess it' sin now - the general populace isn't able to distinguish between fluffy TV and educational programs.

(Non revisionist) Education is the only thing tha will bring about proper ANarchism, and equality. Education is the only thing that will eliminate poverty, and bring on peace. A lack of education is what keeps the caste system in place.

Christ.

Unknown said...

1)I don’t live in a monastery with no indoor plumbing and no electricity, Where do you get the assumption that I’m un educated and un informed? Certainly not from my blog.
2) So we inform and educate the people and ask them to vote, then our corrupt government gives up the power because we are so nice to them??? I don’t get this anarchy thing!

Anok said...

Buddha, your comments here have suggested that you can't make the distinction between apathetic inspiring TV shows, and information - such as watching a presidential debate - because it's "on TV" and TV is apparently all bad all the time.

And no, you don't get the "Anarchy thing". Obviously. Anarchism is a socio-political ideal that people such as myself subscribe to. That does not mean that we isolate ourselves from making decisions or forming opinions within the current political structure.

It certainly doesn't prevent us from exposing ourselves to what is going on, and discussing it.

Let me remind you what you opened with: an anarchist watching debates on tv? dudde you are as phoney as crab meat in a chinese salad. i didn't wach the debates but i can tell you who last: the american citizen.

Not only can you not spell, or write coherent sentences, but you are utterly clueless about politics, Anarchism, and what it means to live under a government whether you want one or not.

I'll go back to my original response. We do not live in a bubble, and current affairs effect us. So yes, Anarchists are watching this race with a great deal of interest.

You'd be an idiot not to.

Connecticut Man1 said...

Miss information
"Where do you get the assumption that I’m un educated and un informed?"


Are you spreading misinformation concerning being uneducated and uninformed OR are these truths we hold self-evident?

Couldn't resist a set up like that.

Enjoy this youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eu9Z2hXky0

Just for you devlin.

As for an anarchist watching TV. Why not? In the same way that a liberal like myself - who knows that there is no liberal point of view in the corporate owned conservative media, and knows that much of it is junk propaganda - an anarchist needs to know what they are up against on a day to day basis.

Picking through the tonnes of propaganda and junk in order to piece together small grains of truth is the only way to be truly informed these days. And, in some ways, provides a certain amount of entertainment value all on its own...

Hope you do well with your art exhibition anok!