And the Debate's on!

[Kitalrez]

Ok, so we're 23 minutes in, Sarah Palin's already dodged 3+ questions, (unsuccessfully, both the mod and Biden caught her). Biden, on his part, has already told one long boring story to answer a question and laughed at Palin at least twice. Could go either way.

[Yellow Mage]

Re: And the Debate's on!

Aw, dangit, I knew I was forgetting something . . .

Anybody wanna whip up a highlight reel after this is over?

[Kitalrez]

Re: And the Debate's on!

Right, I've been playing the drinking game from Wonkette's blog during the debate with my roommie... I'm a bit loaded now...

I think Sarah Palin just said that if John McCain was assasxxxxted, her administration would be nothing like his. At least, I don't think that was the liquor...

Joe's making attacks, I think... it's hard to tell since he talks for so long before and after. He is going after Bush over and over, I'll assume they're attacks. He likes to link up Bush and McCain, might be rough to shake that if Obama keeps up that line in the main debates.


{Update} It's OVER! Also, Sarah Palin just referred to the commanding general in Iraq as "General McLellan"... it's nice to see that the Army of the Potomac has been redeployed. They haven't seen action in what, 100 years or so? Yeah, get those lazy old fuckers in blue moving again...

[Neomage]

Re: And the Debate's on!

I was rather disappointed with how poorly Biden did in the beginning. I expected him to rip Palin to shreds within the first few minutes. As far as Palin, well... she was talking gibberish nonsense, but I will admit the gibberish nonsense sounded good... Even if it meant crap. Biden made up for it later in the debate though.

[Malacite]

Re: And the Debate's on!

He tore her a new one if you ask me. Yes, his start was a little weak but he definitely won that debate handily. I'm just disappointed that Palin wasn't shown up for the mountain hic white trash she is.

[Effedup]

Re: And the Debate's on!

I expected him to rip Palin to shreds within the first few minutes

I actually read some things online a couple of days ago, apparently from sources within the Obama campaign, that they were pushing Biden to NOT rip Palin to shreds. Basically, they were worried that Biden being too aggresive would have backfired and people would feel sorry for Palin. Given that, I pretty much saw what I expected. Biden got a little heated at times, but overall he played it pretty cool...

I feel Biden won the debate as well, but Palin surprised the shit out of me actually. I totally expected another Katie Couric moment, and it's obvious that the debate camp McCain set up for her at least got her prepared. The panel of commentators CNN had after the fact said, like the first Presidential debate, there was no clear winner in their opinion, but most of them commended Palin on her performance, regardless of political affiliation. Given what most expected of her (crash and burn), I'm not surprised.

It's just like my younger brother when it comes to doing the dishes...he fucks it up so often that when he does right, it's like the heavens open up above him. I definitely get that vibe from this debate as well.

[Malacite]

Re: And the Debate's on!

Oh he was definitely restraining himself, it was visible on his face. I still think that she's starting to show just how crazy she is, and Fareed Zakaria (and even some republicans now) has said she is horribly unprepared to be president. Mc Cain has at least a 1/5 chance of dieing on the job. He's had 4 bouts with a deadly skin cancer, is 2 years younger than when his father died, and is running for the most demanding job in the world. CNN ran a special a few months back about all the horrible afflictions that befell previous presidents, and that every last one of them died a good 5-10 years under their life expectancy.


Shit, just look at how Bill Clinton and George Bush look now compared to before they ran. The stress of the job, especially with all the shit that's going on now is very likely to kill Mc Cain. So it is very much a good idea to look into how Palin would be as president (god forbid!)


I think Mc Cain's really screwed now. Obama is cleaning house in the electoral college (CNN estimates 250 Obama and 189 Mc Cain; 270 needed to win) and the remaining two debates are both Obama's turf.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: And the Debate's on!

The Electoral College shouldn't even be a factor, they're supposed to come in after the votes are tallied and no votes have been cast yet. Estimates on the electoral college aren't reliable because they can be bought off by one side or the other. They hold no accountability to party or to reflect the will of the voters (and they're supposed to reflect our votes), particularly since the voters can't know who is in the Electoral College.

The Electoral College in an of itself is a stupid concept and needs to be removed from the vote. OUR votes should be anonymous, not those of the Electoral College.

These last couple of weeks - not the hype on TV - have had a major influence on my vote. A lot of people in my state will not be getting re-elected, I have a strong feeling about that. The same can be said for Virginia and Tennessee

The situation with gas here is beyond absurd while the rest of America is getting a steady supply. Hurricane Ike my ass. The refineries have been back up for weeks and they sure can spare plenty of gas to Florida and states north of Virginia, but not NC, VA, TN, SC or GA. Finding gas to get to work and companies finding gas to make deliveries is the same problem. We're tapped out and if this bullshit continues, there will be swarms of angry people walking to the polls.

[Feba]

Re: And the Debate's on!

BBQ:
1- Estimating electoral votes isn't stupid at all. They're what makes the difference, not the popular vote.
2- While it is true that an electoral vote doesn't have to go to the person the public elects, that is pretty rare. I believe that even when it has happened, it has never been decisive to who wins or loses a presidential race.
3- Your vote is anonymous...
4- The Electoral College was actually not a bad idea. When it was conceived, we were the United States of America. We were electing the President of the United States. The Electoral College (along with the Senate) reflect this, in that they're giving the STATES the vote, instead of the people. The problem is, nowadays, we are America. The President (and federal government in general) are not merely serving in working to keep the states working together and such, but their power also effects the people.

For example, drug laws. A fair amount of states have legalized or decriminalized certain drugs in certain circumstances (mainly cannabis for those who keep very little). However, the federal government still says it's illegal. However you feel about drug legalization, or however you feel about whether that's the jurisdiction of the federal government, the fact is that these sorts of issues which DO interfere with the everyday life of people that have made the electoral college a bad system. When the federal government is regulating interstate commerce and deciding whether we want to go to war or not, wanting representation for your state more than a simple population vote isn't at all a bad idea. It protects the rights of the minority. It's when someone living in the middle of nowhere can, through an unequal vote (and frankly laws which shouldn't exist), impose their morals on someone living in Busy City, USA that the system becomes broken.