Above: 3rd graders debate the Iraq war.
(hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)
The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08
Dedicated to Advancing the Idea That the Other Side May Have a Point
Archive for the 'Debates' Category
THE LIL’EST DEBATERS
November 14th, 2008, 2:42 pm by Dan LehrVOTE08’s GREATEST HITS
November 1st, 2008, 1:10 pm by Dan LehrRevisit the Debates
Watch the 1st Presidential Debate here.
Watch the Vice-Presidential Debate here. Who won? Click here.
Watch the 2nd Presidential Debate here. Who won? Click here.
Watch the 3rd Presidential Debate here. Who won? Click here.
(image by Matt Brunson)
CAMPAIGN HISTORY, OCTOBER 21st
October 21st, 2008, 10:12 am by Dan Lehr
How Reagan “Closed the Deal”
Comparisons have been made with this year’s race to 1980, & they’re apt in the sense thatlike Reagan, voters didn’t appear to feel “safer” with Obama until after the debate. Will it have the same outcome? That remains to be seen, of course.
After the jump some commercials Reagan aired that year:
STILL, THE PARALLELS ARE SOMEWHAT STARTLING
October 16th, 2008, 4:41 pm by Dan Lehr
Barack Obama is certainly not Batman.
& John McCain is certainly not the Penguin.
But could I resist posting this?
No.
No, I couldn’t.
WHO WON THE 3rd DEBATE?
October 16th, 2008, 10:55 am by Dan Lehr
[image by Matt Brunson]
…you mean other than plumbers?
I would say that in terms of issues, substance, & attacks, John McCain had his best of the three last night.
But because of the debate’s ’sit-down’ format, he lost the debate on an entirely different level.
Details after the jump.
THE 3rd PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
October 16th, 2008, 8:56 am by Dan Lehr
Did you miss it last night? You’re in luck - I’ve got the entire debate in full & in order after the jump. (My analysis will be in the next post)
LAST CLASH PREVIEW
October 15th, 2008, 11:28 am by Dan Lehr
As we said yesterday, McCain says he does plan to bring up the William Ayers issue at tonight’s debate. That’s after much goading from his supporters - & his opponent (”say it to my face“). Obama said today he’s ready for that attack.
It’s all turned, essentially, into this:
But is there a chance it could turn out that it’s McCain’s tongue that sticks to the flagpole?
McCain’s in a quandary. Mentioning Ayers has the potential to grab some of those “unpersuadeds” in the electorate. Yet it’s a double-edged sword - the vast majority of undecided voters want talk of the economy & nothing else. It’s a gamble. I don’t think I’d advise him to do it, supporters be da(rn)ed. It will certainly not keep those supporters home on election day.
What can McCain do to turn the election around? People from all sides of the aisle weigh in here.
I do hope you watch tonight. This is the last chance we’re going to see these two candidates on the stage at the same time, outlining their visions for the future. If you have plans, I’d recommend changing them if you can. History will happen tonight.
& in case you’re unable to view it, I hope to have the entire debate posted on this blog (it’ll be the very next post after this one) by 9am EDT tomorrow.
Between now & then, I’d like to ask your opinion. What advice would you give both candidates tonight? Please weigh in in the comments section!
WHO WON?
October 8th, 2008, 5:36 pm by Dan Lehr
SO sorry about the lack of posts today.. I had to come in late & then deal with the normal newscast I have to put together & then try to find out why my post I filed yesterday about Tactics vs. Strategy in predicting last night’s debate seemingly disappeared.
I’m sure you’ve already read/heard/seen quite a bit of analysis about last night’s debate.. let’s go through my points quickly.
I think McCain did far better in this debate than he did the 1st one. He was far more “approachable” & considerate; he empathized (a la Clinton) with the questioners.. & he definitely appeared more animated in a good way.
I actually think Obama seemed a bit more ‘negative’ in his attacks on McCain, though it’s entirely likely that they were close to the same kinds of attacks as the 1st debate, but drawn into sharper relief in the town hall format.
But John McCain failed to effectively draw blood. He actually made a smart decision not to get down in the gutter, despite the pleas from the right. Doing so would have had him doing far worse. But rather than draw blood, the best he could do was scratches, or even red marks.
All Obama had to do was give off a “presidential” air. & so while he didn’t clearly win the night, he did nothing to change his upward momentum. & he certainly won over quite a few people who before tonight had not seen him discourse for 90 minutes.
Which is bad news for John McCain.
Body language note that I haven’t seen pointed out: there were several times in the debate where John McCain actually walked backwards to his chair & talked at the same time. Think about the visual symbolism that that body language represents. Not a good move.
Those are my initial thoughts.. I’ll try to have more later. What I really want to hear is what you thought of it. So post a comment!
THE 2nd PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
October 8th, 2008, 5:22 pm by Dan Lehr
PRIOR PRESIDENTIAL PATHS: OCTOBER 7th
October 7th, 2008, 3:35 pm by Dan Lehr
The Grandaddy of ‘em All
Above: watch how it worked for the first year this ‘town-hall’ debate format was tried, in 1992.
JOE BIDEN: OCTOBER 6th
October 6th, 2008, 6:45 pm by Dan LehrPlease enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.
Roger Ebert on Biden’s Best Debate Moment
The film critic says
Biden said, “I know what it’s like to be a single parent raising two children.” He did not know if his sons would survive the auto accident that took his wife and daughter. For a moment, he lost his composure. Looking at the moment again, I believe, as I did at the time, that it was genuine emotion, and not stagecraft. It could not have been anticipated by Palin. The next camera angle was above and behind her. She paused. The silence seemed to anticipate words of sympathy and identification from her. But Biden had ended in a sentence using the word “change,” and her response, reflecting no emotion at all, cued off that word and became a talking point about McCain. This felt to me, at worst, insensitive and callous. At best, that she had not fully heard Biden. In either event, her response troubled me. If a man had responded in that way to such a statement from a women, he would be called a heartless brute.
SARAH PALIN: OCTOBER 3rd
October 3rd, 2008, 6:47 pm by Dan Lehr
Most Over the Top Palin Reviewer
That award goes to the National Review’s Rich Lowry, whose viewpoint - up until I read this one - I happened to take seriously:
“A very wise TV executive once told me that the key to TV is projecting through the screen. It’s one of the keys to the success of, say, a Bill O’Reilly, who comes through the screen and grabs you by the throat. Palin too projects through the screen like crazy. I’m sure I’m not the only male in America who, when Palin dropped her first wink, sat up a little straighter on the couch and said, “Hey, I think she just winked at me.” And her smile. By the end, when she clearly knew she was doing well, it was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America. This is a quality that can’t be learned; it’s either something you have or you don’t, and man, she’s got it.”
Someone get that man a cold shower.
Here’s a summary of all the ‘winks’ we saw in the debate Thursday night:
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.
VICE-PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ANALYSIS
October 3rd, 2008, 9:28 am by Dan Lehr
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How did I think it went? See how much my predictions & advice played out after the jump.
THE VICE-PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
October 3rd, 2008, 8:50 am by Dan Lehr
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Above: part 1, beginning with opening statements.
After the jump, watch the entire thing. & let me know what you think!
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SHOWDOWN FOR THE SENATE
October 26th, 2008, 5:42 pm by Dan LehrAbove: last night’s Georgia Senate debate.
This race is incredibly close.
Of course, I could be wrong.
But if Chambliss wins, remember where you heard it first.
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