The Debate Thread

[HisChildForever]

I have never heard Obama speak before - except little clips on the news - and I have to say, with all the buzz about him being so "inspirational" I thought he came across as a complete idiot.

Sure, there were a couple of words McCain stumbled over, but c'mon, every sentence Obama spewed he was stuttering and "um"ing.

[littleflower+JMJ]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1664830' date='Sep 27 2008, 12:40 AM']I have never heard Obama speak before - except little clips on the news - and I have to say, with all the buzz about him being so "inspirational" I thought he came across as a complete idiot.

Sure, there were a couple of words McCain stumbled over, but c'mon, every sentence Obama spewed he was stuttering and "um"ing.[/quote]

Yes! Complete contrast from everything that was staged to this. That was *pretty* weird if you ask me. It was hard to follow and understand him.

[HisChildForever]

So when do we know who "won" this debate?

[CatherineM]

McCain probably had harder debates over the dinner table with his dad the admiral. Learning to think on your feet is definitely something one learns at one of our Academies. You'd think that Obama would have learned a few skills in Law School. Breaking yourself of saying UM is first week stuff.

[littleflower+JMJ]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1664840' date='Sep 27 2008, 12:51 AM']McCain probably had harder debates over the dinner table with his dad the admiral. Learning to think on your feet is definitely something one learns at one of our Academies. You'd think that Obama would have learned a few skills in Law School. Breaking yourself of saying UM is first week stuff.[/quote]

THATS what I was thinking! Hello that's Speech/Communications 101 right there ..

[littleflower+JMJ]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1664836' date='Sep 27 2008, 12:46 AM']So when do we know who "won" this debate?[/quote]

And when they do, will they actually say it all over the news? The media annoys me!

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='littleflower+JMJ' post='1664844' date='Sep 27 2008, 12:55 AM']And when they do, will they actually say it all over the news? The media annoys me! [/quote]

Only if it is Obama... anything else is a tie.

[Era Might]

[quote name='Lounge Daddy' post='1664821' date='Sep 27 2008, 12:29 AM']I thought that part looked ridiculous. "I've gotta a bracelet too!" And then Obama couldn't remember the name of the solder on the bracelet, so he had to pause a moment to glance at it as he said "ughhh..." yet again.[/quote]
I thought his response completely took the sails out of McCain's story. How could Obama respond to a story like that without seeming like he is attacking the mother or the soldier? It's almost impossible, but he managed to do that with his response: he made his own appeal to a mother and a soldier.

I don't know if Obama was trying to make the point that all politicians have stories they can tell, but that was my reaction to his response. Most of those kinds of stories don't really have any direct relevance to the issues. They seem to me to be more of an emotional appeal. I'm sure there are mothers of dead soldiers who support McCain, and I'm sure there are mothers of dead soldiers who support Obama. I'm going to vote based on the issues, not based on personal stories that the candidates tell. I just think those kinds of stories should be left out of politics.

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='zabbazooey' post='1664724' date='Sep 26 2008, 10:22 PM']Obama is a flip flopper! He opposes a surge that he previously called "wildly successful"[/quote]


Well, this doesn't prove Obama is a flip-flopper... maybe he opposes success.

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='Era Might' post='1664915' date='Sep 27 2008, 10:01 AM']I thought his response completely took the sails out of McCain's story. How could Obama respond to a story like that without seeming like he is attacking the mother or the soldier? It's almost impossible, but he managed to do that with his response: he made his own appeal to a mother and a soldier.

I don't know if Obama was trying to make the point that all politicians have stories they can tell, but that was my reaction to his response. Most of those kinds of stories don't really have any direct relevance to the issues. They seem to me to be more of an emotional appeal. I'm sure there are mothers of dead soldiers who support McCain, and I'm sure there are mothers of dead soldiers who support Obama. I'm going to vote based on the issues, not based on personal stories that the candidates tell. I just think those kinds of stories should be left out of politics.[/quote]

I kinda agree, but Obama's point did fall apart when he couldn't recall the name of the solder on his bracelet. For me and perhaps many others it looked like, yeah you have one too but how important is it if you can not recall the solder name? So anyway Obama did make a good point but then he fumbled.

[Saint Therese]

Anyone else actually literally praying that O'bama will lose?

[geetarplayer]

I was disappointed by the debate. Both men seemed like they were trying to one-up each other the whole time, and neither would speak directly to the other. It's like they were talking behind each other's backs, when they were ten feet away from each other.

Edited September 27, 2008 by geetarplayer

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='Saint Therese' post='1665043' date='Sep 27 2008, 11:51 AM']Anyone else actually literally praying that O'bama will lose?[/quote]

Yes.

[quote name='geetarplayer' post='1665045' date='Sep 27 2008, 11:52 AM']I was disappointed by the debate. Both men seemed like they were trying to one-up each other the whole time, and neither would speak directly to the other. It's like they were talking behind each other's backs, when they were ten feet away from each other.[/quote]

Well as for not talking directly to each other, even though that was what they were asked to do, it goes against the rules of debating, you do not talk directly to your opponent. You talk directly to your listeners, they are the number one objective. Most often directly talking to the other guy gains nothing. And turns from a debate in to a argument.

The rules of debating are probably very hard to break for both men. But the did mix it up a little...

Edited September 27, 2008 by KnightofChrist

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='KnightofChrist' post='1665037' date='Sep 27 2008, 12:48 PM']So anyway Obama did make a good point but then he fumbled.[/quote]

Yeah, and he could have so easily said, "... the name of whom I won't mention so as to protect the family's privacy" or something....

[Lounge Daddy]

[quote name='geetarplayer' post='1665045' date='Sep 27 2008, 12:52 PM']I was disappointed by the debate. Both men seemed like they were trying to one-up each other the whole time ...[/quote]

That's what a debate is.

[Excelsior1027]

I don't understand why Obama will just not get off of how it was a bad decision to go into Iraq, how he opposed it, etc. Apparently, he thinks he can travel back in time and stop it from happening.

It happened, we can't change it, so what will he do about it [i]now?[/i]

Edited September 27, 2008 by Excelsior1027

[Ash Wednesday]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1664836' date='Sep 26 2008, 11:46 PM']So when do we know who "won" this debate?[/quote]

The camp that spins it the hardest. Obama could have just said "Hungh thuh guh buh nuuuuubba baba blub muh muh" for a whole hour and some of the media pundits still would have given him five stars.