Debates

So, I watched most of the McCain / Obama debate last night. No clear knock-out either way, which is bad news for McCain. Unless he changes the dynamic in the race, I think Obama has it. McCain could have gone at Obama on the Bill Ayers connection, but he steered clear of it. Which was a good idea in that townhall format. I think the Ayers friendship (along with Wright and Father what's-his-name) is actually significant in that it shows a disturbing trend as far as the company Obama keeps.

I watched the debate on CNN, and they had the strangely mesmerizing Undecided Ohio Voter Postive/Negative Meter Thingie at the bottom of the screen the entire time. This was one of those charts that somehow tracked, second by second, how a group of undecided Ohio voters felt about what was being said. In the middle was neutral, and if they liked what was being said, the line drifted up. If they did not like what was being said, the line would go south. I couldn't keep my eyes of the line. How did the undecided Ohioans like McCain's joke? What did they think of Obama's jab at McCain?? I had to know! Generally, I think the Ohioans liked Obama a bit more. Although McCain's positives were high when he was on foreign policy.

I don't think that debate really changed much of anything.

I meant to post about the Palin/Biden debate from last week as well. Palin has convinced me that I cannot vote for John McCain. The pundits were saying she succeeded at the debate because she essentially spoke in complete sentences. Talk about low expectations. Personally, I was very disturbed by her performance. After the intensive week of preparations, she managed to memorize about ten talking points. No matter what question was asked, she got back to one of her "safe" talking points. She even said as much, when she gave the lame line about "I don't know if I will answer these questions the way you want them answered, but I want to talk straight with the American people..." In other words, 'I am going to stick to my pre-prepared 10 mini-speeches, no matter what question is asked.' In that, she was extremely successful.

I just cannot imagine her stepping into the job of president. And the way John McCain was wheezing last night in the microphone (was I the only one who noticed his troubled breathing?), I will not risk having Sarah Palin take that job. She is embarrassing. What the hell is she going to do when she sits across the table from Putin? Wink and smirk (like she did countless times into the camera during the debate)? This is from a John McCain supporter. I will not cast a vote for Obama, so I may have to sit this one out. Since I'm in Texas, my vote isn't that important anyway. This state will go McCain with or without my vote.