2008 Presidential Debate #2 Post-Mortem

9:37: Another reader responds to Matt B.'s idea about John McCain appointing Mitt Romney as "economic czar":

Oh man, I LOVE the Romney idea. Why not do it? The more I think about it, the more I love it. two vice presidents (for all intents and purposes)

9:22: Mark Steyn on John McCain's proposed mortgage bailout plan (this pretty much sums up how I feel about it too):

A fellow New Hampshirite writes:

Nina Easton nailed it by referring to McCain's mortgage buy up plan as a death knell for free market capitalism. Out in California Reagan is spinning in his grave.

No argument from me. As NR's resident demography bore, I often make the point that one of the reasons why America has a healthier birth rate than any other western nation is because it's the cheapest one in which to buy a four-bedroom house on a nice big lot. You look at how the Dutch and Germans live and it's no wonder they're in no hurry to have kids. So I value a sane, affordable housing market more than, say, the British version - in which you buy a half-million-pound basement flat in a seedy rundown East End slum, install a cat flap in the back door, and sell it two months later for 1.3 million.

Will massive government intervention restore the health of the American property market? It's not clear to me why the government needs to buy up all these mortgages. We talk of "keeping people in their homes", but in what sense are they "their homes"? Many of these home "owners" obtained such ridiculous mortgages that they have minimal equity in them: Losing "their homes" is, in that sense, little more in cash terms than losing the security deposit on your rental apartment. Listening to all these proposed government interventions designed to stave off reality, I'd rather leave it to the market.

But then, as Andy put it, we have a non-conservative making the conservative case in this election, which is why McCain and Obama seemed, in that first 45 minutes, to share so many basic assumptions.

9:16: Dick Morris: 'Bill Ayers taught that the purpose of college education was to radicalize students politically--and then he put Barack Obama in charge of dispersing $50 million to that end.'

This is an interesting take on the association: Ignore the friendship and 'guilt by association,' and focus instead on the fact that they both agreed, philosophically, that the purpose of education should be to radicalize students.

9:09: Robert Gibbs was on with Sean Hannity and accused him of being an anti-semite because he had an anti-semite on his show. This was in response to questions Hannity raised about Obama's assocations with Bill Ayers & Jeremiah Wright.

The difference, of course, is that Sean Hannity is a journalist while Barack Obama is a Senator and candidate for President.

(if someone can find me video of this exchange, I'd appreciate it.)

8:57: Erick Erickson of RedState, who is a class act, on CNN's "analysis" of the debate and the state of the race:

First there was David Gergen tonight who said, "It's too early to declare it over because Barack Obama is black." Yes, he thinks the "Bradley Effect" could cost Obama 5 to 6 points.

James Carville then chimed in and subtly hinted at massive riots if Obama loses going into the election ahead in the opinion polls.

Then Paul Begala piled on calling Sarah Palin's attacks on Obama "dangerous." He had the nerve to cite the AP calling her attacks "racially tinged" saying "That's the AP, not a Demcrat."

Begala then said Palin's praise of small town America hints at racism, the South, and killing Obama.

That, ladies and gentlemen, was actual political commentary on CNN.

8:52: Awesome Amanda Carpenter (Townhall) on a key moment in the debate:

OBAMA: "This is the guy who sang bomb, bomb, bomb Iran...who called for the annhilation of North Korea...who said, 'next up Baghdad!"

MCCAIN: "I understand what it's like to send young Americans into harms way. I was joking with a veteran about going into Iran...I'll get Osama Bin Laden my friends, I'll get him no matter what...but I'm not going to telegraph my punches."

Obama was flippant and arrogant. The libs will love it, the conservatives will hate it and the independents will be uncomfortable.

8:24: Matt B., who texted earlier, emails to make his Romney point perfectly clear:

If I were McCain with the first economic question of the night I would have stood up and said that "when I am elected I will appoint Governor Romney as our economic czar.....having said that here is our economic plan of how we are going to fix this thing.....this is how it works, this is what it is going to do and this is why Obama is naive and his plan is dangerous and the wrong path to prosperity."

Then I would send out Romney, who still has a great base to all of the TV shows, even stumping, and explain the plan and why Obama's is dangerous and naive. This would create essentially a McCain-Palin and Romney ticket. McCain could continue and focus on what he is good at (the war and foreign policy), Palin could focus on what she is good at (attacking and calling a spade a spade), and finally Romney could do what he is good at (economic growth and superiority).

It would be unprecedented, game-changing, and I would predict a landslide in November.

8:08: McCain's plan to nationalize mortgages? I hate it. Is that strong enough language? It wasn't enough to nationalize the bad debt of our banks, now we're supposed to buy and renegotiate the mortgages of people who bought homes they couldn't afford?

Once again, responsible America pays for the mistakes of foolish America.

8:05: Ace:

Ugh. Barack Obama is a lying c... country western singer, but no game changer, so effectively he wins.

McCain has one debate and two weeks of serious negative campaigning left. That's all that can help.

7:58: Another reader, responding to Romney's advocacy of the McCain economic plan, texts:

If I were McCain I would have stood up tonight and named Romney the economic czar and [then I would] send him on every news show from here to November talking about the McCain economic plan ... thus creating a McCain-Palin & Romney ticket.

And discrediting Obama's economic plan as dangerous and the wrong path to prosperity.

7:55: Jason Steorts on debate strategy:

Politics requires you to look people in the eye and earnestly say things that you know to be tendentious.

7:44pm PDT: What the hell is going on with Frank Luntz's focus groups? Before he was on camera they told him they thought John McCain had done better on the economy. But then, when asked on camera who did better, only 3-4 of them raised their hands.

Tell me again: Why do we even listen to these focus groups?

I agree with Bill Kristol, Tom Brokaw did a disservice to the country by sanitizing all of the questions and making this a re-hash of talking points we'd heard before. And that was disappointing. For the most part, I heard all the same things I've heard from both of these guys before.

I hoped they would get into a fight about Fannie/Freddie and the causes of the economic crisis and except for a few minutes at the beginning, we didn't hear it.



If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.

2008 Presidential Debate Live Blog #2

7:34: For the first 25 mintues, John McCain was ill at ease and Barack Obama was smooth and fluid. He sharpened in the middle (where Obama seemed flustered) and stayed strong to the end. That said, I'm not sure we'll derive any game-changing soundbites from this debate. Though, after their respective campaigns get done combing through the video, I could be wrong.

7:30: Mark Steyn on Obama's Darfur position:

If it's "the right thing to do" to save Darfur, why is it suddenly the wrong thing to do if the Russian guy declines to stick his hand up at the Security Council?

This is poseur moralism, the kind of limp-wristed passivity that finds Obama referring earlier to "the tragedy of 9/11". A tsunami is a tragedy, a terrorist attack that kills thousands of people is an act of war - and a president ought to understand the difference.

7:25: McCain: "Everything I learned about leadership, I learned from a Chief Petty Officer." That's a good moment for John McCain.

7:23: Is Russia an Evil Empire under Putin? Clever answer by John McCain: Yes means it's another Cold War. No means I'm ignoring Putin's bad behavior.

7:20: If Barack Obama won't even acknowledge the success of The Surge, how can we expect him to execute it and support it in Afghanistan? Or, if he doesn't believe The Surge worked in Iraq, why does he believe it will work in Afghanistan, as he has suggested?

There are serious inconsistencies in Obama's respective policies towards Iraq and Afghanistan.

7:18: Barack Obama's position on Iraq changes before my very eyes: 'withdraw over a period of time.' If my ears don't deceive me, it sounds like a re-characterization of his short timeline withdrawal.

7:13: I don't doubt that Obama is correctly pronouncing "Pakistan." But I have always found accent-affecting, like Barack Obama, to be off-putting.

7:11: Obama: 'If Osama is in our sights and Pakistan is unable or unwilling to get him, then we'll kill him.'

I like it, but think: Put those words in George Bush's mouth and the leftists would be all up in arms. Hell, not just the leftists, but most of the MSM and other liberal pundits.

What will they say when they hear those words fall from Barack Obama's lips?

7:08: Katie asks what is, in my opinion, the first good audience question of the night: What about Pakistani sovreignty? How does it compare to Cambodia during Vietnam? Should we attack?

Underlying all of this is, what is the principle?

Again, Barack Obama sounds a lot like George Bush on how he would decide to attack. This is a strange, hawkish position from a Democrat. Obviously, I agree with it, but I don't believe that Barack Obama actually means it.

7:05: Obama's criterion for intervention sounds vaguely familiar. It sounds like the moralistic Bush, neocon doctrine. Only he wouldn't have intervened in Iraq. Even though pulling out of Iraq would have made it look like Darfur and Rwanda.

There is no coherence or cogency to Obama's foreign policy because there is no core principle.

What do the polls say? That's how Obama would govern our foreign policy.

7:04: What is the Obama doctrine? About time someone asks Obama what his position is rather than what he is against. Outline your position, Senator.

7:02: [Obama's canned response on "I don't understand" prepped by Axelrod & co. after the last debate when McCain pointed out that Obama didn't understand a lot of things.]

7:00: McCain: "America is the greatest force for good in the history of the world."

6:58: Obama: 'Banks and credit cards go to Delaware (Joe Biden, anyone) because of their loose regulations.'

6:56: It's important, on health care, that McCain clearly state that he is not defending the status quo. He needs to acknowledge, upfront, that there are problems, but that government provided health care--DMV health care--is not the answer.

6:52: Obama: 'McCain is going to strip away the regulation that makes sure you get your mammograms and maternity [whatever].'

Thank goodness for that.

Snark aside, this raises an interesting point. This is what government health plans do. They fixate on particular procedures regardless of whether they are the most effective or efficient. Recent studies, incidentally, have shown that there is a more effective way of detecting breast cancer than mammograms.

Government mandated health care is not flexible the way a free market solution would be and is.

6:46: Obama: "It's easy for us to talk about this during a campaign [...]"

Yeah, Senator Obama, it is. Why, then, should be believe anything you tell us during the campaign?

6:44: McCain has finally hit his stride. Why does it take him so long to get to this point? Who knows? Slow starter, perhaps. Either way, he's finally there and Obama is flustered.

6:42: Record vs. rhetoric. This is a clever way to answer anything Obama says on taxes because it casts everything Obama says as empty rhetoric--especially when contrasted with his record. He says he wants to cut taxes. His record says he has never cut taxes--despite promises to do so when he ran for the Senate.

6:41: Same reader texts: "Obama sounding too nuanced and labored with his tax talk. This is where we want him." Yes.

6:36: John McCain: ' I'm not in favor of tax cuts for the rich. I am in favor of leaving tax rates alone and expanding tax credits for families.'

Finally, John McCain talks about taxes and hits his stride. This is the best I've seen McCain all night and clearly frustrated Barack Obama who wants, now, to for-go the rules and respond to McCain's answer on taxes.

A reader texts: "Re: taxes--Finally, McCain sounds on his game."

6:31: Barack Obama is talking about the 'spending side and the revenue side': The Econ guys will like this.

6:27pm: Thus far, Obama is more coherent and organized in his responses. I wonder how this plays to Joe Sixpack and Hockey Moms across America?

6:23pm: Just over 20 minutes into the debate and John McCain is doing himself no favors. Could we get Sarah Palin as a proxy debater for John McCain? The opening to hammer Barack Obama on Fannie Mae was clearly there, but John McCain let Barack Obama off the hook.

It's not looking good.

6:15pm PDT: Barack Obam, Master History Re-Writer. "I never promoted Fannie Mae."

Why then, pray tell, did Fannie Mae make you, in 3 short years, the 2nd highest recipient of their campaign donations?

6:12pm PDT: "Senator Obama and his cronies." There it is. The opening Fannie/Freddie salvo.

6:07pm PDT: McCain: On stabilizing home values.

Didn't see that one coming.

6:03pm PDT: Obama starts things with his tried and untrue blame of the 'economic policies of the last 8 years.' How will McCain respond? Me too populism or hard-hitting criticism of Obama's friendship-in-aid of Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac?

6:00pm PDT: Andy McCarthy on how McCain should greet Obama:

The initial greeting between the candidates is something people watch closely. If McCain treats Obama like he's a pal and then goes for the jugular, he will look terrible and be seen as phony. The idea is to shake hands in a way that conveys, "I'm polite but I'd rather be having a root canal than shaking hands with you."

5:57pm PDT: One reader tells me: 'I hope John McCain asks Barack Obama about Bill Ayers.'

Hopefully he does more than ask about Bill Ayers.

5:50pm PDT: Thanks to Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit for the link.

5:47pm PDT: What is Barack Obama's plan tonight? Drive home what everyone knows--this is a change environment. Everything is change. Look the questioner in the eye. If McCain wants to talk about the past, Obama wants to talk about your future (ed. note: unless it's George Bush & Iraq, of course).

5:37pm PDT: The reason the SNL sketch was taken down, supposedly. According to this report, Herb & Marion Sandler are real people and the SNL sketch said they should be shot.

5:22pm PDT: Beware Axelrod's astroturfing on the townhall attendees and the preselected questions. This is what he does. And he's good at it (creating an alternative reality, completely separate to the one people actually live in).

Welcome to the 3rd OL&L live blog of this election season and 2nd Presidential Debate live blog. I'm switching back and forth between MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN.

Like everyone else, I agree that John McCain needs to hit Barack Obama on his obstruction of Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac regulation. Here's how I think he should do it:

- Wait for Obama to try and pin the blame for the current economic crisis on the 'Bush/McCain philosophy of the last 8 years.'
- Once he raises the regulation specter, John McCain should specifically cite Bush's attempt to regulate Fannie/Freddie in 2003 and his own attempt in 2005.
- And then he needs to pound Obama and Congressional Democrats for opposing and stonewalling every attempt to reform Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac.

Waiting for Obama to take the first shot puts McCain in position to make the counterpunch. This way he doesn't appear to be the aggressor.

The facts are on John McCain's side. Thus far, Obama has successfully used the narrative of this nebulous 'philosophy' which he says is to blame for the crisis. It's simple, but wrong and unconvincing. McCain needs to make the case, backed by facts anyone can see on youtube, that Obama and his Democrat friends are responsible for the crisis.


If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.

Programming Note: Liveblogging Presidential Debate #2

Per usual, I'll be live blogging tonight's Presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. The debate itself starts at 6pm PDT so I'll start covering the pre-debate stuff at 5pm PDT.

Also per usual, tell 10 of your friends.


If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.

Iowahawk On Gwen Ifill

Earlier this week, conservative funnyman, Iowahawk, turned his sights on Gwen Ifill, moderator of the Vice Presidential Debate. The results were, predictably, hilarious. A sample:

Ifill Ethics Commission Clears Ifill

By Gwen Ifill
PBS Chief Political Correspondent
and Gwen Ifill
President, Ifill Center for Media Ethics
and Gwen Ifill
Editor, BarackBeat Fanzine

WASHINGTON - As expected, a blue ribbon panel from the Ifill Center for Media Ethics cleared award-winning political journalist Gwen Ifill of all charges today, ending a lengthy 20 minute investigation into "ethics" charges that most observers believe were motivated by politics and racism. Ifill, like dynamic groundbreaking President-in-Waiting Barack Obama, is Black. The complete exoneration clears the way for Ifill to moderate the Vice Presidential debate tonight between respected Senate veteran Joe Biden and former beauty pageant loser Sarah Palin.

"I would like to thank Ms.Ifill for her complete cooperation into this unnecessary politically-motivated witch hunt," said Commission Chairperson Gwen Ifill. "On behalf of the entire panel, I would like to offer my sincere apologies for dragging her in and wasting her valuable time on the basis of such obviously flimsy and bogus allegations."

Displaying her famous grace, Ifill said she harbored no ill will toward the inquiry.

Like so many other situations, all liberals/Obamaniacs have to do to understand is think about what their response would be if the shoe were on the other foot. What if, for example, Brit Hume were the moderator and he were writing a book about John McCain to be released on inauguration day? How would you feel about that?

That's what I thought.


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Joe Biden, BS Artist

Jonah Goldberg on Joe Biden:

What struck me the most about the debate – and it probably helped having quintessential Obamaphiles in the room – was how Biden’s “gravitas” is derived almost entirely from the fact that he can lie with absolute passion and conviction. He just plain made stuff up tonight. I read a long list tonight in my debate with Beinart here at Wash U, we can visit the details tomorrow.

Just a few: Flatly asserting that Obama never said he’d meet with Achmenijad; that absolute nonsense about spending more in a month in Iraq than we’ve spent in Afghanistan (“let me say it again,” he said as if he was hammering home a real fact); the bit about McCain voting with Obama on raising taxes; his vote in favor of the war etc.

It’s amazing how the impulse to see Biden as the more qualified and serious guy stems almost entirely from his ability to be a convincing b.s. artist. I’m not saying Palin was always honest or unrehearsed, but when she offers up a catchphrase or a talking point, you can tell. When Biden spews up a warm fog of deceitful gassbaggery the response seems to be “what a great grasp of the issues he has!”

His ability, nay his eagerness, to fake not only the “facts” but his sincerity is so shameless many pundits seem either mesmerized by it or scared to call him on it. I’d call his fakery passive aggressive except it’s actually just aggressive aggressive. Beyond being a tool of trial lawyers, I never saw much similarity between Biden and John Edwards, but tonight I was really struck by how alike the two are. Edwards fakes being an everyman, and Biden does too. But his real fraud is intellectual seriousness. He talks like an intellectually mature person, but that’s all it is – talk

(emphasis added)


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2008 Vice Presidential Debate Post-Mortem

11:38pm: Amanda Carpenter, who is awesome, gives her "Wrap Up Thoughts":

Sarah Palin was shaky at times tonight, but never lost her footing. She even managed to trip up her debate veteran opponent Joe Biden on occasion.

And, wow, what a closing statement. (With the surprise invitation to have more events...?!?!)

Ironically, Palin was at her strongest debating Biden on foreign policy, the very subject of which he is considered an expert. Palin deftly reminded viewers, over and over, Biden had openly criticized Barack Obama’s positions on the war, funding and withdrawal throughout the Democratic primaries. “I watched those debates, so I know what that was about,” she grinned. She knowingly gave the media an open invitation to replay those old tapes against the contradictory statements Biden made this evening.

At another point she fiercely labeled Obama’s withdrawal plan, “the white flag of surrender” and promised John McCain knows how to win. Gutsy.

On the negative side, she awkwardly ducked a question on complex bankruptcy law and dodged a few other questions that appeared to be over her head. Instead, she referred to her extensive experience in the energy industry and status as a reformer. Not a bad distraction.

[...]

(emphasis added)

11:33pm: Susan Davis in the WSJ Washington Wire writes about the VP debate word count:

A quick word count of the 90 minute face-off tonight between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden shows that the words “maverick,” “taxes,” and “middle class” popped up frequently in the debate.

“Now, what I’ve done as a governor and as a mayor is truly had that track record of reform, and I’ve joined this team that is a team of mavericks, with John McCain,” Palin said, kicking off a “maverick” count that topped off at 15.

However, Biden used the word more often, 9-6 to Palin, and sought to use it as a negative against McCain. “He’s been a maverick on some issues. But he has been no maverick on the things that matter to people’s lives,” he said.

The word “tax” or “taxes” took top billing with at least 35 references by Biden and 32 by Palin. The tax issue is a cornerstone of the rival campaigns’ appeal to the middle class—Barack Obama says he will cut them for the middle class, and McCain says Obama will raise them on everybody.

11:22pm: Mary Katherine Ham:

Oddly enough, Sarah Palin was masterful tonight at exactly what she was incapable of doing in the Gibson and Couric interviews. Tonight, she was able to answer questions the way she wanted to answer them instead of doing it the way Ifill wanted her to. In particular, when asked what her Achilles heel was, she simply chose to talk about her strengths instead. It was the classic job interview, "What's your greatest weakness" moment, and she reacted correctly. By the time she was done talking, no one remembered that the question was about a weakness. (Suddenly, the media that has argued her inability to do this was a handicap will decide her newfound ability to do it is dishonest obfuscation.)

[...]

Tonight could have been a bleed-out for the McCain campaign, and Sarah Palin may have made it a boon. I've been scanning the cable networks, and even Keith Olbermann can only ask desperately, "So, she didn't do anything to help McCain, right?" because she didn't offer him a convenient gaffe to pounce upon.

[...]

David Plouffe of the Obama campaign: "Stylistically, Sarah Palin did have a very good night," he said, arguing only that Biden won the night on points. Last week, even though many conceded McCain won on points, all that mattered to many pundits was that Obama didn't fall on his face, and therefore won. Suddenly, that's not what matters to some pundits (ahem, CNN).

(emphasis added)

11:10pm: After seeing the results of the CBS and CNN focus groups as compared to Frank Luntz's focus group results, well, I just don't think we can trust the first two. I think Axelrod astroturfed 'em and Luntz's are the only ones we can trust. Last week they gave the win to Obama, this week they gave the win to Palin. CBS & CNN gave the win to the Democrats each week by about the same margin. Uh, yeah, right.

11:07pm: Lorie Byrd @ Wizbang:

Sarah is no Dan Quayle. And she is no Tina Fey cartoon. And she is no drooling moron.

Democrats set the debate up better than we ever could have. If you accuse someone of being a drooling boob, you darn well better make sure they are one. Palin showed up and made all those who ridiculed her look like idiots. Case in point -- Keith Olbermann. I was flipping around so I just caught bits and pieces of the post debate here and there. On MSNBC, Chris Matthews and Andrea Mitchell said Palin was rehearsed. Matthews said the danger with these debates is that people say rehearsed lines and they can be mistaken for intelligence. Sounds a bit like good ole Teleprompter Boy to me. But Teleprompter Boy doesn't even rehearse the lines. He has to read them.

[...]

On Fox tonight Frank Luntz' focus group loved Palin. All in the group raised their hand when asked if Palin won. Several in the group said they moved toward McCain as a result of the debate. Luntz said to look for the polling to change because of this debate.

Dick Morris said it was a huge win for Palin and that she exhibited a talent for communication not seen since Ronald Reagan.

Karl Rove read a list of ten things that Biden got completely wrong that were beyond dispute, then said there were about six additional items he could argue Biden got wrong.

Joe Lieberman looked exceptionally happy and had a blast on Hannity & Colmes.

My overall impression is that Palin was incredible and that Joe Biden was quite smitten with her. I don't know how much any VP debate can move polls, but I do believe that if she had not done well it would have had a very negative impact. I would not be surprised to see Frank Luntz be right and see an uptick in the polls as a result of tonight. At this point in the race people who have not yet made up their minds often go with their gut. They want to vote for the person they feel comfortable with and the one they trust, not necessarily the candidate with all the facts memorized. Tonight's debate reminded me of the 2000 Bush-Gore debate in which Al Gore kept referring to the Dingle-Norwood bill. Gore was Mr. Smarty Pants with all the facts, but Bush was the one that displayed the personality. It will be interesting to see whether or not the voters are moved by Sarah Palin tonight.

11:01pm: Mark Levin on Palin:

I have been involved in and observed politics for a long time. Governor Palin is a truly unique national figure. She is down to earth, personable, and smart as hell. That’s right. She has been on the national scene for a little over a month, she has been campaigning everywhere, she has had to bone up on all kinds of national issues, and she has shown class throughout. Too often too many are persuaded by the mainstream media’s opinion and react to that. This should be another lesson in that regard. As for some of her populist views, she cannot openly campaign against the positions of her presidential running mate. She is the bright light in this campaign from my perspective.

10:27pm: And I'm back. Kathryn Lopez, my National Review sponsor at the RNC, and fellow Sarah Palin fan, weighs in:

Sarah Palin won this debate and puts the campaign in a great position to rail against the media. Whatever she did before this debate — prayed? – is what she should always fall back on. And my impression is what she does. And why she’s come so far so fast.

Sarah Palin is the breath of fresh air on the political scene so many hoped she is. And she’ll be honored to beat the guy who’s been in the Senate since she was in the second grade.

If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.

Programming Note: Liveblogging The VP Debate

Back by popular demand (and because I enjoy it), I'll be live-blogging tonight's Vice Presidential debate between Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden. Tune in for snark-free commentary and analysis of the debate as it happens!

The debate kicks off at 7pm. I'll start by giving a little pre-debate analysis of the TV coverage at 630pm MDT and carry on with typical analysis of the debate itself at 7pm. Be sure to send your emails with observations and commentary to the email listed below and I'll do my best to plug them into the live-blog.

Thanks, and in the tradition of David Axelrod's famous grassroots (read: astroturfing), tell 10 of your friends.


If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.

Al Felzenberg On The Debate

I had the fortune of meeting Mr. Felzenberg on Day 1 of the RNC at a reception co-sponsored by National Review. He was friendly and solicitous, providing timely and sound advice as I embark on my PhD program.

In the aftermath of the first Presidential debate, Felzenberg, who knows a thing or two about Presidents, wrote a lucid analysis of the debate.

McCain’s moments to shine came when he treated his opponent and the rest of us to a succinct lecture on linkage between Russia’s aggressive posture in Georgia and its energy interests. These were the thoughts of an agile mind which seriously thinks through problems and understands the interconnectedness of so many.

But when it came to which contender for the nation’s highest office has a better grasp on the nation’s primary security challenges, McCain won this round hands down, and without breaking a sweat, and without showing signs of weakening under strain. The question his team needs to have asked in the days ahead is not “are you better off?” but “which of these two guys has better chance of instilling fear in the hearts of those who plan to do the United States ill?”

The more voters ponder this, the more they will decide that, while Obama might make an enjoyable dinner guest, McCain would make the stronger president. Through his seriousness, sense of purpose, and demeanor, he showed this from start to finish.

If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.

McCain's New Ad

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2008 Presidential Debate Live Blog

8:42pm: Barack Obama may very well be the smarter of the two candidates. But John McCain, for all his efficiencies, is a much more effective debater. I mean, wow, Obama, when he debates just comes across as lecturing and annoyed. John McCain's debate style is more effective. And he effectively portrayed Obama as young and inexperienced.

8:35pm: Interesting turn here from McCain: He likens Obama's intransigence on acknowledging the success of The Surge to the administration's much-criticized stubbornness.

8:33pm: Obama is smart and his command of facts is considerable, but he does not marshall them well in a debate. He gets hung up on too many details without allowing for a central theme or narrative.

8:29pm: Obama on nuclear proliferation: "The biggest threat is a terrorist getting his hands on a nuke." My friends in the Intelligence History arena say that it is one of the lessons of history that your enemies get the technology and use it against you.

I hope I never see the day that happens with nukes. Let's leave that stuff to 24.

8:27pm: I'm not sure how well "a commission" plays as a soundbite, but McCain sure seems to like them.

8:24pm: What is on Obama's lip? Kind of distracting.

8:20pm: McCain: "I've looked into Putin's eyes and I saw three letters: K-G-B." Good line.

8:16pm: A reader texts: "Obama just got his [edit] kicked." This is why John McCain is the foreign policy expert.

8:13pm: "McCain: I won't set the Presidential appointment book yet. I don't even have a seal"

8:10pm: Obama repeats what is, I think, an effective talking point: "I reserve the right to meet with whoever whenever if I think it will keep America safe." That's a pretty good way to spin his stated claim that he would meet with Iran without pre-condition.

8:04pm: McCain quickly responds to Obama by saying, 'You'd think that if he cared so much about these issues, Afghanistan, that he would have actually visited these areas.' Effective.

8:02pm: Obama: "You don't muddle through the central front in the war on terror." In my opinion, that was the first very effective line Obama has delivered tonight.

7:58pm: I think listing his record of involvement with national security issues highlights his experiential difference with Barack Obama effectively without even mentioning Barack Obama.

7:54pm: The long-view strategists before the debate said that you wanted to be the person who "hit second." Obama has consistently gone after McCain and McCain has methodically hit back. He hasn't always been as effective or concise as Obama, but he comes across as wiser. At times, talking about "songs about bombing Iran" comes across as a little trite.

7:43pm: McCain: The next President won't have to decide whether or not we invade Iraq.

True. McCain changes the question to how this really will impact the next president--how we leave, when we leave.

7:41pm: Obama: I opposed going into Iraq when it was politically unpopular to do so.

7:39pm: Ah, finally, foreign policy. Lehrer: What are the lessons of Iraq?

7:32pm: "Google for government." That's an interesting idea, Senator Obama.

7:29pm: McCain: "We have to cut spending." That's a good, easy answer. And a jab at Obama for being so far left he can't be bi-partisan.

7:27pm: Lehrer: What will you give up? This is an opportunity for McCain to say he would cut entitlements, cut government spending.

7:21pm: McCain: I want to cut business taxes so businesses will choose to come here and stay here.

7:18pm: McCain pointed out out that Obama sought $900 million for his state before running for President. He needs to pound away on that point--specifically, that though $900 million may not sound like much to Obama, but it does to the people on Main Street. $18 billion is a lot of money.

7:16pm: McCain makes a CSI joke about bears' paternity vs. criminality. He presented it like it were government policy--which means he didn't present it like the joke it was.

7:09pm I don't like this 5 minute open-ended format thing. What are they supposed to do? Talk to each other? Yell at Jim Lehrer? I think they should yell at Jim Lehrer.

UPDATE 7:06pm MDT: Obama is retreading his bailout principles. And spouting the usual 'more of the same.' Ugh.

UPDATE 7:03pm MDT: An Eisenhower quote. Great.

UPDATE 7:00pm MDT: I don't see a teleprompter on the stage. Barack Obama may be in trouble.

UPDATE 6:56 MDT: I like Juan Williams. He's liberal AND reasonable.

UPDATE 6:51pm MDT: Harold Wolfson says that all Obama needs to say is 'I was right about Iraq.'

UPDATE 6:48pm MDT: Dick Morris: The Democrats don't have the guts to pass their own bill on their own votes--something they could do without the Republicans.

I take this to mean that we might actually get legislation written from a free market perspective.

That's leadership.

UPDATE 6:47pm MDT: Dick Morris: John McCain can win this election in one night if he contrasts his plan vs. Obama's plan as "I want the companies to pay, Obama wants the taxpayer to pay." We'll see if it's that easy.

UPDATE 6:42pm MDT: Karl Rove: President Bush tried to reform Fannie/Freddy in 2002 and again in 2005. This would have obviated most of the effects of the crisis we're dealing with today.

UPDATE 6:35pm MDT: I miss Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House. Boehner is alright, but he doesn't have the intellectual heft of a Newt Gingrich. Boehner is not enough of a fiscal conservative for me.

UPDATE 6:32pm MDT: Newt Gingrich has an interesting idea: Force congressmen to raise money away from their own committee--if you oversee Fannie/Freddy (Chris Dodd, Barack Obama, Barney Frank) then you can't take contributions from them.

Makes sense to me.

As I did with my reports from the RNC, I'm going to live-blog this, the first Presidential debate in 2008. As it stands, the debate is set to begin in less than an hour. Before it does, I want to make one comment:

John McCain has taken a lot of criticism from the Obama campaign, saying that his return to DC and suspension of his campaign was nothing more than a stunt. If there is a Senator in Congress who has built up the credibility of putting country before party and election, it is John McCain. He supported Comprehensive Immigration legislation (much to the chagrin of his party), Campaign Finance Reform, and, of course, The Surge.

As a Senator--the elected representative of the state of Arizona--it is his responsibility to do what he can in an economic crisis like this. This is what he is paid to do. As a candidate for President, he has the votes and support of his party. This November he will head the ticket of which the entire House and some of the Senate will be a part. His influence over them in this process cannot be overstated. If there is one person who can bring Republicans to the table and agree to some sort of bailout legislation, it is John McCain. The Democrats are already on board--this is why Barack Obama is superfluous to the whole process.


If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.

Programming Note: Liveblogging The Debate

For those of you looking for another blog to check during the debate, take a look at OL&L. I'm not certain exactly what form it will take, but I'll be liveblogging the debate tonight from 6:30pm MDT until 9pm.

Tell 10 of your friends.


If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.