Debate Reactions: Looks Like Obama Won a Much Bigger Victory in the Debate than I Had Thought. He Looked Like a Future President. McCain Did Not

A bunch of them. Looks like Barack Obama stomped all over McCain:

Focus Groups, Undecideds For Obama http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/09/26/focus-groups-undecideds-for-obama.aspx

CBS News / Knowledge Network Undecideds Give Debate To Obama http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/cbs_news_knowledge_network_und.php

Halperin: Obama A- McCain B- http://thepage.time.com/mark-halperins-grades-for-the-first-presidential-debate/

Philadelphia Inquirer: McCain Uncertain - "McCain has been uncertain - Obama not." http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/politics/The_Daily_Spin_Debate_edition.html

Talking Points Memo: Much Clearer Strategy- "Obama seems to have come into the debate with a much clearer strategy." http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/220181.php

Washington Post: Fact Check- McCain seriously misstated his vote concerning the marines in Lebanon. He said that when he went into Congress in 1983, he voted against deploying them in Beirut. The Marines went in Lebanon in 1982, before McCain came to Congress. The vote came up a year into their deployment, when the Marines had already suffered 54 casualties. What McCain voted against was a measure to invoke the War Powers Act and to authorize the deployment of U.S. Marines in Lebanon for an additional 18 months. The measure passed 270-161, with 26 other Republicans (including McCain) and 134 Democrats voting against it. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/09/debate_live_fact_check_starts.html

Washington Post: Fact Checker- John McCain raised an old Republican canard, repeated often in the primaries, when he claimed that Obama's health care plan would eventually turn the health care system over to the federal government. The Illinois senator proposes helping individuals purchase health insurance through a system of subsidies and tax credits. He is also in favor of mandatory health insurance for children. But he is not advocating a state-run health system, such as the one that exists in Britain and some European countries. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/09/debate_live_fact_check_starts.html

New Republic (Jonathan Cohn) Obama Tells It Like It Is on Economics - Obama just gave a terrific, honest explanation of his economic agenda. http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/09/26/obama-tells-it-like-it-is-on-economics.aspx

CNN (Bill Schneider) Obama Scores a Direct Hit- Obama scores a direct hit, saying that McCain wants tax cuts for the wealthy. He's associating McCain with the Bush record on tax cuts. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/26/schneider-obama-scores-direct-hit-2/

CNN (Bill Schneider) Obama hits familiar chord on Iran- Obama's answer on Iran was interesting and important.because he's talking about something that a lot of American's understand. Our involvement in Iraq has strengthened Iran. LINK http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/26/schneider-obama-hits-familiar-chord-on-iran/

FL- Tampa Tribune (Blog) "Israel-The Next Big Argument" After arguing over Iraq, John McCain and Barack Obama moved quickly to probably the next most emotional argument in foreign policy-Israel. They got into it over a question from moderator Jim Lehrer over Iran, and McCain went for the most crucial line: "We cannot tolerate another holocaust." That hits a weakness for Obama, whose enthusiasm for Israel is questioned by some in the U.S. Jewish community. Then McCain went for another claim that's been debunked: That Obama refused to call the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a "terrorist" organization. Obama had sponsored legislation that did just that, but voted against a bill including that measure which, he said, also included authorizing an open-ended effort in Iraq. LINK http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/news/story/israel-the-next-big-argument/

The Caucus (Katharine Q. Seeyle) Using the Tax Word -Mr. McCain tosses out a barb to Mr. Obama, saying that you ought to hear Mr. Obama's definition of rich, but didn't provide it. Mr. Obama almost took the bait - and then switched! Instead of being driven by Mr. McCain he described his tax cut plan, saying 95 percent of people will get a tax cut "and if you make less than 250,000, you will not see one dime's worth of tax increases." LINK http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/live-blog-friday-night-fights/

Washington Post (Live Blog) Fact Check: McCain accused Obama of wanting to stage "military strikes" inside Pakistan, which is a misleading account of what Obama famously said in 2007: That he would be willing to go after Al Qaeda targets inside that country with or without the approval of the Pakistani authorities."If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will," Obama said. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/09/debate_live_fact_check_starts.html

Miami Herald: Obama engages McCain on his diss to Spain-Barack Obama just scoffed at John McCain's assertion a week ago or two ago that he wouldn't meet with Spain's Prime Minister. "Spain!" exclaimed Obama. "Spain!" "I'm not going to set the White House visitor list before I'm president," McCain replied, getting in a dig at the presidential-seal like sign Republicans have ribbed Obama for displaying. "I don't even have a seal yet." LINK http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2008/09/obama-engages-m.html

ABC News: That's pretty close to an outright lie by Sen. McCain -- saying he wants to hand over healthcare to the federal government. http://blogs.abcnews.com/liveblogging/2008/09/live-debate-blo.html

First Read (Athena Jones) Longer format helps- He's on message, hitting his talking points on the contrasts with John McCain on taxes, his plans for healthcare and energy independence. He seemed to cover more ground than McCain whose main points were about cutting government spending. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/26/1455625.aspx

Comments

[Phil P]

I'm an Obama supporter, but objectively speaking I think both men gave a good account of themselves. But what struck me most about McCain was how old he looked and how tense. When he got excited I was afraid he would have a stroke. I really wonder whether with his age and temperament he can survive the strains of the presidency, even for one term. And the prospect of a President Palin is too scary to contemplate.

[Lucy Davis]

That was such an enjoyable evening. Senator Obama finally able to call John McCain on his on-going lies that make up McCain's ads. It was obvious that McCain was at a just-below-boiling point, grimacing and squinting. Probably the first time anyone has dared call McCain for what he is, as he is well known for his explosive temper. It was a shame that Senator Obama didn't have the time to talk about McCain's just-made promise to Rudy Giuliani. The promise was made just before the debate - McCain's promise that Giuliani would share in the profits to be made when the bail-out is finished. Poor McCain looked as though it were past his bedtime.

[hurl]

Buy the rumor, sell the news

If the rumor is a governmental spending plan that could keep stocks from falling,
and the news is the approval of a bank shareholder and debt investor bailout
where taxpayers borrow $700 billion from their children
to fund shareholder dividends and bond interest payments
which may have little actual immediate impact other than a few hundred Dow points
do credit markets unfreeze on the news?
Probably not

Does bailing out those who caused this mess make real estate prices bottom?
Probably not

Do lending standards loosen?
Probably not

And then after Tuesday, September auto sales, earnings warnings and forecasts,
and non-farm payrolls on Friday

In 1929, the market crashed on October 29

In 1987, the market crashed on October 19

In 2008, how may corporate earnings releases could it take,
whose sales are falling as borrowing costs rise,
and are obligated by law to state facts,
unlike the platitudes of the pundits and politicians
breaks the news Joe Six Pack?

[Ken Houghton]

What you are forgetting is that the same thing happened in 2000.

And the revisionists are out in force already:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122248689603881895.html?mod=djemEditorialPage

"Every Presidential race is a decision on Commander in Chief, and this election more than most. Americans will have to decide if they can trust Mr. Obama's assertions that he'd combine a desire for diplomacy with toughness when it counts. Our own sense is that Mr. Obama sometimes seemed flustered by Mr. McCain's attacks on his foreign policy "naivete," in particular on Iraq and his failure to support the "surge."

The Democrat tried to turn the Iraq debate back to the original decision to go to war in 2002, and that will play well with those who are decidedly antiwar. We doubt it will play with voters who want to make sure we don't squander the gains of the last year."

[howard]

ken, quoting the wsj editorial page doesn't tell us anything comparable to 2000. the wsj editorial page is sui generis.

you never know how the post-debate spin is going to play out, but i do know that the wsj editorial page is not a leading indicator.

[Claudia]

McCain was petty and talked over Obama in a rude fashion, going on and on trying to run out the clock. Obama was poised even though clearly irritated. Guess we'll see how Americans define "leadership": in recent years they have seemed to prefer bluster and bullies.