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Do Not Listen to Them
There are some in the MSM who are already saying that this debate is not a game changer. Forget about them... they are thinking that based on this evening's debate that Sarah did enough to keep the race chugging along at the same pace but they are WRONG.
I assure you that over the coming 10 days that Obama's lead will solidify and this will be due in large measure to this debate tonight.
What actually happened tonight is that Biden reassured voters that the Obama/Biden ticket is sound. He showed that the ticket has more than talking points. It has content, it is knowledgeable and passionate, it is sincere and honest and it knows how to respect the opposition. That's all he needed to do and he did it excellently.
After tonight Palin has only assured voters that she did not wilt under the lights of the debating stage but she has not moved her ticket any further up the road. People are still thinking and saying that she cannot be the next president, that she is out of her depth on issuess and that she is only about charisma and presentation.
So the McCain/Palin ticket has work to do while the Obama/Biden tickets needs to make concrete out of what is now a solid ticket.
Keep watching the polls and listening to the public's talking points and you will confirm my thoughts here..
Comments (24)
A very astute comment. I think you may be right -- Obama/Biden are succeeding at reassuring the public with very solid performances. Not fancy, just solid.
McCain-Palin are full of gimmicks and snark.
Obama/Biden are the adults in the room.
Let's hope this plays out in the polls this next week, contrary to the MSM and desperate GOP spin.
October 3, 2008 12:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
I know you HAVE to be right. Listening to the spin, is making my head spin!
Palin made me cringe at every turn. What a complete and utter embarrassment she was/is. I can't comprehend that anyone with an ounce of intelligence or good judgment would think this woman competent to be on the ticket. OMG!
I will keep the good folks of Alaska in my prayers.
October 3, 2008 12:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
I bet this is the first time Alaskans have really paid attention to who less than 25% of their electorate voted into office in 2006. Having been born and raised in Alaska, I am sure they aren't happy. I predict Palin's candidacy will lead to record turnout in Alaska and a huge upset.
October 3, 2008 8:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
The McSame campaign has created huge problems for her by virtually taking over the gov't of Alaska. People there are tired of calling a gov't office for information and being referred to the McSame campaign.
There is going to be backlash.
And the state Superior Court just told the Palin gang what it can do with it's efforts to ignore subpoenas in the Troopergate investigation. She is going to be nailed for violations of CRIMINAL statutes. And then there's the private tort action for their violations of privacy laws.
October 3, 2008 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
You may be right. It feels right in my gut, but I'm all a tizzy about the election and I really don't trust anything until it happens.
One thing that was on my mind as I watched was her repeated "up there" reference. I started to wonder: do the same people who identify with the heartland identify with "up there"? She might as well have been talking about Canada... I feel like some people will have a disconnect with her because of this. On the other hand, I suspect this line must have been heavily poll-tested.
October 3, 2008 12:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
I pray you're right. You should be right. I'm so proud of the Obama/Biden ticket - so proud and enthused. But the only way I'm really going to recover from Nov. 2, 2004 until (hopefully) Nov. 5, 2008.
October 3, 2008 12:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
My mother in-law - a woman who is married to a staunch republican (although this campaign is making him wobble) finally gave up her hopes for a sound woman VP in Govnr Palin.
She put up a good fight, but Word-Salad Shooter Annie stuck a fork in it tonight.
October 3, 2008 2:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
We should all get back to discussing the issues rather than just high fiving each other that Palin is terrible.
All Biden could do was say that McCain will be four more years of Bush. I guess I'm the only one tired about that.
I think she did very well both on Iraq. She hit the major point that Obama will remove us out of Iraq no matter what the conditions on the ground look like. That's a serious recipe for disaster which could undo all the progress we've made recently.
And on taxes, she also nailed it. Why is everybody OK with Obama's redistribution of wealth? It may be great for lower income families in the short term, but how is it going to help in the long run? Will it create jobs? His tax plan is to give "tax relief" through refundable credits to millions of Americans that already don't pay taxes. Isn't that really welfare, not tax cuts?
October 3, 2008 9:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Please, pray tell, what does progress and victory in Iraq mean? I thought Biden was dead on in pointing out how much of a ridiculous waste of money the Iraq adventure has been.
Have the Bush tax cuts for the rich created jobs? I mean obviously, I have not heard any news over the past nine months that say anything to the contrary!
October 3, 2008 11:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
That is a good point. The middle class is the engine for the economy. If you saddle them with the tax burden and reduce the money they have to spend it cripples the whole economy. Putting the tax breaks in the hands of the rich does not generate economic prosperity as wealth is concentrated. It's Economics 101. The money multiplier.
October 3, 2008 2:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree, Biden shouldn't be saying McCain/Palin would be 4 more years of Bush... it would be worse. McCain is more belligerent, and Palin doesn't think Cheney has enough authority.
As for Iraq, apparently the phrase "as careful getting out as we were careless getting in" has gone past you, in spite of it's repeated use by Sen. Obama for the last 20 months or so. We are spending far too much money in a country that isn't ours, and we need to get out while *some* Iraqis still like us. Technically, we're occupying their country, and they don't like that.
Finally, trickle-down doesn't work if the middle and lower classes don't have homes or jobs.
October 3, 2008 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
The taxed billionaires are the ones to benefit the most from the economic boom brought about by Democratic fiscal policy. They can view it as an investment.
October 3, 2008 12:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
The biggest period of sustained growth in this nation's history was from the end of the Great Depression and lasted well into the late 1960s. That growth and innovation was funded by a progressive taxation system that started out at 63% in 1932 and ended with a top rate of 91% through 1963.
You need to read up on why we are in the mess we face. It isn't because of taxing and spending. It is because of cutting taxes and spending. The "middle class" in this country won't have a single increase in taxes.
Those making over $250K a year as individuals MAY see a slight increase. Those making over $500 a year WILL see an increase. Those making over a million better get used to their excess wealth going back into society to fund our programs.
That is the only way this shit works and the only way rich people stay rich. The other way leads to anarchy as we can clearly see from the last 40 years.
October 3, 2008 12:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Why is everybody OK with Obama's redistribution of wealth?" Because the redistribution of wealth we have experienced under Republicans has failed the nation miserably. Productivity is this country has soared since the days of Reagan, but American workers have not reaped the benefits. McCain seems to think the American worker wants nothing but recognition, that they will vote for him because, he claims, he really meant working men and women when he said "the fundamentals of our country are sound." The fact is, the money their work has generated has overwhelmingly been redistributed to the Phil Grahams of our country-the lobbyists, incompetent and greedy CEOs, speculators, corrupt politicians, and other assorted assholes who think making themselves rich proves we're the greatest nation on earth. That's why everybody's okay with Obama's redistribution of wealth--because the real middle class will benefit.
October 3, 2008 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly.
October 3, 2008 4:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's more, as people begin to see the transcripts of the debate, and see the gibberish wordy-salady nonsense she came out with.... they'll solidify their estimation that she's a wing-nut without a future.
which is just fine
October 3, 2008 12:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
The "game" right now has Obama winning by a landslide. When the MSM says "This debate is not a game changer," they are saying (in MSM code) "Obama's going to win by a landslide."
I think you are essentially agreeing with the MSM for once.
October 3, 2008 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
The MSM is using the phrase "game changer" at every opportunity because it's their latest bright shiny toy, after "conventional wisdom" began losing its luster when it was finally realized that it is mindless oxymoron: wisdom is wisdom because it isn't conventional.
October 3, 2008 5:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
JasonEverettMiller - what are you proposing, that we go back to a 91% tax rate?
Obviously your post-war period was a significant boom to the economy. But are you saying that the Kennedy tax cuts didn't improve economic growth? Last time I checked, tax collections rose from 1963 to 1966 after Kennedy cut taxes. Same thing happened with the Reagan tax cuts in the 1980s. So I don't think we're in this mess because of cutting taxes. I agree with you on the spending part.
You're saying the mess we face is because we cut taxes? Are you blaming the Kennedy and Reagan tax cuts for today's mess?
Maybe if Hoover and FDR hadn't raised marginal rates so high, then there would have been even more economic growth?
Plus, your top tax rate of 91% only affected people making over $400k back in the 1960's. There were very few people back then in that top bracket. Today there are many more "normal Americans" sitting in the top tax bracket with the ultra rich. Many economists have estimated that in the 1960s there were maybe 1,000 people in that 91% bracket. Today's there's over 1 million individuals in the top bracket.
October 3, 2008 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obviously the top bracket would have to be higher threshold than it was in 1963 and I am not advocating a return to anything other than common sense and a fair shake for everyday Americans.
Why not go to the 1963 rate for a while and see how that does? Can we accomplish all our goals with that revenue? The richest among us used to pay their fare share and smile wide while doing it. Why? Because they are still rich, even after paying taxes, and were happy with all their blessings. There will on be a couple thousand or so in that top bracket today, but they will be making substantially more money than their 1962 counterparts, hence they owe more to the country that gave them such wealth.
I am not saying that a progressive tax system would be the only change we need.
We need a more robust justice system. We need a president to go through the entire Executive Branch budget with a fine-toothed comb. We need a Congress that can walk and chew gum at the same time. We need new ideas and new leadership.
Taxes are just one of the many areas where this country is broken.
October 3, 2008 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
A robust justice system? A president who actually knows what's in his own budget? A competent congress? New ideas? New leadership?
Good god, man...that's crazy-talk. Keep that up and you'll be put in the same category as those tin-foil-hatted independents who want a responsive and responsible government.
October 3, 2008 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
The fallacy of false cause strikes again.
If you're dying of thirst, a jug of of water might save you.
By the same token if you're not dying of thirst, deing dunked in whole swapmful of water won't make you any healthier, and it could even kill you.
There's a point where reducing taxes stops being good for the country, and we passed that point long ago. We're deep underwater now. Time to drain the swamp.
October 3, 2008 11:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps it would be better to refer to Obama's plan as the "un-distribution of Bush's previous redistribution of wealth to the already-wealthiest Americans"?
October 3, 2008 7:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's just a guess, but I'm thinking that Palin's mediocre performance combined with Biden's solid showing will result in a two point bounce for Obama.
October 3, 2008 11:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
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