Prez Debate No. 2 - stream of observations (C-SPAN source)
Cut for visual brevity:
1. Treasury Secretary replacement...
McCain offers Meg Whitman of eBay as example of the type of person necessary to restore broad public confidence. Interesting in two respects: he does not mention someone with market professional qualifications, and Meg Whitman herself is controversial for the arguably overpriced purchase of Skype, and the 10% workforce cut eBay has experienced this week.
2. Second question about what they'll do to help directly people like the black guy.
Obama took a long time in answering, but eventually got to the point that the bailout/rescue package includes provisions for Treasury Secretary to act directly on housing, but hasn't exercised that power yet.
3. Amused that Lieberman is McCain's example of 'bipartisanship.'
4. McCain clearly stated a view of the end of retiree benefits as we know it today.
5. Horror-musement that McCain connects "many more nukes" with "millions of jobs created" - doing what, shoveling plutonium, shuffling a million Americans on the 10,000 jobs as they perish from exposure? ;-)
6. Non-chronological observation: $700bn is the magic number - it's the amount in oil expenditures out of the US (ostensibly supporting terrorist orgs), it's the bailout package amount, it's the amount already expended in Iraq, apparently).
7. To the question of what specific sacrifices will be necessary? McCain and Obama hew from the same tree of cutting expenses/programs for a long part of that answer session. Slightly surprised to hear McCain say he'll target defense contractors when he wants to also keep military expenses off the table for a government-wide freeze. McCain also used a disturbing sentence construction, with "You Americans."
7.1 Interesting to hear Obama bring up 9/11, and not McCain, and to talk about the lost opportunity in the call to service. The reality for the foreseeable future is this: retirement-diminished seniors are going to work longer, businesses aren't going to hire, and a bubble of unemployed youth will grow - might as well put them to volunteer work to "renew America" (I like that phrase). Unfortunately, Obama mentions "offshore oil drilling" which is connected to the "clean coal" points Biden brought up last week.
7.2 I liked how Obama, in explaining earmarks and McCain's proposed tax cut, explained the importance of everyone contributing, and not more examples of unfair burden-sharing.
8. McCain plays tax increase card (and on small businesses).
9. Nice line: "Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one."
10. McCain: "Social security is not that tough" (just reach across the aisle) - I'm mildly horrified how McCain is using the ignorance of the US electorate of how legislation works for tactical advantage.
11. Climate Change and Green Jobs in 2 years question to John McCain - he starts his answer with , "BUT we're in tough economic times..." and that "nuclear power is safe & clean" using the US Navy as an example. Oh dear. Very importantly, McCain supports reprocessing nuclear fuel (like Japan and Britain do), but makes no mention of the nuclear material control and geopolitical aspects of such a policy shift.
11.1 Obama clarifies with solar, wind, geothermal, and that nuclear is just one component in the mix.
12. "Should healthcare be treated as a commodity?"
12.1 McCain makes an odd statement within his response, "...reduce medical errors, as they call them." His proposal of a 50-state competitive solution was nonsensical, and I'm glad Obama responded with the Delaware banking example of how this would fail to serve people's health needs. Obama was also good to state clearly that medical coverage should be a right of every American in a country as wealthy as ours, and to bring up his cancerous mother's experience as example.
13. "The impact of the current economic condition to constrain the ability of the US to act as peacemakers in the world?" - interestingly, both largely responded to this as a military question, not fully engaging the diplomatic opportunity the question entailed. McCain's response emphasized the US as a "nation of good" and a force for good in the world - but seemed to be very historical, and not future-oriented.
14. "McCain vs. Obama Doctrine" - neither was particularly clear, but Obama clarified on the moral issues at stake beyond national security, and the sort of low-cost interdiction opportunity in Darfur that can only be employed successfully in concert with allies, without the constraint of Iraq. McCain's response about "all his life" seems to mean to me that McCain was actually born in a Vietnamese prison camp.
15. Pakistan border question - Obama takes a long time getting there, but brings up the point I wanted to hear about the counter-productivity of "coddling dictators", and cites Secretary Gates. McCain meanwhile rides the Petreus/surge pogo stick. Kind of stunning to hear McCain dismiss comments about "bombing Iran" as "a joke."
15.1 McCain talks about "not telegraphing punches" and fails to acknowledge the costs associated with that sort of action, as Obama had been explaining. McCain finishes with "end with honor and victory, not defeat" which is interesting Vietnam Vet code language in the American dialect.
15.2 The Obama response to McCain's misinterpretation was good, a bit long-winded, and McCain got the TV spot he wanted.
16. Russia question - Obama misspeaks about how the line of action would make us less safe. He meant 'more safe' I think. Good that he mentions energy as key to dealing with Russians (too bad he doesn't contextualize this to a blackmailed Western Europe in winter). He uses a similar response to the Iran threat, but his specificity on crucial petrochemical machinery was very good to hear.
17. Israel scenario - both candidates are competing for the Florida Jewish vote, so both appear Hawkish on this question. McCain clearly says he wouldn't wait for UN Security Council resolution to act, and Obama alludes to the similar - but from the context of using the threat of full military support long in advance of the scenario to negotiate a better outcome.
17.1 Really important point Obama made about threats - how Iran and North Korea accelerated their nuclear programs when Bush threatened and did not speak with them.
18. What don't you know, and how will you learn it? Both candidates return to stump speech points, but Obama makes two interesting points: how unexpected challenges can become all-consuming; and the importance of Michelle (in humanizing tactic, but effective nonetheless).
18.1 McCain apparently understands about service, and the absence of family, as his father was "doing our country's business" (what? "...in whorehouses and bars"? ;-p )
19. Post-Debate visuals: Cindy McCain sticks close to her husband, offering classic visuals for the TV camera; Michelle is mingling much more independently and I think, effectively. Barrack and Michelle Obama both display active listening skills.
Crucially - Cindy and John McCain quickly leave the debate hall, while Barrack and Michelle stick around to mix very comfortably with the crowd.
EDIT: Steven Colbert names 538.com FiveThirtyEight for poll predictions. [thanks nhw!]
1. Treasury Secretary replacement...
McCain offers Meg Whitman of eBay as example of the type of person necessary to restore broad public confidence. Interesting in two respects: he does not mention someone with market professional qualifications, and Meg Whitman herself is controversial for the arguably overpriced purchase of Skype, and the 10% workforce cut eBay has experienced this week.
2. Second question about what they'll do to help directly people like the black guy.
Obama took a long time in answering, but eventually got to the point that the bailout/rescue package includes provisions for Treasury Secretary to act directly on housing, but hasn't exercised that power yet.
3. Amused that Lieberman is McCain's example of 'bipartisanship.'
4. McCain clearly stated a view of the end of retiree benefits as we know it today.
5. Horror-musement that McCain connects "many more nukes" with "millions of jobs created" - doing what, shoveling plutonium, shuffling a million Americans on the 10,000 jobs as they perish from exposure? ;-)
6. Non-chronological observation: $700bn is the magic number - it's the amount in oil expenditures out of the US (ostensibly supporting terrorist orgs), it's the bailout package amount, it's the amount already expended in Iraq, apparently).
7. To the question of what specific sacrifices will be necessary? McCain and Obama hew from the same tree of cutting expenses/programs for a long part of that answer session. Slightly surprised to hear McCain say he'll target defense contractors when he wants to also keep military expenses off the table for a government-wide freeze. McCain also used a disturbing sentence construction, with "You Americans."
7.1 Interesting to hear Obama bring up 9/11, and not McCain, and to talk about the lost opportunity in the call to service. The reality for the foreseeable future is this: retirement-diminished seniors are going to work longer, businesses aren't going to hire, and a bubble of unemployed youth will grow - might as well put them to volunteer work to "renew America" (I like that phrase). Unfortunately, Obama mentions "offshore oil drilling" which is connected to the "clean coal" points Biden brought up last week.
7.2 I liked how Obama, in explaining earmarks and McCain's proposed tax cut, explained the importance of everyone contributing, and not more examples of unfair burden-sharing.
8. McCain plays tax increase card (and on small businesses).
9. Nice line: "Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one."
10. McCain: "Social security is not that tough" (just reach across the aisle) - I'm mildly horrified how McCain is using the ignorance of the US electorate of how legislation works for tactical advantage.
11. Climate Change and Green Jobs in 2 years question to John McCain - he starts his answer with , "BUT we're in tough economic times..." and that "nuclear power is safe & clean" using the US Navy as an example. Oh dear. Very importantly, McCain supports reprocessing nuclear fuel (like Japan and Britain do), but makes no mention of the nuclear material control and geopolitical aspects of such a policy shift.
11.1 Obama clarifies with solar, wind, geothermal, and that nuclear is just one component in the mix.
12. "Should healthcare be treated as a commodity?"
12.1 McCain makes an odd statement within his response, "...reduce medical errors, as they call them." His proposal of a 50-state competitive solution was nonsensical, and I'm glad Obama responded with the Delaware banking example of how this would fail to serve people's health needs. Obama was also good to state clearly that medical coverage should be a right of every American in a country as wealthy as ours, and to bring up his cancerous mother's experience as example.
13. "The impact of the current economic condition to constrain the ability of the US to act as peacemakers in the world?" - interestingly, both largely responded to this as a military question, not fully engaging the diplomatic opportunity the question entailed. McCain's response emphasized the US as a "nation of good" and a force for good in the world - but seemed to be very historical, and not future-oriented.
14. "McCain vs. Obama Doctrine" - neither was particularly clear, but Obama clarified on the moral issues at stake beyond national security, and the sort of low-cost interdiction opportunity in Darfur that can only be employed successfully in concert with allies, without the constraint of Iraq. McCain's response about "all his life" seems to mean to me that McCain was actually born in a Vietnamese prison camp.
15. Pakistan border question - Obama takes a long time getting there, but brings up the point I wanted to hear about the counter-productivity of "coddling dictators", and cites Secretary Gates. McCain meanwhile rides the Petreus/surge pogo stick. Kind of stunning to hear McCain dismiss comments about "bombing Iran" as "a joke."
15.1 McCain talks about "not telegraphing punches" and fails to acknowledge the costs associated with that sort of action, as Obama had been explaining. McCain finishes with "end with honor and victory, not defeat" which is interesting Vietnam Vet code language in the American dialect.
15.2 The Obama response to McCain's misinterpretation was good, a bit long-winded, and McCain got the TV spot he wanted.
16. Russia question - Obama misspeaks about how the line of action would make us less safe. He meant 'more safe' I think. Good that he mentions energy as key to dealing with Russians (too bad he doesn't contextualize this to a blackmailed Western Europe in winter). He uses a similar response to the Iran threat, but his specificity on crucial petrochemical machinery was very good to hear.
17. Israel scenario - both candidates are competing for the Florida Jewish vote, so both appear Hawkish on this question. McCain clearly says he wouldn't wait for UN Security Council resolution to act, and Obama alludes to the similar - but from the context of using the threat of full military support long in advance of the scenario to negotiate a better outcome.
17.1 Really important point Obama made about threats - how Iran and North Korea accelerated their nuclear programs when Bush threatened and did not speak with them.
18. What don't you know, and how will you learn it? Both candidates return to stump speech points, but Obama makes two interesting points: how unexpected challenges can become all-consuming; and the importance of Michelle (in humanizing tactic, but effective nonetheless).
18.1 McCain apparently understands about service, and the absence of family, as his father was "doing our country's business" (what? "...in whorehouses and bars"? ;-p )
19. Post-Debate visuals: Cindy McCain sticks close to her husband, offering classic visuals for the TV camera; Michelle is mingling much more independently and I think, effectively. Barrack and Michelle Obama both display active listening skills.
Crucially - Cindy and John McCain quickly leave the debate hall, while Barrack and Michelle stick around to mix very comfortably with the crowd.
EDIT: Steven Colbert names 538.com FiveThirtyEight for poll predictions. [thanks nhw!]