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Presidential Debate Round 2

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With the debate starting in just over 30 minutes, anything you guys expect to hear/see out of it? Currently McCain has to pull something out of his ass with a plan for the economy or else I don't not for-see him being the next president, not that I want him to be the next one anyways. Always been a fan of the democrats myself.

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  • Jonathan
    Well, maybe if McCain doesn't win, we can get a true Republican in there in 2012, as voting for McCain is hard to do. It's like running your nails down the chalk board. :D
  • IronHawk
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    IronHawk polycounter lvl 10
    Jonathan wrote: »
    Well, maybe if McCain doesn't win, we can get a true Republican in there in 2012, as voting for McCain is hard to do. It's like running your nails down the chalk board. :D

    LOL... Not white enough for ya?
  • Jonathan
    IronHawk wrote: »
    LOL... Not white enough for ya?

    LOL, what?
  • ericleekessler
    lol, mccain is as white as they get... or as some people would say as "american" as you get
  • Ozymandias
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    Ozymandias polycounter lvl 18
    neither candidate is doing very well in this debate.
  • Snuggles
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    Snuggles polycounter lvl 17
    McCain's being a smug ass, but I don't really feel like either of them are really hitting the issues very well.

    Seriously though, did you see the way he glared at Obama and said, "We don't have time for on the job training"?

    Edit: The last question "What don't you know and how will you learn it?" Awesome question. Both of them dodged it though.
  • killingpeople
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    killingpeople polycounter lvl 18
    i thought that debate was pretty boring. they say the same shit over and over. i understand those topics they cover are important, but they've covered the majority already. they'd give the exact same response and give the exact same rebuttals - i guess you have to when the issue is brought up again. at least having them answered in different words would be nice. i would have liked to have seen new topics discussed so i could get a better understanding the candidates.

    a good word for a drinking game would be "fundamental"
  • ericleekessler
    i didn't like this debate at all to be honest, it was more or less a bunch of elderly people casually talking to each other and not really making a point. I hope the last debate goes a lot better than this one.
  • alexk
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    alexk polycounter lvl 12
    Q: What is your favourite sandwich?

    A: Tom, to answer this question, we need to understand our fundamental differences on taxes. My opponent will raise taxes and spend 500 billion. My plan will give my fellow Americans a 90% tax cut to spend on health care, but the real problem regarding health care is the lobbyists and special interests groups. I have fought countlessly against these, where as my opponent has supported them. I have talked to General Patreaus and he assures me that if we pull out of Iraq early, we will bring our troops home in defeat. I will bring our troops home in victory and honour. Thank you.
  • Thegodzero
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    Thegodzero polycounter lvl 18
    Jonathan wrote: »
    Well, maybe if McCain doesn't win, we can get a true Republican in there in 2012, as voting for McCain is hard to do. It's like running your nails down the chalk board. :D

    hehe i don't even think the republican party knows what "true republican" means anymore i think they forgot. :D


    Sounds like i should be glad i missed this debate. I really wish that both party's would say what all they are going to do to fix the broken mortgage system. I would really love to see McCain explain his actions with Charles Keating in the 90's; being as the implications of it are part of whats killing the economy now.
  • root
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    root polycounter lvl 18
    The debate was totally bland. Pretty much the only republican who's still trying to call it a victory now is Karl Rove, all the other major conservative pundits are saying that unless McCain can pull something extraordinary out of his ass between now and November he's sunk. Fivethirtyeight.com's projections are giving Obama an almost 90% win probability. I'm breathing easier these days. :D
  • fogmann
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    fogmann polycounter lvl 17
    alexk wrote: »
    Q: What is your favourite sandwich?

    A: Tom, to answer this question, we need to understand our fundamental differences on taxes, my friends. My opponent will raise taxes and spend 500 billion. My plan will give my fellow Americans a 90% tax cut to spend on health care, but the real problem regarding health care is the lobbyists and special interests groups, I have fought countlessly against these, where as my opponent has supported them. I have talked to General Patreaus and he assures me that if we pull out of Iraq early, we will bring our troops home in defeat. My friends, I will bring our troops home in victory and honour. Thank you.

    fixed
  • Tumerboy
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    Tumerboy polycounter lvl 17
    dear god, they're both mildly retarded, neither one knows how long "one minute" is.
  • [Deleted User]
    Tumerboy wrote: »
    dear god, they're both mildly retarded, neither one knows how long "one minute" is.
    You really think they don't know they go over? You think they're stupid? They both know that the more airtime they get, the better; they'll go as far over their time limit as they can without getting yelled at (something Brokaw seemed to have few reservations about).
  • ebagg
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    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    I listened for awhile but it basically boiled down to this;
    "I voted for this good stuff and my opponent voted for this bad stuff!"
    "No I actually voted for this good stuff and MY opponent voted for this bad stuff!"
    Over and over and OVER AD NAUSEAUM. As long as they memorized the main points of their stance on each issue they can't really fail.

    Boiling down major complex issues like the war in Iraq, the economy crisis, healthcare, eduction, etc into two minute talking points while talking yourself up and berating your opponent is ridiculous. Why even bother watching? Usually debates like in high school at least focus on covering one issue rather than flying through topics like a kid with ADHD.
  • seanv
    i thought that debate was pretty boring. they say the same shit over and over. i understand those topics they cover are important, but they've covered the majority already. they'd give the exact same response and give the exact same rebuttals - i guess you have to when the issue is brought up again. at least having them answered in different words would be nice. i would have liked to have seen new topics discussed so i could get a better understanding the candidates.

    a good word for a drinking game would be "fundamental"

    Yeah, it seems like there was only about 2 minutes of new content (real minutes that is) and 88 minutes from the first debate in mississippi.
  • EarthQuake
    fogmann wrote: »
    fixed

    Hahaha yeah, my GF was just about to snap every time she heard "my friends".
  • glynnsmith
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    glynnsmith polycounter lvl 17
    Obama in 3 million dollars on an overhead projector for a planetarium scandal?

    Hmmmmm
  • hobodactyl
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    hobodactyl polycounter lvl 18
    alexk & fogmann: Pwnt :D
  • dejawolf
  • ElysiumGX
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    ElysiumGX polycounter lvl 18
    HAHA Fox News. They kill me. (dejawolf's link is a reporter getting pwnted by a room's decision, and then ignoring it.)

    That really worries me honestly. I don't want another 50/50 election.

    Can't say much about this recent debate. McCain was an ass, and a liar, manipulating Obama's words. The talk of fines, attacks, and an overhead projector. And time was wasted with Obama having to repeat himself.

    I honestly wish Republicans would stop saying "smokeless coal" in any discussion about environmental effects. Smokeless Coal is NOT SMOKELESS. It's simply a method to have coal burn cleaner and with LESS SMOKE than traditional methods of burning coal directly. This was a major talking point with Bush on the debates 4 years ago...and of course, nothing was done about it.

    Smokeless Coal:
    -is still coal
    -is not renewable
    -still produces carbon-monoxide
    -is a tactic used to mislead the public before an election, and then isn't spoken about for 4 years
  • AstroZombie
  • Slum
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    Slum polycounter lvl 18
    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI0iIOqPGak[/ame]

    Wow. The man doesn't even have the common courtesy to shake his opponent's hand. Less charater than an sad 7th grade soccer team after a big loss.

    As much as I cant stand Palin, at least she attempts to be respectful at a basic human level.
  • Ephesians 2:8-9
    ElysiumGX wrote: »

    That really worries me honestly. I don't want another 50/50 election.

    I've actually been worried about that. Even though i support McCain, His recent anger out burst in this debate has me worried that if he looses, will he pitch an AL Gore "recount" Tantrum. :(

    I hope that does not happen.
  • Wells
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    Wells polycounter lvl 18
    Slum wrote: »


    Wow. The man doesn't even have the common courtesy to shake his opponent's hand. Less charater than an sad 7th grade soccer team after a big loss.

    As much as I cant stand Palin, at least she attempts to be respectful at a basic human level.

    I'm forced to quote WOSAT:

    "Miss Belair, if you feel compelled to grab part of my body and shake it before you can even be friendly, you've got far worse problems than you think I have"
  • Kovac
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    Kovac polycounter lvl 18
    Meh, I wouldn't think too much of that hand shake thing... McCain looks like he came to his senses right after and tried to shake back cause he didn't notice Obama's hand out.
  • ElysiumGX
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    ElysiumGX polycounter lvl 18
    I agree. I wouldn't put much thought into the hand shake. It looks to me that McCain walked over to Obama, and patted him on the back. Not important.
  • man_o_mule
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    man_o_mule polycounter lvl 18
  • ElysiumGX
  • Thegodzero
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    Thegodzero polycounter lvl 18
    wow, thats scary.

    The bast part is these are the same people that ensure that the world see's the US as a bunch of fat redneck bigots that know nothing of the world and don't want to.

    I think the term fear mongering is a great way to describe the people in that video.
  • Michael Knubben
    tgz: what I find a shame is that the political right-wing has to immediately be linked with... well, that. Angry, confused people who are stuck in their ways and beliefs. I'm mostly a left guy, but I do have some affection for a few right-leaning ideas. They're both sides to a coin, and should be equally viable options. This is obviously not the case, as is evidenced by Palin, and that's just a terrible shame. Not that I would call Bush a nice, composed, well-spoken representation of what a right-wing politician should be, mind.
    In the end, if you don't want a fundamentalist non-politician to lead your country, you're automatically forced to vote left?
    That's a shame, but what's worse is that anyone who wants a fundamentalist non-politician to run the country, conveniently has their choice made for them, as there's only one party that currently fits that bill!

    edit: ooh err, I'm all rambly again. If anything I said doesn't make sense, I blame it on the sleepiness.
  • Slum
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    Slum polycounter lvl 18
  • Mark Dygert
    That was shameful on both sides.
    Shameful for the Obama supporters because they where whipping up a bunch of confused old people who spend 99% of their day puttering around the house and being a nice neighbor.

    And shameful for the GOP'ers because... well you saw it.

    That BEE-RAWK OBOMBER he's one of them terrorist!
  • ericleekessler
    hahaha the guy saying barama was awesome. though i agree he should be kicked in the teeth!
  • Kevin Johnstone
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    Kevin Johnstone polycounter lvl 20
    You folks should watch 'Taxi to the dark side' before you vote.
    Just laying that out there, good to know what you are voting for.
  • TomDunne
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    TomDunne polycounter lvl 18
    ElysiumGX wrote: »

    In case anyone is wondering, THIS is why we still have an electoral college :)
  • Jonathan
    We haven't had a conservative in office for quite some time, or for that matter, a tried and true Republican in office for quite some time. Bush has grown the government, been way, way too passive, not vetoing anything for the majority of his campaign, was behind this $700 billion waste of tax payers' money, among other things which clearly go AGAINST what conservatives believe in, among other things.

    Yet still, given the choices, I'd pick Bush over Gore and Kerry any day of the week. So once again with this election, it's the lesser of two evils. :poly132:

    One more thing to clarify, I as well as many other conservatives (socially speaking) would vote for a politically-liberal politician if their social values were conservative (i.e.-things related to abortion, marriage issues, etc.), as a social conservative values morals of a country over political views (viz.-morals > politics). I think what I said in another thread was misunderstood, so hopefully this clarifies it a little more.

    Either way, goodnight fellow PolyCrunchers. :D
  • Rob Galanakis
    We haven't had a conservative in office for quite some time, or for that matter, a tried and true Republican in office for quite some time.
    That's the whole point.
    Yet still, given the choices, I'd pick Bush over Gore and Kerry any day of the week. So once again with this election, it's the lesser of two evils.
    That's the whole point.
    I as well as many other conservatives (socially speaking) would vote for a politically-liberal politician if their social values were conservative (i.e.-things related to abortion, marriage issues, etc.), as a social conservative values morals of a country over political views (viz.-morals > politics).
    That's the whole point.

    You know the saying, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me? You and people who think similar have been fooled since Goldwater, yeesh. When are you going to wake up and see the blindingly obvious reality that none of these people have any desire to actually do what you want them to, as long as you keep voting for their promises to do what you want them to!
  • JordanW
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    JordanW polycounter lvl 19
    I seriously want to second what Kevin said, I caught this the other night and while I was aware of a lot of things brought forth in this it was still really eye opening to how our government has treated this war on terror. I'm not going to get caught up in this political discussion but I will say Taxi to the Dark Side is something you should check out.
  • Mark Dygert
    heh, I would vote for a liberal if he was conservative... ok...

    I'd actually like to see any politician be who they say they are and do what they say.
  • ElysiumGX
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    ElysiumGX polycounter lvl 18
    You folks should watch 'Taxi to the dark side' before you vote.
    Just laying that out there, good to know what you are voting for.

    On its way. Thanks Kevin.

    Jonathan: You've made it clear, and continue to make it clear, what your deciding factors are. Just like Ephesians. You watch FOX News. You vote for a guy, and he does wrong. Enormous wrong. Wrong by you. You continue to vote for him. You justify it because his "morals" were "right". He tackles the important issues of...marriage. Election year comes up. You have a chance to prevent the next in line from continuing the wrong. But you won't. All you need for a candidate to say to win your vote is "I HATE gay people" and "We must defeat Terror with bombs".

    Anyone desperate to be President can easily exploit the bible thumpers too, perhaps. Tell bible stories, visit churches, start telling people you're from good ol' Texas (even if you're from Connecticut with a fake southern accent). Promise to keep things the way they've always been...so no one has to worry about their teenagers getting pregnant or doing drugs. Tell the people you'll invest in the education of youth to set us ahead for the next 25 years (even tho you plan to use the funding for war tactics that will take us back 50 years). Whatever it takes to get the vote from the simple folk who still believe the Earth is flat. And you'll be right there. Because you, and FOX News know what really matters to this world.
  • TomDunne
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    TomDunne polycounter lvl 18
    Jonathan wrote: »
    One more thing to clarify, I as well as many other conservatives (socially speaking) would vote for a politically-liberal politician if their social values were conservative (i.e.-things related to abortion, marriage issues, etc.), as a social conservative values morals of a country over political views (viz.-morals > politics). I think what I said in another thread was misunderstood, so hopefully this clarifies it a little more.

    I don't mean this as a personal aattck, but I find this line of thinking just completely the wrong approach.

    I'm Catholic, and I'm personally opposed to abortion. And not in a philosophical way - a friend of mine had one when she was 19, and it just wrecked her life. Nothing is making that guilt go away. If I could banish the mere idea of abortion from the planet, I'd do it without blinking an eye.

    That said... I don't see any sense in basing my presidential vote on that kind of topic. The president is merely one branch of federal power - he can appoint supreme court justices and veto legislation, but he can't control what cases are brought before those justices or what legislation reaches his desk. To abolish abortion in America, one of two things has to happen:

    1) a new court case would have to be brought through the entire federal system, appealed up to the Supreme Court and the justices would have to overturn their own prior Roe v. Wade ruling.

    2) a constitutional amendment outlawing abortion, requiring a two-thirds majority vote in congress.

    Neither of these paths go through the presidency, as he can't generate court cases or push through legislation.

    Some will argue that a president can at least create circumstances favorable to one of the two paths, via various appointments or policies, etc. Sounds great, except we have decades of evidence to the contrary. Roe v. Wade was ruled in 1973, during the second Nixon term. Since that day, we've had twice as many Republic presidents as democrats. In fact, of the 35 years since Roe v. Wade, only 12 years have been under a Democrat president.

    That's 23 years with a Republican in the White House. How close have we moved to outlawing abortion?

    Not one bit, not at all. We have no evidence that a conservative president can do anything at all to outlaw abortion.

    Please, please, please don't let your moral code do your critical thinking. Would I be happier if abortions didn't happen? Absolutely. Will I vote for a presidential candidate who ruins the economy or wastes lives in pointless wars just because he's opposed to abortion? Absolutely not.

    If nothing else, always consider the George W. Bush example. We still have abortions in America, and gay marriage is gaining more traction rather than less - Bush, a prototypical evangelical, was powerless to do anything about either. He's been a failure in Christian causes just as much as in secular ones. It's simply not something a president can control; if it was, Ford, Reagan or Bush I would have done it already.

    I ask anyone to seriously look at what a president can actually accomplish - the things within a presidents power to truly determine - and vote your preference on that. If you look at the practical issues and decide McCain is your man, have at it. Just please don't base your vote on some mythical hope that a president will somehow influence American morality. That hope is why we've had to endure a shitty president for the last eight years. Believing in Christ and following his Word doesn't make you a great leader of men.
  • Jonathan
    I realize Bush and a host of other Republicans use social conservatives to get them into office. However, regardless of moral/social issues, I also agree more with McCain and George W. Bush on political matters more than Obama, Gore, Kerry, etc.

    Secondly, this notion that "all I do" is watch Fox news or any other channel is complete ignorant nonsense. When I do watch TV, it's usually the news, and as of late, it's been mainly CNBC due to stock market related things. However, I also enjoy Fox news, but the views I had both socially and politically were already established well before I ever had even seen Fox news, knew who Rush Limbaugh was, or any other somewhat-conservative/conservative media outlet.

    I guess "to be fair and balanced" I should accuse some of you of following Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, Katie Kuric, eh?

    Either way, voting for Obama/Biden would go against about every facet of my beliefs, whereas voting for McCain/Palin would go against far fewer.

    I fail to see how voting for an extreme liberal like Obama would "help" social conservatives.

    Mike Huckabee for President in 2012. :D
  • ElysiumGX
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    ElysiumGX polycounter lvl 18
    vermillion, well written.

    And on the topic of abortions. Say the President DID have some major influence, and abortion is outlawed. Right? How? When a woman gets an abortion, does she go to prison? She broke the law. Or maybe the Doctor. Now, no doctors will perform abortions. I guess that means there's no possible way a woman can have an abortion. Or, she could die trying.

    So two outcomes from the important topic of abortion.
    1. Mommy and/or doctor in a crowded prison with the rapist. Baby destined to live wonderful life.
    2. Dead mommy and baby.

    So where do morals come into play here? Are opinions more important that answers and reasoning? The only thing close to an answer from conservatives is "counseling". Counseling doesn't solve or prevent problems, it deals with ones that already exist.


    Jonathan: wouldn't an EXTREME liberal candidate be a satan-worshipping lesbian? or are you using the term in the context of extremist? as in...TERRORIST!
  • Jonathan
    ElysiumGX wrote: »
    vermillion, well written.

    And on the topic of abortions. Say the President DID have some major influence, and abortion is outlawed. Right? How? When a woman gets an abortion, does she go to prison? She broke the law. Or maybe the Doctor. Now, no doctors will perform abortions. I guess that means there's no possible way a woman can have an abortion. Or, she could die trying.

    So two outcomes from the important topic of abortion.
    1. Mommy and/or doctor in a crowded prison with the rapist. Baby destined to live wonderful life.
    2. Dead mommy and baby.

    So where do morals come into play here? Are opinions more important that answers and reasoning? The only thing close to an answer from conservatives is "counseling". Counseling doesn't solve or prevent problems, it deals with ones that already exist.

    I fail to see how killing an innocent person (a child) helps solve the issue.
  • ElysiumGX
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    ElysiumGX polycounter lvl 18
    Because a being is not defined as a child until after birth. You still continue to struggle with words. I'm sorry, my friend. I'm not going to debate my stance on the issue, because perhaps you'd be surprised to know I don't find it to be a simple issue myself. It's not a choice that I would be able to make. But, it's an issue without an answer, and should not be important for the position of Presidency.
  • Jonathan
    So I was born premature, about died and so did my mom. So I guess the doctor should have just thrown in the towel, and let me die, as I wasn't yet a "child"?

    Life begins at conception, not at a "magical" moment during labor.
  • Asherr
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    Asherr polycounter lvl 18
    I guess "to be fair and balanced" I should accuse some of you of following Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, Katie Kuric, eh?
    it's worse than that... Ely was a Ron Paul supporter! :poly124: :)
  • ElysiumGX
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    ElysiumGX polycounter lvl 18
    I didn't state life begins at birth. Man, learn to read.

    Asherr: I would rather have Ron Paul debating Obama. Though, I'd probably still vote for Obama. Like I've said, I've liked Obama for many years. And he hasn't flipped his opinions like that other one. Also, the Ron Paul Revolution supporters now scare me.
  • killingpeople
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    killingpeople polycounter lvl 18
    this always happens when talking about vice presidential debates, it always leads to talk about abortion.

    abortion is fucked up and people should be encouraged to take on the responsibility, at least tough out the birht and adopt. i think abortion should remain to be legal. if the parent unwillingly became pregnant and had no desire to birth and care for the child, they should abort the child before it fully matures into a living breathing human. i think it's well understood birth hurts and being preggers sucks. they'd eventually stuff the kid in a dumpster anyway.

    ultimately, people need to be more responsible with their sexual organs.
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