Last night:
Diplomacy-
Barack was the picture of diplomacy at its best. I can’t wait to see him in office and how he handles the world leaders. I mean if he can handle John McCain' ancient ornery ass spew lies and half-truths to his face what couldn’t he right?
John McCain on the other hand is a hot OLD mess. Did you see how he wouldn’t even look at Barack during the debate? How he talked down to him? If you can’t look at a fellow Senator and your Democratic counterpart on national television what am I supposed to expect from you with world leaders behind closed doors?
The Bailout-
Despite CNN's constant discussion on how they dodged the question I don’t think it was a REAL question. The stock market crash was two weeks ago; the Bailout plan is not finished; they are figureheads for their parties right now and what they say and don’t say could literally effect what congress is working on. I think it was smart for both of them to not discuss the plan that's being drafted and to be honest with America that they don’t really know how it'll affect their presidency. They did throw out some possibilities but only after being pressed by the moderator...
Foreign Policy-
Despite what everyone has said about Barack I believe foreign policy is his strongpoint. It is what CLEARLY differentiates him from the rest. He has a plan to get out of Iraq, he sees the weaknesses in Afghanistan, he understands that admitting you were wrong is not admitting defeat or taking away from any of the men and women who lost their lives, were injured, and who gave up their times for the war. At one point John McCain said that if Barack cared so much about Afghanistan he is surprised he didn’t go. I thought that was one of the lowest blows he's ever taken and was just another example of this them and us mentality. Because I didn’t go to war I am not a patriot? I don’t care about my country? WACKKKK.
CNN-
Had these awesome Focus Groups last night that I was SUPER hyped about. Lol. They went to Ohio (A swing State) pooled an equal number of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. They gave them monitors that rated whether the liked or didn’t like what they were hearing form the candidates. We saw the reactions DURING the debate and got the results after. It was such an eye opener to have a real pulse on what people are thinking about the election. I live and work in NYC. I grew up in NJ. I have absolutely NO pulse on the rest of the world. Maybe a reason I am so surprised by politics all the time. Logically I can hear what the rest of the country is like and it just not register. So seeing reactions from a swing state was very interesting. Thank Gosh for the most part I understood the reactions and Barack won them over without a shadow of a doubt. It was also nice to see the focus group results in comparison to the analysts and panelist on CNN. They can be so jaded and I never know who is speaking form their heart or for their party or special interests.
Quotes from the Debate:
On the financial recovery plan:
McCain: "It has to have accountability and oversight. It has to have options for loans to failing businesses, rather than the government taking over those loans. We have to — it has to have a package with a number of other essential elements to it. And, yes, I went back to Washington, and I met with my Republicans in the House of Representatives. And they weren't part of the negotiations, and I understand that. And it was the House Republicans that decided that they would be part of the solution to this problem. But I want to emphasize one point to all Americans tonight. This isn't the beginning of the end of this crisis. This is the end of the beginning, if we come out with a package that will keep these institutions stable."
OBAMA: "I've put forward a series of proposals that make sure that we protect taxpayers as we engage in this important rescue effort. Number one, we've got to make sure that we've got oversight over this whole process; $700 billion, potentially, is a lot of money. Number two, we've got to make sure that taxpayers, when they are putting their money at risk, have the possibility of getting that money back and gains, if the market, and when the market returns. Number three, we've got to make sure that none of that money is going to pad CEO bank accounts or to promote golden parachutes. And, number four, we've got to make sure that we're helping homeowners, because the root problem here has to do with the foreclosures that are taking place all across the country."
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On congressional earmarks:
McCain: "You've got to look at our record. You've got to look at our records. That's the important thing. Who fought against wasteful and earmark spending? Who has been the person who has tried to keep spending under control? Who's the person who has believed that the best thing for America is — is to have a tax system that is fundamentally fair? And I've fought to simplify it."
OBAMA: "Absolutely, we need earmark reform. And when I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely. But the fact is that eliminating earmarks alone is not a recipe for how we're going to get the middle class back on track."
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On the war in Iraq:
McCain: "The next president of the United States is not going to have to address the issue as to whether we went into Iraq or not. The next president of the United States is going to have to decide how we leave, when we leave, and what we leave behind. ... Sen. Obama said the surge could not work, said it would increase sectarian violence, said it was doomed to failure. Recently on a television program, he said it exceeded our wildest expectations."
OBAMA: "John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007. You talk about the surge. The war started in 2003, and at the time when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You were wrong. You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You were wrong. You said that there was no history of violence between Shiite and Sunni. And you were wrong."
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On talking to Iran:
McCain: "What Sen. Obama doesn't seem to understand that if without precondition you sit down across the table from someone who has called Israel a stinking corpse, and wants to destroy that country and wipe it off the map, you legitimize those comments. This is dangerous. It isn't just naive; it's dangerous. And so we just have a fundamental difference of opinion."
OBAMA: "We are also going to have to, I believe, engage in tough direct diplomacy with Iran and this is a major difference I have with Sen. McCain — this notion by not talking to people we are punishing them has not worked. It has not worked in Iran, it has not worked in North Korea. In each instance, our efforts of isolation have actually accelerated their efforts to get nuclear weapons. That will change when I'm president of the United States."
xoxo,
Allison
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