The Eye of the Tiger

The Final Debate
I'm lost without a clue
So how can I undo
The tangle of these webs I keep weaving
I don't know if I should be believing
Deceptive perceiving
But if you don't mind
I don't mind- The Buzzcocks

So the question is, how does McCain take the initiative? Does he go the Ayers/Rev. Wright route and totally sell out any principles he has left. I mean Obama is prepared for that, isn't he, it's like walking into an ambush.

Or does he start going down the foreign policy/national security road? Now this is very important territory but it may be kind of like worrying if your kid is going to drown in the river, while in actuality the house is on fire. It's the economy more than ever stupid, and I imagine that John would rather have Romney on his team right now rather than Sarah Moosenidiot.

Sarah Palin visited New Hampster today. They had a woman on the radio talking about that she was a hockey mom too and it was great to have a "regular" person going to the white house. Now we want regular people for one of the most important jobs in the world, the second for the most important job in the world. I'm sick of regular. I want amazing, I want intellect. You can have empathy for the common man, the regular guy, remember where you came from etc. without having to dumb everything down. Geez.

My favorite quote of the day from my sister about the economy, "wow, this is one of the few times that I feel good being poor". (meaning she hasn't lost anything)

9:00 PM Wolf Blitzer is the Brent Musberger of news, shows up everywhere and you wonder how the hell he has a job. Chuck Hagel's wife is attending with Michelle Obama, damn, think that dude is job searching?

9:03 PM He comes the best part of the debate, it's Xmas for everyone and costs no one anything. Does Obama go into 4 corners here, a little curly neal dribble or does he try to take it to the hoop. This debate is a battle for confidence, Americans need confidence.

9:08 PM Well, John you could always leave the Senate and go into plumbing. The BIG LIE of this campaign is that either taxes will be raised and/or entitlements will be cut. Just stop lying, both of you.

9:15 PM Random back and forth about cutting programs that don't work, etc. McCain needs a soundbite or two for someone to grab onto. He shouldn't refer to the Depression so much, it seems like he actually was there. He really hates that projector. He must have some bullets in his gun, he must.

9:23 PM This is really boring. Again without the whiskey. McCain has disappointed me so far, rehashing the same ideas. I've always liked McCain, is he trying too hard to remain calm, to not be the old angry guy?

9:30 PM Obama has the advantage of just being calm, who is the more medicated candidate. Joe the Plumber is back. It's about John Lewis and Joe the Plumber. And talking about the rallies. Wow, this is really stupid. Can we just give each candidate a two minute timeout.

9:36 PM Wow, a Republican bringing up voter fraud. Does anyone cares about Bill Ayers? I mean other than people who wouldn't vote for Obama anyway? People who think Obama is a socialist?

9:46 PM Hopefully Bob doesn't really want to talk about Climate control. Terrible question, "how many barrels?" John doesn't understand the fungibility of oil and the global economy. Ohio loves clean coal, so does Pennsylvania. Obama also doesn't understand the fungibility of oil either. Or this 700 billion dollar figure, we just want to toss huge sacks of money around.

9:53 PM Obama needs to go to South America. And was just compared to Herbert Hoover.

9:58 PM Is the Entitlement question coming up? Wait, John's gotta talk to Joe the Plumber again. And Barry's concerned about Joe thinking he's a socialist, too.

10:03 PM Would you leave Joe the hell alone? 47 million (who knows) without health care and we're worried about Joe paying a fine for healthcare? Every one of these interviewers/newsreaders/moderators has been terrible, anyone who talks about the federal budget and doesn't follow up on defense, medicaid, social security, medicare or debt service is just an idiot.

10:09 PM What does Joe feel about Roe v. Wade? Lily Ledbetter and Joe the Plumber. McCain is going to adopt all the babies.

10:16 PM The standard centrist education answer from Obama, finally smartening up to know that the teacher's unions aren't going to run out and vote for McCain en masse. TFA gets a shout out from Johnny! I start to stare into space when they talk education.

Thank God, this is the last debate, to me, a tie, but McCain had to win, he still looks angry and annoyed, which is fine if you're me, but not for the big job. Looking forward to writing about something besides debates.

Battle in the Bible Belt

The Battle Begins
I imagine it's a celebration of the working and middle class tonite. It's not your fault, it's the fatcats in Washington/Wall St. Town meeting style, so I imagine all the questions will be about traffic and weather. Or the price of gas and bringing back not existent well paying factory jobs that require only an 8th grade education and pay a living middle class wage.

There is a certain economic October surprise coming up for the first time in the history of the Ownership Society people will be opening up 401K and other retirement accounts in the next couple of weeks and literally see nest eggs that have evaporated by 15-20% even in conservative investments. What is this effect?

9:00 pm Who are these 80 undecided voters? Man, it's going to take them a long time to order pizza.

9:04 pm southerners? An hour and half, as slow as they talk, they're going to get through about 3 questions. Drink every time a candidate says "middle class", if they add family, drink twice. Apparently, the bald are a major percentage of undecided voters.

9:09 pm OK, so we're cutting taxes and taking on bad mortgages at the same time, awesome. Everybody loves Warren Buffett. I do to, Warren Buffett is not walking through that door.

9:13 pm I'm not sure the who took more money from Fannie/Freddie but all these guys are dirty and loaded with financial sector money and supporters. Unsure why Obama hasn't dropped the Hooveresque "fundamentals are sound" line on McCain's head.

9:23 pm McCain has a secret plan to fix the economy. McCain's "my friends" is Obama's "let's be clear". Obama knows gas prices but nobody, nobody wants to talk about entitlements other than we have to work together, the Congressional equivalent of "yeah, I really do need to lose some weight and exercise"

9:28 pm Some of these lines are getting tired. The 4 billion in tax cuts for oil country for one. Sacrifice? Whoa, good question. McCain hates overhead projectors. Apparently those are causing 500 billion dollar deficits. Nobody is going to answer the sacrifice question. Never mind, in theory it was a good question but no one is answering this question clearly.

9:35 pm WhooHoo, McCain's giving away money!!! And Obama agrees, everybody's getting rich and everybody's getting laid! Another attempt at the entitlement question. Obama skates around it, McCain is getting around a table with deceased Irish American politicians from both sides. OOOOOH, a blue ribbon commission........

9:43 pm Not to stereotype but young sister, are you really a young Black woman for McCain? Everyone loves nukes now. Because it's "clean" energy. More of the voted 23 times, 74 times bullshit, give it a rest, how about some details.

9:47 pm Barack, "the chant is drill, baby, drill." Sorry had a mild Palin flashback. Obama loves Bush and Cheney, my friends. And wants to vote for their pork laden bills.

9:51 pm My second debate in a row without whiskey, I totally forgot. Damn these two candidates are underwhelming. John, don't make me do math. Oh, good Lord, he's starting to sound like my wife's grandmother, I'll agree with you if you just stop talking.... Anything you want.

9:59 pm Good line by McCain about on the job training for commander in chief. One thing about these debates, at the beginning of debates can we all agree to agree that we all appreciate the service of our soldiers and that we are the greatest country on earth? It just starts to sound trite and insulting.

10:04 pm The Obama Doctrine, Tom, slow the hell down. Hmmh. An Angry Middle doctrine, I like it.

10:14 pm I don't want a friend, I don't want joe six pack, for the love of God somebody show some leadership! OK, maybe I want to really see a debate by the candidate's advisers. Nice use of the word apparatchiks but this should be the last debate, it's just getting repetitive.

10:21 pm McCain "OK, Professor Obama, it's time for me to take you outside and kick your ass. OK, it's back to who loves Israel more time.

10:31 pm Here is Obama's strength, rhetoric on the American economic experience as opposed to McCain's narrative as an American war hero. Both strong, but unsure if in the next 4 weeks that national security will take the upper hand. The Republicans are focusing on fear, things can get much, much worse without a steady hand, The Democrats have some of loose "hope" thing going on.

I have Obama on points on this one. McCain is OK, but he did come across as old. Wolf is a dooshbag,McCain has "disdain" for Obama, take your lazy non journalistic ass to US magazine.

Biden Time for Palintology

The Battle at WashU
Luke, it's a trap-Star Wars

Pregame Comments: Until I got old, my passion was pickup hoops. Anywhere, anytime. We'd play in the heat of the sun and chip ice off the courts to play in the winter. Between working the morning shift and night shifts at restaurants, whatever. I played with a lot of big guys, tall guys, generally where I used a lot of elbows and shoulders and pushing around. Of the probably thousands of pickup games I played, I played maybe a dozen or so with girls/women that were actually competitive games. Not shooting around with your girlfriend or sister but actually competitive games.

There is nothing worse than having to guard a woman playing hoops, particularly a woman who can play. I go back probably to the early 90's playing a game on the Cape. As the luck of the draw would have it, I was guarding a girl. Oh, but this girl was good, she could sink jumper after jumper, she was a college (D3) player. Eventually, you had to play your game, go to your strength, despite how embarrassing it may look to push a girl around.

Here's the issue that Biden faces tonite, he could be stepping into a trap underestimating his foe. Certainly the bar has been set very low for Sarah Palin here, any modicum of success will look like victory, Jumbly Joe need to go for every rebound, every put back tonite. Joe has got to be the knowledgable adult, not make up any stories and be prepared for the attack dog. My bet is that Palin's strategy is to come out with 4 or 5 zingers or soundbites for the next six weeks. To be repeated and drilled into people's heads. Outside of that, Palin needs to just cede her time and let Biden talk himself in circles. This debate is Biden's to lose, unless Palin just says something crazy.

AND WE'RE OFF
9:00 pm: Gwen shows her bias, a blue shirt Gwen, a blue shirt? "Can I call you, Joe?" See she's just a regular person. Governors are just like us, they call people by their first names.

9:06 pm: See a regular person, go to a soccer game. Right now the Governor looks scared and just keeps saying "John McCain". The Senator applies the "out of touch" retort

9:08 pm Palin celebrates the American worker again. "A team of mavericks?" Is that even possible, is that like an army of anarchists?

9:10 pm Palin celebrates the American worker again for being swindled by evil predatory lenders. Joe Six packs and hockey moms need to band together. Never again will we be taken advantage of. Okay that's a direct quote, that stuff is just awesome.

9:15 pm Fifteen minutes in. Palin keeps on the standard Republican talking points, Biden is attempting to bore people to death. Palin wins the flag contest, and gets extra points for the family service star.

9:17 pm Is there any particular reason that I'm not drinking whiskey, I feel like an in an AA meeting at a Grateful Dead Show. Everytime anyone mentions the middle class the CNN Ohio voters survey shoots up.

9:20 pm Biden is also middle/working class just so you know there are 100 US Senators and 50 state governors, regardless of income none of y'all would be considered middle class. I'm thinking of looking to see if there is a zoning board meeting on cable access, I'm on a charisma jones.

9:23 pm Say it Sarah, say it, say straight talk, say straight shooter. For the love of God.

9:28 pm It's the Wonk against the Hockey Mom. I'm pre-quoting Ed Rollins on CNN, "What the Governor said really resonated with the middle and working class those that are really struggling, she really knocked it out of the park" Look, Ohio voters, oil, cheap shiny oil (paraphrasing Mrs. Angry Middle)

9:31 pm The Sarah Palin science hour. Nice, we are legislating by chant now. For what it's worth, Biden seems to have disappeared and Palin is just swinging all over the place, hitting occasionally. Biden's pancake makeup seems to be taking over his face.

9:37 pm Biden uses the "m" word around same sex benefits (marriage). He's either an idiot, a maverick or is setting a bigot trap. Okay nobody likes gay marriage.

9:40 pm Obama hates America and hates the American troops. Barack Obama wants to wave a flag of surrender. OK, lets be real, no one is cutting off funding for the troops, geez.

9:48 pm More Kissinger love. "They hate freedom" is back.

9:53 pm OK, we all love Israel, let's move on. It's like kissing your sister.

9:55 pm I wish I had an Ed Rollins cam right now, 5 bucks he can't keep his hands off himself. Sarah is tripping all over her words about nuclear weapons, she has to go back to her notes about Afghanistan and building schools for children. Biden can't put her away on foreign affairs, he's got no killer instinct. Throw the elbow, get the rebound, Joe!

10:02 pm Biden starts to talk about his McCainesque travelogue. Finally 64 minutes in, Palin uses the "straight talk" line. Oh did you know she's an outsider and has a state that is rich in resources?

10:09 pm A team of mavericks. Sweet. "Say it ain't so, Joe, dog gone it" Wow, she's a fricking nut. I want to get hammered with her at a BC-University of Alaska hockey game.

10:16 pm This is my last whiskey-less political event. Hey, Joe take Article I and stick it up your @ss, D. Cheney. Sarah Palin is the stepford governor.

10:24 pm Joe actually shows a little energy and reminds me he hasn't overdosed on Lieberman's charisma medicine.

10:30 pm Fighting for average families, like those of a state governor? Is freedom going somewhere? Did I miss the memo?