McCain Says Obama Is “Very, Very Good” at Debates

[JonLP24]

Source: CBS News

(CLEVELAND, OHIO) – While the first presidential debate is still three days away, it is very much on the mind of John McCain, who was quite complimentary of his opponent today.

“Have no doubt about the capabilities of Sen. Obama to debate. I mean, he’s very, very good,” McCain said.

“He was able to defeat Sen. Hillary Clinton, who, as we all know, is very accomplished, very accomplished. And he was able to, I think, with his eloquence, inspire a great number of Americans.”

McCain was speaking to a group of about 100 supporters and volunteers in a Cleveland suburb as he tried to raise the expectations of Obama during their first debate. But he also expressed confidence that he would be able to win the debate on the issues.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/09/23/politics/fromtheroad/entry4472128.shtml

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Already lowering the expectations for himself.

[Auggie]

1. Lowering the expectations for himself or raising the bar for Obama

[JonLP24]

2. Ah, didn't look at it that way

Possibly a clever move by McCain? :shrug:

[Auggie]

3. You mean as a way to trivialize

anything Obama says?

[JonLP24]

5. I was referring to him raising the bar

So anything less then a spectacular peformance by Obama will be viewed as a win for McCain? I don't know, I've been up too long.

[judasdisney]

7. Exact duplicate of Rove's strategy/Bush's statements in 2000 and 2004

And it is exactly that: Raising the bar AND lowering the expectations.

When the fuck will Democrats wise the fuck up?

[Judi Lynn]

8. Oh, jeez. That memory is still so raw, isn't it?

Republican knuckledraggers were honed over months of ridicule of every possible detail of Al Gore's, John Kerry's appearances, mannerisms, and a whole cornucopia of slurs, insults, and outright lies all gleefully trumpeted by the "liberal media," which had decided to go anti-intellectual for the absolutely critically important elections, as spiritual brothers and sisters of the most ignorant, uninformed, belligerent backwoods right-wingers ever born.

I've never seen anything that low, that shabby in my lifetime. It was a flood of hatred in multiple forms, gushing out from the reactionary, violent right-wing against everyone else in the world.

[trotsky]

15. Exactly.

Same strategy successfully employed by the Bushies - both against Gore as well as Kerry. The debates were worked up in such a manner that so long as Bush didn't wet himself or drool, he exceeded expectations.

[truthisfreedom]

4. People who say things twice bug me.

It's a personal thing.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Yeah, that's it. Being "good" at debates is just a trick, a stunt, like being double jointed.

You're not supposed to put much stock in it since debating is so easy for Obama.

Hey, maybe you should even be SUSPICIOUS of people who are so good with words. Maybe they're sneaky! For sure they're insincere. Why, because they're used to LYING so much. Hey, that's it!

Sounds like McCain is working overtime trying to find a way to discredit Obama before the first debate. He should have the "snowbilly" tell people if they listen to Obama, they'll be hearing the DEVIL! Stick those fingers in those ears when Obama is speaking, don't let the Devil win!



Ready for the debate. Hey, thanks, John and Sara.

[zazen]

9. it's the 21st equivalent of "bewitchment:" he proves he's a witch by the sophistication of denials

They started this with President Clinton. He was "smooth" and had other witchy characteristics like a hearty sexual appetite. The concept of witch genders the accused as wickedly female, with access to all of the sorcery of people who are intuitive and clever communicators, but there's no reason the target has to always be the female sex. And we don't even have to say witch--the RW's concept of the anti-christ is always that he will use smooth seemingly persuasive language to move the masses. Hence they cut off any rational discussion at the knees.

Convenient, n'est-ce pas?

[deacon]

10. An admission saying, he ain't "ready." He admits it. n/t

[Javaman]

11. So is this some sort of lowering the bar reverse psychology thing???

telling his base that basically he will get his ass kicked as being a good thing?

man, they grasp on to the weirdest straws.

[lakercub]

12. Barack Obama will have to wow the world

and cause John McCain to openly weep during the debate in order to "win." McCain will be victorious if he can tie his own shows and get on stage without falling and breaking his nose.

This is how the debate...sadly...will be judged. Kerry won all 3 debates with Bush, and two of them were slaughters. Gore handled Bush with ease as well. But in both cases, the debates actually helped Bush because the expectation was that he would be humiliated beyond reason. Unfortunately, the format of these debates doesn't usually allow for that sort of thing.

[JerseygirlCT]

13. Could they get much lower? nt

[yurbud]

14. that's why he just ran away

[Fluffdaddy]

16. Playing the Gore/Bush game

Lowering the expectations for himself or raising the bar for Obama

[TommyO]

17. Of course, this is why he wants to skip out of this Friday's debate.

[hasssan1]

18. I second that. Mcsame is a COWARD