Can Obama win a debate against McCain?

[nebula]

with the likes of hacks like Charlie Gibson and Stephan-whats his face moderating?


Flagpins and pastors would be the top, most important issues on the agenda.

[Lyric]

1. A moldy Virginia ham could win a debate against McCain,

And I'm sure that most folks would think the ham looked fresher.

[SallyMander]

2. LOL!

:yourock:

[bhikkhu]

38. FDR's embalmed nose could win a debate against McCain

I can just see him getting pissed off at his secret B*sh microphone and cursing out the people in his ear...after great efforts to seem like a kindly old man while not wandering from point to point aimlessly...

[BlooInBloo]

20. mmmm..... Ham....

[ORDem]

39. It would be very difficult to tell which was which. nt

[applegrove]

46. Obama isn't the greatest debator. He had trouble with Clinton. I know McSame will

look worse than the ham but he might just be a good debator which is why he wants 10 debates.

[peace13]

3. With luck the format of these debates will be restructured.

Maybe we could have Kucinich and Huckabee as moderators.

[rhett o rick]

27. You're joking of course. The corpmedia won't let it be a good debate. Expect

more Charlie Gibson and Snafalofagus schtuff.

[peace13]

43. Tongue in cheek about Dennis because I know that is a dream.

I do think that Obama should take a more active roll in determining the format this time or limit the exposure. Dems are not wise to hand over the reins of the pony they are riding on. Peace, Kim

[rhett o rick]

44. I absolutely think Obama should dictate the terms of debates. He doesn't need the exposure.

McBush is desperate and needs something to happen. He needs exposure and can't get it by himself.

If it were me, I'd shun ABC completely and of course nothing for Fake News.

[peace13]

45. Sounds like a good start! n/t

[applegrove]

47. Rachel Maddow said that McCain needs ten debates with Obama so that

he can actually fill a big room. I think there is a little truth in that. Also apparently town halls are McSame's favourite venue for connecting to people. Obama shouldn't got for 10 debates. He had trouble with Hillary during debates. He rarely won them. Obama should stick to filling huge stadiums for speeches rather than many, many debates.

[dana_b]

49. yes he does need the exposure.

I keep hearing this "but noone knows who he is!", "he's an empty suit" crap. I know that the RW says that to try and convince the masses of it, but some of the masses take them at their word. Obama should be in their faces and prove that he is the much smarter candidate, has better judgement and doesn't flip flop like shit-for-brains does.

[rhett o rick]

50. He seems to be known around the world. nm

[Kerrytravelers]

4. Obama could phone it in and still beat McSame.

[cynatnite]

5. Debates will not matter..

They didn't matter in 2004. Kerry wiped the floor with bush at every single debate.

[msallied]

7. The media controls perceptions now.

Debates are a staged formality these days and the words mean little, but I have to say that when people tune in and see the two men standing side by side, it will carry considerable weight. McCain will look horrible standing next to Obama, and I mean that in a totally superficial manner. But that's all that will be needed. They will see a youthful, hardy, intelligent man ready to get to work standing next to a nearly decrepit, unpleasant old far who is entering the twilight years of his life. The TVs could be on mute and the message will be loud and clear as to who is more prepared to lead this country through some pretty difficult times.

[cynatnite]

11. bush was a complete moran over and over...they will not matter...

bush lied, made a fool of himself and was as dumb as we all know him to be. He'd do his stupid laugh and talk about being president was 'hard work'. He was completely unprepared to debate Kerry. Their standing side by side made zero difference.

Bush lost every debate.

It did not matter.

Do not put your trust in debates on this.

[msallied]

19. Like I said, WORDS will mean little and rarely do.

Bush and Kerry were not too starkly different in their appearances, about the same age group, etc. I'm saying appearances will speak volumes, however, between Obama and McCain.

[Drunken Irishman]

13. The media often said Kerry won the debates in '04.

It was the reason he got back into the race, as prior to the debates he was down nearly 10 points in the polls.

[msallied]

21. Kerry's biggest downfall was the Swiftboat fiasco.

And letting that get out of hand. And the media of course latched onto the whole "lesbian" soundbyte in regards to Cheney's daughter. Shit like that. So it helped him, for sure. But I think the debates in this election will do a lot in terms of drawing a distinct line between these two candidates. Obama will make McCain look like a curmudgeonly, poorly-aged chump.

[karynnj]

25. Kerry didn't "let it get out of hand"

it was a media condoned character assassination. It wasn't the ads - but the huge amount of free airtime that they got on "news" shows. Yet the same stations neglected to give much coverage to Kerry's response. It was telling that there was NO OUTRAGE, other than a Kerry/Edwards condemnation of the bandaids mocking the purple heart.

Think about this:
- Kerry at 25 repeatedly risked his life and health because he felt a duty to serve that others skirted because of a sense of entitlement - including Bush, Cheney and Clinton and likely a good part of the baby boom generation now prominent in the media.

- His record was spotless - Nixon looked and was out to destroy him. (I would assume he was likely vetted before the Senate appearance as well)

- In addition to the RW, the media allowed an attack asking NO proof of being in contradiction to the official record. Bush's record had holes - Kerry's didn't.

[anonymous171]

37. Nixon tried to take out Kerry?

I never knew that. I have a newfound respect for the man.

[cynatnite]

40. Yep, Kerry was a major target at the time...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4534274/

[karynnj]

41. Yes after he testified

The Nixon tapes that never were intended to be public included many oval office conversation before and after Kerry's testimony - which Nixon was impressed, but angry about. There are comments from people like Haldeman, Nixon's chief of staff, saying that Kerry was the only anti-war person he feared - as most of the anti-war people were angry and ugly and scared America hurting the cause. Kerry, polite, eloquent and a war hero was a different story.

After he testified, he was followed by the FBI for about a year - though they found that he was calling on very angry people to channel their efforts through the system. Read his entire testimony which is remarkable - In addition to summarizing in an intense paragraph the winter soldier hearings that he had observed, he used his time to:
- Call the war into question - with his famous question
- Call the government's lack of adequate mental and physical care of the veterans in to question
- Demand that the foreign policy turn

Kerry was politically connected before he testified. He had help run Father Drinan's Congressional run. He knew Nixon had an enemies list and he was smart enough to know that doing what he did could end any hopes of a political career. Nixon's people created a fake vietnam veteran's group for John O'Neil(SBVT) to use to counter Kerry in the 1970s - and Kerry destroyed him when they debated on Dick Cavitt's show. Kerry did not have to do this - with his connections and medals, the easiest way to get a head would have been to go to law school immediately after he returned and to then run after living in a community long enough to know people.

When Kerry did run in 1972 (and lost) in Lowell, the Nixon dirty tricksters attacked him probably worse than the SBVT in 2004. He was called anything from a communist to a drug addict. It created a negative atmosphere that was so bad that he had rocks thrown through house windows and tires slashed for the next year or so.

In 2004, a Kerry friend George Butler made the film "Going up River" which did a wonderful job telling the story of that time both in Vietnam and in the anti-war movement. If your video store happens to have it, it is well worth seeing just to understand that time.

[anonymous171]

17. Ah, but that was before youtube.

[msallied]

18. Bingo!

[karynnj]

22. The election would not have been close had Kerry not excelled to the degree he did

Bush had the media in his pocket to the degree that Republicans had the nastiest convention ever and rather than having the media critisize it as they did the less nasty Bush 1 convention in 1992 (with Buchanan and Marilyn Quayle) they treated bandaids that mocked purple hearts as if they were the 2004 version of funny hats. They gave hours of free time and credibility to the SBVT - discredited before they came out in August. Bush also used terror levels to terrorize an already traumatized population. This was in addition to being a President in time of war with a 50% approval rating (remember that some who disapproved were Buchanan Republicans who had hated Kerry since the Nixon days.)

[msallied]

6. I have a feeling it will go something like this...

[nightrain]

8. He's been showing that he can hold his own during difficult

situations--Reverend situation, etc. I'm not worried, actually, in fact, I look forward to watching McLame wither away when faced with an extremely articulate and composed Obama.

[Neshanic]

9. If the more clownish MSM toadstools are used, no.

[Phillycat]

10. Well, he couldn't win against Hillary. But McCain should be easier.

Luckily for Obama.

[DebbieCDC]

12. In the GE debates I hope Obama provokes McInsane into losing his temper

THAT will be a sight for the TV audience if McBush starts ranting and raving while Obama stands there cool as a cucumber. Oh my, that will be heaven to watch.

[Danger Mouse]

14. Yes. Think Kennedy-Nixon.

[msallied]

23. That's exactly what I'm thinking too.

[karynnj]

15. Sure he can

First there are only three and all candidates schedule practices. In Obama's case, what is clear is that even on new issues he picks up the facts quickly and with time to prepare will have eloquent answers. I also hope that he uses Kerry as a debate coach. He is better than anyone I've seen and he likely knows where McCain would come out on everything - and where McCain's triggers are. (Kerry vs McCain on This Week last September was a rout where Kerry called him on each factual error, quite politely but in a way that Kerry dominated the exchange. Kerry and others went out first on the recent troop surge error by McCain - with Obama then following up with some devastating comments - an excellent use of surrogates.)

[rhett o rick]

16. That wasn't a debate. Obama should refuse to "debate" McCain on corpmedia. nm

[msallied]

24. Damn straight. I want a debate on PBS moderated by Jim Lehrer.

Or some other bland old dude. lol

[rhett o rick]

34. Bring back the league of women voters. nm

[AndyTiedye]

26. Yes, But the Repiglickin' Media Will Report That McLame Won

Anybody who watched the debates between Bush** and Kerry knows that Kerry mopped the floor with Bush**.
That isn't the way the pundits described it, of course.

[bridgit]

28. yes

[Tinksrival]

29. I know this is sexist but.....

McCain is not a girl. :hide:

I could tell that Senetor Obama held back. He was careful with what he said about Hillary. Partly because she is a fellow Dem but I also think he was careful because she was a women.

McCain is not a Dem and he is not a woman. Barack has this guys number from being in the Senate. I think he'll give a tough debate.

[cbc5g]

30. Obama should not go on ABC - Their debates are a sham to democracy

[Imagevision]

31. Gibson & Stephenapolus fall into the; "fool me once" scenario

[Imagevision]

32. Can Obama win a debate against McCain? -> after putting away the Billary's, piece of cake...

[RB TexLa]

33. There shouldn't be any debates. Obama's campaign should tell them that McCain never deserves to be

on a stage with Senator Obama.

[elocs]

35. Since McCain did so well in school, maybe they could have a spelling contest.

I stole that line from Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday in "Tombstone", the last part of the line. Although McCain was probably around for the gunfight at the OK Corral.

[Asider23]

36. Easily

And Charlie Gibson is no hack!

[krawhitham]

42. Unless he jumps across the table and bits his ear off , YES

[TexasObserver]

48. Easily

[Bensthename]

51. McCain graduated at the bottom of his class of 900.. He will be tough..

:rofl: