Let’s face it, by now 85% of everybody has made up their minds. They either support one candidate/team or the other, and they will fight tooth and nail to tear down the opposition and/or defend their candidate of choice.

And she’s right. I know you watched the interviews of those who watched the debates, and if you turned to Fox for one second, you would have seen the two Obama-supporting women say: “I think Obama was very articulate and didn’t stutter once” and “McCain looked a little ‘bumbly’”. This made me say, “I’m sorry, did we just watch the same debate?” There are millions of videos of the debate and of Obama’s behavior throughout the night that counters what those supporters say; you know it as well as anyone else here.

And those who vote in those polls are just like these two women; they’re just going to glorify their candidate of choice, whether it’s McCain or Obama. Unless all those polls are voted on by scholars, economists, and political scientists, those polls are irrelevant. There are people who support Obama just because he’s a Democrat, not because of any policy reasons. I should know. My entire family (save for my own parents, thank God) thinks that way.

I did borrow the Newsies talking points and posted them on MidnightBlue, Curt.

If this was such a slam dunk for Obama, why the text messages imploring his legions of fans to watch the debate on CNN, quickly followed by a second text message allowing the fans to watch it on whatever network they prefer?

Wrong.

So I’m there pulling dogs out of the pool as they finish fetching the toys tossed in for them and some sow of a gal with a Obama shirt makes a comment to me akin to how the dogs flailing away at the pool edge trying to get out were like McCain and Palin somehow.
I was flummoxed.
So I turn to her and asked with my brightest smile, “Did you watch last nights debate?”
“Oh yes” she replied.
I then enjoined her, “I have to say I really agreed with Obama! John McCain is right!”
She stood there nodding in agreement for a second or two before her face went ashen Apparently thinking, “OMG, it’s one of THEM!”

Was Senator Obama properly instructed on the correct decorum of a presidential debate?

Maybe it was just me or the fact that my fifteen year old daughter noticed it and was upset but I am troubled that I have not seen any commentary on that.

Does anyone feel the way that I do? Is he really ready for diplomatic endeavors if he can’t really master diplomatic protocols during a presidental debate?

…
Analysts and voters were split over who technically won the tense debate Friday night at the University of Mississippi. Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain committed a major gaffe, and both delivered strong enough performances that each campaign confidently could declare victory.
…

I think that’s accurate.

I haven’t seen anywhere FOX posting their ‘text messaging survey’, not in print, nor on the net. They appear to backed away from it having any legitimacy.

What struck me was the groping for words and phrases by Obama.
It was like this was new ground to be tilled, but he could reuse old phrases if he could think of them fast enough.

To his credit, Obama wasn’t completely clueless, but on debating points, McCain blew Obama away. On details, McCain also had the lead.

Did you see “Quigley Down Under”?

“I said I didn’t much _care_ to use a .45….I didn’t say I _couldn’t_!”

McCain said he doesn’t feel he’s very strong in economics. Maybe that’s because he knows enough to know there’s a lot he _doesn’t_ know. Obama may not have reached that level of wisdom. When has Obama ever stated that there’s something he doesn’t know about _anything_?

Given the economic crisis…how much do _you_ feel you know about economics??? Do you even understand the terms they toss around so blithely???

The admiral kicked his butt.

Who do you want answer that 3AM call ?? It sure isn’t Obama, he would place it on call forward.

I suspect we are all doing this stuff, both sides, just to make ourselves feel better because we all – both sides – feel we will vomit if the other side wins. And we will vomit. I know I will. But I also know we won’t affect that 15% with all this avalanche of internet diarrhea.

Our side is furiously digging in Obama’s past – as his team is digging into Palin’s past – to find that bombshell or smoking gun that will be so horrible that even that 15% will take notice. It is difficult for me to think they will find anything horrible in Sarah’s past. Just some cheesy stuff that everybody’s life holds. You know… stuff we are not very proud of, but certainly not “horrible” enough to sway voters away. Obama, on the other hand, already has a ton of seriously bad stuff in his past. But the media just won’t touch it because they want him in and that’s that for them. This is tantamount to the system being rigged… and it is. Again.

We can only hope that more of that 15% will opt for McCain and his team than the other guy’s team. It will, I am sure, come down to 1% of that 15%! If that 15% doesn’t think bringing the “Chicago gang” to DC is a bad idea by now, if they don’t think Obama’s ranking as the second highest recipient of collapsing Fannie Mae’s dirty money is bad enough, or that his adult-life-long association with anti-American figures is bad enough, none of this other stuff will do it. I don’t know what it will take to convince them. Murder?

Don’t worry about the Medias. Nobody cares about their opinion anymore. We all know they are biased. The important thing is how the public will judge her. And the public likes her, because she is genuine and it’s shows. She is the breath of fresh air that all Americans have been waiting for.

Here’s more polls:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/09/27/Early_polls_call_Obama_winner_of_debate/UPI-45301222489321/

Here McCain comes out on top:
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/149767.asp?from=blog_last3

End the end, I think Charles Krauthammer was correct when he said that

…a tie helped Obama.

But first, Krauthammer deftly contrasted their styles. “McCain is a guy who hits, he hammers, he jabs,” he said. “Obama is smooth, he’s very elegant, he was very nimble.”

Obama was never flustered or at a loss, Krauthammer added.

“I think he comes out of this neutral, and thus ahead,” Krauthammer said. “We’re now going to have the debates on the economy, which will are going to be his strong area, and McCain will be on the defensive.”

Krauthammer said the debate was a draw that helped remove a potential Obama liability on foreign policy. “I’d be surprised if McCain gets a jump in the polls as a result of this,” Krauthammer said.