Game Thread: Barack Obama vs. John McCain, Sep. 26, 8 PM, Mississippi

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The University of Mississippi community is pleased to host the first presidential debate of 2008 on September 26. Foreign policy and national security issues will be the focus of the 8:00 p.m. debate, and several related events showcase the university’s institutes and centers that are working to find solutions to this country’s challenges.

Check this site for more information, resources, and ways to get involved in this historic event that will be viewed around the world.

This is Ole Miss, and the debate starts here.

http://www.olemiss.edu/debate/

Friday, September 26, 2008, 8 p.m. CDT at the University of Mississippi's Gertrude C. Ford Center in Oxford, Mississippi,[4] moderated by Jim Lehrer, executive editor and anchor of The NewsHour on PBS. This debate will focus on foreign policy and national security.

The first of the 90-minute CPD presidential debates will be divided into nine 9-minute issue segments, allowing the candidates to discuss selected topics, answer follow-ups from a moderator and directly address each other.

 

So 7pm on the East Coast?

I'm going to watch it, I get off work at 7pm so I should be able to catch most of it.

 

Where and when are the other debates? Have they been scheduled yet? I may actually dust off my TV and find the remote for this one.

 

9 PM on the East Coast.

 

I was way off. haha

Thanks BG7

 

One thing to watch for is how the candidates answer questions they aren't prepared for. In recent debates, most candidates have clearly been over-prepped, and use every question as a means to get their talking points in, whether it answers the question or not. One of the things that totally annoys me.

Obama has been accused recently of being overly reliant on his teleprompter and avoiding substance in his speeches. McCain has managed to avoid speaking at all on most of the issues, running on a campaign of outrage on the way he's been portrayed, his POW status, and that he's just "better than the other guy." He also has that long-lasting reputation of someone who loses his cool when under stress.

It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

I'd thought it would be interesting if they switched the debate up from a focus on foreign policy to domestic policy and economic issues.

It's kind of sickening that these two guys are going to be up there during this whole crisis talking about Iran, Russia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Heck it could have helped both candidates. If Obama did well he could get an even bigger boost in the polls, and if McCain won he could make up ground and close the election talking about foreign policy.

 

It's about to start right now.

Watch it fellas.

 

McCain seems a little more nervous out of the gate than Obama, but neither could be described as calm, cool, and collected.

 

It'll get better as the debate goes on.

 

McCain sounds a lot more comfortable talking about spending.

Obama can't touch him on that subject.

 

"932 million in earmark pork-barrel spending--1 million for every day in the Senate"

Obama on the defensive.

 

Going to watch for a few minutes since it is half time of the UConn-L'Ville game

 

Some nice jabs back and forth but haven't seen anyone outscore the other yet

 

Anyone else think Jim Lehrer is getting pissed because no one will actually answer his questions?

 

I don't know if he is getting pissed, but you are right that Mccain and Obama don't give him anything close to a straight answer lol.

 

He did want the two candidates to go back and forth.

He got his wish.

 

Did some math: $685,294.12 in earmarks requested by Barack Obama for every single day he's been in the Senate.

 

Is that every day he has been a Senator or every day he has actually worked in Congress (i.e. not campaigning for Pres)?