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Pre-Debate Thread: What Will McCain Try Now?

By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:20:34 PM EST
Tags: Barack Obama, John McCain, debates, 2008 (all tags)
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The final debate between Sen. Barack Obama and John McCain begins in less than two hours.

What will McCain do? Will he stay on issues or make a last minute sleaze attack on Obama?

How will Obama respond? How should he respond?

We'll all be here to live-blog the debate -- Big Tent Democrat, TChris, the TL Kid and me -- hope you will join us.

In the meantime, here's a place for your last minute debate thoughts.

< RNC Stops Spending in WI | Obama Campaign's Reaction to Final Debate >

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    Pre-Debate Thread: What Will McCain Try Now? | 27 comments (27 topical)

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    Let's keep a count on how many times (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by nycstray on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:38:20 PM EST
    they channel their inner Hillary since we're dealing with domestic issues  ;)

    Me, I'll be on Project Runway and hauling up the 63lbs of pet meat downstairs, along with canning some beans, pineapple, bok choy and anything else that needs it {grin}

    Since Hillary will be there, they will be (none / 0) (#6)
    by Teresa on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:43:18 PM EST
    fighting to be the first one to talk about how great she is.

    Parent
    Heh, didn't know that (none / 0) (#11)
    by nycstray on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:05:01 PM EST
    could be fun ;)

    Parent
    Yep. I figured she would sit with Michelle, (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by Teresa on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:07:28 PM EST
    but she (MO) is being accompanied by Mrs. Chuck Hagel (gag). I hate this sucking up to conservatives stuff. Maybe they'll all three be together.

    Parent
    HC and MO should arrive together (none / 0) (#14)
    by nycstray on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:14:19 PM EST
    but then again, that might look too Democratic . . .

    Parent
    Doesn't sound like it. (none / 0) (#16)
    by Teresa on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:20:04 PM EST
    I think she's arriving with Mrs. Hagel.

    "Elections have consequences, and this election may be the most important of my lifetime. We have a chance to throw out the disastrous policies of the last eight years and elect a leader who is smart, honest, steady and wise.

    Sounds like it isn't just the war to Mrs. Hagel. Who would have thought...Hagels on one side, Lieberman on the other. Just the opposite of what it used to be.

    Parent

    But, imo, HRC should be in the mix (5.00 / 3) (#21)
    by nycstray on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:45:55 PM EST
    aside from the fact she's bustin' her bum for him, I don't care what a R wife thinks, Democrats should be first with the Dem candidate. Having Mrs Hagel as a seat partner over Hillary doesn't sit well with me. But then, Hillary voters have never meant much to him/her. {sigh}

    Parent
    I hear ya. Maybe they didn't know that (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by Teresa on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:48:48 PM EST
    Hillary was going when they invited Mrs. Hagel. I'm probably giving them too much credit. I think it will look strange if they show the two of them and they are not sitting together.

    Parent
    CNN lines...I hope they do D's, R's, & I's (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by Teresa on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:52:05 PM EST
    tonight instead of women vs men. The other is more informative to me.

    McCain's only hope involves. . . (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by LarryInNYC on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:54:30 PM EST
    a rosary the size of Long Island and answering every question with "Hail Mary, full of grace. . ."

    "Are the Clintons on board now?" (5.00 / 1) (#26)
    by Teresa on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:57:49 PM EST
    Has Campbell Brown decided to be the female version of a mini-Olbermann? What has got into her?

    It's like someone flipped a switch on her (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by nycstray on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 08:01:27 PM EST
    I think it was Palin?

    She comes off as a fool, imo.

    Parent

    Will McCain talk about "that one's" (none / 0) (#1)
    by ThatOneVoter on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:25:50 PM EST
    association with Ayers? Will he even look at Obama when he makes his accusations?

    Serious question (none / 0) (#2)
    by samtaylor2 on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:25:57 PM EST
    Debate vs. Project runway final?  I think we need to here from the candidates on this important question

    Project Runway! (none / 0) (#13)
    by Merle on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:10:53 PM EST
    I'll watch PR while I follow the debate via the tubes.
    I predict ACORN and the killing of No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq will come up.
    Will Obama do a good job with the ACORN slur?  This issue really gives me a scary feeling, because it really is the signature Republican tactic.

    Parent
    McCain will apologize for the campaign he's run. (none / 0) (#3)
    by steviez314 on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:30:29 PM EST
    He'll look straight into the camera and say he let himself be talked into such a negative campaign and he'll apologize to Obama.

    He's going to vow to run a clean campaign going forward, as a happy warrior, win or lose, issues only.

    Maybe that will swing some voters back to him, but it will certainly get the tire-swingers back on his side so they at least have some kind of race to talk about for 20 days.

    Forgiveness is a very American trait, and might be worth 2-3 points for him.  After that, who knows?

    Will the commentator ask a question abouty Ayers (none / 0) (#4)
    by Saul on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:31:24 PM EST


    Yes. (none / 0) (#7)
    by wasabi on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:46:45 PM EST
    It's Scheiffer after all.  But he will ask it in the most respectful way, rather reluctantly <snark> I am sure.

    Parent
    I sure hope so (none / 0) (#18)
    by Repack Rider on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:36:05 PM EST
    Obama is waiting on that pitch to hit it into the really cheap seats.

    He almost DARED McCain to bring his Ayers pitch with him, and insecure midgets like McCain always respond to this sort of transparent provocation.

    Parent

    Will Schieffer ask about (none / 0) (#17)
    by BackFromOhio on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:25:21 PM EST
    torture "revelations" and what candidates would do as next President???

    Parent
    He'll get nasty allright. He's promised to. (none / 0) (#8)
    by WillBFair on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:53:30 PM EST
    And it's all the gop knows how to do.
    I don't know what Obama's strategy should be. But I'd like him to respond to the attacks with talk about McCain's corrupt friends, and especially Palin's love fest with the seccessionists. The word treason spoken loud and clear a few hundred times wouldn't upset me one bit.

    If McCain brings up Ayers, (none / 0) (#9)
    by steviez314 on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 06:58:09 PM EST
    Obama should respond:

    "Let's talk about your association with a man who's done more damage to this country than William Ayers ever did or could, someone you've been pallin' around with--George Bush."

    Format advantage McCain? (none / 0) (#10)
    by ruffian on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:03:37 PM EST
    Surely the Sunday chat show style format, sitting at a table with Bob Shieffer,  is his natural habitat.  What might throw him is there being a Democrat there.

    Vietnam era (none / 0) (#15)
    by lentinel on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:18:56 PM EST
    Personally, I find it hard to be totally unsympathetic to people who were drawn to groups like the Weathermen and the SDS.

    The Vietnam war was raging on. Street demonstrations were having no effect. Politicians were not listening. Tens of thousands of American kids were being slaughtered - and thousands more were hiding from the draft or fleeing to Canada.
    Muhammad Ali put his career and well-being on the line by refusing to serve.

    The origins of the war were as transparently corrupt as those of Iraq war of today. It was based on lies and an agenda.

    Hundreds of thousands of people participated in peace marches.
    People like Kerry were tossing their medals away in protest.
    If the press bothered to cover these events at all, they did it by showing a photo of a guy with a beard - someone who would fit the description of a commie - the equivalent of a terrorist sympathizer today.

    So - ultimately - some extreme groups began to form. There were calls for a violent peace movement. Blow up the tracks that take the troops from the boot-camps to the planes that would send them off to war. And so forth.

    From what I read, Ayre's activities, which included planting bombs in public buildings, did not wind up hurting anybody.

    But, my point is that the Vietnam war was one of the most evil crimes perpetrated on humanity in my opinion. The death and devastation it caused in Vietnam was horrendous. What American soldiers were made and trained to do was sickening. The model for abu ghraib.

    The war raged on for eight years. 50,000 American soldiers killed for a lie.

    Someone had to do something.
    Ayres felt he had to do something.

    If Obama felt something about Ayres in that light at one time, I hope he doesn't completely disown him if questioned about his association with him.

    But I know that is extremely unlikely.

    What about (none / 0) (#19)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:37:29 PM EST
    crime and immigration? Will they ignore both?

    It might come up: (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by steviez314 on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:48:39 PM EST
    McCain:  Senator Obama, do you think what William Ayers did is a CRIME?

    McCain:  Senator Obama, when you came here from Kenya, did you go through IMMIGRATION?

    Otherwise, probably not.

    Parent

    Crime, yes (none / 0) (#20)
    by nycstray on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:41:22 PM EST
    immigration, toss up.

    Parent
    Pre-Debate Thread: What Will McCain Try Now? | 27 comments (27 topical)

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