10/16/2008
Obama and McCain Face Off in Final Presidential Debate
Barack Obama and John McCain faced off in the final presidential debate at Hofstra University. Obama and McCain answered questions on the economy, health care, and energy, as well as negative campaigning and personal attacks. I may have more clips up later, but here is the immediate polling from CNN and CBS, which shows gains for Obama.
Of 23 undecideds in FOX's focus group, four people switched their vote following the debate. All four moved toward Obama. Said Frank Luntz: "This is a good night for Barack Obama."
CNN snap poll (above, left):
Obama Favorables: 63 before, 66 after
Obama Unfavorables: 35 before, 33 after
McCain Favorables: 51 before, 49 after
McCain Unfavorables: 45 before, 49 after
FOX Focus Group (see clip, right):
CBS snap poll:
"53% of the uncommitted voters surveyed identified Democratic nominee Barack Obama as the winner of tonight's debate. 22% said Republican rival John McCain won. 24% saw the debate as a draw.
More uncommitted voters trusted Obama than McCain to make the right decisions about health care. Before the debate, 61% of uncommitted voters said that they trust Obama on that; after, 69% said that. For McCain, 27% trusted him to manage health care before the debate; 30% said so afterwards.
63% think Obama will raise their taxes, while 48% think McCain will.
Before the debate, 54% thought Obama shared their values. That percentage rose to 63% after the debate. For McCain, 53% thought he shared their values before the debate, and 56% thought so afterwards.
CONTINUED COVERAGE
DailyKos: the abbreviated pundit round-up.
Salon: McCain loses again. "His worst move was ridiculing Obama's support for abortion rights measures that protect 'the health of the mother.' He sneered out the words, "health of the mother," and actually framed them in air quotes. His standing with women was already plummeting; watch it drop more from here."
McCain frowns, rolls eyes, and blinks more than 3,000 times.
CNN's David Gergen - ...like watching an exercise in anger management: "It then hit the personal animosity of the advertising and then I thought McCain swerved off track...He got overemotional about it. He looked angry. And it was almost an exercise in anger management up there for him to contain himself. And Obama maintained his cool, and I thought that changed the tone of the debate and Obama won the last half hour. I thought Obama really did well on education, abortion and health care."
MCCAIN'S DEER IN HEADLIGHTS MOMENT: "Zero?"
THE EYE ROLL: At Colombian leaders being targeted for assassination.
EVEN FOX NEWS DISPUTES IT: Obama battles back against tax increase accusations.
AYERS AND ACORN: Obama explains the attacks.
Watch the FULL DEBATE, AFTER THE JUMP...
Posted 12:05 AM EST by Andy Towle in Barack Obama, Election 2008, John McCain, News | Permalink
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The maverick is toast.
Posted by: JohnInManhattan | Oct 16, 2008 12:23:47 AM
"Get off my lawn!"
McCain and his "finger-quotes" when talking about the health of pregnant women and their right to choose was reprehensible. He deserves to lose, and badly.
Posted by: The Milkman | Oct 16, 2008 12:49:53 AM
*Yawn* I watched "Project Runway" and "Top Design" on Bravo instead. A much better waste of my time.
Posted by: Milan | Oct 16, 2008 12:52:31 AM
Fox Poll and media matters polls also have indies giving it overwhelmingly to Obama
:-)
"Arghhhhhh! Arggghhhhhh! I'm john mcshame and i'm an angry old man arghhhhhhhh! Arghhhhhh!"
Oh,the indie women HATED the air quotes "life of the mother" bit.
Many repub women support abortion when it concerns their life and or their daughter's life so I wonder how many repub women will secretly vote Obama in the privacy of the polling booth
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Oct 16, 2008 1:20:43 AM
sorry, I made a mistake
Not media matters it is called Media curves
so
Fox insta poll , media curves insta poll, MSNBC focus group, and susa also havine indies overwhelmingly giving it to Obama
Also Hillary responding afterwards was great. She rocked!
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Oct 16, 2008 1:34:22 AM
What I'm hoping is that the MSM picks up on the "Joe the Plumber" story and really digs deeper. Bloggers tonight are digging and it turns out that Joe isn't really hoping to scrape enough pennies together to buy the plumbing business he's worked for. It turns out he already owns 3-4 businesses of his own (one of 'em which makes close to $500K/year). And, better yet, he doesn't even appear to be registered to vote. It's looking more and more like he was a McCain campaign plant during Obama's visit to Holland, Ohio (Joe's actually from Cincinnati - 4 hours' drive away), who McCain could cleverly reference during the debate to make Obama look unconcerned about small business owners. But it's already backfiring on them.
Posted by: MrRoboto | Oct 16, 2008 3:40:06 AM
I'm glad they didn't cover gay marriage, since both are against it and you know that the far right in all the amendment states (CA, FL, AZ), would have jumped on it, if Barack Obama stated he doesn't support gay marriage. The ads would have been out within hours.
Posted by: MP | Oct 16, 2008 4:00:59 AM
Obama was solid, consistent. McCain was flailing. I would have wanted a more dynamic Obama though ;)
Posted by: ven | Oct 16, 2008 8:14:43 AM
I loved the line that one of the talking heads had, about McDouce looking like Mr Wilson yelling at the kids as he took their ball from his yard.
While I do agree it was McShame's best performance, that itself is reason for all to vote for Obama. His anger really was showing and it took all he could do not to jump across the desk and choke Obama.
Posted by: patrick nyc | Oct 16, 2008 8:25:18 AM
Didn't Joe the Plumber marry Larry the Cable Guy last week in San Diego?
Posted by: David Ehrenstein | Oct 16, 2008 8:48:50 AM
Ven
I disagree
I prefer the calm, cool, colectedness of obama as he is. Nothing makes him sweat.
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Oct 16, 2008 9:07:39 AM
You know things aren't going well for John McCain when even a FOX Focus Group is tilting for Obama. Poor Sean H. will be spinning overtime. And McCain will continue frothing at the mouth. (If there were a 4th debate, I'd advise Obama to get a rabies shot.)
Credit McCain for grabbing attention with "Joe, the Plumber" but even that may not pan out if, as now seems likely, Joe was a plant (one not even registered to vote) with an economic situation not as advertised or one that would be better served by Obama's tax plan. Oops, the American public may not swallow this Drano.
Posted by: Ernie | Oct 16, 2008 10:20:50 AM
Wow, I used to respect McCain and was open to voting for him. His first big mistake was picking Palin. A lame attempt to grab disappointed women voters. He seems like an angry, vindictive man. I really dislike him now.
Posted by: Mike | Oct 16, 2008 11:51:05 AM
McCain and Palin look, act and talk like amiable robots... both of them are the perfect combination to carry on the legacy of George W. Bush.
the fact that anyone is praising McCain for his performance in the third debate proves that he and Palin have lowered people's expectations down to nothing (don't forget, the VP debates were a tie!)
Posted by: movie fan | Oct 17, 2008 12:04:54 PM