Second Presidential Debate

McCain and Obama face off for the second time tonight in Nashville in a format that should favor McCain as it a town hall style format. This is McCain's favorite form of campaigning and has had hundreds of these events over the years, Obama prefers to speechify from behind his teleprompter and rarely takes questions. Obama is known for often getting tongue tied in the few events like this he has done, McCain relishes the give and take with his audiences, Obama likes to preach to them.

That said McCain needs to deliver a very strong performance tonight that reassures voters he is ready to lead the country through the tough times we may be facing. Obama will be unable to just give his canned answers and if McCain can get under his skin early he could implode into his stuttering inept self. This should be interesting even with the inevitable planted questioners. I will of course be offering commentary and wrap up thoughts as usual.

Update: Obama opens with a lie about the economy, this is not the worst financial downturn since the great depression, its bad yes but not anywhere near that bad. McCain jabs Obama by thanking him for appearing at a joint town hall with him. He has some interesting ideas on how to stabalize the economy. He makes a good point about this being as much a crisis of confidence as it is a crisis of credit. All Obama has are typical lefty talking points and misleads again about giving taxcuts to 95% of the people a tax break, 30% don't pay taxes at all, he means a welfare system from the IRS, redistribute wealth through forced confiscation.

Update: Just as many predicted the first two questions are in the what is the government going to do for me vein. Obama lies about McCain's record on regulating Fannie and Freddie, McCain fought for reform long before Obama wrote a letter about it. Hit him John, hit him. Obama took more money from them than any other Senator besides Chris Dodd.

Update: Obama does not mention why the deficit went up, 9/11, and Katrina/Rita. McCain hits Obama on earmarks and massive new spending programs, how can that help the deficit. Stressing energy production.

Update: Obama talks about going through programs for waste, what he means is slicing and dicing our military budget.
All the questions are coming from a left wing bias that is obvious.
Obama is all typical left wing talking points that mean little.

Update: Obama repeats the use it or lose it mantra about oil leases, they already revert back after ten years and the companies pay billions for those leases and millions more fighting lawsuits and in exploration.
Obama keeps railing about taxing the rich and the corporations that employ people and create new jobs, stupid in a faltering economy. Good McCain is hitting him on it.

Update: Obama's tax plan is so full of BS it makes a dairy farm smell good, he clearly has no basic understanding of economics or what or who creates jobs. Raising taxes on big businesses reduces tax income because they will just leave and go over seas and does not encourage new ones to come here.
Geez every freaking question is so left biased its pathetic. What are you going to do about global warming? There is no fucking global warming it is a scam people. Obama lies again, McCain votes against federal subsidies for alternative fuels not the creation of them.

Update: Health care, will Obama address the trial lawyers that drive up doctor's malpractice insurance forcing them to raise their rates?

Update: I must say Obama is putting a polished spin on his far left policies. McCain is solid so far but he hasn't hit Obama hard enough when he could.

Update: Obama says we should intervene against horrific regimes but opposed going after Saddam. The guy is a joke.

Update: Obama lies again, AlQaida is not stronger now, they have been greatly weakened and are now largely confined to the border region of the AfPak region, not exactly a developed region with resources to carry out global attacks. We are killing them by the hundreds.

Update: If Obama is a strong supporter of Israel then why did he funnel so much money to organizations that support palestine and attend an anti-semitic church for twenty years.

Wrap upi: Like always partisans on both sides will spin this as a win for their candidate. I am a partisan Republican so I think McCain won. I count about a dozen lies or distortions by Obama, mostly on the economy. He needs to paint a dismal picture and present himself as the savior, but he gets so much wrong. He is a tax and spend liberal and that was obvious tonight, he calls it investments but it just new spending that won't deliver a positive return. McCain will cut or reduce spending and I am surprised he did not name names on who caused the financial breakdown we have seen or tie Obama directly to it, big mistake, IMO. The evidence is there and very real and truthful.

Update: Tom Brokaw did an awful job as moderator. The questions sucked big time, hell this bitter biased redneck country boy could do a better job. Two questions I would have asked.
Senator Obama, how did your work with ACORN in the 90s directly affect the mortgage crisis today?
Senator McCain, who on the Democrat side of the aisle reached out to you or President Bush in your calls for reform of Fannie and Freddie?