Obama was dreadful in the debate

[Onlooker]

He is still the frontrunner, but if he pulls another performance like that he certainly won't beat McCain. How the hell did he not have prepared answers for questions about Ayers and Wright? Why was his phrasing so awkward on questions about gun control and Israel? Why were so few of his responses crisp? Why was his voice so flat? Was he overconfident? As an Obama supporter, he embarrassed me with that performance. Clinton, for instance, handled the question on her Bosnia sniper screw up far better than Obama handled Ayers. I have to admit that debate reduced my confidence that Obama can beat McCain. I still support him (because the Clinton's have blind ambition), but God, Obama, you delivered a lazy, uninspired, witless debate performance last night.

[shayes51]

1. If he can't handle Charlie and George,

how can he expect to handle the presidency?

[polpilot]

5. Obama is the only hope. Pro-War, Pro-NAFTA Hill w/G. Bush's golf buddy by her side

will be a disaster. Pro-War Hill v. Pro-War McCain goes to the repubs every time.

[bowens43]

11. I guess we'll find out , since Hillary won't have the oppertunity.

[Olney Blue]

2. However, there is general agreement this morning that it was not a debate.

It was a shoddy, poorly-moderated attempt to stir up controversy.

[Benhurst]

15. That's what all the media-run "debates" are. Both parties should

retake responsibility for their debates, get a public interest organization to run them with the help of qualified experts, and let C-span and whatever commercial broadcaster is willing to carry them do so without their clownish "pundits."

Last night was about par for the course -- God knows the questions have been biased and unfair in the earlier ones. Obama was just off his game for some reason. I had expected Hillary to be tired and unprepared. So much for expectations.

[Tellurian]

21. Yes,Move-On the unaffiliated public interest org would have been perfect..

[mkultra]

81. unlick the unoffilliated group that ABC worked with on this one

you know, the one Hillary is an honorary board member of.

[juajen]

94. All first Ladies automatically become board members. It is a museum.

This has already been posted. Perhaps you didn't see it. I believe it is ia non-profit; but, I get it; desperate measures for desperate times.

[amandabeech]

86. The questions asked were very, very predictable.

Obama should have been better prepared.

Stephanopoulos and Gibson didn't do anything that MSNBC and CNN did earlier. What they did different was to focus on Obama. You saw the result.

[Benhurst]

87. I agree. And the debate format will be no different for the general election this time around.

Obama's performance was shockingly poor and does not bode well for the general election if he gets the nomination. And the corporate media will be out to get him.

[bighart]

56. General agreement amoungst who?

As I watched I was asking myself which of the two is going to appeal more to undecided independent voters. It really won't matter who committed Dem's think is the better candidate in the ge, what will matter is who the independent voters think is the better candidate.

[meow mix]

3. what debate? oh you mean that smear job on ABC

sorry.. not a debate.

but either way he won because that is what is reported 9 times out of 10.
see?

"debate was devoid of substance and rife with gotcha politics. In the end, Obama seemed to win simply by not losing."
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/04/17/dem_debate/

get it now?

[Rockholm]

4. He was not very good at all.

"I rebuke him." Oh, wait, "I rebuke what he said." Not him. Yeah, riiiight.

[Windy]

16. Your candidates husband PARDONED the weatherman!

There is a stark difference between serving on a board with two people who are aged and now college professors and who committed their radical acts when Obama was 8 years old and pardoning two convicted domestic terrorists!

Wake the hell up.

[Tellurian]

23. The Clintons have never been affiliated with subversive groups..

You can begin with Wright..and go backwards from there.

[TahitiNut]

44. Yes, "backwards" does seem to describe the orientation of right-wing Hillbots.

:shrug:

[Tellurian]

50. sorry, TahitiNut you lower yourself to unfounded ridicule..

peace!

[hisownpetard]

72. "Unfounded" ridicule, exactly. Without any foundation - sort of like the Bosnia story.

[Mags]

67. by the time this is over with there is not telling who will come out of the

wood work .

[JoFerret]

78. Too bad

imo. But there you have it. certainly doesn't help with electability.

[Rockholm]

34. Clinton had never met these people.

And Obama SERVED on a board with them. You feel free to wake up. My eyes are wide open.

[JoFerret]

40. How come Obama couldn't deal with the issue

?

[PragmatismRules]

62. 'cause he's not 'ready for prime-time & notr eady for the Presidency

[JoFerret]

63. He is ready, better and better prepared than any GOP candidate

but as as "ready" as Clinton.
The dems have two great candidates. The GOP has none.

[Rockholm]

85. Exactly!

[haymakeragain]

95. He did, and it's a non-issue created by the right wing and perpetuated by the clinonistas.

I figured I'd use the right-wing name for you guys since you prefer to wallow with 'em.

[JoFerret]

88. And a good thing too.

.

[democrattotheend]

6. I was disappointed, but would not go that far

He did seem prepared on the Ayers question. He probably wasn't prepared for the Wright question the way they asked it...he's answered a gazillion questions about Wright already, but how could he be prepared to answer about whether Wright is as patriotic as he is (and what kind of a question is that anyway? Is Wright running for president?) I thought he handled most of the "gotcha" questions well, except for the one about why he disinvited Wright to his announcement ceremony.

I was kind of disappointed with his performance in the second half of the debate. His answers were okay but he stuttered a lot...he was obviously a little rattled from the first part. He should have had a better answer prepared on gun control, although she waffled a lot on that too.

[Zachstar]

7. It was not a debate. It was a bunch of crap cobbled together for ABC to get ad money in my view.

[hisownpetard]

73. It was a hit-job by two two-bit hucksters.

[godai]

8. Obama did fine. I guess it depends on your perspective.

We all have our opinions and most people feel that the questions in the first half were awful for both candidates. I don't see this influencing anyone's vote, including you and me and voters in PA. Maybe it will serve to get Obama ready for the GE debates where he'll likely again face the all important flag pin, preacher and bitter questions.

[Mezzo]

14. I thought he did fine as well...but she did better.

[oviedodem]

9. Let me stop you right there. I'm not embarassed, and I tell you something

when the media AND your rival both have decided that they want to assault you for 50 minutes, NO candidate is going to come through that unscathed. Secondly, he got frustrated which spilled over into the policy issue so your right there. But he has said the same things OVER AND OVER AND OVER again so hell yeah he should be pissed that Hillary and her media schills keep bringing them up.

[SeaLyons]

49. He's playing with the big boys now....

you can spin it this way or that....his performance was very poor. I'm sure Obama is embarrassed, and he probably learned a lot last night. Maybe he learned not to take the American people for fools. Maybe he learned a little honesty and humility can go a long way. Maybe he learned spinning doesn't work.

[donheld]

84. When will HIllary learn not to take the american people for fools?

When will Hillary learn any honesty or humility at all?


BTW: Do you like projecting?

[keep_it_real]

10. Maybe he was just tired and needs some rest

[GoesTo11]

12. How would Hillary or McCain do with an equivalent set of gotcha questions?

Obama has grown immensely as a candidate right in front of our eyes. Last night's ABC-bate was like a final hazing test. No candidate this country has EVER had has ever faced an assault like that on national television. No other candidate EVER could have kept their dignity and poise through it like Obama did.

The questions were dreadful, though.

Lazy, uninspired, witless. -

How inspired can you get about "Does Wright love America as much as you"
"Is your appearing to be unpatriotic going to be a problem in the general election."

The fact that he didn't just walk off the stage itself was hard work.

I am amazed at how he has to endure so many illegitimate and vicious character attacks and never show how it bugs him. Always be cool about it. No Shame on You. No tears. Just grace and rising above it. Bet he knows that Jackie Robinson is his role model.

[Tellurian]

27. Hillary faced the Bosnia question perfectly..she had the right answer..

It was all laid out in writing in her autobiography. Her response did two things. It proved her misstatement wasn't an intentional LIE and that the Truth of the event was written long ago. It showed her misstatement was not said to deceive, but overstated in the excitement of the moment.

The debate last night broke the deadlock of deciding who will be the nominee. Obama failed the test. Hillary vindicated herself last night and why she is the clear winner.

[GoesTo11]

29. I stand corrected. She sure had it tough last night. Showed real spine.

[Tellurian]

30. The real scruitiny was on Obama last night..

in case you inadvertantly missed it. The main theme of the abc debate was questioning Obama's patriotism. He didn't pass the test. He chose Wright over our country.

[PVnRT]

32. So, you admit that the point of the debate was an ambush

[Tellurian]

33. How could it be an ambush.. he talked about it for 3 weeks..

Obama has never reconciled how wrong Rev Wright's philosophy is...and never committed to change his own philosophy. Wright HATES America.. or don't you understand that as well?

[PVnRT]

37. That's your opinion, not fact

One can criticize and be angry at something without hating it, but something tells me you're blinded to such subtleties.

Face it, the debate was about promoting this same old "gotcha" bullshit that has polluted American politics and turned off many people from even caring. You're only crowing about it because your candidate wasn't getting the brunt of it.

[Tellurian]

38. One has to understand and remeber the question..

The questions posed to Obama were about his Patriotism. He failed the Test.

Read the transcript!

[SeaLyons]

43. Yes he did,

He just can't erase that 20 year relationship, and country does not come first. He's made that clear.

[SeaLyons]

42. No, she showed Obama how it's done.

[Mezzo]

13. I'd like to disagree with that blind ambition part...or at least ask why they have blind ambition,

and BO doesn't.

[Onlooker]

28. The Clintons seem to operate for themselves

Exploiting the presidency to rake in $109 million was obscene; Hillary Clinton's questionable rhetoric on NAFTA, gun control, and other issues; her awful attacks on Obama (such as implying McCain would be more qualified and making fun of Obama's speeches); running a miserable campaign that was based on the assumption that she's inevitable. Sure, Obama is ambitious. Anyone who runs for President is. But, Obama has remained remarkably consistent throughout the campaign and has shown tremendous integrity. For instance, despite the MSM's efforts to get him to throw Wright under the bus, Obama did not do that. Who has Clinton stood up for during this primary season?

[Red Zelda]

17. I decided last night

if Obama does not get the nomination, I will vote for ANYONE over that woman. McCain included.

[buff2]

18. I can't take another 4 years of bu$h policies

but I'm glad YOU can.:wtf:

[Red Zelda]

24. Maybe Kucinich will save us

[SeaLyons]

45. Then maybe you should find another board to post on.

[AtomicKitten]

19. He knocked that weak shit back with dignity and grace.

[Quixote1818]

57. I think that is most peoples take. nt

[jasmine621]

20. So, ambition is now a bad thing and a reason to not vote for someone.

I guess Obama doesn't have ambition?

[Vinca]

22. It wasn't a "debate." It was a pre-planned, National Enquirer-like hit job.

Did they talk about health care? No. Education? Not really. The environment? Not to speak of. Iraq? Briefly. Reverend Wright? YES! Flag pins? YES - WITH VIDEO! An obscure 60's radical Charlie and George apparently didn't realize had connections to a Clinton pardon? YES. It was obviously biased when Hillary got her token question about Bosnia and spun the sleep excuse and neither of the shills mentioned she had said it at least 3 times during the day.

[rodeodance]

25. SPIN CITY. Obama was not prepared. Why. His arrogance.

[Vinca]

26. I hope you vote Democratic in November. nt

[IsItJustMe]

36. What up Hannity?

[SeaLyons]

46. ...

:kick:

[PragmatismRules]

60. Did Obama win or LOSE?

Which is it? Regardless of the questions, Obama should have been able to handle them (since he's Mr. Perfect). What happened?

[npincus]

31. it wasn't dreadful. He was subdued in the face of trash.

[Darth_Kitten]

47. Take your immature misogyny elsewhere.

n/t

[npincus]

64. misogyny? First off, I'm female. Secondly "trash" refers to the discourse

and not to HRC.

[PragmatismRules]

61. Obama is the one who is Trash

[npincus]

66. Oh, brother. "Trash" refers to the lowbrow questios asked by the so-called journalists

not to any caniddate. Sheeeeesh.

[EFerrari]

68. Can you BELIEVE the projection.

It's comical, really. lol

[npincus]

76. yes, and getting called a "misogynist"- that's rich!

:rofl: I guess I could be a self-hating woman!

[EFerrari]

77. There seem to be a lot of us self hating feminists around here.

lol

[lojasmo]

35. Obama NAILED the debate.

Clinton did well too, but Obama clearly 'won'....whatever that means.

[themaguffin]

39. That was NOT a debate.

[backscatter712]

41. Obama still won, with one hand tied behind his back!

He took the high road, kept his cool, constantly pivoted and redirected the discourse from the molehill politics to real issues like the economy and Iraq, and didn't make any slip-ups. Considering the "debate" was an ambush designed to break him, he did damned well.

Hillary, OTOH, conceded that she did indeed lie in the Bosnia-gate thing, and most of her answers sounded rehearsed. Some of the banter between Hillary and Gibson & Stephenopolis sounded like it came right off a script. She was really weak. The whole game was rigged to make her win, and she still failed. :rofl:

[Darth_Kitten]

48. You must not think much of Obama.

That's the funny thing you just revealed. :rofl:

[EFerrari]

69. Aren't you the one who implied HIllary was trash upthread?

Now *that* was funny.

[Imagevision]

51. Obama has always bounced back, this too shall pass...

[wowimthere]

52. Relax... he would rather fight McCain.... He doesn't want to impugn Clinton even

though she's doing a good job of doing that herself. It was a right wing shake down for clinton. You have to know that.

[Life Long Dem]

53. Obama did an excellent job last night.

[Life Long Dem]

54. self delete

[kentuck]

55. You have to dance with the one that brung you..

as Molly Ivins used to say.

[Life Long Dem]

58. Guess what?

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 2/2/2008

[HullBoss]

59. I thought his answers were okay

if you analyzed them, but Hillary connected far better. That being said, the questions were ridiculous, and I don't blame either candidate for being a bit annoyed by the tabloid quality. Obama is right -- we have serious issues to deal with this year, and it's irresponsible for the media to concentrate on these side matters that have nothing to do with anything substantive.

Blue_in_AK on HullBoss's computer

[Texas Hill Country]

65. agreed 100%. he has always done poorly in debates, but on the hardball one it was total fail.

[high density]

70. Given that he was being kicked in the nuts all night, I thought he did OK

I don't think there was a 'winner' last night. Both did fairly poorly, but that's not necessarily their fault.

[EFerrari]

71. So dreadful he got new endorsements today. n/t

[quiller4]

74. Did you watch the same debate I did?

I watched the debate twice last night and my impressions differed greatly. I thought ABC was the loser. I couldn't believe the questions.

[otohara]

75. Coming Back With The Pardon's

shut her up!

[jlpohio69]

79. He seems to stumble on his words often during the debates...

I find him to come across as flustered and unsure at times during the debates.

[StevieM]

80. OH, good grief. It was just another debate. I wish Hillary had killed him but she didn't

There was nothing special, nothing horrible about it. And Tuesday's election will turn on Casey's endorsement vs. the "bitter" comments.

Steve

[Awsi Dooger]

82. Debates are normally vital in this type of general election

As long as we’re throwing around bottom lines, I’ll offer that one. Debates have proven critical in the electoral scenarios that are similar to ‘08, an open race after one party has held power exactly two terms. They are the coin flip cycles of modern American politics and a direct comparison of the two options has been decisive. It can be argued that debate performance altered the winner in 3 of the 5 post WW II examples – 1960 (Nixon’s sweat), 1976 (Ford’s Poland) and 2000 (Gore’s sighs).

In ’88 Dukakis’ bland response to Bernard Shaw regarding the hypothetical rape/murder of Dukakis’ wife Kitty probably bloated the margin without changing the outcome. That was another two straight term cycle. ’68 was the other, but presidential debates took a sabbatical from ’60 to ’76.

It’s not situationally relevant to assert Kerry dominated every debate in ’04 and it didn’t do him any good. That was always uphill and against the grain, opposing an incumbent with his party in power only one term, now a 9 of 10 juggernaut (Carter ’80) since 1900.

I don’t want DUers to pretend we enjoy considerable margin for error in ’08. Or that Obama can maintain his sub par debate tendency. I’ve hosted debate watching parties since the late ‘90s and Obama’s current form won’t impress the apolitical types who tune in for those things. Not based on my experience. He needs to embrace debates instead of acting as if they are an annoyance between partisan events. More smiles and personable enthusiasm and big picture specifics, via memorable swift sound bites but minus the cliché “above it all” dismissive-of-Washington crap. I can’t count how many times debate watchers in my living room have rejected that theme as meaningless. We have to earn the votes this cycle. This is hardly the equivalent of ’06, a second-term midterm with independents naturally flocking our way. McCain is testy and vulnerable in debate settings but Obama’s typical effort isn’t guaranteed superior.

The formatting is critical, IMO. Unless he trails in the polls, Obama needs to avoid stand up debates, or insist on no more than one. They are the settings with potential huge shift in the electorate. Virtually every example of major debate-related poll change comes from stand up debates, behind a podium or walking to face an audience. They are freer in nature, minus the polite tendencies and status quo of a sit-down debate., for both the participants and moderator(s). As soon as I saw the format last night I knew there was potential for confrontation and a lopsided result. A debate coach I knew in Las Vegas used to maneuver his lineup based on whether it was stand up or seated. Normally the only way someone at that level can blow a seated debate by wide margin is a pathetically passive whiff, like Gore and Lieberman alike in 2000.

I realize Obama’s height plays to advantage in a stand up debate. Or any debate. But the camera close ups and direct contrast of age in a seated debate should be even more striking and beneficial.

Typically the format is stand up behind a podium in the first debate, seated in #2, and walking out to field questions from the audience in #3. Obama needs to prioritize the damn things right now, particularly #1 format. I despise cramming at the last minute and Obama’s campaign has made that a disturbing tendency, specifically the comfort level of relying on huge gains in the final weeks, once he prioritizes a state. A general election is about early edge, late comebacks severely overrated. We need Obama to control the first debate and take a lead into October.

So far Obama's worst debate efforts have been early in the campaign when he's unfamiliar what to expect from the other participant(s), and after a long gap between debates, namely last night. In debate #1 versus McCain those two paths will merge.

[donheld]

83. Most people are dreadful while being gang raped.

[Ronnie]

89. He's probably been winging it all his life.

And now, he's not the smartest person in the room.
Kind of reminds me of the Peter Principle.

[Bucky]

90. Sadly, you're right. He really needs to pep it up.

I'm supporting Obama. But he was off his game.

[RBInMaine]

91. Bullshit ! And the "debate" was a bigger pile of steaming BULLSHIT !

[RBInMaine]

92. He was FINE in the "debate" (really a staged gotcha tabloid fest).

He was intelligent, poised, and positive in the face of a pile of stinking biased trash.

[Cha]

93. You always have a negative pronouncement and wringing

your hands attitude..so I don't take anything you say as viable especially about Obama.

Thank Goodness you're in the minority..oh, and thanks for your concern.