Joe the Plumber Takes Center Stage

As I predicted last night, Joe the Plumber has become the new political darling. Here are just a sampling of the articles that have been written about him since last night.

Joe the Plumber is Real Hero Debate, Times Online

Joe the Plumber's Story Could Change the Race, Telegraph

What Joe the Plumber Can't Fix, Washington Post

Who's Joe the Plumber, Cincinnati.com

The Joe the Plumber Debate, Townhall.com

Joe the Plumber Cuts to the Heart of the Presidential Choice, Wall Street Journal

Joe the Plumber Takes Center Stage

http://politics4moms.blogspot.com/2008/10/joe-plumber-takes-center-stage.html

An Unconventional Review of Last Presidential Debate

Doing something a little different tonight. Just for kicks, I'm going to blog my immediate thoughts as I listen to tonight's debate. I'll try to leave out my opinion on policy and make general comments...but I'm not promising. Come back tomorrow for a more refined recap of the debate.

• Walking out, Obama looks very stoic. Upset even?
• I like the exchange between the two at the outset. Respectful.
• I'm watching the debate on CNN because I like the tracker that runs along the bottom of uncomimitted voters. It tracks, via a dial, the immediate feedback pro or con to what they are hearing. It tracks by men and women.
• McCain is a leftie. What's Obama? Isn't there a stat that says a large percentage of American presidents are left-handed?
• I bet Joe the Plumber never dreamed he could own a business and be pandered to during a presidential debate by name. Look for Joe to be all over the news tomorrow.
• McCain: "We need short and long term fixes for the economy."
• Awwww. McCain is blinking out of control. What's that all about?
• Obama's got the uhhhhhs going.
• I'm already noticing a trend with the CNN tracker: When McCain speaks, the men respond very positively. When Obama speaks, the women respond very positively. Will be interesting to see if that trend continues.
• I'm loving this give and take format. It's getting them outside their talking points.
• Obama: "I don't mind paying a little more taxes."
• And we're still spreading the wealth around.
• Shocking! Both economic plans will increase the national deficit. Not reduce it.
• I like how Bob S. interrupted and redirected Obama to answer the question.
• Since when is "living beyond our means" a federal issue when it comes to individuals.
• McCain is getting fired up. It's nice to see him show some emotion.
• Is an "across the board spending freeze" even possible when we're talking govt?
• Obama: The deficit has doubled in last 8 years. Can't pursue the same type of policies.
• McCain: "I'm not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush you should've run 4 years ago."
• Let me answer that question! I think it's impossible to say that the budget could be balanced in 4, 14, or 24 years. Not going to happen in our life time.
• The men are dialing high for McCain right now.
• You take the high road and I'll take the low road and...what's the next line of that song?
• This is what your mama always told you. Don't say anything behind someone's back that you wouldn't say to their face.
• Repudiate.
• The women are dialing low for McCain. I guess women don't like all the negative ads.
• I'm watching a split screen. Wonder if their reactions to each other through body language will have any effect on voters. Al Gore would probably say yes.
• Shout out to the Arizona Cardinals!
• Can't we just all get along.
• Holla to Joe the Plumber again.
• Yes, this American citizen has certainly become cynical about politics. Amen.
• McCain: Ayers is a washed up terrorist.
• Obama: "Only involvement I had with ACORN was I represented them along with the Justice Department to help them get a IL motor voter law."
• How do you spell "cockamammy"?
• Sorry...missed most of the energy question. Took a phone call.
• This is what makes me crazy. Obama says the average health plan costs $12,000 and McCain says the average plan costs $5,000. Who's right? Probably they both are but they aren't comparing apples to apples.
• Finally. Questions on abortion and supreme court judges.
• McCain: "Education is the civil rights issue of the 21st century."
• Yep, men are still tracking upward for McCain and women upward for Obama.
• Obama: We agree on two points...charter schools and removing bad teachers. We disagree on giving vouchers as way to cure educational system.
• McCain citing voucher program in effect in Washington. About 1000 offered, 9000 people applied to get them.
• McCain: "We need to reform these programs (Headstart), not just throw money at schools."
• He had me at the word "voucher."
• Shout out to Joe the Plumber. We haven't heard about Joe's education needs.
• I think Bob Schieffer did a great job. Loved the variety of questions.
• Schieffer: "Go vote now. It'll make you feel big and strong."
• McCain's best debate by far.
• Obama had a weak start by got better as the debate went along.

If you made it all the way to the end, I salute you. Now go read some real analysis from your favorite site.

An Unconventional Review of Last Presidential Debate

http://politics4moms.blogspot.com/2008/10/unconventional-review-of-last.html

Final Presidential Debate Tonight

The final debate of this campaign season will be held tonight at Hofstra University. This 90-minute showdown with moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS will focus on domestic issues. It will include two-minute answers and then five minutes of discussion.

Analysts expect it will provide more revelations than the previous matches. The format allows more time for follow-ups, particularly compared with the "town hall" debate last week.

Let's hope so.

Final Presidential Debate Tonight

http://politics4moms.blogspot.com/2008/10/final-presidential-debate-tonight.html

Tennessee Debate Winner?

I had a prior commitment tonight and only got to watch about 30 minutes of the debate. Thirty minutes was more than enough.

If I can be honest for a minute, I have to say I'm sick of the same old answers to the same old questions. I'm sick of the rhetoric that goes on forever and says nothing. I'm sick of promises that we know can't be kept.

So riddle me this:

1. Were there any moments of brilliance that I missed?

2. If you could ask a question in a debate, what would you ask?

3. Have these debates changed your opinion about a candidate?

Tennessee Debate Winner?

http://politics4moms.blogspot.com/2008/10/tennessee-debate-winner.html

Second Debate

The second presidential debate will take place Tuesday evening between Sens. Obama and McCain. at 9:00PM eastern time. This debate will be a town hall format held at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. The town meeting will include all topics and will be moderated by Tom Brokaw.

Second Debate

http://politics4moms.blogspot.com/2008/10/second-debate.html

Debate Numbers Are In

70 million people watched the vice presidential debate last week. It was the most watched vice presidential debate ever.

In comparison, the first debate between Sens. McCain and Obama drew 40 million people.

Debate Numbers Are In

http://politics4moms.blogspot.com/2008/10/debate-numbers-are-in.html

Fact Checking the Debate

I think what I've become most frustrated with in American politics is that you just can't take most politicians at their word. More often than not their words are half-truths, flat out lies, stretches of the truth or twisting the truth to fit their agenda.

That is especially true during debates when both sides are throwing out numbers and facts and dates and voting records and attributions. The average American doesn't have time to go line by line and seek out the truth. So where does that leave us?

Unfortunately, it leaves us skeptical and cynical and before long we don't care if our candidate was telling the truth because we don't even know what the truth is anymore. We just want them to say what we want to hear.

Thankfully, there are some sites you can go to that have all the resources to follow-up on the promises and assertions of our candidates. For a very comprehensive look at just about every fact given last night, The Washington Post's Fact Checker is a good place to start. If you continue to scroll down, you'll also see their fact checking from the first presidential debate.

Another reliable site is FactChecker.com, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. You'll find the check of the debate as well as many other checks on each candidate's proposed policies.

Don't just assume what you heard is fact. Do your homework and become informed.

Fact Checking the Debate

http://politics4moms.blogspot.com/2008/10/fact-checking-debate.html

Clear Winner of Vice Presidential Debate?

The debate just ended and the spin has started. Billed as sort of a David versus Goliath match up, it was the folksy, straight-talking hockey mom versus the seasoned, smooth talking and charismatic senator.

Who won?

As expected, both sides are claiming victory. The people will weigh in over the next several days via numerous polls and we'll start to see if the electoral map budges any.

But the bigger question was not who won but did Gov. Palin do enough to shore up the Republican base and bring a new wave of enthusiasm. After a few weeks of major interview gaffes, she not only had to prove that she was not an embarrassment to the McCain ticket but someone who'd actually be an asset.

Did she accomplish that? The consensus among the pundits is that she gave a strong showing and redeemed herself on the issues.

Biden needed to demonstrate a solid command of the issues and do it without sounding condescending or making a gaffe. There was no doubt he was well-spoken and pounded home Obama's agenda.

VP debates don't historically have any bearance on the elections. Do you think this one will be a game changer?

Clear Winner of Vice Presidential Debate?

http://politics4moms.blogspot.com/2008/10/clear-winner-of-vice-presidential.html

"I Have a Bracelet Too"

That was my favorite line from the debate last Friday night.

I don't want to belabor the point (100 points if you can name the journalist who said that), but I did want to touch briefly on the first presidential debate that was held last Friday in Mississippi.

Honestly, I don't think we learned anything we didn't already know about these two candidates. Obama appeared a little stronger when talking about the economy at the beginning and then McCain kicked it into overdrive as the conversation shifted toward foreign policy and the war in Iraq. All of which was completely expected.

Ironically, what struck me most were two things unrelated to the issues. It was quite noticable that McCain did not want to have any eye contact with Obama and went to great lengths to keep that from happening. I also found it a little strange that Obama only referred to McCain as John. Although I'm sure they are quite familiar with each other from the senate, it still seemed an informal and almost disrespectful way of addressing him at the debate.

Depending on what side of the aisle you're from, most people thought their candidate won.

"I Have a Bracelet Too"

http://politics4moms.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-have-bracelet-too.html