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NEWS ABOUT: presidential debate

Debate Puts Spotlight on 'Joe the Plumber'

McCain mentions make Ohio man America's most famous plumber

(Newser) - Joe Wurzelbacher found it "pretty surreal" to become the focus of last night's presidential debate, the Ohio plumber tells the AP. "Joe the Plumber" was mentioned more than 20 times in the debate—more than Iraq or the economy—as John McCain and Barack Obama sparred... More »

McCain to Obama: 'I'm Not President Bush'

(Newser) - John McCain and Barack Obama met tonight in the final presidential debate, their testiest meeting so far on a range of issues from the economy to negative campaigning, NBC reports. McCain pushed back against Obama's attempts to link him to the Bush administration. “Senator Obama, I’m not President... More »

Debates Help Obama Raise Our Comfort Level

Dem, like Reagan, used forums as a public vetting of an unfamiliar candidate

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s success in recent debates has less to do with out-talking his opponent than in letting US voters become familiar with him, the New York Times reports; Obama’s contest was as much to prove himself to an electorate uneasy with his novel candidacy. Polls show more confidence... More »

Obama Sways Ohio Swing Votes, Door by Door

Impromptu canvassing before debate prep wins over neighbors

(Newser) - Barack Obama made an unannounced tour through an Ohio neighborhood yesterday, knocking on doors and talking to voters in the crucial swing state, reports the Toledo Blade. Surprised residents took the opportunity to talk policy and snap photos with the candidate, and several undecided voters said they were won over... More »

Mac's 'Aimless' Debating Skills Need Boost: Coaches

Senator struggled to prove his point in last match-up

(Newser) - John McCain needs to sharpen his rhetorical skills before the final presidential face-off on Wednesday, debating coaches tell Politico. Whatever advice renowned trainer Brett O’Donnell is giving McCain, they say, has not helped him avoid pitfalls like looking "aimless" and saying "my friends." Voters polled... More »

Oh, Was There a Debate Last Night?

Forum brought McCain one non-event closer to November defeat

(Newser) - Last night’s debate was uneventful, writes Roger Simon in Politico, and uneventful is a bad thing for John McCain. Neither candidate delivered "a knockout punch,” which leaves McCain the loser because “he needed one.” Republican stewardship of the tanking economy has painted McCain into a... More »

What We Saw: Hot vs. Cool Old vs. Young

How they acted

(Newser) - What viewers see is as important as what they hear in debates. So what did pundits see?  
  • "The expressions on John McCain's face, and the irritation in his voice, said it all," writes the San Francisco Chronicle. McCain “was a portrait of frustration,” while Obama
... More »

Candidates Tangle on Economy in Debate No. 2

(Newser) - Barack Obama and John McCain were hit with blunt questions tonight about how they would "bail out" Americans hurt by the staggering economy. In the second of three debates, this one a town hall-style face-off, the candidates fielded questions from an audience of 80 undecided voters and moderator Tom... More »

Facing Actual Voters Can Be Tall Order

Candidates won't be as easily able to duck pointed questions in tonight's debate format

(Newser) - The presidential candidates will be walking into a lion’s den tonight, forced to face those most dangerous of creatures: undecided voters. The town-hall debate could be a “snooze-fest,” writes John Dickerson on Slate, but there’s also a chance “Ponytail Guy”—the town-haller who famously... More »

Tonight's Tango: Think Dance, Not Debate

Get ready for Barack and Mac to bust some Clintonian moves

(Newser) - Tonight in Nashville, don’t expect either a real “town hall” format or a true debate, advises Jack Shafer in Slate. We won’t see unvetted questions or reasoned exchanges. What we can expect are some interesting moves, with the candidates taking cues from earlier performances by Bill Clinton,... More »

Candidates Stock Up on Tough Talk

As promised, rhetoric takes turn for the worse ahead of debate No. 2

(Newser) - The presidential race got uglier today, with both campaigns delivering on promises to crank up the pressure. John McCain worked to slow Barack Obama's momentum and Obama fought to hang on to his lead, Reuters reports. McCain asked a New Mexico audience, "Who is the real Barack Obama?" "... More »

Palin Advises McCain: 'Take the Gloves Off'

Running mate tells Kristol she found debate 'liberating'

(Newser) - John McCain faces Barack Obama in their second debate tomorrow night, and the Arizona senator's running mate has some advice: "Take the gloves off." In an interview with New York Times columnist William Kristol, Sarah Palin says that she found it "liberating" to be able... More »

McCain to Redouble Attacks

New ad campaign, to debut after debate, will attempt to shift focus from the economy

(Newser) - John McCain’s struggling campaign, hobbled by the economic crisis, will go back on the attack, the Washington Post reports. Insiders said targets would include Obama’s association with convicted developer Tony Rezko. Ads criticizing the Democratic candidate’s record on taxes have already run. More »

Soldier's Mom Loved Obama's Bracelet Nod

Wisc. woman asked him to keep mum, but calls criticism 'garbage'

(Newser) - Tracy Jopek says she was “ecstatic” when Barack Obama mentioned her late son in Friday’s debate, even though she’d once asked him not to. But she’s enraged at online critics who accused Obama of exploiting the bracelet she gave him. “I don’t understand how... More »

Obama Wins Debate Bump

Poll: Democrat more presidential, honest

(Newser) - Barack Obama slightly increased his lead over John McCain after last week’s debate and bad economic news, according to a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll. The Democratic candidate is up 49% to McCain's 44%, a 1% gain from last week. The results indicated less confidence among Americans that McCain... More »

Mac Runs Hot, Obama Cool

Voters compare gambler mentality v. calm thinker as they react to crises

(Newser) - Crises like the Georgian conflict and the credit crunch have revealed how differently Barack Obama and John McCain would rule. McCain’s fitting moniker is Mr. Hot, write John Meacham and Evan Thomas in Newsweek. By suspending his campaign, gambling on Sarah Palin, and see-sawing on the economy, McCain shows... More »

Pundits Rate Near-Tie Debate

Obama likely comes out ahead by not losing

(Newser) - One consensus is emerging about last night’s debate: It was close. Here’s how the pundits are calling the squeaker:
  • “Barack Obama was running for prime minister” last night, while McCain was running for president, writes David Ignatius in the Washington Post. But neither was compelling, and neither
... More »

Polls: Obama Wins Debate Pundits: No Game Changers

McCain on offensive, but both candidates held ground

(Newser) - Pundits saw a close debate last night, with both candidates holding their own, but early polling pointed to a win for Barack Obama. John McCain, often on the offensive, seemed to have the edge, but “there were no real game changers,” Greg Sargent writes on Talking Points Memo.... More »

Wall St., Wars, Iran Spark Prez Debate

(Newser) - Barack Obama kicked off the first presidential debate by blaming the Wall Street crisis on a  "failed" Republican policy of deregulation, the Washington Post reports. John McCain put blame on corporate greed and vowed to punish guilty executives. "Excess is rewarded," he said at the debate in... More »

Fear of Lefty Obama Gets Bill Behind Mac

Centrist ex-prez has common ground with Republican, and his win sets up Hillary in '12

(Newser) - If Bill Clinton seems to be sabotaging Barack Obama's campaign, it may not only be for Hillary's presumed 2012 run, but because he prefers John McCain, Roger Simon writes in Pajamas Media. Since "showing up" Obama with his convention speech, Clinton has been "lavishing praise" on McCain and... More »

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