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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2008 > September > 26 > Entry
Debate Debate
OK, let’s try something new:
The recent strings about the national election on this blog have been hyper partisan, to say the least. Let’s try to get away from that. It’s boring by now.
This time, in discussing the debate, the rule is this:
You must offer one criticism of each guy, or one compliment of each, or one comment that isn’t clearly in either category. If you disobey the rule, or the spirit of the rule (such as offering trivial praise or backhanded praise), the comment won’t be posted.
It’s an experiment.
Thanks for participating.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: National politics
Comments
By TRS
September 27, 2008 12:49 AM | Link to this
McCain - plus point well made on talking with Iran w/o preconitions as Obama had earlier suggested. minus - cutting spending - but where? We’ve heard that tune before without specifics. Obama plus more specific on economic issues and ability to articulate them. Minus - still unconvincing about whether or not he will wind Iraq down in a way which will not jeopordize the gains made there.By ohdave
September 27, 2008 8:40 AM | Link to this
McCain—plus: He showed up. No, I’m kidding. He was articulate and showed his clear experience: He’s been involved in these issues for a long time. Obama: Did a great job of articulating that McCain’s experience doesn’t necessarily equate to good judgement. He’s been effective at countering the “experience” argument.By Michael
September 27, 2008 9:57 AM | Link to this
McCain — Good: Clearly demonstrated his experience in foreign policy. Bad: Seemed sluggish and disconnected in the early questions about the economy. Obama — Good: Connected with independents and undecideds, especially when talking about restoring America’s credibility with the rest of the world. Bad: Botched the name on the bracelet he wears every day in an attempt to counter McCain.By Joanie
September 29, 2008 8:22 AM | Link to this
I thought the debate was pretty close to a tie. McCain rambled too much and Obama should have been less defensive/more aggressive.By Jeff
September 29, 2008 1:10 PM | Link to this
I want to see a new debate format where fact checkers get the questions in advance so that when one candidate says something about their record or the record of the opponent, the fact checkers can flash the words TRUE or FALSE on the TV screen. I think it would force the participants to site specifics instead of making general staements or accusationsBy Rhonda
September 29, 2008 1:41 PM | Link to this
McCain: Showed up, reminded everyone about his POW history over and over again. Refused to look at Obama (fear? lack of respect?), kept cutting down Barack rather than giving specifics as to how he’d do things. Obama: very articulate and knowledgable, actually tried to debate his opponent, has clear plan for most things. Couldn’t remember the name of the soldier on his bracelet, but that’s not a big deal in my book with everything else a candidate has to be aware of. Wouldn’t explain how he’ll pick and choose which promises he’ll be able to keep, but could anyone know that 4 months in advance?