Debate #1

I was supposed to meet up with some high school friends and go to our Homecoming football game... but they bailed and I found myself in the back room of Jimmy's watching the debate with about 50 undergrads, a few black men, and the bartenders.

So what did we learn from tonight's debate? Well... John McCain talks about how great he is a little too much. And Obama meanders far too much in his answers, it takes him six sentences to say what he could say in two. In other words, this was an utterly boring debate. A draw. Tonight was best summed up by a friend who said on the phone afterwards, "I guess they both did what they needed to do, McCain didn't look old and Obama looked Presidential."

That sums it up well. Neither candidate hurt himself tonight. But at the same time, they wasted 90 minutes of our time saying nothing of any sort of interest. The only time that I was sort of interested was during the Iraq talk (mainly because it's the only major policy difference between the two men). The bar laughed in a condescending, snarky way at a few of McCain's responses... and after McCain said, "when I was released from prison" one of the black guys in the bar got off his stool and did one a 'what the fuck' sort of things as if he lost a bet, which brought down the back bar... but in truth, the smart souls watching the White Sox game in the front were louder and apparently more into the game than anyone was into the debate.

So what to take away from the debate tonight?
1) McCain used existential in a way that you normally don't hear when he said, "... if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, it's an existential threat to the state of Israel." Not incorrect usage, just a word you don't hear every often unless you're at Jimmy's talking about Camus.

2) Obama used irony correctly when he talk about Iran and Iraq.

But that's all I've got. Policy wise, a disappointing debate. Neither one said anything all that interesting... they were more interested in being "right" about what they said than anything else. Yawn.

For more check out 538... they always do a good job. I'm a fan of the Trib's Swamp blog which always does a good job, they think it was a draw also. And if you think anyone of them said something and you went, he's full of shit, here's always a good place to go.