(no subject)

[momsalive1]

Biden did a great job - he couldn't have attacked her any more than he did without being labeled sexist, but he did keep hammering on McCain - I thought the "he's no maveric" litany was especially good.  Would have helped if the moderator hadn't let her get away with the happy talk and blatent lies, or pressed her on all those questions she dodged.  Palin ran through her scripts effectively enough, but there clearly isn't any substance there.  I'm dreading the head lines tomorrow of "Palin wins!" because she didn't blow out.  Is it possible the Couric interviews were a smoke screen?

Comments

[lapenn.livejournal.com]

nice to see someone could finish watching. After awhile, I couldn't stomach it. Didn't help that I live with two republicans :-/ (and one of them even cheered when Palin went off about same-sex marriage despite the "m" word not being in the question nor being mentioned by Biden in his initial response).

I can't wait until Nov 5th. I'm hoping it's good news. Even if it's not, at least it'll be done for another few years :-/

[momsalive1]

"...I couldn't stomach it."
I made it through the debate, but not into the InstaSpin analysis praising a VP candidate for being coherent.

"..I live with two republicans..."

**is very concerned for your mental health**

[lapenn.livejournal.com]

hahahahaha. yeah, me too sometimes. I live with three other gals, and I sort of feel a bit strange all around. They're my fellow interns at work, so we spend perhaps a bit too much time together. Two of them are 22/23, and the other one is 55 (but really, really religious and conservative).

I feel like I'm much more understanding and respectful than any of them. Somehow, 26 is light years ahead of 22/23 in terms of growing up and understanding that some people are just different and that's okay. They're still very much in that "if you're not with me, you're against me" type of camp. And it seems like the 55 year old just missed the boat on the fact that she lives in a really diverse world. So I try to take deep breaths, be understanding, and move on with life. I find myself spending a good bit of time with my boyfriend (at least, the guy that I'm dating that I see multiple times a week) -- he and I don't always agree on everything, but we're both really respectful in our discussions, and I feel like that makes a huge difference.

[momsalive1]

"respectful in our discussions"
I really don't get people who are so sure they are always right and that they have a complete understanding of a particular issue.

"So I try to take deep breaths, be understanding, and move on with life."
Sounds like that is the best you can do with this situation - hope it changes soon!

What are you doing for an internship?

[lapenn.livejournal.com]

I work here: http://www.rbnc.org/

I'm a naturalist educator intern. I don't know if you knew this, but I chose to leave my PhD program with a coursework MS. Great decision for me (tho I do miss teaching college and may someday go back) in my current life. My job is super duper awesome :-) I pretty much spend a lot of time outdoors teaching people about nature, which is exactly what I love to do.

[gnomentum.livejournal.com]

It was on here in the UK at 2am and Mick watched it - he seemed to be of the same opinion as you, no real surprises there.

My knowledge of US politics has been sketchy until this election, but Mick has been interested in it for a long time and watches the Daily Show and Colbert every night so I've absorbed a lot through there (I know it's comedy, but even so...!). I watched the McCain/Obama debate the other day and thought McCain seemed sincere enough but was little more than a one trick pony. Obama seems to have all the major issues covered and while it's going to be a tall order for him to actually put all his plans in motion given the current climate, he's honest about that fact and I do think he'll give it his best shot.

We have last night's debate on Sky Plus (kinda like Tivo) so I'll be watching it later.

[momsalive1]

"'(I know it's comedy, but even so...!). "
They are, IMHO, way beyond (excellent) comedy and into legitimate commentary - our situation is often so ridiculous and the information so covered in smoke screens that I sometimes don't get a glimpse of the real story until they skewer it.

"he's honest about that fact "
I hope that doesn't sink him!

What did you think about the debate?

[gnomentum.livejournal.com]

What did I think? Well, I thought Biden gave a good account for himself and Palin pretty much evaded every question that didn't have 'Alaska' or 'energy self sufficiency' in the answer. At one point I thought she was giving an oscar speech... giving a 'shout out' to all the third graders her brother teaches? What the HELL was that about? Not politics that's for sure. She brought up points against Obama that had already been more than adequately explained in HIS debate last week (notably the 'no preconditions to talking to foreign powers' part) and at other points she deviated so far from the point of the questions I couldn't follow her ramblings at all.

Personally I think she's way, way out of her depth. I also think her party are doing their best to keep her away from the media and probably feel they have blundered in selecting her - even if McCain/Palin get elected, I can't see her lasting long before she decides (possibly with a few nudges from the party) to spend more time with her family and resign.

The scary thing is, though, that she probably gave enough pretty sounding soundbites to win her some votes from the less thoughtful members of the population. And I'll say one thing for the woman.. she's got balls. She didn't look intimidated at all..

Biden on the other hand, like Obama, seemed to have a good grasp of a broad range of issues, tangible plans for most of them (whether or not they are GOOD plans I can't judge in all cases, but they certainly sounded plausible for the most part) and knocked Palin into a cocked hat on the very issues she's supposed to appeal most strongly on. Womens rights? Yep, Biden's got it covered. Raising a family? Uh-huh. I'm sure there WERE weaknesses in his arguments but they were by no means as easily spotted as the flaws in the Republican rhetoric. I would have liked better justifications from him when Palin called him on changes in the policies he supported on the middle east, for example - but on the whole I found him, like Obama, a far more plausible, straightforward, solid proposition than his opposite number.

Speaking as someone with no prior knowledge of U.S politics and certainly no preconcieved ideas about what it is to be a Democrat or a Republican, I'm firmly in the Democrat camp on this election. They seem to have policies rather than rhetoric, and on both debates the Democratic candidates appeared to have informed themselves on the issues FAR more thoroughly than the republicans.. maybe part of this is down to the fact that they've already been fighting on the issues during the primaries where McCain (from my viewpoint waaaay over on this side of the Atlantic) seemed to have a fairly easy ride getting named as the Republican candidate. The practice can't have hurt, certainly.

Anyway, that's my two penn'orth from someone with absolutely no say in the final outcome!

[gnomentum.livejournal.com]

And, yeah, I loved the 'he's no maverick' bit too.. frankly if I'd been there at that point I would have had to find something heavy and beat her round the head while shouting 'STOP.... SAYING... MAVERICK...'

[gnomentum.livejournal.com]

Oh, and sorry for the multiple comments but in reference to Colbert / Stewart.. frankly I wouldn't have the interest OR the information to have even watched the debates without them. Which would be a shame as, like it or not, the outcome of the election is probably going to affect us here in the UK almost as much as you guys.