ABOUT THAT DEBATE-TOWN HALL STYLE......

[FrenchieCat]

[lady raven]

1. I keep hearing that that style is McCain's strength, BUT

I just don't get it.

Granted, I've not seen him in a town hall style debate, but he's so disconnected and ill tempered that I just can't imagine him doing well at all in that format.

Funny, wasn't the first debate supposed to be McCain's strong subject? We can see how THAT went.

Our guy's going to kick his ass.

[ColbertWatcher]

3. Saying McCain's strength is his style is instructions.

When the GOP-controlled media says, "John McCain's strength is his style." That is a message to the GOP faithful to say, "John McCain's strength is his style."

It works, just watch.

[RockaFowler]

15. Just like John McCain is a Maverick

Just because someone says it, doesn't make it true

[ColbertWatcher]

21. You are correct, however ...

... if more people say it, the more likely even more people will say it, making it closer to being true than before.

[FrenchieCat]

4. He's got pat answers memorized for various questions.....

which makes it easy for him. McCain doesn't have to think too hard.

Plus I'm sure that his BFF Tom BrokeJaw, has given him a heads up on the questions.
I wouldn't doubt it at all. McCain is looking for a gamechanger, naturally; Brokejaw will try to provide it. He would make him famous; the guy who changed the direction of election 2008. He'd love it.

But, Obama is used to coming in with the bar raised highest for him.
I'm sure he'll deal with it just fine. He has yet to disappoint me.
Even that fucked up debate on ABC with Charlie Gibson and Steph during the primaries.
Obama still outperformed anyone that would have been put in his same situation.

[H2O Man]

5. The "town hall"

setting is where McCain does best. However, tonight's debate is not really a "town hall" debate.

The "town hall" debate is a relatively small, informal setting. The debate tonight will be viewed by a huge audience, far larger than that which viewed their first debate. And while it will include questions from the audience there, and allows both candidates the opportunity to walk around on the stage, it will not provide McCain with the relative comfort of an informal setting.

[endthewar]

12. McCain's camp has again lost on the expectations game

He really isn't that great in a REAL town hall setting. Most of his town halls consist of fervent Republicans asking partisan, slow ball questions.

[Eurobabe]

2. I hear McCadaver is wearing

double Depends for the event.

Frenchie, I LOVE that picture, it cracks me up everytime someone posts it. Thanks for the morning laugh. :hi:

[Imagevision]

6. Today's town hall debate, Obama & McCain to take random questions which

is a disadvantage to McCain, Johnnie has no choice but to attempt to slander/negatively attack Obama which will simply increase Barack's numbers, "betcha"...

[lamp_shade]

9. Right, and no comfort for McCain without his rabid devotees

asking soft and often silly questions. He'll be forced to answer tough questions (hopefully).. the kind of questions he has been avoiding for weeks, and that Obama encourages and answers so carefully and intelligently.

[Schulzz]

7. At least 6 million questions submitted.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/asked-millions-reply/

So there are no excuses for bullshit questions, but I bet Brokaw will find some.

[endthewar]

13. If the audience doesn't ask about Ayers, Brokaw will

but he probably made sure one of the audience members will ask about it. These internet submissions are a bunch of BS. With 6 million submitted, pretty much everything was asked, so it's really just what Brokaw wants to ask.

[truthisfreedom]

8. This is going to be fun! Obama is going to be so cool and McUptight is going to suck so bad...

I can't wait!

[Waiting For Everyman]

10. McC has been alone with soft audiences, not combined as this will be.

I think Obama has "got this" too.

[riqster]

19. Yup. McSame has been preaching to the Choir

...let's hope for a more diverse 'congregation' tonight.

[Kahuna]

11. Obama is going to dominate McQueeg. All the media hype about

well McNuts does in "this format" is nonsense. I remember seeing him doing townhalls where people had their arms folded with scowls on their faces. McNuts will try to feel our pain, but Obama will be more convincing in that regard having been middle class himself until a few years ago.

[Princess Turandot]

14. From what I've read, the main reason for McCain's supposed comfort..

with town hall style events is that he feeds off of a partisan audience's response to the handful of chestnuts that he throws out constantly. After the first debate, some reporters pointed out how comments like 'I'm a maverick' interjected all over the place, fall flat if the audience is asked in advance to remain quiet. The only point of those comments is to elicit a cheer; the fact that he was a POW is not a response to a question about today's problems. So, it's not so much that he's very comfortable answering questions.

I am assuming that the 'hold the applause' rule will apply to this debate as well.

[radfringe]

16. Pressure is on mccain to perform

town hall style is supposedly his strong suit, plus it's in nashville tennessee where mccain is leading in the polls - the advantage in this debate goes to mccain, as does the pressure to perform.

I know the "questions" are supposedly coming from independents - however there are independents who lean red or lean blue

in the first debate - the focus was on Obama, since the "theme" was around foreign policy. He held his own and did well, mccain...welll...not so much, but didn't screw it up either.

with this style, the questions could be about anything - I suspect questions will be grouped by "theme" and cover everything from domestic, social, economic, and foreign issues. I'm hoping any foreign policy questions will be first to get them out of them out of sight-out of mind.

what are the expectations? will mccain come out with bazookas blazing, if so, where will it hit - will Obama be blown out of the water or will mccain shoot himself in the foot?

I'm expecting lots of fluff and no stuff from mccain, no real substance to his answers - just lots of attack attack attack.

Obama, will most likely, play it cool to further emphasize the difference between calm and rational versus mccain being an erratic maverick (or as I like to call it a Mavratic approach)

[lamp_shade]

17. This was McCain's idea. He wanted this format and Obama agreed.

Smart move on Obama's part.

[janet118]

18. Wasn't it in a town meeting forum where . . .

McCain said we'd be in Iraq hundred or a thousand years?

Wasn't it in a town meeting forum where a veteran confronted him about his pathetic rating on voting for legislation supported by veterans' organizations?

Wasn't it in a town meeting where McCain laughed when someone called Hillary a "bitch"?

I'm not sure that a town meeting forum will be that advantageous to McCain.

I do like the fact that the conventional wisdom is that McCain is in his element. Any screw up on his part will be magnified. Also, McCain's usual stand-up comedy/sloganeering routine will wear pretty thin in these serious times.

[RoadRage]

20. Keep pushing the "This is McCain's format" Mem..

It helps us lower expectations.. so when he BaROCK's it tonight, it will be even more fantastic!