Senators Barack Obama and John McCain had their final face-off last night at Hofstra University.
The conversations revolved around domestic issues like (surprise!) the economy, energy and health care, but be sure there was wiggle room for political attacks.
Trying to swing things in his favor, McCain made good on his promise and pressed Obama’s connection to former “domestic terrorist” William Ayers, with whom Obama served on an education board. Obviously prepared for the attack, Obama brushed aside the Republican’s charges by pointing out that a number of Republicans and respected professors sat on the same board. McCain looked flustered, as he did throughout most of the debate. We couldn’t even count all the eye-rolls dispensed by the statesman. Perhaps it was McCain’s scoffing that resulted in three instant network polls, CBS, CNN and Fox News, all declaring Obama the winner.
Compared to his last performances, however, McCain did a relatively good job and made a valiant attempt to pull heart strings when he insisted charges of racism have heart his feelings. The remark came after moderator Bob Schieffer asked the men if they were capable of admitting both sides have dipped into negativity. McCain, whose ads have almost all been of the attack variety, first tried to pin the blame on Obama, saying things would have been different had the Senator agreed to town hall debates early on in the general election. When that didn’t stick, McCain then tried to pit Obama against the increasingly vitriolic Republican crowds, some of whom have been known to call Obama a “terrorist” and have called for his head. By highlighting these elements, said McCain, Obama and his team have painted an unfair picture of the grand old party’s constituents, many of whom are veterans.
Let me just say categorically I’m proud of the people that come to our rallies. Whenever you get a large rally of 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 people, you’re going to have some fringe peoples. You know that. And I’ve — and we’ve always said that that’s not appropriate.
….
I’m not going to stand for people saying that the people that come to my rallies are anything but the most dedicated, patriotic men and women that are in this nation and they’re great citizens.And I’m not going to stand for somebody saying that because someone yelled something at a rally — there’s a lot of things that have been yelled at your rallies, Senator Obama, that I’m not happy about either.
Obama kept a level-head throughout the debate, while McCain appeared to be seized by emotion. While one reporter described the Democrat as “placid,” Republican strategist David Gergen commented that McCain’s performance was “an exercise in anger management.”
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McCain’s most memorable moment came when Obama compared the candidate to his pal President George W. Bush, a charge that’s been thrust many, many times during this election. McCain was not amused and barked, “I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.” This from the man who claims “inexperienced” Obama should be in this election?
[Image: Damon Winter, NY Times]
Dubwise
Cue the troll comments about how John McCain’s desperate flailing versus Obama’s calm demeaner is some how good for John McCain.
CHURCHILL-Y
Obama thinks a woman’s right to choose shouldn’t be up to state referendums or popular vote.
Obama on Marriage Equality: “I still think that these are decisions that need to be made at a state and local level.”
“You know, I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman”
To quote Sara Whitman:
“How is this change? Leadership? Hope?
Or do only straight people get to hope?
…
As historical as having an African-American man run for the highest office in this nation is, it is not the only history being made. The fact that the second state in this country- and a fairly big state- has laid claim to the belief that separate is not equal is just as historically significant.”
Of course to Senator Obama GLBT’s are another thing and our rights should be put to popular vote, according to him.
Lovely.
McCain ★ Palin ’08
Homeboy
Anyone who would vote for this jigaboo is a fucking moron!
marco hussein channing
I am honestly stunned that in 2008, there are people in this country who think it’s okay to view and speak of blacks in 19th Century terms.
Where do you people live? Is this a regional thing? I really want to know.
Do you feel the same way about other races?
How can you expect any rights as a LGBT person and feel that people of color are less than you?
Dubwise
Marco, don’t be surprised by any of the above trollish remarks.
kdogg
Watching John McCain at the debate I just kept waiting for him to say “GIVE ME MY PRECIOUS” because I can only see Gollum from Lord of the Rings when I look at him
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/mccain-angryu.jpg
Can ya see it?
ChristopherM
McCain did okay for the first 20 minutes, then he started repeating himself in sentence fragments that are catch phrases from his campaign and generally acting like an angry old coot. I swear I think he has had a stroke at some point. By the end, whenever he talked, I just kept thinking, “What are we going to do about grandpa?”
24play
Why is it always like a fucking Klan rally in the Queerty comment threads? This doesn’t happen on other (more professional) gay blogs, where commenters who make bigoted remarks find themselves banned.
Is Queerty so desperate for page views that any kind of bigotry must be tolerated in the comments?
fredo777
This debate didn’t change much for me. I didn’t think John McCain was president material going into it + I still don’t afterward.
Of course, my “unfavorable” rating of McCain went through the roof following this debate + his generally snarky, snotty demeanor.
Tara
I am completely convinced that all the racism is one commenter.
@24play: In all truth I think it is better to let the little minds have their screams, when one tries to censor anyone we all lose.
Dubwise
TARA I am completely convinced that all the racism is one commenter.
YES….if you can’t find someone to agree with you in a thread simply log on as someone else and agree with yourself!
@24play: In all truth I think it is better to let the little minds have their screams, when one tries to censor anyone we all lose.
THIS
ChristopherM
Tara, censorship comes from the government, not individuals. This is a privately-owned blog that is free not to give a forum to virulent racists, and that’s exactly what they ought to do.
Homeboy
You whacks are fucking pathetic! Boo-hoo…..
Cracker
marco hussein channing
I am honestly stunned that in 2008, there are people in this country who think it’s okay to view and speak of blacks in 19th Century terms.
What can I tell ya, you should get out more.
Where do you people live? Is this a regional thing? I really want to know.
If you must know I live in the Northeast.
Do you feel the same way about other races?
No, just jungle bunnies.
How can you expect any rights as a LGBT person and feel that people of color are less than you?
I don’t.
mark
Biden missed the Obvious counter to Joe the plumber….Jane the plumber doesn’t make the same wages for the same job, due to McLoser voting against pay equity for women.
The plumber story will fade tomorrow, but the HUGE gaffe of air quotes around a woman’s “HEALTH” will be a thorn in McLoser’s side til the election. It also plays well with the RADICAL anti choice position Palin supports, which denies abortions for RAPE and INCEST.
Then we bring up making women PAY to collect evidence after they were raped.
With that HILLARY could smack both Palin/McCain into OBLIVION without breaking a nail.
Mr C
Homeboy and Churchill-Y are queens who are former residents of Phoenix House. But only thing. They still need help.
Once again fag who spew shit online and in person punks out.
What else would you expect from idiots?
And Cracker you have the right name only one thing your Momma is fucking a jungle bunny and you’re just mad he isn’t fucking you!
HA HA HA
JJJJ
Anybody watching that Alfred E. Smith Memorial dinner, the white ties, bejeweled women, everybody there- Obama, McCain, Bush, Gore…etc., can see they’re all on the same side. A rich bunch deserving to be led to the guillotine for such a luxurious display during these tough economic times.
michael
I have about had it. I have absolutely no problem with intelligent debate, but the comments that are constantly being placed on Queerty are making this site into nothing more than a forum where
sub humans can say inappropriate, outdated, racist hate speech.
I do not understand why, when people start using derogatory hate language they cannot be deleted and banned if possible. This is not freedom of speech. I am going to stop surfing this site for a while. I do have some control of the world I immediately live in and
I am not going to spend anymore time giving audience to a gay version of a neo-nazi forum.
mark
For you repigs feelin so BLUE that your entire RNC is going off a cliff in 18 days.
Watch the You Tube video with the soundtrack I MAY BE CRAZY playing behind McLOSERS bizarro facial contortions, it brightened my day, maybe it’ll brighten your day too.
ROFLMQAO!
Puddy Katz
The racist comments should be removed and the owner of this site should ban the person or person making them. They add nothing to the conversation.
Charles J. Mueller
I have been a Premium Member of Gay.com ($80. bucks a year) for quite some time now and found myself having to tolerate the same anti-gay, fag-bashing, hateful, bigoted, racist, character assassination and defamatory, personal attacks on that site that I see here on Queerty, in exchange for my hard-earned money.
On two occasions, I complained to Gay.com in writing about one particularly rabid poster who was pissing off a lot of other people besides me (he was the one making the defamatory comments on my character) and they wrote back saying that “Since no one, besides you, has complained, there is nothing that we can do about it. We must have a number of complaints from other posters besides yourself, before we ban a poster.”
Hello? The offensive poster I complained about, was not even a paying member, but he had more rights than those of us who were paying annual Premium Members? And to say that they cannot do anything about what is happening on a site they themselves created and control? Who’s running the site…aliens from Mars?
Needless to say, I will be canceling my membership when it comes up for renewal this December. I suspect that a good many other Premies will be doing the very same thing as well, despite Gay.com’s desperate attempt at ‘face-lifting’, which is also a complete disaster.
Now, I come onto Queerty as a visitor, and see the same thing going on here. What it is with these gay sites anyway? As a gay man, I have visited numerous straight sites that have rules and regulations for posters. Among them are…
No flaming.
No name-calling
No racist remarks
No defamatory comments
No spamming
And no cursing and swearing, to name but a few.
Many of these sites and chat rooms are moderated as well and any infraction of the above posted rules get you instantly booted and permanently banned.
I cannot help but wonder at times why gay sites and chat rooms cannot hold themselves up to the same degree of professionalism that most hetero sites and chat rooms appear to?
dubwise
@Charles – how nice of YOU to come here and make it a gay vs str8 issue.
These trolls like CHURCHILL-Y and Homeboy seem to think they are some sort of free-lancing agent provocateurs. Calling them out or ignoring them are our best options.
Changing the rules and the open operation of websites is exactly what they are trying to get to happen. I for one don’t think banning them or changing the rules would do anything but accomplish their goals.
mark
After Nov 4th these annoying straights (gay poseurs) will have their entire world view in ASHES, and won’t need to come annoy the queers here.
bye, buh bye Man-Sar, Churchlady