The Final 2008 Election Presidential Debate

As I was sitting on the bus today, allowing myself a brief respite from my textbooks and listening to Democracy Now, I realized that this was the last Presidential debate that my friends and I can play a drinking game to until 2012. I don't even know where I'm going to be in 2012. I could be out of the country....well, I could be out of the country a lot sooner than that depending on what happens on November 4. Just kidding...mostly.

Actually, there's a side note that I want to address. I'm tired of hearing conservatives criticize liberals for being "anti-American" for looking critically at our society and our government. People who take the time to think about what's going on, and who are paying attention to our country (and the world) are patriotic. Yes, I sit here behind the security of my computer and I say some things about conservatives (and sometimes liberals -- if I haven't yet, don't worry, I will) that are less than flattering, but the people I find to be truly anti-American are those who refuse to educate themselves about how our democracy works and then don't exercise their right to vote out of ignorance. When people complain about how neither major party represents them and that they are therefore not going to vote, they seem to either be unaware or indifferent to the fact that there are other parties to choose from. On my ballot, I can vote for the Green party, the Independent party, the Peace and Freedom party, and the Libertarian party in addition to the Democratic and Republican parties. I, for one, would love to see more parties with powerful roles in this country. I would love to see more of a Parliamentary system where there is a representational government based on popular vote. Anyway, I completely digressed. What I wanted to say was that just because I question my country doesn't mean that I am not incredibly proud of our diversity and our freedoms, and it doesn't mean that I don't get a little choked up when I hear the national anthem -- see, that elementary school brainwashing is very effective.

Alright. The debate. I think that John McCain improved upon his last performances, at least at the beginning. Although, I think it may be a little late at this point in the game. But we'll see. I'm not going to read through the transcript like I did for the last debate, so this commentary is going to be a bit more general. 

There was a point, maybe about forty-five minutes in, where McCain seemed to get a little heated up over the negative campaigning and the subject of Bill Ayers. I've heard today, that he actually spent more time discussing this and other non-issues like ACORN than his economic policy. Correct me if I'm wrong.

It seems that every day McCain never fails to remind us that his campaign is running on fumes. The fumes of oil from offshore drilling that will take ten years to hit our markets. Or maybe he's running on nuclear waste? He may have made a point with his "zinger" that he is not George Bush (because if there was more than one GWB the earth would have probably already spun out of orbit and into the sun), but it's impossible to deny his voting record and his "don't bother me with the facts, I'm a gutsy from the heart maverick" attitude. If you were watching CNN last night, you probably noticed that most of the debate was broadcast with a split screen. For the first time, I was more captivated by the many facial expressions of John McCain that I was by that undecided Ohio voter opinion tracker. And yes, Obama had a few good ones too.

No matter how sincere McCain trained his voice to be, I think that his facial expressions really gave the game away. I have gotten a lot of amusement from the comparison between him and the neighborhood old scrooge who shuffles outside to get the newspaper and yells at the kids who walk on his lawn. Because really, McCain looked pretty incredulous during a good part of the debate, like he couldn't believe that Obama had the nerve to oppose him. This image, by the way, is really too good to pass up. Did anyone else catch this at the end of the debate? It was one of those moments when I wished that I had a Tivo hooked up, because I really wanted to hit rewind, multiple times.

That other star of last night's debate, Joe the Plumber, what about him? I'm now considering going into the plumbing industry since he must be making over $250,000 a year, because according to the Joe the Plumber story, he would be losing big with Obama's tax plan...and (I swear I've already been over this) with Obama's tax plan, if you're making under $250,000 a year, your taxes are not going up. So yes, my new vocation, plumber's school. Why waste my time with this whole University education thing? 

I'm sure there are a lot of other things to be commented on after last night's debate. But to be quite honest, I'm just about ready for this election to be over. I've cast my ballot, my vote is in, and I encourage all others to do the same, as soon as you can. And unlike McCain tonight at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, I wish both candidates luck. All I'm really asking for, is a fair election. 

I'll be back early next week for an update on national and international affairs. Enjoy the weekend!