presidential debate

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Candidates Tangle on Economy in Debate No. 2

(Newser) - Barack Obama and John McCain were hit with blunt questions tonight about how they would "bail out" Americans hurt by the staggering economy. In the second of three debates, this one a town hall-style face-off, the candidates fielded questions from an audience of 80 undecided voters and moderator Tom...

Facing Actual Voters Can Be Tall Order
 Facing Actual Voters 
 Can Be Tall Order 
OPINION

Facing Actual Voters Can Be Tall Order

Candidates won't be as easily able to duck pointed questions in tonight's debate format

(Newser) - The presidential candidates will be walking into a lion’s den tonight, forced to face those most dangerous of creatures: undecided voters. The town-hall debate could be a “snooze-fest,” writes John Dickerson on Slate, but there’s also a chance “Ponytail Guy”—the town-haller who famously...

Tonight's Tango: Think Dance, Not Debate
 Tonight's Tango: 
 Think Dance, Not Debate 
analysis

Tonight's Tango: Think Dance, Not Debate

Get ready for Barack and Mac to bust some Clintonian moves

(Newser) - Tonight in Nashville, don’t expect either a real “town hall” format or a true debate, advises Jack Shafer in Slate. We won’t see unvetted questions or reasoned exchanges. What we can expect are some interesting moves, with the candidates taking cues from earlier performances by Bill Clinton,...

Candidates Stock Up on Tough Talk
Candidates Stock Up on Tough Talk

Candidates Stock Up on Tough Talk

As promised, rhetoric takes turn for the worse ahead of debate No. 2

(Newser) - The presidential race got uglier today, with both campaigns delivering on promises to crank up the pressure. John McCain worked to slow Barack Obama's momentum and Obama fought to hang on to his lead, Reuters reports. McCain asked a New Mexico audience, "Who is the real Barack Obama?" "...

Palin Advises McCain: 'Take the Gloves Off'
Palin Advises McCain: 'Take the Gloves Off'
OPINION

Palin Advises McCain: 'Take the Gloves Off'

Running mate tells Kristol she found debate 'liberating'

(Newser) - John McCain faces Barack Obama in their second debate tomorrow night, and the Arizona senator's running mate has some advice: "Take the gloves off." In an interview with New York Times columnist William Kristol, Sarah Palin says that she found it "liberating" to be able...

McCain to Redouble Attacks
 McCain to Redouble Attacks

McCain to Redouble Attacks

New ad campaign, to debut after debate, will attempt to shift focus from the economy

(Newser) - John McCain’s struggling campaign, hobbled by the economic crisis, will go back on the attack, the Washington Post reports. Insiders said targets would include Obama’s association with convicted developer Tony Rezko. Ads criticizing the Democratic candidate’s record on taxes have already run.

Soldier's Mom Loved Obama's Bracelet Nod

Wisc. woman asked him to keep mum, but calls criticism 'garbage'

(Newser) - Tracy Jopek says she was “ecstatic” when Barack Obama mentioned her late son in Friday’s debate, even though she’d once asked him not to. But she’s enraged at online critics who accused Obama of exploiting the bracelet she gave him. “I don’t understand how...

Obama Wins Debate Bump
 Obama Wins 
 Debate Bump 

Obama Wins Debate Bump

Poll: Democrat more presidential, honest

(Newser) - Barack Obama slightly increased his lead over John McCain after last week’s debate and bad economic news, according to a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll. The Democratic candidate is up 49% to McCain's 44%, a 1% gain from last week. The results indicated less confidence among Americans that McCain...

Mac Runs Hot, Obama Cool
Mac Runs Hot, Obama Cool
Analysis

Mac Runs Hot, Obama Cool

Voters compare gambler mentality v. calm thinker as they react to crises

(Newser) - Crises like the Georgian conflict and the credit crunch have revealed how differently Barack Obama and John McCain would rule. McCain’s fitting moniker is Mr. Hot, write John Meacham and Evan Thomas in Newsweek. By suspending his campaign, gambling on Sarah Palin, and see-sawing on the economy, McCain shows...

Pundits Rate Near-Tie Debate
 Pundits Rate Near-Tie Debate 
OPINION

Pundits Rate Near-Tie Debate

Obama likely comes out ahead by not losing

(Newser) - One consensus is emerging about last night’s debate: It was close. Here’s how the pundits are calling the squeaker:
  • “Barack Obama was running for prime minister” last night, while McCain was running for president, writes David Ignatius in the Washington Post. But neither was compelling, and neither
...

Polls: Obama Wins Debate Pundits: No Game Changers

McCain on offensive, but both candidates held ground

(Newser) - Pundits saw a close debate last night, with both candidates holding their own, but early polling pointed to a win for Barack Obama. John McCain, often on the offensive, seemed to have the edge, but “there were no real game changers,” Greg Sargent writes on Talking Points Memo....

Wall St., Wars, Iran Spark Prez Debate

(Newser) - Barack Obama kicked off the first presidential debate by blaming the Wall Street crisis on a  "failed" Republican policy of deregulation, the Washington Post reports. John McCain put blame on corporate greed and vowed to punish guilty executives. "Excess is rewarded," he said at the debate in...

Fear of Lefty Obama Gets Bill Behind Mac

Centrist ex-prez has common ground with Republican, and his win sets up Hillary in '12

(Newser) - If Bill Clinton seems to be sabotaging Barack Obama's campaign, it may not only be for Hillary's presumed 2012 run, but because he prefers John McCain, Roger Simon writes in Pajamas Media. Since "showing up" Obama with his convention speech, Clinton has been "lavishing praise" on McCain and...

A Debate Drinking Game
 A Debate Drinking Game 
GLOSSIES

A Debate Drinking Game

Radar helps you spice up a presidential Friday night

(Newser) - With tonight's presidential debate a go, and happily coinciding with TGIF festivities, Neel Shah rolls out Radar’s debate drinking game. Some highlights:
  • Take a sip when: John McCain calls himself a maverick; Barack Obama rolls his eyes as McCain calls himself a maverick; McCain calls viewers his friends; Obama
...

First Debate Stuck in Limbo
First Debate
Stuck in Limbo

First Debate Stuck in Limbo

'Showdown' could switch to town hall meet if only Obama turns up today

(Newser) - What if they held a presidential debate and only one candidate came? The scenario is looking like a real possibility as the federal bailout deal stalls, the Wall Street Journal reports. John McCain has said he will fly to Mississippi for the debate only if an agreement is reached in...

'Melodramatic' McCain Misfires
 'Melodramatic' McCain Misfires 
OPINION

'Melodramatic' McCain Misfires

Decisions to pull out shows McCain is "uncertain" campaigner: Klein

(Newser) - John McCain’s actions yesterday only add to the already-lengthy list of the candidate’s rash overreactions, Joe Klein writes in Time. But this one was particularly poorly thought out, because "the legislative crisis was already receding when he made his melodramatic—and somewhat wild-eyed—suspension of campaign activities...

Debate Allows Host Ole Miss to Show Progress on Race

Great strides since deadly '60s riots, but students say university remains divided

(Newser) - Assuming the presidential debate happens tomorrow, host University of Mississippi gets to show the nation it’s moved beyond its racially tinged past, the Los Angeles Times reports. The school, known for deadly riots when the first black student enrolled in the 1960s and controversy over Confederate flags at football...

Candidates Will Huddle With Bush on Bailout

Hopefuls headed to DC today to discuss 'flawed' $700B rescue

(Newser) - Both presidential candidates will meet with George W. Bush for talks on the proposed $700 billion bailout of financial firms today, CNN reports. John McCain and Barack Obama released a joint statement on the financial crisis last night, agreeing that the plan was flawed but that "the effort to...

The Debates: Tough, Biting McCain...
The Debates: Tough, Biting McCain...
ANALYSIS

The Debates: Tough, Biting McCain...

GOP nominee takes risks, delights in confrontation

(Newser) - John McCain has triumphed in a fair share of debates with a comfortably combative style, biting rhetoric, and a willingness to distort his opponents' views, writes Katharine Q. Seelye in the New York Times. He does best on matters of foreign policy—the topic of Friday's debate—and often brings...

...Takes On Cool, Lecturing Obama
...Takes On Cool, Lecturing Obama
ANALYSIS

...Takes On Cool, Lecturing Obama

Dem hopeful, a great orator, has struggled one-on-one

(Newser) - Barack Obama is famous for his soaring set-piece speeches, but his facility with oratory hasn't translated into success in debates, writes John M. Broder in the New York Times. At last month's Saddleback Church forum he sounded every bit the law professor, offering complex, humorless analysis to the sound bites...

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