It was Joe the Plumber night. Anne Marie Cox said it so right on Twitter. "Joe the Plumber is so getting laid tonight".
This is the final debate for this election cycle. Moderated by Bob Schieffer from Hofstra University, this was the most exciting of the three Presidential debates, although it didn't take much.
McCain referenced a conversation Obama had with "Joe the Plumber" and how Obama's tax plans would raise Joe's taxes because he falls in the $250K range. He came with a great line..."Why would you want to raise anyone's taxes now?". So true and Obama may yet change his mind on this, but not tonight.
Schieffer asked them how they plan on cutting back on their respective programs given the economy. Obama said his program increases would be directly offset by a corresponding cut somewhere. Interesting that McCain said he could cut billions from the defense budget. That probably won't help his military and government contractor support.
Character assassination was addressed. McCain asserted Obama's connection to William Ayers. Obama made clear of his connection to Ayers. Ayers participated in "despicable" act (referencing the Weathermen without actually saying it). Ayers and Obama served on the same neighborhood reform board. Ayers is not part of his campaign and would not be part of his administration. McCain said we "need more details". Did he just not hear the Senator from Illinois?
A this point, I was declaring it a draw. McCain was throwing punches, but they seemed all over the place. As NBC News stated, "Obama sat on the ball" and decided to take no chances. Given that, McCain could not win.
However, the question of healthcare reform and costs came up. After discussing their respective plans, McCain attacked Obama on the "fine" that would be imposed on businesses if they did not help employees acquire affordable healthcare. He brought up "Joe the Plumber" again and how Joe would have to pay a fine. McCain asked "how much". This is where Obama delivered the knockout. "Zero". McCain looked stunned. Actually shocked. Like he was the heavyweight in the ring who just got a heavy hit from a 100 pound geek. Obama explained that small businesses would not be fined. The "fine" was only for big business.
This set the tone for the rest of the debate. McCain brought up "Joe the Plumber" for almost everything. They discussed abortion rights, running mates, and other issues pretty much only to the extent of what we already know.
So we can thank Joe the Plumber for helping Obama win this debate ever so slightly. This of course is bad for McCain. Except for an "October Surprise" against Obama, it's hard to see Obama losing in November.
Dude -- I'm with Anne -- I had that same thought!
I can't argue who "won" or "lost" (since I'm not the target -- I know who I'm voting for), but in an attempt to take a step back from any biases, here are some top-of-mind thoughts:
1. McCain's line "I'm not George Bush; if you wanted to run against him, you should have run 4 years ago" was AWESOME.
2. McCain did a good job of speaking to the Republican base, but not so much (I think) casual viewers still trying to make up their mind. He mentioned Ayers and ACORN and all that but never explained WHY that would be important. He never said WHAT Ayers did, or WHAT ACORN did (aside from hyperbole about crumbling voting integrity forEVER!!! or something). Average voters who don't follow this stuff need to know WHY McCain is bringing it up. Otherwise, it seems like an attack for the sake of an attack.
3. McCain's flip comments about abortion and provisions allowing them when "the health of the mother" is as stake will likely turn off a LOT of women.
4. Obama had said in the last debate there'd be no fine for small businesses, but this time it resonated MUCH more, as you pointed out.
5. I want to see a montage of just all the goofy faces both of them made. There was one point where I thought McCain's eyes were going to pop out of his head in response to something Obama said!
6. I concur that there were a couple times where McCain went back to talking points which totally contradicted what Obama JUST SAID! Kind of like a conversation partner more concerned with what they'll say NEXT instead of listening to what the other person is saying. It made McCain seem more flailing and disjointed.
7. The winner here was the FORMAT. 10 minutes per topic, with pointed follow-ups from Scheiffer was perfect. Enough time for each to exhaust their stump speeches, and then to have some back and forth. Also good to see some time spent on things not covered previously: Supreme Court justices, etc.
8. McCain did a better job of explaining how he's a maverick (in his own mind), but his "I know how to balance the budget (over and above earmarks) left me begging for "How?"
All in all -- McCain did better than he did previously and I think Obama was a *little* worse than prior debates. He wasn't as smooth and crisp, and seemed tentative at times. But, when you're ahead by points in the 15th round, you're trying not to get knocked down.
It's going to be an interesting few weeks. Though, admittedly, I can't wait until it's over. I'm just about done! ;-)
Thanks BJ for you comment. I agree the format was one of the big winners. I wanted to mention that in my posting, but forgot to. Schieffer's control of the debate almost made Tom Brokaw look bad because he couldn't get the candidates to comply.
I missed the "no fine for small biz" in the prior debates. If undecided Americans were like me, the "ZERO" point was huge. It accomplishes two things. 1. Soften's Obama's Healthcare plan. 2. Made McCain look ill-informed. Neither of them are really Senators at this point...their FT job is to win the presidency and study their opponent. Vague rhetoric will work, but missing a bullet point like that insinuates lack of attention to detail, something we wouldn't want the president or his staff to have as a trait.