I was inspired by Kelly to try my hand at Live Blogging, and frankly I am having a pretty crappy night, so this might be a good way to take my mind off that.

So here we go, I will be watching on c-span, as it is the most “unbiased” news source I can find.

8:59: C-span is actually just showing dead silence with some people hooking up cables…

9: hmm seems that the entire internet wants to watch with me…hellloooo buffering.

9:01 C-span craps out, switching to NPR…

9:02: first question, “HELP! The economy is in the shitter!”

O: “worst financial crisis since the great depression, lots of worry, final verdict on failed economic policies of last 8 years, Bush and McCain to blame”

Ohh snap! Coming out strong, a multipart amazing answer.

Mc: “fix energy, lower taxes, cut spending…” Not a bad answer, but at least he stood up and is moving around. Not bad for an old guy. “not Bush’s proposal” Clearly he wants to distance himself from Bush.

Tom: “Who would you appoint to the Fed”

Mc: stumbles for a bit…”Warren buffet, Meg Whitman (from Ebay)” Ohh there you go Meg can sell that plane from Alaska, and save us all from the crashing economy.

O: “I too love me some Warren Buffet” I like that he makes a point of saying you can’t just bail out the top, have to help the middle class. Hits McCain again on his out of touch-ness with economy.

9:10: Switching To Hulu.com so I can see these guys.

Tom: Scolds men for long windedness.

9:11: “What is in the bailout to help out normal people?”

Mc: “not a bailout a rescue!” What the hell, of course it is a bailout. “I suspended my Campaign and did some shit”…blah blah we all know you didn’t do anything.

9:12: Mc: Now blaming Freddy and Fanny for giving loans to poor people. Putting Obama in the same boat with Freddy and Fanny. “Franny and Freddy the match that lit this forest fire”

O: “here is what is in the package for you” Talks about loan availability, and how payroll works. Comes out swinging again “have to correct McCains history, not surprisingly” “McCain brags about being a de-regulator” “McCain jumped on bill year after it introduced, and it never got passed”

Snizzle!

9:15: Tom: “will economy gets worse before it gets better?”

O: Will have to regulate, take actions with other countries, keep families in homes, solve energy, and change Washington.

Mc: Pretty much the same answer. “America is NUMBER ONE, McCain 08!”

9:18: “how can we trust you if you fuckers ruined it all in the first place”

O: you should be weary, but lets look back, and see that really it is a lot to do with how badly bush fucked up. PS. McCain is a lot like Bush. Obama says all the right things here, energy policy, less borrowing from overseas, less spending while still spending on important topics.

(as a side note it seems to me that McCain gets too close to people.)

Mc: “system in Washington is broken” PS. My party has been in power for the last 8 years… BI-PATISANSHIP IS THE ANSWER! “Obama has never taken on his own party” “Obama is proposing 860 billion in new spending” he also loves pork and is wasteful. “3 million for an overhead projector in Chicago” Instead I want some jobs, jobs! Energy independence = drill for oil and nuclear (WTF!)

9:23 Tome: “what is your highest priority”

Mc: can’t remember the question…”lets do all at once” “Social security won’t last, I can fix it though because I talk to Lieberman” Build more nuclear power plants “build a whole bunch of them” “clean coal” and some other mentions of renewable energy. Not bad except for the coal and nuclear and natural gas part. Also you know his voting record, and the whole drill baby drill shit.

O: “we will have to prioritize, just like a family” Energy is first, too expensive (lady in audience loves Obama) Also energy from other countries hurts security. Wants to be free of Middle eastern oil in 10 years. Health care is number two. Bad for business, 3 Education so our young are competitive. Wants to eliminate programs that don’t work, make the ones that do better and cheaper. Digs on McCain for passing MORE tax cuts on big business.

Tom: “hey bitches stop talking so much, 1 minute!”

9:28: “what sacrifises will you ask every american to make”

Mc: “Understand that some programs may have to be eliminated, cut defense spending (actually agree with this).” “Eliminate earmarks, talking about projector again…” “spending freeze, except for defense and others” “We are Americans we can do everything at once, we can get them all done cause we love America”

O: mentions 9/11, Bush says “Go out and shop” not the call to service the American people are looking for. America needs leadership, energy conservation, increase oil production (sigh), clean coal (sigh), safe nuclear (sight), save energy in our homes (better), incentives for American fuel efficient cars (better), weatherize your home (better) business more efficient (better). Double peace corp, volunteer corp, young people involved.

9:32: Tom “Wallstreet and and the government and the americans all got drunk on easy money, what do we do?”

O: Start with Washington, stop running up debts, stop giving out easy money. “means we can’t keep cutting taxes” “earmarks are 18 billion dollars of our budget” “McCain wants to give the rich tax cuts, big ones” Rich people are not sharing the burden with the rest. Can’t ask the poor to tighten belt, when the rich are doing great and getting tax cuts.

Mc: “nailing down Obama’s tax proposals is like nailing Jello to a wall” Compares Obama to Hoover, goes on to point out how badly his party has been doing in job creation, Obama’s secret is that it raises taxes on small business revenue. I can see how some people will believe this. “Not in favor of Tax cuts for the wealthy” just leave the huge Bush tax cuts in place.

9:37 Tom:”social security funding running out” “Will you fix this shit in the first two years?”

O: “take on entitlements” “Can’t guarantee in first two years” “straight talk express lost a wheel on the taxes” (ha ha). “I want to provide a tax cut for 95% of americans, if you make less than a quarter million dollars a years, taxes will not go up, if you make 200,000 dollars a year taxes go down, small business are majority getting tax cut.” Will also provide tax credit to get health insurance for people. (ding, point for Obama, facts are important McCain).

Mc: “not that hard to fix social security” Ronald Regan and Tip Oneil, Obama wont take on his own party, I am not popular with my own party, much less his. Medicare is way harder (cause it is for poor people?), like base closing, vote up and down on medicare, like base closing?

9:42: “congress moved fast in economic crisis, will they move fast in environmental issues, like climate change and green jobs”

Mc: “tough economic times, I disagree strongly with bush” Of course you do. Too bad your running mate doesn’t think it is real. Best fix is nuclear power. “obama says it has to be safe…whatever” I was on ships with nuclear power, it’s safe! Ohhhh really, the American people don’t think so buddy.

He goes on to ramble about shit, hydrogen, battery powered cars, etc etc, doesn’t really give any specifics. Ends with “America is number 1!”

O: “biggest challenge of our times” “absolutly critical to understand that it is also an opportunity” 5 million new jobs, engine to drive us into the future, like computer. Invest in solar wind, geothermal, and also nuclear, as one component. McCain voted 23 times against alternative fuels. 3% of the worlds oil use 25% of the worlds oil, cant drill out way out the problem. Can’t use more fossil fuels to solve our problem with global warming or energy independence.

Tom: “Bitches ONE MINUTE” “one big program to get us renewable energy, or a million little ones”

Mc: yes…rages against pork as well. Will use the oil we drill today to reduce oil prices..even though the oil wont be here for ten years. Drill baby drill, also more nuclear. McCain 08!

9:49: “Selling health care is very profitable, should health care be a commodity”

O: “Many people are suffering because of health insurance, breaking budgets.” Moral imperative and economic imperative, to fix this problem. If you have it already you can keep it. Will work with employer to lower premiums. Preventions, better tech, and if you don’t have it, we will give you the same kind that the government workers have. McCain and I are very different on this. He is going to take with one hand while giving with another.

(McCain is dancing around in the background)

Mc: “put health records on line, community health clinics, walk in clinics” “Obama thinks government will fix it, I think you will” “Obama will fine you, I will give you 5 grand and you can go anyplace and buy yo health care shit wit it.”

Tom: “is health care a privledge, a right or a responsibility”

Mc: “a responsibility”

O: “a right” lays the smack down on McCain’s bullshit, gets in a good dig with the story of his mother. McCain voted again children’s health care bill.

9:59 “how will our economy effect our ability to make peace in the world”

Mc: “Nations that are strong in military need strong economies” Duh, bombs are not cheap. “America is best force of good in history of the world” Thats a very tricky statement there buddy. McCain knows “when to go in and when to not” Ohh yea you had great judgment when you supported in going into Iraq.

O: “Why did we invade a country that has nothing to do with 9/11, that was McCain and it was the wrong judgment” Quick and easy, greeted as liberators, wrong and costly. Iraq has fucked us because it is draining our budget.

10:04:Tom: “Obama doctrine and McCain doctrine, how would you use troops when it doesn’t effect our security”

O: “National security not always at stake, but moral issues are” Basically, we try and fix the things we can, and have our allies to help us (aka: we need to not be fuck-ups like Bush so our allies help us)

Mc: “I was right in iraq!!!” “if we leave Iraq, the world will get us!” “Obama wants defeat, I will bring them home in honor” Good to see that he can remember his slogans.

10:08: “Should the united states respect Pakistan, or should we go in after Terrorists”

O: “We are in such a mess because we went into Iraq instead of going after Bin Laden” Aka: McCain is a moron. Need to end war in Iraq to move them into Afganistan. Get that shit taken care of, can’t coddle a dictator in Pakistan. Reduce military aid, and give them more civilian aid, if we have Bin Laden in our sites we act and take him out, kill Bin Laden, and crush his people. Wow.

Mc: Obama is an idiot, listen to me. I will attack another country, but I won’t tell anyone.

O: Takes over, “don’t worry people, I got this” Obama tells it like it is. Holy shit does he lay the smack on McCain here. Ten billion points.

Mc: Weak come back, “not true, not true” “I was joking with an old veteran friend of mine” “I know how to get Osama, but I wont tell anyone how, cause I am sneaky!”

10:15: Tom “We are failing in Afganistan, what we need is an acceptable dictator, how will we fix Afghanistan”

O: “We are going to have to make the Iraq government take more responsibility, withdraw troops from Iraq, and move them to Afghanistan”

Mc: “General Petraius will fix it.” Goes on to agree with Obama, but we need a new SURGE in Afghanistan.

10:19: “how can we pressure Russia without starting a new cold war”

Mc: “wont have another cold war” I warned everyone about Putin, but no one listened. In short doesn’t answer the question, says we will pressure them slowly over time.

O: “Russia will have to be dealt with” Agree with McCain. But can’t just provide moral support, need money, and assistance to rebuild economies. Have to anticipate these problems. We have been reacting, not proactive. Slight slip up, but mostly a good answer. Energy independence will reduce their dollars.

Tom: “Is Russia the evil empire”

O: “they acted in an evil way”

Mc: “maybe” I think we can deal with them, but they must understand America wants that energy there so don’t fuck with the USA.

10:24: “If Iran attacks Israel, would you attack Iran or wait on UN”

Mc: Pats the man on the back..ugh. Doesn’t answer the question. Iran can’t get nukes. Put tough sanctions on them…hope they will abandon the quest. At the end of the day (military pandering), cant allow another haullocost.
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O: “can’t allow Iran to get nukes” Will do everything required to prevent it, wont take military options off the table, don’t allow UN veto power, but is important to use all tools to prevent it. Reduce Iran’s money by becoming energy independent. Should have talks with enemies, to deliver tough direct message to them to change their behavior, or else. If you do change your ways you can rejoin the community of nations. Might not work, but if we take that choice, we have better chance at better options.

10:29: “What don’t you know and how will you learn it”

O: “Michele could give you a much longer list” Number of things we have to face are huge. Goes into closing statement of sorts, talks about the American dream. Oh, Obama, I don’t even mind that you dodged the question, good speech. Gets one more dig on Bush/McCain. “Can’t keep doing the same thing we did in the last 8 years, and expect different results”

Mc: “Don’t know what all of us don’t know, the future” Goes on to talk about how bad the world is, leaving out the fact that it’s mostly the fault of his party and his doing. Will be talking about countries most people can’t find on the map (could that be because the education isn’t funded?), dark times ahead but he will save us, and ohh by the way he also has an American dream story. He is not in fact a rich old white guy. McCain 08!

All in all I say this was a lot like the first one. Which means that mostly it favors Obama, as McCain needed to whoop ass and he didn’t.

10:36 Obama just tried to shake McCains hand, but got dissed and had to settle for a Mrs. McCain shake instead. Burn!