My intention was not to insinuate that you are a “non thinking parrot” but I stand by my choice of words. All I have heard from a lot of people that didn’t actually watch or read the debate is basically the same thing. Sadly this type of activity is one that goes on both sides of the political spectrum.

You say that there were a lot of questions about diversion and patriotism and not about the War in Iraq or the economy. Thats a fair point, but the question is do we really need to hear that? Obama and Hillary have been talking about those issues for the past 6 months. If you listen to any stump speech or any other debate these issues have already been covered. I liked that this debate asked questions which were new. For the first time, the candidates had to actually think on their feet as opposed to go back to their generic stock answers.

You say that this debate “was setup to make both of them look like losers” but I think what really happened is that they exposed the candidates for what they really are. Hillary came across as an absolute bitch that was set on beating Obama over the head despite how that could badly misfire for the democratic party in November. Obama looked like a guy that was uncomfortable outside of the element of a prepared speech and seemed to struggle when he had to think on his feet. And, you know what, thats exactly what they are.

WD, while you democrats might not cower in fear, yall need to pay attention to the past lest you repeat its failures. Both Al Gore and John Kerry grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory because they allowed someone else to define who they were. Obama needs to get going and define himself and who he is before the Republicans do it. What this debate clearly pointed out is that there are a lot of little question marks about Obama. From his wife’s comments, his decision to not wear the flag pin, his pastor for over 20 years, his comments about small town America, his refusal to allow Florida and Michigan a chance to revote and seat delegates at the convention, and his claim to not raise taxes and yet have Universal Health Care make many people stop and ask if this guy really represents them or if he is another in a long line of Harvard educated elitists talking down to them.

The Democratic strategy of having representational voting has been an unmitigated disaster. If the democratic primary was like the republicans and the general election, the dem race would be all but over. The nastiness in the campaign would not occur and there would be a very good chance that the race is over by June. Now, the race looks like it will come all the way to my backyard (Denver) and it will be getting increasingly nasty. This nastiness could very well come to bite yall on the ass.

THATS why I thought the debate was so important for the Democrats. This will be the kind of stuff that Obama will get in the general election against McCain. I don’t support Obama, but if I did, I would be glad that disaster was against Hillary in April and not McCain in October. Obama has time to learn and grow, Thats why that was an important debate.

I was surprised and disappointed that you did not pick up on that.

Of course, I appreciate your comments. I do however take offense to the implication that I am a “nonthinking parrot” just blithely following the lead of the punditry. I admit that I am one of many individuals upset about the debate, and frankly, I feel no need to apologize for the fact that my view is not in the minority. In fact, you ask for me to take a look at what was said, ok, let’s do that. There was talk about patriotism and lots of diversions. I didn’t hear anything really convincing about Iraq from either one of them, and no time was spent discussing the horrific economic situation in this country. So I was listening but due to the “gotcha” questions asked by the moderations, heard nothing. Both candidates seemed weak to me, and admittedly, Hillary did seem to win. But the deck was stacked with inane questions and in reality, the format of the debate was setup to make both of them look like losers. Obama should have been more prepared for these right-wing attacks. So BT, when you chastise me about following the crowd, remember that we Democrats are no longer going to cower in fear as we have in the past. If any party is guilty of massing great hoards of people with misinformation, it is your own.

When he was faced with the tough questions, he folded like a house of cards. When he had to face attacks from Hillary, he wilted like a houseplant devoid of water. In short Obama looked bad…really bad. And its only going to get tougher.
McCain will be far worse than Hillary and many thinking dems question can he really win in November?

The fact is that the debate itself is a very small issue. The bigger issue is that people allow the media to tell them what to think. Some people in the media said that the debate was unfair so now a lot of nonthinking parrots echo the same statement. Instead people should actually take a moment and actually notice the BIG mistakes that each candidate made. For example, both Hillary and Obama pledged to not raise taxes on citizens making less then 250k annually. It was foolish statement to make because it is obvious that in order to pay for a lot of the programs they want(such as universal health care) they will need to raise taxes. You might say that he will pay for it by ending the war, but trust me when I say this, Obama knows that he cannot pull out of the war immediately.

Sorry WD. I completely disagree with your assessment of the debate and disappointed you chose to join the circus instead of taking a hard look at what was said and what was not said.
-BT