Very nice of Senator McCain to join us for the first debate last night, although I realize it kept him away from solving the economic crisis for us. Seriously, in hindsight, how overblown was his whole display this week? Now that it's all over and done, did that debate REALLY stand in the way of anyone doing anything that needed to be done in Washington? And during the time McCain WAS in Washington, did he contribute anything at all to the progress Congress were already making on the problem?
Oh well, that's last week's issue...now it's time to move forward and look at the debate itself. I feel that both men performed well, and that neither made any major mistakes that would give their supporters reason to change their minds. There were certainly stylistic differences, most notably the fact that McCain never engaged Obama directly, and acted as if his opponent wasn't standing right on the same stage with him. Obama did try to address McCain directly, and also tried to point out that he was in agreement with McCain on certain points. This is a tactic that I feel could've gone either way; some may perceive it as being too concessionary and others may see it as diplomatic. I personally feel it was a sign that Obama can handle and acknowledge opposing points of view, which is a positive trait in my opinion. But I do feel that Obama had a few opportunities to really hammer McCain, particularly during the economic discussions, and he held back more than I would have liked. I guess he is waiting to do the heavy hitting during the next debate, when the economy will be the focus.
The bottom line, as I see it, is that both men scored some solid points and neither surprised me in any way. I'd be very surprised if there was any major shift in the polls as a result of this debate. However, I really do expect to see a more lopsided result in Obama's favor after the economic debate - it was clear during last night's exchanges that Obama had a major advantage on that subject and that McCain will be hard pressed to come off as well once the financial crisis is the focus.
As usual, I am more about substance than style. So, even though the two candidates were pretty evenly matched on the effectiveness of their performances, I do feel that a more important factor than how things were said is the actual content of their statements, and how accurate those statements were.
FactCheck.org has already posted their analysis of the facts presented in the debate, and - surprise, surprise! - McCain didn't do as well with that as Obama did.
If you visit the site, you'll see the details and can find their in-depth summary. But to boil it down for ya, here's what they found: McCain made 4 times as many outright false statements as Obama, and several other mistakes that, while not 100% false, were definitely off-base and not 100% true either.
1. Obama stated that Henry Kissinger, one of McCain's advisers, had advocated negotiations with Iran, without preconditions. McCain disagreed. A
videotape of Kissinger speaking during a panel discussion, which took place only days before the debate, shows that he is in fact in support of meeting with Iran without precondidtions. In fact,
another video of an earlier forum shows Kissinger expessing the same sentiment again. After the debate, Kissinger issued a statement specifying that he did not think the President should meet in such negotiations, but Obama made clear in the debate that he would follow accepted diplomatic protocol by starting negotiations with lower-ranking officials before he would become involved himself. MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: FALSE. OBAMA'S STATEMENT: TRUE.
2. McCain claimed that Obama had voted to increase taxes on those making $42,000 a year or more. This was a resolution which was mostly addressing whther or not to let the Bush tax cuts expire, and it is a resolution which Obama supported. However, the specific language in the resolution stated that this referred to a sinlge non-homeowning taxpayer, whereas this did not apply to families or couples filing jointly. MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: NOT EXACTLY TRUE.
3. McCain claimed that Admiral Mike Mullen had specifically described Obama's proposed ideas regarding a timetable for withdrawal of troops in Iraq as "dangerous for America". Mullen did say that timetables set without taking into consideration "the conditions on the ground" would not be advisable, but he did not specifically comment on Obama's plan. MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: NOT EXACTLY TRUE.
4. McCain said that earmarks had tripled in the past 5 years. This is incorrect. Earmarks have actually gone down between 23 and 24 percent during that time frame. MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: FALSE.
5. McCain, while discussing wasteful earmarks, said that $3 million had been appropriated for a study of bear DNA. This is correct, HOWEVER, what he didn't mention is that HE VOTED IN FAVOR of the bill which made the appropriations for that study. So there was more to that story, but technically...MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: TRUE.
6. Obama said that the current Iraqi budget surplus is $79 billion. This is incorrect; although some projections had set the surplus at that amount, current information indicates that the surplus amount is closer to $60 billion. OBAMA'S STATEMENT: FALSE.
7. McCain stated that the US pays $700 billion a year to buy oil from other countries. this is inaccurate; the actual amount is approximately $536 billion. MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: FALSE:
8. Obama said that his tax cut will cover 95% of Americans. this is not technically accurate; his cuts will apply to 95% of families with children, and 81% of taxpaying households overall. OBAMA'S STAEMENT: NOT EXACTLY TRUE.
9. Obama said that under McCain's proposed tax plan, employers would be paying taxes on the health care benefits they pay to employees. This isn't correct, but the truth is actually worse...under current law, workers do not pay taxes based on the dollar value of their health insurance benefits. Under McCain's proposed tax changes, workers WILL pay taxes on the dollar value of their employer-provided health benefits. Still, as far as accuracy goes... OBAMA'S STATEMENT: NOT EXACTLY TRUE.
10. McCain claims that Obama intends to turn health care over to the fedral government. this is inaccurate. There will not be mandated health care for any group except for children Federal health care options for all othe Americans will be expanded but will not be mandated. MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: FALSE.
11. McCain told a story about Eisenhower's letter of resignation, written in case the Invasion of Normandy would have failed. Eisenhower did write a letter accepting responsibility in case of failure, but did not offer to resign. MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: FALSE.
12. Obama discussed reducing our troops in Iraq within 16 months. He had previously said that all troops would be withdrawn within that time frame. This shows a shift of position, so...OBAMA'S STATEMENT: NOT EXACTLY TRUE.
13. McCain claims that Obama does not consider Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (which he mistakenly referred to as the "Republican Guard") to be a trrorist organization. Obama has in fact named the as a terrorist organization on more than one occasion. MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: FALSE.
14. McCain called Obama "naive" for his call that both parties show restraint after the Russian/Georgian conflict. Obama did say this, but the characterization as "naive" is debatable, since the official statement from the White House used the exact same language and called for "restraint on both sides". This is certainly an opinion rather than a fact, but fairness dictates that MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: NOT EXACTLY TRUE.
15. McCain bragged about saving taxpayers $6.8 billion by fighting a Boeing contract that he felt should not be awarded. This is true. HOWEVER, what he did not mention is that there was later an investigation into whether the bidding process for this contract was handled unfairly. Seems there may have been some self-interest involved in the way McCain fought the Boeing contract, rather than a concern about protecting taxpayers' money.As it turns out, people who are now McCain advisers were lobbying for Boeing's rival, EADS/Airbus, to win the contract. McCain himself wrote to the Department of Defense to advise against checking into "improper subsidies" which EADS/Airbus may have received. P.S. - EADS/Airbus has contributed $15,700 to McCain's presidential campign. Again, there's more to this story, but technically...MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: NOT EXACTLY TRUE.
16. McCain claimed that Obama is opposed to storage of nulclear waste. Obama is not opposed to storage of nuclear waste but does want storage to be safe. MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: FALSE.
17. Obama claims that McCain voted 23 times against alternative energy proposals. This is inaccurate. McCain stated that he had not voted against any such proposals, and laughed "No one could be opposed to alternative energy". However, he is also wrong. The fact is, McCain has voted against alternative energy proposals 11 times. SO... OBAMA'S STATEMENT: FALSE, and MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: FALSE.
18. McCain and Obama discussed the role that Obama's subcommittee plays in Afghanistan policy. Both stated different aspects of this committee's scope, and both were technically correct. SO...MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: TRUE and OBAMA'S STATEMENT: TRUE.
19. McCain claimed that he broke ranks to vote against sending Marines into Lebanon in 1982. However, Marines had been sent in August of 1982, 3 months before McCain was elected in November of that year. In 1983, Ronald Reagan signed a bill which would authorize a deployment of 18 months for Marines in Lebanon, and McCain did break party ranks to vote against this bill. MCCAIN'S STATEMENT: NOT EXACTLY TRUE.
If ytou're keeping score, here's the final totals:
MCCAIN: 8 false statements, 5 not exactly true statements, and 2 true statements
OBAMA: 2 false statements, 3 not exactly true statements, and 2 true statements
Based on this, I think Obama wins on truth, and to me, that's more important thatn style. Next up: Palin faces off against Biden...I am practically drooling with anticipation...roll on October 2nd!
Debate: tied on performance, but Obama wins on facts
