Sat 16 Aug 2008
Tune in to Fox News to watch Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren discuss the issues with both Senators Barack Obama and John McCain.
The forum is also being carried live. Click here to watch or to revisit.
After the forum, we want you to hear your impressions. Who do you think did best and why?
August 16th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Immediate observations:
Pastor Rick Warren is moving into the position of most influential contemporary Christian leader in the United States.
Senator John McCain took a major step in solidifying the Evangelical conservative Christian base. (Hopefully his VP pick will finalize it.)
August 17th, 2008 at 12:16 am
John McCain Hit a Grand Slam to use a baseball analogy (D-Backs hit 2 today vs Houston). Great format; Charles Krauthammer on Fox News said it was the best political forum he has ever seen!
August 17th, 2008 at 7:11 am
(moments later, Tony GOPrano received a food pellet as positive re-enforcement.)
I missed all but the last 30 minutes, and as soon as I heard the stock “my friends” from McCain, I knew I wasn’t going to be hearing anything new.
August 17th, 2008 at 8:34 am
As soon as I saw Obama give the smirky half smile and head tilt….I knew I would not hear a straight answer. But I listened…with hope.
Then McCain came on and we got CHANGE. Straight answers and straight talk. The stark comparison to the nuanced rhetoric of the first half was striking.
Klute, that you would dismiss the possibility and turn it off when it comes to McCain eliminates you from the discussion.
August 17th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Tony GOPrano,
I have to agree with you on McCain’s performance. He owned that audience based on the amount of applause. It was everything they wanted to hear. Krauthammer was right on. Warren isolated each candidate and asked them almost exactly the same question which allowed them to deliver their postion without trying to also answer what their opponent would have said if they were present. It was a great way to compare and contrast each candidate. The other thing I like about it was that Warren did not ad-lib question like one of the mainstream media folks usually do. It was a side-by-side comparison forum without each being affected by the other’s answers.
August 17th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I didn’t turn it off, Big Sister, I watched and didn’t hear anything I didn’t expect – especially the hamfisted “I don’t know what’s rich” idiocy and the “I’ll follow him to the gates of hell” commentary we’ve heard ad nauseum with zero results.
Yeah, we wouldn’t want nuance, because all the damned “straight talk” we’ve heard from McCain and this administration has served us SO well these last eight years.
August 17th, 2008 at 9:47 am
McCain was refreshingly brilliant last night, and I’m no real fan of his. The contrast was amazing between the two, and the liberal friend with whom I was watching it was genuinely conflicted at the end of the forum. A very good sign indeed.
McCain did blow the initial question about 3 wise people, but that’s a though question on the spot. Obama couldn’t even provide his own opinion on when life begins. The more he talks, the less he says, and the less people seem to believe him. McCain had substance, Obama platitudes.
August 17th, 2008 at 11:25 am
McCain did his standard performance. He showed leadership and poise and maturity. He is a political survivor and will soldier on when Obama implodes. NPR was recently trying to paint a picture of McCain on the campaign trail being over scripted and less spontaneous, no doubt trying to set up a McCain slide before the glorious Obama awakening this week in Denver. But I think he looked relaxed and confident in this debate which contrasted with that sarcastic head tilt thing that Obama does. The body language is interesting because it kind of says, I’m here and Ill answer your whacked out Christian questions, but you’re not going to believe me anyway, and I can accept that and win without you. Not just the head tilt but the whole inflection and eye movement and everything.
Obama just doesnt look as credible when he isnt surrounded by the Hollywood glitz and backdrops that his masterful campaign wizards whip up. At the convention this week look for him to invoke MLK in his speech which will be on the anniversary of the I have a dream speech. If he says those famous words, the ground will shake and Obama mania will peak… unfortunately it will be just too early and McCain the survivor will stick it out to the end and peak in November when it counts.
August 17th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Obama was right when he said that having the ability to clearly delineate a position on a controversial issue is above his pay grade.
As long as abortion has been an issue in this country, if he believes that answering a question about it is above his pay grade, I cannot even begin to figure out how far above his pay grade the Russia-Georgia conflict is.
Not ready for the 2am slot let alone Prime Time
August 17th, 2008 at 11:38 am
The sad truth is that we had the 2 candidates for President participate in a nationally televised forum and the Moderator wins.
tragic
August 17th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Why nothing from SA on the TONY BOUIE LIED to The Arizona Republic and to The Arizona Capitol Times story. Your “good friends” at seeingredaz.com covered it extensively. So did GOPaz. It was all over blognet. Nothing from SA though. Let’s see. You only gave the MCRC endorses Seel & Crump story one sentence. Do you have a Liar Bouie bias?
August 17th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Thanks Lingo. Good stuff! Bouie is found out to be a liar only because curious voters bothered to google Hillsborough County Florida Elections Department. Wow! Bouie insisted he was a Republican in Florida. Now we know he was actually a Democrat there. The one issue he has had to fight the most. Is he a Republican? And he lies to major media. What a dummy.
August 17th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Both candidates did what they needed to do, but neither will change any votes.
McCain shored up his support among Republican evangelicals who don’t really trust him in the first place and were upset by his off-hand mention of Tom Ridge as a potential VP.
Obama put to rest concerns that he is a Muslim and will solidify his support among working class Christian Democrats and union members who support him on the issues but had some concerns about his background.
All in all, a good forum but nothing new.
August 17th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I had not noticed the Obama head tilt thing until a young woman, late 20’s, mentioned it and how arrogant his answers are. She said he looks like he is trying to find a way to dummy down the answers so the regular people can understand them. Looking at the video from last night, he was in full tilt.
August 17th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Did McCain cheat? That seems to be the question today. Certainly would explain his quality performance given his historic lack of eloquence with words.
http://themoderatevoice.com/religion/christianity/christian-conservatives/21853/saddlegate/
August 18th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Ann,
You’re an idiot.