live blogging debate Part II

9:49 Q for Obama- should health care be treated as commodity?

Obama- discusses problem.  We’ll lower costs of premiums with super technology (not credible).  If you’re not insured you can buy into fed’l premium. Nails McCain on key weakness: he’ll tax your health insurance (good hit!) - even business organizations say that will destroy employer based health care system [so Obama and NY Times say; I'm not personally agreeing or disagreeing).

McCain- more Obama-like gibberish on efficiency. Obama will impose “mandates’ (wooo scary).  Obama will “fine” you. [Since McCain wants to tax employer based health benefits, this seems like another area where he's vulnerable too) I’ll give you tax credit so you can go across state lines.  Claims you’ll have increased funds to buy health insurance. Not sure I get his point.  Obviously small business people want to give health insurance to their employees.  Not if you take away the tax deduction! (Fortunately, the chances of either candidate getting to health insurance in the next four years is so low that I doubt health insurance is a voting issue; the recession will keep the President busy).

Keeps repeating word “fine.”

McCain- health care ‘responsibility.’

Obama- health care ‘right’. If people are bankrupted due to medical problems, that’s not right.
There is no mandate.
What’s the “fine”? I do want you to insure your children, because children can’t do it themselves and they are cheap to insure.  And McCain voted AGAINST expansion of children’s health insurance, so he’s got a lot of nerve.

What’s the problem with buying across state lines? Obama says Race to bottom problem. Consumer protections you need you can’t get.  McCain ‘believes in deregulation in every circumstance.’

Some of this argument is confusing to me- I can’t imagine how confusing it would be to average voter.  Lots of inside the beltway gibberish.

Debate shifted about foreign policy- 10 PM McCain says America “is the greatest force for good...we are peacemakers.” Do most Americans consider McCain part of that "we"?

Obama- McCain says I don’t understand.  He’s right.  I don’t understand why we went after Iraq and let bin Laden go free. And McCain supported that.

We’re spending 10 billion dollars a month in Iraq - we need that in the United States.  

Emphasizes his agreement that US a force for good.  We can’t let economy decline and keep our military superiority.  

McCain- surge blah blah blah. As debate shifts to foreign policy I’m fighting off boredom.

10:09 Q from audience- should we ignore Pakistan’s borders or pursue terrorists into those borders?

Obama- emphasizes Bush failure in Afghanistan.  End war in Iraq to support war in Afghanistan.   Says crushing al Qaeda first priority.  Period.

McCain- “Talk softly and carry a big stick.”   Sounds like a dove.  “Help Pakistan govt. get support of the people.”  Use force but “talk softly”- not real credible from McCain given some of his not-so-soft remarks in the past.  (From Huck or Romney would sound much more so!)

Obama- I didn’t call for invasion.  I want to bomb only if Pakistan unable or unwilling to get bin Laden.   Besides, you were the one who said “bomb bomb bomb Iran.’  (Nice hit!)

McCain- Says “trust me’; I ‘act responsibly.’  Not sure whether Jane Swing Voter trusts McCain.

10:16 British commander says ‘we’re failing in Afghanistan.’  What do we do?

Obama - more troops.  McCain doesn’t seem to disagree on Afghanistan.  But says- how come Obama won’t admit same strategy worked in Iraq?  

10:19 Good question- how can we avoid cold war with Russia?

McCain- Attacks Russia, Putin again.  We must get Ga and Ukraine in NATO, to punish “naked aggression.” And if there’s a border dispute, what then?  Sounds somewhat more responsible than right after the Russia/Georgia conflict.  

Obama- Outbids McCain; wants to give money to Georgia.  Points out situation not ‘stable’- we need to see 21st c challenges.   If we can reduce our energy consumption Russia will be weaker (kind of fatuous, since Russia sells to global market)

10:23 Is Russia evil empire?

Obama- not an evil empire, has engaged in “evil behavior”.  
McCain- “maybe.”  “We can deal with them’ but we are ‘firm and determined.’

Why are we messing around even more with foreign policy?  Haven’t we beaten all these horses to death in first debate?

10:26 McCain and Obama preach about how we “can’t” let Iran get nuclear weapon, and how we’ll “never” take military options off table.   Obama says diplomacy has to be on the table.

Then boring closing statements.  Obama evades question by talking about how America and his grandma are great, blah blah.  We need “fundamental change.” Is he serious?  Expecting fundamental change from Obama is like expecting Putin to join the ACLU.  (For a great explanation of Obama’s wussiness go to Daniel Larison’s latest post at www.amconmag.com/larison )

McCain has similar list of generalities.

This was much more sedate than I expected.  I guess McCain won slightly, but this doesn’t strike me as a game-changer either way.