Hmmmmm. Whoever wins this election will be the loser, and just a one term president. Neither has any clue about economics. None.

To draw an analogy, Whoever is elected will be a pair of of scissors trying to cut a 6 inch I beam. They won’t cut it. (pun intended)

For those who have somehow managed to avoid any news of these two men over the last eighteen months, the debates, I guess, are a decent primer.

It looks like it is all over but the celebration. I simply can not see McCain coming back. The current economic events completely overshadow everything else, and have effectively handed the election to Obama.

All I can say is that I hope and pray that the real Obama is the decent centrist politician that he is performing as today. If this in fact, turns out to be the biggest con-job heisted upon the American public, then we are in for a very rough ride.

Who is the real Obama? The one that wants decent health-care for all, or the one that would withhold medical care for infants that survive being aborted?

Which is the real Obama? The tax and spend liberal, or the man that will reduce taxes on 95% of us and reduce spending?

I could go on, but you get the point. There are huge contrasts between the Obama of today and the Obama of the past. Aided and abetted by active support in the media all around the globe, this man stands on the edge of the Presidency of the USA.

We are going to get change, it just may not be what we all wished for.

john calhoun is right. Obama is scary and what’s even scarier is how many people fall for his rhetoric. HE HAS NO EXPERIENCE to back up anything he says. He wants to sit down with world leaders who hate us and talk????

Nailing down his tax plan is like trying to nail jello to a tree….you all are falling for his spiel and that’s what it is….a spiel.

Spending like what he wants to do during economic times like this? Are you kidding???

I think the debates may be useful in winning over “undecided” voters. (For the life of me, I can’t imagine how anybody could be undecided at this point!)I think most voters have already made up their minds–in many cases, made up their minds a long time ago–whether their decision is based on contemplation of the candidates and the issues or whether it’s a gut reaction. Either way, a debate is highly unlikely to change anyone’s mind at this point. Thus, the debates become more entertainment that substance. It would be different if candidates didn’t start campaigning over a year ahead of time. If you had no exposure to the candiates, a debate might be a great showcase for who believes in what. But by this juncture, it’s like “Get me to the polls and get this over with!!!”

as long as the “Debates?” continue to be repeating stump mantras and not telling the public “Why you should elect ME” they serve vaguely to give ideas about candidates. I would much like to see an open forum where the rules are, “Answer the damned questions!” …without slurring the facts or outright lying. Now, more than ever, I want to here someone speak to me honestly. A pipe dream, Probably. But since they are taking my money to pay for their lack of control and oversight, I deserve to know what they are really going to do. Listening to repeated sound bytes that lack veracity does little.

I wish the debates would include a third party: someone standing by with a records book that could be used to immediately verify both candidates’ answers to a particular question. Then after the third party’s response, each candidate would explain why he either lied or stretched the truth in his initial response.

Under its present format, we don’t get straight answers, and the advantage goes to whichever candidate speaks last.

We might only get through 3 or 4 questions, but at least we’d get straight answers.

I’m disappointed in both candidates for misleading us just so they can emerge stronger from the 90 minute debate.

We’ve had enough debates. No one answers the questions and can’t limit themselves to a simple yes/no to a question. Same old bumblings with mistruths and lengthy failures to answer questions posed. No wonder nothing gets done in the congress. Neither one spoke of social security. I think it’s time all workers in the country need to be under social security, eliminate governament retirement.

Barack Obama truly cares about us, the American people, and has OUR best interests at the top of this list. I am a victim of the Bush administration and it is not a good place to be. What I find truly ironic is my last employers are big Republican supporters and lost their business because of it!!!

When I consider the accomplishments of the debates, I read between the lines of the rhetoric, and I try to consider each candidate. John Galbraith spoke of leadership–that all great leaders have one characteristic in common: the willingness to confront the major anxiety of their people in their time. I believe this applies to both candidates. Willa Foster, on commenting on the competence of leaders, stated that quality is never an accident–it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, skillful execution–a wise choice of many alternatives. Again, this applies to both candidates.

So to make a choice, we have to consider each candidate’s proven ability to think through a problem–one who has demonstrated over time that he has control of his thoughts–someone who, like Einstein said, thinks things through ninety-nine times and the conclusion is false, but on the hundreth time finds truth.

Maybe we need to pay attention to Einstein when we make our choice.