The Ticket verdict: Who won the debate--McCain or Obama?

By the way, a complete copy of the debate transcript is available here.

Also here is a video on the University of Mississippi's prodigious preparations for this historic debate.

Comments

[Freda]

Obama very handily won the debate.

McCain just kept on repeating the OLD mess that the GOP created for us.

[Gill's daughter]

Mr McCain used the low baller of attacking with negatives while Mr Obama not only kept respect towards Mr McC's past but gave him credit where due. How did Mr McC respond? With more attack!
I'm tired of people following leaders that think being on the offensive is the smart way to cover yourself & I especially No longer want leaders that attack 1st - ask later.

[russell]

LA Times headline: "...No Errors." Were you watching the same debate? McCain was just lobbing one foul ball after the other. I would have given him the debate, since Obama was on the defensive so much, except for all of the whoppers that he told.

[aristata]

It seemed that McCain hardly even looked at Obama, as if he was trying to ignore him. Hard to trust someone like that.

[Eugene Warren]

I think that Obama has the wisdom to become President. McCain lacks the good judgment and wisdom for this position.

[kimmilous]

"Obama won a moral victory in the debate" - a statement known Republicans. After reviewing all the arguments i agree!
Watch here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=u3BkNBKfqAE or here: http://tubedirect.net/index.php?q=Obama-won-debate
Highly recommended!

[Mary Carroll]

Barack Obama won hands down. His lucid comments and positioins on domestic and foreign issues. Also his carraige and his deferential manner toward John McCain, who couldn't even look Barack in the eye, spelled Presidential calibre to me.

[Paul]

I normally don't care at all about superficial things like appearance, "polish," or "presence," I think it destracts from content. However, in the first REAL debate I have ever seen between presidential canidates, where they actually talked to eachother, Obama seemed to acknowledge McCain. He looked at him, called him "John" and responded to his points. McCain on the other hand seemed to ignore Obama.

[smokey]

The US will do fine with a great "talker".

Congress will do the real work (damage).

Just tell him what to say and point to the podium.

[Robin Persaud]

I think Obama won hands down. He was calm and presidential and very knowledgeable on everything. I think the country needs a young smart president with new ideas, good judgement, and who is concerned about the poor and middle class to lead us into the future. McCain is from the past, old ideas that just have not worked domestically or internationally. It is clearly a choice between the failed past or a bright future full of possibilities for our country.

[Mm]

your poll results are wrong -- It looks like you combined those staying with Obama and with McCain into one response just for McCain.

[Gabby]

I am an Obama voter but thought it was a tie. I am heartened to see most thought Obama won handily. I guess I was hoping for him to hit a Grand Slam or something. He is very calm, I like calm right now. I still remember the look on Bush's face after 911. It scared me and I knew then he was the worst President that this could happen with. I think Bin Laden knew that. He knew Bush would become unglued and lead this country to what we have this week. McCain is much to unpredictable for me and the thought of Palin, holy smoke, she can't finish her sentences. BTW I wonder if zbush has 700 billion of his own he can give to make up for the mess he has made. Wait till he sells his memoirs, ha ha, 10 cents a page.

[Alfred E. Payne]

I reviewed the internet article "John McCain Releases Military Record" set forth by the Dept. of Defense, and am troubled by some of the remarks contained therein. For instance....Was the "Silver Stard Medal" awarded to McCain given because he was a POW. How about all the other awards he received while he was a POW. Also, very troubling was the statement "McCain was referred to by the North Vietnamese as "Hanoi Songbird", supporting the comments that McCain gaver the North Vietnamese very valuable miliiatary information......NOT JUST "NAME, RANK, SERIAL NUMBER".

You don't receive high level medals for squeling and betrayal. (Maybe having a father and grandfather as 3-star Admirals makes a difference)

Someone needs to look into the validity of this.........Thanks.......AL Payne

[Ernest Fujimura]

Watching McCain's body language, his over-compensated smile made him look like a loon, on the verge of rage. He was fidgeting from foot to foot and was looking everywhere but at Obama. I got the impression of a very angry person. I recognize these symptoms, it's PTSD, Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome. McCain likes to bring up his Vietnam service. Sometimes it's not a plus. The body often comes home from war without the soul that is lost forever in combat. McCain has my sympathy but should not be president. It explains his past history of fits of rage.

[kay frank]

McCain won and Obama smirked and wagged his hands==could he get John' s name right if he is going to use his first name.

[Sander van Servellen]

I think both Obama and McCain did well and stood their ground.

McCain showed more authenticity when he spoke about foreign policy, which comes from experience.

Obama clearly has a bigger perspective on how America is part of a world system, and this is very important. Solving the symptoms of some big problems is one thing, but finding solutions to the root causes is something I think Obama has a better understanding of, I sincerely hope Obama will be President.

I do however admire both candidates in this election.

[lloyd buddoo]

John McCain was too negative. Obama was straightforward and composed.

[Cleophis Flyjuice]

Obama killed me with his stuttering. I guess he couldn't regurgitate the lines he was fed by his handlers. GOD knows he needs a teleprompter to spit out a clear sentence.

Everyone with a brain could see McCain won clearly. Obama showed he's a bumbling novice with naivete that will send this country back to Carter days.

[J.Myers]

we can afford to bail out another Republican hot head/

[jill]

Obama repeated in the debates what he always says: that he'd only raise taxes on the top 5%, that anyone else making under $250,000/ year wouldn't have their taxes raised -- McCain let it go unchallenged, being no mathemitician himself, but that's just Voodoo Economics. NO WAY could Obama keep to that, and provide his social spending programs which are estimated to cost at least $800 BILLION, especially after the bailout plan the Congress is working on, after Obama realizing we can't just pull out of Iraq (and wanting MORE troops in Afghanistan), etc.

McCain showed he actually has more knowledge about that part of the world first-hand than does Obama. Yes, Obama's a smoother public speaker -- we already knew and saw that -- but that's ALL he is. Like McCain said, he's won no "Miss Congeniality" contests but that's not his goal. He's a straight-shooter, not a bull-shooter.

(Too bad he picked Palin, though -- she's probably being coached on all the major issues until Oct. 2nd, but their weak point is his dubious health at his age. Probably he didn't turn more to look at Obama just because he can't, he has limited range of motion from his wartime beatings, which causes him to be unable to exercise or walk more smoothly -- I wouldn't want her taking over, but I think he'll last at least a term as he is.)

With an inexperienced egomaniac, high-taxing and NOT straight-shooting dreamer like Obama vs. this Republican team, what this really shows is how broken our whole election process is.

After a year and a half of exhausting national eliminations and debates, this is who we have to choose from? That's because who wants to go through all this crapola to be vetted and elected? Then if you do you have too much "baggage" whatever you do -- like Hillary Clinton, who'd have been the best choice. Even Rudy Giuliani would have been better than McCain, but oh yeah, his personally imperfect life cost him with the voters. So we have Palin instead.

[Steve Wimer]

Why was McCain so afraid to look Obama in the eye?

[Kevin Morgan]

McCain said he looked into Putin's eyes and saw three things. "K_G_B". My question is, did McCain see the "G" in his left eye or his right eye?

[sw]

If you look at the debate, not only did Mccain not look at Obama he didn't even look straight into the camera much. Obama did this, especially in the beginning. Obama was able to hold his own on a subject where supposedly he was not an expert. Don't understand this poll though. Obama won easily yet most are still voting for Mccain? Isi t a race thing?

[Tremayne McNairy]

I think Obama won the debate. McCain never once address the issues of the middle class people. The only thing i heard from him on how to solve our problems where to stop earmarks spending. I think our problems are are a little bigger than stoping earmarks spending. I also think obama should have hammered a little harder on what he will do for the middle class. It's clear to me who McCain wants to protect and that's the wealthy. NO CONCERN FOR THE LITTLE MAN!

[Greg]

This is an interesting poll, but the options for the second question lack the key question: Did the debate cause any undecided voters to decide for one candidate or the other?