jeff glancy said:
...On balance, IMO Obama gives the impression of having better command of his information and knows how to convey a concept. I believe that Obama will win on points but not by as many as in Debate I and Debate II. Thank God it's over.
Yup. Gratitude to His Noodliness FSM that the debates are finally over. My summary of the content-- "blah, blah, blah..."
A shame that third parties get locked out of these things. If nothing else, more lively content than coke and pepsi belaboring minor distinctions of virtually identical product.
Watching the talking heads, one thing which puzzles me is the talking-head fixation with various 'style points' such as elegant delivery or 'presidential-ness' or whatever.
I don't hear the talking heads discuss much about credibility.
Guess everybody has different credibility filters. If a politician says, "I'll raise that other guy's taxes"-- I swallow that one hook line and sinker. Then when the guy says, "But I won't raise your taxes"-- I automatically think it is a lie. Perhaps am too cynical.
It doesn't matter to me how smoothly the lie is delivered. Clumsy or polished, it is the same ding on the wallet...
Both candidates are almost certainly selling 99% pure snake oil. But this set of candidates reminds me of--
I wanna build a modest house for $100,000. One prospective contractor is young, glib and slick, and he has all the answers. The other prospective contractor is an old grizzled coot with dirty overalls, poor verbal skills and slight body odor.
The young guy elegantly describes the 4000 square foot house, for only $90,000, beautifully outfitted, rain-proof, hurricane-proof, tornado-proof, and even bomb-proof. Ready in 3 weeks.
The old guy grumbles out that he can make a 1000 square foot house, simple and not too ugly. Guaranteed to keep out the rain and finished within 12 months. But it might end up costing $125,000 if materials go up.
Asked for references, the young guy says, "I've never done house contracting, but built doghouses and garages for 6 years, and have been carpenter on house crews the last four years."
The old guy says, "I've never done house contracting, but have been a house crew carpenter for 26 years."
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Dunno. Maybe am too cynical. Of course I'd interview some other contractors, but it if was a choice between these two, the old guy sounds less likely to be a ripoff. The 4000 square foot show-house sounds nice, but as it is said, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't true"
I'm in the tank for Bob Barr. Perhaps Bob Barr is the most dour presidential candidate in USA history. My kind of guy (grin).
