Tonight I thought I’d do something different… blog as I’m watching the debate a few hours late on my DVR.

Opening… my cuts are bigger than your cuts.
You’re kidding me right? This passes for a debate question? McCain looks like he’s been up for 20 hours straight. Give this poor guy a cup of coffee. His eyes are glassy.
McCain wants to help people who have bought bad home loans.
Obama looks directly into the camera — smart. He wants a rescue package for the middle class. He wants 1) jobs, 2) a tax cut for people with make less than a quarter million, fix our energy crisis and health care.
McCain is worried about plumbers who want to buy the business they work for. Apparently there’s some guy named Joe out there who McCain believes that Obama will raise taxes on. McCain is telling people what he believes Obama stands for. Obama cries foul and says he’ll cut taxes on 95% of families. Apparently Obama knows “Joe the plumber” too. This Joe must be a popular guy.
McCain is worried that Obama will take Joe’s money and spread the wealth around starting class warfare. McCain seems to be focusing on what he believes Obama supports. Obama says McCain is wrong. This is going to be a long 90 minutes.
Once again McCain is accusing Obama of …. blah blah blah … taxes taxes taxes. He’s sounding more like a one trick pony.

Question: Aren’t you both ignoring reality? What would you cut?
Obama: If the rescue package is structured properly, taxpayers will get their money back. We’re all living beyond our means. He’s a proponent of pay as you go. You want to spend a dollar, you need to cut a dollar. He’ll go through the budget line by line to make cuts. (All politicians say this. Do you know how long and large the federal budget would be?)
McCain: Let’s get back to home ownership. McCain invokes Senator Hillary Clinton. He wants to stop sending money to counties that don’t like us and he’ll have an across the board spending freeze. He says government spending is out of control and he knows how to eliminate programs such as subsidies for ethanol and the tariff for sugar based ethanol from Brazil.
Obama: Across the board spending freezes are hatchet jobs where what we need is a scalpel. These earmarks that McCain mentions represent 1/2 of 1%.

Question: Can you balance the budget in 4 years?
McCain: I’m not President Bush. I’ll create jobs with energy independence and eliminating spending. Accuses Obama of not standing up to the leaders of his party.
Obama: Yes. He’ll reach across the aisle and won’t be limited by traditional democratic groups. He supports tort reform, charter schools, pay for performance for teachers and clean coal technology. (Hmmmm…. and why are we calling McCain the maverick?) On tax policy, energy policy and spending policies, McCain has been a supporter of President Bush.
McCain: I fight for stuff. Lots of stuff. I have a long record of fighting for reform. Doesn’t believe that Obama is convincing.

Pinstripes? Pinstripes made from silver thread? What were the McCain advisors thinking? Is that a zoot suit?

Question: This campaign is negative. Will you say to each others face these same things while sitting across for them?
McCain: He says he’s repudiated every remark that has come from his side that isn’t true. He says Obama has spent more money on negative ads than anyone. Says Obama is spending more than on any campaign since Watergate.
Obama: 2/3rds of the American people say that McCain’s campaign ads are negative. There’s nothing wrong with debates like tonight, but he doesn’t mind being attacked for the next three weeks but the American people can’t deal with four more years of the economic policies.
McCain: Says Obama is negative but McCain supports Joe the plumber.
Obama: McCain’s running mate (Palin) has been at McCain rallies where people have attacked Obama and called Obama “terrorist” and “kill him”.
McCain: We shouldn’t stand for the kind of things that are going on.
Obama: We need to work together and disagree without being disagreeable. We shouldn’t characterize each other as being bad people.
McCain: Believes ACORN could destroy the fabric of our democracy and says Ayers questions need to be answered.
Obama: Bill Ayers is a Professor. When Obama was 8 year old, Ayers did despicable things. A few years ago Ayers was on a same board as Obama. ACORN was paying people to register votes but Obama had nothing to do with them aside from helping them to make it possible for people to register to vote where people can get a drivers license.
McCain: Says Obama will raise taxes.

Good grief. 43 minutes into this. I don’t think I can bear another 47.

Summary: McCain is whining about what a horrible President he believes Obama would be. That cup of coffee that McCain needed — I could use one. I thought he’d have something else. Obama is responding to all of the accusations. My insomnia is cured. Maybe I’ll watch the end and comment on them. Probably not.