Obama / McCain at Saddleback church

C

cantaloop_IHB

New member
Unfortunately I didn't win tickets from our church lottery, so I had to watch it on CNN.



In any case, the forum really made it apparent (to me) who I'm going to vote for and would make a better president. Personally, I prefer a straight shooter who doesn't take forever to answer a question. *I probably gave away my stance and will be flamed especially since this is CA* Of course there were other issues that convinced me, but overall, whether you're Republican, Democrat, or just sitting on the fence, the forum really shined a light on the candidates' personality, style, and platform.



If you didn't catch it, the forum will be reshown on CNN tomorrow (Sunday) at 8pm.
 
The format of the forum at Saddleback was fantastic. It was amazing to watch the contrast in these two candidates when placed in the exact same environment, in front of the same audience, and given the exact same questions. I feel I learned more about the two candidates in two hours than I have in the last 18 months of primaries. I just hope this forum got the audience it deserved, given it was buried in a Saturday night time slot against some marquee Olympic events.



Like cantaloop, my decision became very clear tonight. The contrast was profound.
 
It is also again on at midnight and a few other times. I set it up to record and I am glad they are replaying it, because I forgot to record it.



Thanks cantaloop for posting this, as it was a good reminder for me, and I look forward to watching it.
 
CNN has 3/4 of the event online in their video section. As of right now, the second half of Obama's interview seems to be bugged, which is mildly frustrating. My first impression of the forum was that Obama's Extemporaneous Speech coach is John Kerry. While not as verbose as Kerry, in comparison to McCain, he came off as trying to hit all the angles while avoiding making anyone uncomfortable. If he performs this way in a face to face debate, he's going to get slaughtered.
 
[quote author="cantaloop" date=1218970577]Unfortunately I didn't win tickets from our church lottery, so I had to watch it on CNN.



In any case, the forum really made it apparent (to me) who I'm going to vote for and would make a better president. Personally, I prefer a straight shooter who doesn't take forever to answer a question. *I probably gave away my stance and will be flamed especially since this is CA* Of course there were other issues that convinced me, but overall, whether you're Republican, Democrat, or just sitting on the fence, the forum really shined a light on the candidates' personality, style, and platform.



If you didn't catch it, the forum will be reshown on CNN tomorrow (Sunday) at 8pm.</blockquote>


Tis actually on at 9pm on CNN tonight.



I guess Nightline is dedicating their show on Saddleback and their mission to Rwanda, and Pastor Rick Warren will be on TV at 6pm Monday on CNN's Larry King Live, with Nightline to be shown at 11:35pm Monday night.
 
If you're into politics or the election, a must see. And it was much better than what Saddleback was advertising it to be. They made it seem like the candidates would get to talk for an hour and no questions would be asked but I was pleased to see Rick ask some thought prevoking questions.
 
Overall, a well run and informative forum by Saddleback. Questions were thought provoking, and my conclusion is that McCain is a better speaker than Obama when it comes to un-scripted circumstances, however Obama's answers seemed to be more geniune and thought out, while McCain stuck to simple one word answers and did not care to elaborate too much. I grew a bit impatient waiting for Obama to communicate his thought and at times he would divert giving a straightforward answer. I thought his "above my pay grade" line was a cop-out. Smart though, I'm sure his views on abortion would have drawn boos from the evangelical crowd.



McCain knew his audience and smartly tailored his answers to appease the crowd. He certainly did a better job of winning them over, but you have to question the credibility of his quick answers, whether the were pre-prepared stump speeches or honest answers.



If Rick Warren's intent were to create an atmosphere of non-campaign like, open forum for discussion, then Obama did a more convincing job.
 
[quote author="Shooby" date=1219113021]McCain knew his audience and smartly tailored his answers to appease the crowd. He certainly did a better job of winning them over, but you have to question the credibility of his quick answers, whether the were pre-prepared stump speeches or honest answers.</blockquote>
Why can't credible answers be quick and honest? A position on a simple issue shouldn't require an in-depth explanation. You are either for or against same-sex marriage, for example, and qualifiying that with "I can afford" (oh my....how magnanimous of you!) an allowance of civil rights doesn't change the fact that you are against same-sex marriages. That Obama doesn't get the hypocrisy of applying a "seperate-but-equal" solution to the problem further illustrates that he's clearly not thinking about the issue as much as how his answer is going to be portrayed. While McCain also allowed for vague "legal agreements", he laid out his position and the reasons for it in a quick and concise manner on the entire issue, including the potential use of the amendment process, with no ambiguity about his views.



I don't think knowing your own views and being prepared to answer questions about those views is a bad thing in a politician. I do think that failure in those things doesn't enhance an already thin list of qualifications. Obama has gotten this far on his ability to deliver a speech that appeals to people's better nature and a willingness to believe that anything is possible, which was enough during a primary contest. But in a general election, it isn't enough to be inspirational. The job of President is more than that and requires plans of action be executed, the formulation of policy based on ever changing events, and taking responsibilty for the results. When Obama participates a simple Q&A;on the major issues and appears to be still formulating a position on some issues, obfuscates his position on others, or attempts to craft an answer that will offend the least number of people he calls into question his ability to do the job he is trying to win.
 
BTW, I found a full transcript of the event <a href="http://www.clipsandcomment.com/2008/08/17/full-transcript-saddleback-presidential-forum-sen-barack-obama-john-mccain-moderated-by-rick-warren/">here</a>.
 
[quote author="cantaloop" date=1218970577]Unfortunately I didn't win tickets from our church lottery, so I had to watch it on CNN.



In any case, the forum really made it apparent (to me) who I'm going to vote for and would make a better president. Personally, I prefer a straight shooter who doesn't take forever to answer a question. *I probably gave away my stance and will be flamed especially since this is CA* Of course there were other issues that convinced me, but overall, whether you're Republican, Democrat, or just sitting on the fence, the forum really shined a light on the candidates' personality, style, and platform.



If you didn't catch it, the forum will be reshown on CNN tomorrow (Sunday) at 8pm.</blockquote> You could have watched it on Fox instead :)
 
[quote author="Nude" date=1219119286][quote author="Shooby" date=1219113021]McCain knew his audience and smartly tailored his answers to appease the crowd. He certainly did a better job of winning them over, but you have to question the credibility of his quick answers, whether the were pre-prepared stump speeches or honest answers.</blockquote>
Why can't credible answers be quick and honest? <blockquote> Excellent question!
 
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