Elections News 2008 - Presidential Debates

Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates - Elections 2008

Presidential Debate Scorecard, Oct. 15

After each debate, a panel of Political Machine bloggers -- two who lean left, two from the right -- grade the candidates' performances. Who was the most knowledgeable? Funniest? Overall winner? Then it's your chance to weigh in. Take the polls and see how you match up with our bloggers' ratings.
Full Political Machine Coverage | McCain, Obama Clash in Third Debate

Presidential Debate, Sept. 26 | VP Debate, Oct. 2 | Presidential Debate, Oct. 7 | Presidential Debate, Oct. 15

CATEGORY: Candidate	Liza Porteus Viana	Greg McNeilly	David Knowles	Mark Impomeni	Your Ratings
WHO WON? McCain or Obama	McCain, slightly	McCain, by a reformer mile	Obama, by a lot	McCain, by a lot	Vote Here
KNOWLEDGE: Obama	4.1	2.0	4.5	2.5
KNOWLEDGE: McCain	4.5	5.0	4.0	4.5
POISE: Obama	5.0	3.0	5.0	3.0
POISE: McCain	4.2	3.0	3.0	4.0
LIKABILITY: Obama	4.0	2.0	4.0	4.0
LIKABILITY: McCain	4.1	3.0	3.0	4.0
MOST PRESIDENTIAL? McCain or Obama	Obama, slightly	Neither	Obama, by a lot	McCain, by a lot
FUNNIEST MOMENT? McCain or Obama	McCain, in a slightly sarcastic way, and his facial expressions; Obama: "Even Fox News" disputes McCain's claim about his tax policy, "and that doesn't happen very often when it comes to accusations about me."	McCain on Bill Ayers: "I don't care about a washed-up terrorist."	McCain: "Senator Obama will tell you, as the extreme environmentalists do, [nuclear energy] has to be safe."	McCain to Joe the Plumber: "Joe, you're rich, congratulations."
BEST INSULT OR ZINGER McCain or Obama	McCain: "We need to spread the wealth around. In other words, we're gonna take Joe's [the Plumber] money, give it to Senator Obama, and let him spread the wealth around. I want Joe the Plumber to spread the wealth around."	Obama: "I think Americans are less interested in our hurt feelings than the issues."	McCain's body language while Obama was speaking.	McCain: "Senator Government"!
BEST MOMENT McCain or Obama	McCain: "Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you want to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago."; Obama: "When people suggest I pal around with terrorists, we're not talking about the issues."	ACORN	After the lengthy discussion on negativity, McCain went off on Ayers and ACORN, proving Schieffer's point.	McCain speaking directly to "Joe the Plumber." It's humanizing and connects with average folks.

Presidential Debate, Sept. 26 | VP Debate, Oct. 2 | Presidential Debate, Oct. 7 | Presidential Debate, Oct. 15

Presidential Debates Schedule

John McCain vs. Barack Obama Watch Full Debate \| Scorecard	FRI SEP	26
Joe Biden vs. Sarah Palin Watch Full Debate \| Scorecard	THU OCT	02
John McCain vs. Barack Obama Watch Full Debate \| Scorecard	TUE OCT	07
John McCain vs. Barack Obama Watch Full Debate \| Scorecard	WED OCT	15