It's not even close (Lehigh / Boston Globe)

[struggle4progress]

By Scot Lehigh
Globe Columnist / October 16, 2008

JOHN MCCAIN came into the final presidential debate needing a game-changer, a Ronald Reagan moment, a Jerry Ford-like blunder by Barack Obama, something - anything - that would reverse the strengthening tide now running hard against him.

He didn't get it. Not even close ...

One of McCain's least believable moments came when he asserted he could balance the budget within four years. That's a completely unrealistic claim from a candidate who is proposing another large round of tax cuts ...

Game. Set. Match?

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/10/16/its_not_even_close/

[Laelth]

1. Indeed. McCain was terrible. Obama was Presidential. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[4lbs]

2. Obama was totally realistic on the timeline to balance the budget and eliminate the deficit.

Take Bill Clinton's terms as an example.

When he came into office, he had to also deal with a large federal deficit thanks to the Bush and Reagan Presidencies.

After his first term, there was still a deficit, although it was much smaller.

By the end of his 7th year, the deficit was finally eliminated, and when he left office, there was a budget surplus.

Thus, it would take about 8 years.

Obama said he felt that it would take about 10 years to wipe out the $500 billion deficit. That's realistic.

[teknomanzer]

3. The next time we have a surplus...

We need to pay down the national debt... I don't want to hear this bullshit about "It's your money," and "We're going to give the American people their money back," By which they mean they are going to give the filthy rich a fucking tax cut at the expense of everyone else. The national debt is going to be the ruin of the nation. PAY DOWN THE DEBT! Pay it down before the collectors start calling!

[FiveGoodMen]

4. So right!

The first in a long, long, long line of Bush scams was his stupid tax cut.

I think the whole point of it was to make sure that we didn't pay down the debt.

[Doctor_J]

5. According to the punditry and the last CNN and Gallup polls,

McSame scored heavily last night. ConNN's EV projection has Obama with only 277. Gallup Daily has Obama's lead shrinking. Post-debate wingery had McSame doing great. They're fixing to steal another one. Be ready