Bassett
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McCain Wins Debate by Connecting with Average 'Joe'
Posted by Bobby Eberle
October 16, 2008 at 6:37 am >> Printer-Friendly Version
In the third and final debate held Wednesday night between Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama, America finally witnessed John McCain at his best. He consistently took the fight to Obama, and more importantly, McCain spoke to the American people... saying exactly what his programs and those of Obama's would do for average Americans.
By reaching out to "Joe the Plumber," McCain transformed policies into understandable actions. He also did the same with Obama's policies and let America know what an Obama administration would do for the country. McCain saved his best performance for last, and it could be what turns the tide in the swing states and the election. Here are some highlights:
Of course, for anyone who watched the debate, the real star of it was neither McCain nor Obama. It was Joe Wurzelbacher. Joe is a real plumber who confronted Obama about the issue of taxes. Obama responded with classic socialism, saying that it was good to "spread the wealth." Check out my previous post to find out more about Obama and Joe the Plumber.
There are so many keys to good debating, and although McCain missed some opportunities, he connected on one very important item -- know your audience. You don't speak to the moderator, you speak to the audience. In this case, to be specific, the audience is the American people, namely those who are wondering what's going to happen in these uncertain economic times. McCain looked directly into the camera and spoke to Joe the Plumber.
As noted in a news story running on GOPUSA:
Earlier this week, when Wurzelbacher got a chance to speak with Obama during a campaign appearance in Toledo, he told Obama that his tax plan would keep him from buying the business that currently employs him.
Sensing an opportunity during the debate, McCain cited that exchange when the candidates were asked to explain why their economic plans are better than their opponent's. McCain said Obama's plan would stop entrepreneurs from investing in new small businesses and keep existing ones from growing.
"Joe wants to buy the business that he has been in for all of these years, worked 10, 12 hours a day. And he wanted to buy the business but he looked at your tax plan and he saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes," McCain challenged Obama.
"You were going to put him in a higher tax bracket which was going to increase his taxes, which was going to cause him not to be able to employ people, which Joe was trying to realize the American dream," McCain said.
McCain then looked directly into the television camera and said: "Joe, I want to tell you, I'll not only help you buy that business that you worked your whole life for and I'll keep your taxes low and I'll provide available and affordable health care for you and your employees. And I will not stand for a tax increase on small business income."
McCain scored solid points on the tax issue overall. In one exchange, Obama said, "So, look, nobody likes taxes. I would prefer that none of us had to pay taxes, including myself. But ultimately, we've got to pay for the core investments that make this economy strong and somebody's got to do it."
Core investments??? I wish McCain would have hammered on that. For a socialist like Obama, EVERYTHING is a core investment, and Americans will be taxed more and more until government controls everything. However, McCain did respond by saying, "Nobody likes taxes. Let's not raise anybody's taxes. OK?" Short and sweet... but also accurate. We don't need to raise taxes on anyone.
Obama's response? It was, "Well, I don't mind paying a little more." If so, then go right ahead!!!
Another area in which McCain was very strong was earmarks and spending. The senator had made a career opposing earmarks and made sure that everyone knew of Obama's fondness for them. McCain noted Obama's earmarks "including $3 million for an overhead projector in a planetarium in his hometown. That's not the way we cut -- we'll cut out all the pork."
If there's one complaint I have it is that McCain had many opportunities to follow-up and, instead, let openings go. He did a much better job of connecting with the American people, and he brought up key issues, but it's almost like he was going through his mental checklist of "zingers" and would only hit them once. Earmarks is a perfect example.
Yes, Sen. McCain mentioned the overhead projector, and that was great. However, later in the debate, Obama said, "Earmarks account for 0.5 percent of the total federal budget. There's no doubt that the system needs reform and there are a lot of screwy things that we end up spending money on, and they need to be eliminated. But it's not going to solve the problem."
McCain should have pounced. This was a golden opportunity to once again show the American people that Obama is just another left-wing politician. There's no doubt the system needs reform? Then McCain should say, "If that's the case, why haven't you stepped up and been a leader on this issue? Why do you continue to waste taxpayer money on such projects?"
This is the type of activity that leads to corruption, and McCain could have easily added, "Why Sen. Obama have you -- in just two short years -- become the second largest recipient in history of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac contributions?"
As opposed to the previous debates, McCain threw many jabs and scored many points. But in order to knock out your opponent, you have to follow the jabs with the "pay-off" punch. McCain never did that. He mentioned Ayers briefly, then moved on. He mentioned the pork, then moved on. The one thing he did do consistently was mention Joe the Plumber and bring the discussion back to the American people... excellent job!
McCain has a chance to win. He needs to simply tell America what his vision is, and what Obama's is as well. Obama will bring America closer to socialism than ever before. A McCain administration will go after corruption and spending, lower taxes for ALL Americans, and not engage in the type of class warfare rhetoric that Obama preaches. To Sen. McCain... Don't be afraid to throw the knock-out punch! If you don't take Obama out now, he's going to be "champ" for the next four years. That is something America cannot afford.
October 16, 2008 at 6:37 am >> Printer-Friendly Version
In the third and final debate held Wednesday night between Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama, America finally witnessed John McCain at his best. He consistently took the fight to Obama, and more importantly, McCain spoke to the American people... saying exactly what his programs and those of Obama's would do for average Americans.
By reaching out to "Joe the Plumber," McCain transformed policies into understandable actions. He also did the same with Obama's policies and let America know what an Obama administration would do for the country. McCain saved his best performance for last, and it could be what turns the tide in the swing states and the election. Here are some highlights:
Of course, for anyone who watched the debate, the real star of it was neither McCain nor Obama. It was Joe Wurzelbacher. Joe is a real plumber who confronted Obama about the issue of taxes. Obama responded with classic socialism, saying that it was good to "spread the wealth." Check out my previous post to find out more about Obama and Joe the Plumber.
There are so many keys to good debating, and although McCain missed some opportunities, he connected on one very important item -- know your audience. You don't speak to the moderator, you speak to the audience. In this case, to be specific, the audience is the American people, namely those who are wondering what's going to happen in these uncertain economic times. McCain looked directly into the camera and spoke to Joe the Plumber.
As noted in a news story running on GOPUSA:
Earlier this week, when Wurzelbacher got a chance to speak with Obama during a campaign appearance in Toledo, he told Obama that his tax plan would keep him from buying the business that currently employs him.
Sensing an opportunity during the debate, McCain cited that exchange when the candidates were asked to explain why their economic plans are better than their opponent's. McCain said Obama's plan would stop entrepreneurs from investing in new small businesses and keep existing ones from growing.
"Joe wants to buy the business that he has been in for all of these years, worked 10, 12 hours a day. And he wanted to buy the business but he looked at your tax plan and he saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes," McCain challenged Obama.
"You were going to put him in a higher tax bracket which was going to increase his taxes, which was going to cause him not to be able to employ people, which Joe was trying to realize the American dream," McCain said.
McCain then looked directly into the television camera and said: "Joe, I want to tell you, I'll not only help you buy that business that you worked your whole life for and I'll keep your taxes low and I'll provide available and affordable health care for you and your employees. And I will not stand for a tax increase on small business income."
McCain scored solid points on the tax issue overall. In one exchange, Obama said, "So, look, nobody likes taxes. I would prefer that none of us had to pay taxes, including myself. But ultimately, we've got to pay for the core investments that make this economy strong and somebody's got to do it."
Core investments??? I wish McCain would have hammered on that. For a socialist like Obama, EVERYTHING is a core investment, and Americans will be taxed more and more until government controls everything. However, McCain did respond by saying, "Nobody likes taxes. Let's not raise anybody's taxes. OK?" Short and sweet... but also accurate. We don't need to raise taxes on anyone.
Obama's response? It was, "Well, I don't mind paying a little more." If so, then go right ahead!!!
Another area in which McCain was very strong was earmarks and spending. The senator had made a career opposing earmarks and made sure that everyone knew of Obama's fondness for them. McCain noted Obama's earmarks "including $3 million for an overhead projector in a planetarium in his hometown. That's not the way we cut -- we'll cut out all the pork."
If there's one complaint I have it is that McCain had many opportunities to follow-up and, instead, let openings go. He did a much better job of connecting with the American people, and he brought up key issues, but it's almost like he was going through his mental checklist of "zingers" and would only hit them once. Earmarks is a perfect example.
Yes, Sen. McCain mentioned the overhead projector, and that was great. However, later in the debate, Obama said, "Earmarks account for 0.5 percent of the total federal budget. There's no doubt that the system needs reform and there are a lot of screwy things that we end up spending money on, and they need to be eliminated. But it's not going to solve the problem."
McCain should have pounced. This was a golden opportunity to once again show the American people that Obama is just another left-wing politician. There's no doubt the system needs reform? Then McCain should say, "If that's the case, why haven't you stepped up and been a leader on this issue? Why do you continue to waste taxpayer money on such projects?"
This is the type of activity that leads to corruption, and McCain could have easily added, "Why Sen. Obama have you -- in just two short years -- become the second largest recipient in history of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac contributions?"
As opposed to the previous debates, McCain threw many jabs and scored many points. But in order to knock out your opponent, you have to follow the jabs with the "pay-off" punch. McCain never did that. He mentioned Ayers briefly, then moved on. He mentioned the pork, then moved on. The one thing he did do consistently was mention Joe the Plumber and bring the discussion back to the American people... excellent job!
McCain has a chance to win. He needs to simply tell America what his vision is, and what Obama's is as well. Obama will bring America closer to socialism than ever before. A McCain administration will go after corruption and spending, lower taxes for ALL Americans, and not engage in the type of class warfare rhetoric that Obama preaches. To Sen. McCain... Don't be afraid to throw the knock-out punch! If you don't take Obama out now, he's going to be "champ" for the next four years. That is something America cannot afford.
