Slog - Comments on Obama and McCain at Last Night's Al Smith Dinner http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith "I'm sure everyone and their mother is sending you this," says Julie in Chicago, "but you have to post the video of McCain and Obama at the Al Smith memorial dinner. They are both hilarious, and McCain actually seems like a genuine, likable person instead of an angry, bitter old man."... Copyright 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:34:18 -0800 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:56:15 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by hilarious? Chicago is known for its terrible taste in humor

]]> hilarious? http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177340 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177340 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:40:01 -0800 Comment by Parsnip Obama's lame jokes make me smile. Maybe he won't approach his duty as President with the same "sense of humor" as our current one.

]]> Parsnip http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177345 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177345 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:56:53 -0800 Comment by Chris in Tampa Ugh, bowties. I'm not voting for either now.

]]> Chris in Tampa http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177350 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177350 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:07:17 -0800 Comment by meh McCain is actually funny. Wow.

Good job, comedy speechwriter! Now get back in your cage.

]]> meh http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177355 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177355 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:12:02 -0800 Comment by Timothy Hicks I think McCain probably is, at his core, a "genuine, likable person". He wouldn't have come as has as a politician if he wasn't. Unfortunately, he has done a Hillary and sold his sole trying to become President. I suspect that one day he will wake up and be profoundly sorry for many the things he has done and been party to this election. Shades of Faust.

]]> Timothy Hicks http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177369 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177369 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:23:44 -0800 Comment by tomasyalba Lucked into the whole fin de siecle thing last night on C-SPAN. I am in love with Mr. Old Money McCottontop stage left in back behind the podium - he either turned down his hearing aid during the speakers or genuinely did not give a flying fuck about what either was saying.

]]> tomasyalba http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177378 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177378 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:33:14 -0800 Comment by Julie in Chicago @1. Aww, come on. Lighten up a bit, will you. McCain started off slow, but the bits about the Clintons were funny. And Obama's Jesus and Superman bits were also good.

A little cheesy, yes. Written by speechwriters, of course. But, something about them having (or at least pretending to have) a sense of humor about the past 20 months, made me happy.

]]> Julie in Chicago http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177413 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177413 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:09:38 -0800 Comment by SeMe @5

i knew mccain would sell out his florsheim soles sooner or later. the bastard.

]]> SeMe http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177421 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177421 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:17:17 -0800 Comment by max solomon i don't care if he's "likeable". fuck mccain. this is a knife fight & the future of this fucked-up nation is on the line.

this timing of this dinner demeans the seriousness of the presidency & should be discontinued.

]]> max solomon http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177424 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177424 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:19:03 -0800 Comment by Andy Niable Jokes be damned, Obama wins the Who Looks Better In A Tux contest--not that elections are decided on such shallow issues or anything.

]]> Andy Niable http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177430 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177430 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:28:50 -0800 Comment by Atlanta Here is the funniest video I have seen today:
http://www.blogfordemocracy.org/2008/10/penguin_v_the_batman.html

Practically the last debate word for word!

]]> Atlanta http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177437 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177437 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:33:38 -0800 Comment by Levislade Good stuff on both sides.

"I never knew your great-grandfather, but from everything Sen. McCain has told me . . ."

Nice.

]]> Levislade http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177443 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177443 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:37:59 -0800 Comment by Lavode That was great! If McCain had acted more like that during the race, it would be closer. I thought his jokes were actually better than Obama's.

]]> Lavode http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177456 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177456 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:48:03 -0800 Comment by Hypatia Obama's biggest laughs from the crowd were in response to his own laughter. He's so dorky and serious most of the time (good qualities in a president!) that it's charming when the facade cracks for a moment.
Compare with Bush's incessant heh-heh-heh, which sends shudders of horror down my spine.

]]> Hypatia http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177457 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177457 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:50:05 -0800 Comment by Ariel @4 Ditto that. What a little magic a script can do!

]]> Ariel http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177478 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177478 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:12:16 -0800 Comment by Ariel Also, Obama in a bow-tie. He looks so young and fresh. So student council. Rowr.

]]> Ariel http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177483 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177483 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:13:56 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Shame his shirt didn't fit!

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177515 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177515 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:40:58 -0800 Comment by The Bailiff Who says the Catholic church doesn't still have spunk?
Um, let me rephrase that...

Max Solomon @9: "this timing of this dinner demeans the seriousness of the presidency & should be discontinued."

I want you to read that to yourself out loud so you can actually hear what you just wrote.
You're a comic genius.

]]> The Bailiff http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177519 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177519 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:45:00 -0800 Comment by violet_dagrinder Wow, McCain actually showed some decency at the end there. And it kinda sounded like a concession speech at the same time.

Otherwise, funny stuff. :)

]]> violet_dagrinder http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177562 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177562 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:25:21 -0800 Comment by jrrrl john mccain should have won the 2000 repub primaries. i hope he has a nice retirement.

]]> jrrrl http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177623 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177623 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:06:52 -0800 Comment by Sargon Bighorn They are both elitist.

]]> Sargon Bighorn http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177672 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177672 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:39:34 -0800 Comment by Bobolink If Senator McCain had run his entire campaign like his speech to the Al Smith dinner, he might well be the front runner now.

]]> Bobolink http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177774 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177774 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:01:56 -0800 Comment by JA3 "If McCain had been like this the whole campaign, he wouldn't be losing."

The identical comments were made about Al Gore in 2000, who suddenly became human and likable again to a lot of people once he gave his concession speech. You're seeing McCain outside the control of his handlers and the party -- same as when he shut down the "...he's an A-rab" lady last week.

Most of what these candidates do and say is determined by the pollsters, hacks and strategists in their party and campaign staffs.

McCain knows he's losing -- hell, he's known he was going to lose since AUGUST, maybe earlier. But he's been told that he must absolutely rile up "the GOP base," because if they think there's no chance of McCain winning, they don't show up on election day, and the Dems will win 60+ Senate seats and a bunch of new House seats. (That's why they made him take Palin as VP?)

McCain, being loyal to a fault (see also the 2000 SC primary), is going to take another one for the team and hope that pictures of Obama smoking a bong with Ayers, Manson and bin Laden come out before Nov 4.


Most pundits know all this. But they need a reason to show up for work for the next three weeks, so they'll never say it.

]]> JA3 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177987 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177987 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:32:21 -0800 Comment by Mike in MO somebody, please photoshop some "pictures of Obama smoking a bong with Ayers, Manson and bin Laden."

FUCKING STAT!!!!

]]> Mike in MO http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177989 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1177989 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:45:17 -0800 Comment by Mr Fuzzy McCain hardly blinks in this video. Is it because he's not lying, for a change?

]]> Mr Fuzzy http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1178047 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/obama_and_mccain_at_last_nights_al_smith#c1178047 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:56:15 -0800