Debateness

Well, I didn't get to watch the debate in a public place, but i think staying at home was better because (although the crowd reaction would have been amusing)I actually got to pay attention to what was going on.  I liked the coverage by CNN - with the split screen showing both candidates, and I also loved the real-time graph tracking the impressions of men and women.  For one thing, it was interesting to just to see the difference and how the opinions merged and diverged.  It seems like obama's cool nature appeals more to women, whereas mccain's abrasive personality turns them off.  Plus, the technology aspect is fascinating to me.  It's like watching pro football, where ever move is tracked, recorded, and calculated - which simultaneously improves the game and engages the viewers.   The amount of thought that goes into a campaign is mind-boggling.  I can just see it now - huge offices packed with statisticians, crunching numbers, all frantically and meticulously trying to figure out the key phrases that appeal to the audience and the gestures and words that should be omitted from now on. 

Although the commentators insisted that the 'Joe the Plumber' reference was effective, it was clear that women got annoyed with it after hearing it probably more than seven times.  Who is Joe?  Doe he have children?  A wife?  Ten employees or one?  I don't know, but tonight... he's famous. 

I think this was one of the best debates, although I didn't get to watch 100% of the others.  

I really also liked that Washington Post online had a 'fact checker' website so that viewers can go and quickly find reliable data to refute or backup what the candidates said during the debate.  

And of course, I couldn't help but notice that McCain mentioned wind, tidal, solar, and biomass as key energy issues, and Obama continues to mention wind, solar, and geothermal.  Although I don't know much about it yet, I'm pleasantly surprised that tidal energy got mentioned, and I think that tidal energy is going to receive a greater share of attention in the renewables vocabulary in the very near future.  But. although the words sound good, you can't just IMMEDIATELY start drilling offshore and building nuclear power plants tomorrow.  Just the amount of time it takes to get the permitting puts these project start dates probably at least ten years away from now.  It's not that we shouldn't be thinking about options, it's just that we have to be realistic and understand that, sadly, the best answers in the long run are not usually the ones that improve the immediate financial situation or show price reductions at the pump.

  

That's all I have to say about that.  I dont care who you vote for, just be sure to vote.