War For The White House Blog
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A recent graduate of Yale University, Oliver Thayer is the Onion's Web and Politics editor. He has more than four and a half months of experience, and is thrilled to be spearheading the Onion's election coverage. Read his posts from the beginning, or return to the main blog.
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POSTED BY: Oliver Thayer, Web & Politics Editor
Sep 29, 2008, 3:28 pm
That was some debate we had last week. I know Dac was really looking forward to it and was bummed when it looked like McCain might not show. The blogosphere has been abuzz about it, and the verdict is in!
McCain won even before the debates began! This is according to the McCain campaign which took out ads declaring victory during the day on Friday. They put money on it. That's confidence right there.
David Broder agrees. He calls McCain "the Alpha Male" for his domineering style and Obama's constant refrain that McCain was "absolutely right."
No McCain sentences began with a similar acknowledgment of his opponent's wisdom, even though the two did, in fact, agree on Iran, Russia and the U.S. financial crisis far more than they disagreed.
Bam!
But wait, former Bill Clinton adviser and McCain-supporting, Fox News contributing analyst Dick Morris says Obama won because he more effectively spoke to the needs of the American people than John McCain did. Morris was on Sean Hannity's show when he rendered his judgment, and Hannity disagreed with Morris, saying Obama demonstrated too much book knowledge.
I can see where he's coming from. Who needs book knowledge when you have blog knowledge?
Of course, as Marc Ambinder effectively points out, Obama's mainstream, normal image is the reason he can claim victory, but TownHall says McCain handily defeats Obama on foreign policy and the bracelet moment for Obama was "unbearable."
So it was a tie. Dan Balz at the Washington Post thinks so. Even as I type this blog a consensus is emerging that McCain won the foreign policy debate and Obama won the domestic economic debate. The Wall Street Journal agrees.
Then there's who's winning the debate over who won the debate. That battle continues to play out. The New York Times reports that both campaigns were launching attacks moments after the debate ended in an attempt to convince the country that their side had won.
In summary, McCain won the projecting confidence at 72-years-old foreign policy debate, while Obama won the hey, he actually sounds like he knows what he's talking about economic debate. Of course, Obama's inability to remember McCain's first name cost a few points among hardcore Republicans, but then McCain's refusal to high five at the end is sure to have a negative impact on youth voters, and on the crucial issue of note-taking, Obama was the clear favorite. Lincoln and Douglas have nothing on these guys.
All of this presidential debate judgment will be short-lived, however. It's already past time to start predicting who will win the vice presidential debate this Thursday in St. Louis. Clearly Biden and Palin will win, and it will be too close to call.
I can't wait.
Send comments to politics@theonion.com.
Introducing The Onion's Political Blog Team
POSTED BY: Oliver Thayer, Web & Politics Editor
Sep 25, 2008, 11:40 am
Hi, I'm Oliver Thayer, Web and Politics Editor for the Onion!
During the political conventions, we dispatched our editorial cartoonist with nothing but a digital camera, outdated laptop and limited oversight. He sent back short observations throughout the day, and with little to no editing, we published these pieces on our website. This timely, unedited, and completely off-the-cuff format is known as a blog.
Until very recently, it wasn't certain that blogging would catch on. But after carefully observing the Internet over the past several weeks, we've determined that they are here to stay, and could potentially influence the mainstream media. Some day, blogs might even be opened up to readers to post their own reactions and thoughts, creating a free-flowing marketplace of ideas in cyberspace! But until then, we have decided to harness the potential of the blog medium to provide insight and analysis during this election season, and we've assembled a top-notch group of bloggers to do it. They are:
Kendra Davidson, Owner of The Davidson Family Restaurant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Kendra has poured coffee for every major presidential candidate of the last 16 years, except Barack Obama and John McCain, who apparently couldn't be bothered.
Carla Freeman, Junior Class President
Carla Freeman was recently elected president of the North Forke High School Class of 2010 in Pleasant Valley, Missouri. She providers an insider's perspective on what it takes to run a campaign.
Kelly, Onion Editorial Cartoonist
The Onion's editorial cartoonist, Kelly, used his 35 years of experience to offer an inside look at the most important events of the political party conventions.
Dac Kien, Retired Vietcong Torturer
Dac spent 12 years fighting for the Vietcong to unify his country. For five of those years, he tortured John McCain and developed a deep and intimate view of the Republican nominee in the process.
Don DeLillo, Master of Postmodern Literature
Don DeLillo is considered one of America's greatest living novelists. His works explore themes of consumerism, alienation, and decontextualization, and include such towering postmodernist classics as White Noise, Mao II, and Underworld.
Gary Brunson, 4-Week-Old Fetus
Gary is a member of the Young America's Foundation and an outspoken critic of liberal politics.
Peter Martling, Hungover Blogger
Peter has covered politics from Washington, D.C. for 15 years. He keeps three items in his desk drawer: a pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution, his first reporter's notebook and a bottle of Maker's Mark.
Sam Holtzman, Single Issue Voter
Sam works for the Davis, California Department of Transportation. He lives with his dog, Hunter.
Pip Dawkins, 19th Century Street Urchin
Pip was orphaned at age three when his parents died of cholera. He resides at the Bethnal Green Workhouse in London, and is ever so excited for this year's election in America.
T. Herman Zweibel, Onion Publisher Emeritus
Zweibel penned his first Onion editorial in 1880 and is considered "The Father of American Journalism." He spends his time financing the latest military conflicts and manipulating information for the purpose of profit-making.
Oliver Thayer, Web & Politics Editor
A recent graduate of Yale University, Oliver Thayer is the Onion's Web & Politics editor. He has more than four and a half months of experience, and is thrilled to be spearheading the Onion's election coverage.
I'll chime in regularly with reflections on the news industry, our own blogging efforts, and the election. Political blogging is the future of political reporting, and I'm proud to lead this time traveling expedition.
I honestly believe there's never been a better time to work for a newspaper.
Blogoriphically Yours,
Oliver Thayer
Web & Politics Editor, The Onion
- sent from my iPhone 3G
Send comments to politics@theonion.com.
