That debate was awful

[JollyRoger]

Probably the worst debate yet. Plenty of questions on flag pins, bitterness, and black preachers. Topics that Gibson and Stephanopoulos neglected to ask about:

The financial crisis
The collapse of housing values in the US and around the world
Afghanistan
Health care
Torture
The declining value of the US Dollar
Education
Trade
Pakistan
Energy
Immigration
The decline of American manufacturing
The Supreme Court
The burgeoning world food crisis.
Global warming
China
The attacks on organized labor and the working class
Terrorism and al Qaeda
Civil liberties and constraints on government surveillance

As for out of touch, Gibson apparently thinks $200,000 is a solid middle class income. Guess you can be in the top 5% and still be consideed solidly within the middle class.

 

[skadistic]

Just remember that both of them promised no new taxes on any one who makes under 250k.

 

[JollyRoger]

Just remember that both of them promised no new taxes on any one who makes under 250k.

Who cares about that? I just want to make sure that my President wears a made-in-China American flag pin on their lapel, has a decent bowling score, and drinks coffee instead of orange juice.

 

[Swedishguy]

Political debates are extremely boring, and actually aren't very relevant.

 

[ShannonCT]

As for out of touch, Gibson apparently thinks $200,000 is a solid middle class income. Guess you can be in the top 5% and still be consideed solidly within the middle class.

It all depends on where you live. 200K is a small fortune in Idaho but solidly middle class in much of the Northeast.

 

[Phlegmak]

There was a Republican debate that happened a few months ago. Some journalist said it was probably the worst television he's ever seen. Armstrong and Getty (a radio show I listen to) said the debate was "dry, dry, dry". Does anyone know exactly which debate this was and what date it was?

 

[JollyRoger]

It all depends on where you live. 200K is a small fortune in Idaho but solidly middle class in much of the Northeast.

So doesn't that make Gibson an out-of-touch elite who can't relate to anything outside of Northeastern big cities?

 

[ShannonCT]

So doesn't that make Gibson an out-of-touch elite who can't relate to anything outside of Northeastern big cities?

That may be, but Gibson is making a lot more than 200K a year isn't he. The reality on the ground here (in the Northeast) is that the cost of living is quite a bit higher than in the middle of the country. Terms like "middle class" have to take into account cost of living to be meaningful.

 

[Supermath]

It all depends on where you live. 200K is a small fortune in Idaho but solidly middle class in much of the Northeast.

Not really. Even the richest county in the US has only just reached half that.

 

[Phlegmak]

I found this about the debate:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/04/stephanopoulos.html
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZDVlNjdhMThjZDYxNDdkZjYxMTg5NDgxOWI1MDY5N2I=

Stephanapolous got his questions from Hannity? I didn't watch the debate, but I read the description of it. It sounds as awful as people are saying.

EDIT: More
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4/16/13329/3501/457/496866

Those who are afraid of certain websites may stick their heads in the sand and pretend those websites didn't happen because of their "bias" or whatever.

 

[JollyRoger]

That may be, but Gibson is making a lot more than 200K a year isn't he. The reality on the ground here (in the Northeast) is that the cost of living is quite a bit higher than in the middle of the country. Terms like "middle class" have to take into account cost of living to be meaningful.

I live in the richest county in Texas. Median household income is around $70k. Point to a county where median household income comes close to $200k.

 

[Keshik]

That's what we get when the two agree on just about every issue. It's just a question of how they would advance the agenda and which personality you like more.

 

[Supermath]

I live in the richest county in Texas. Median household income is around $70k. Point to a county where median household income comes close to $200k.

Fairfax County, Virginia is the richest in the US and it has just hit $100,000 median income.

 

[JollyRoger]

The lapel flag pin thing is pretty funny. It somehow brings into question the patriotism of Obama, but not Hillary, Gibson, or Stephanopoulos who were not wearing a pin at the debate nor Mccain who wasn't wearing one on an appearance on MSNBC yesterday. Obama is being uppity while the rest are just saving their pin for a special occassion.

 

[JollyRoger]

Fairfax County, Virginia is the richest in the US and it has just hit $100,000 median income.

Guess that makes Fairfax County impoverished then, since it takes $200k to survive the cost of living and be considered middle class.

 

[Supermath]

The lapel flag pin thing is pretty funny. It somehow brings into question the patriotism of Obama, but not Hillary, Gibson, or Stephanopoulos who were not wearing a pin at the debate nor Mccain who wasn't wearing one on an appearance on MSNBC yesterday. Obama is being uppity while the rest are just saving their pin for a special occassion.

George Washington didn't war a flag on his lapel, and look at how he turned out. And don't say dead.

 

[JollyRoger]

George Washington didn't war a flag on his lapel, and look at how he turned out. And don't say dead.

He was so pre-9/11. He was instrumental in advocating for the freedoms that the terrorists hate us for, so it is no suprise that he was unpatriotic enough not to wear a flag pin. He was practically begging the terrorists to attack us from day 1.

 

[Phlegmak]

George Washington didn't war a flag on his lapel, and look at how he turned out. And don't say dead.

Psst. I'm pretty sure JollyRoger doesn't care about the fact that Obama didn't wear a flag lapel once.

 

[JollyRoger]

Psst. I'm pretty sure JollyRoger doesn't care about the fact that Obama didn't wear a flag lapel once.

I'm more concerend that he turned down coffee for orange juice. He should have requested a latte.

 

[skadistic]

Fairfax County, Virginia is the richest in the US and it has just hit $100,000 median income.

Median income does not equal middle class.