Should Obama be friendly towards an aggressive McCain tomorrow?

I believe that McCain having nothing to lose, is going to be very aggressive towards Obama and break a few rules (after all he is a mavrick).

I know Obama has decided his debate strategy already, but my guess is that it would be idiotic to respond with an aggressive tone.

If Obama talks to John as a friend from the Senate, keeps a cool head and brings the facts, then he would look respectful, ready to work across party line, and also show how he can behave when under direct attack.

It would also make McCain look like an old angry man. Who would vote for 4 years of "Get off my lawn"?

Stay cool and tell the truth.

:hi:

correct answer.

knock down McTroll's slimes with force and push the message of change.

Do you remember Mohammad Ali's famous rope-a-dope knock out strategy in which Ali encouraged his opponent, Smokin' Joe Frazer, to get overly aggressive by lying on the ropes and rolling with the punches only to knock old Joe cold once Joe was exasperated and exhausted?

In tonight's debate, McCain is set to fall for the equivalence to Ali's rope-a-dope strategy, accepting his supports calls to get more aggressive and Obama's challenge to make to his face aspersions McCain has cast on the stump.

No matter what, McCain can't resist the latter. If Obama stays cool as usual, making light of McCain's attacks--perhaps, with that Jay Z move he used during the primaries --old John will get as frustrated, angry, frantic and foolish as Smokin' Joe in "The Thriller in Manila."

Obama is so cool and collected that he makes McCain look simply nuts.

The high road is best.

He cannot sound nonchalant because people may interpret it as affirmation of McCain's attacks and we all know McCain will be an attack dog tomorrow.

Obama must sound passionate about his views and call out McCain whenever he fails to mention the serious issues that concern Americans.

Obama must remain calm, but be forceful when necessery and I'm confident he will.

Brokenjaw tried, but the worst he could do in the "town hall" format was to constantly cut off Obama's responses and claim "time restraints that both parties agreed to" :eyes:

This will be the standard canned media whore moderator "debate" format, and I'm predicting it's going to be about as fair and unbiased as that fucking joke of a primary debate on ABC where Chuckles and Snuffy whined about flag pins and their own personal capital gains taxes. Scheiffer's brother is the Bush Crime Family ambassador to Japan. There's no question what team he's on.

If he helps McSenile stir up the crap, then Obama needs to bring the smackdown to both of them.

its a bit of a thin line but you can't let somebody call you a traitor and brush it off. A bit of anger or a very clever way of laughing it off are the only real calls.

Both would be devastating. A scoffing to the personal attacks and some very controlled but tough emotion at what McCain and BushCo. have done to our country.

Agreed 100%. I don't think Obama can do EXACTLY what he did in the last two debates and come out the clear winner. Obama easily won the first two debates, but there were different circumstances then.

Polls were close in the first debate and McCain never launched personal attacks because he hadn't yet settled for the tactic of character assassination.

In the second debate McCain was CLEARLY behind in the polls, but McCain never got around to attacking Obama's character because it was a town hall format and none of the questions related to Obama's character. It would have looked extremely awkward if McCain attacked Obama's character forcefully.

Make no mistake about it, McCain will be a nasty attack dog tomorrow and Obama must gameplan for it. This third debate is a different animal and Obama must adjust his game accordingly and I'm confident he will.

No. Really Obama just needs to be himself. Let Uncle Fester burn himself out with his jealousy and seething rage.

And how Americans are sick and tired of fear mongering and vile personal attacks. They want to hear ideas that will help them keep their jobs, keep their homes, and if they've lost either or both of those, have a shot at getting them back.

Obama will turn it deftly back onto Grumpy, and make Grumpy look like the sad, clueless loser he is.

Cool Hand Barack. He knows how to smash his opponent without getting himself dirty in the process.

it's over for him.

Obama's responses should be a calm, matter-of-fact way - this draws an even starker contrast between the two. let mccain implode on his own.

you have one candidate eager to attack, who is jumpy, excitable, erratic and acts before he thinks.

then you have one who responds with a cool head, responds with facts, shows that he thinks before he acts.

as far as the Ayers attack that mccain is telegraphing - this isn't going to be a "townhall" style, so unless the moderator brings it up, the only way mccain is going to be able to "attack" is to twist a question or completely ignore a question in order to bring it up. That being said - since mccain has "telegraphed" his Ayers attack, I'm sure Obama has his responses lined up.

this may be "the debate" to watch, it's the last one, mccain is desperate and more likely to do something stupid than not.

I think it will be difficult for McCain to succeed tonight against Obama. It's a mismatch, really. Obama has won in most respects before the debate even begins.

The week preceeding tonight's debate in New York has been disastrous for McCain and demoralizing for his campaign effort. I picture his campaign staff boozing it up to all hours, bemoaning their state, then trying to fight through a hangover the next morning while Palin is out somewhere making a complete idiot of herself and McCain is out somewhere else not doing much better than Palin.

They pick up a paper and see conservatives from Brooks to Buckley are endorsing Obama.

It can't be much fun right now to be a Republican.

1. He needs to ensure McCain is looking him directly in the eye (even if he has to ask).

2. Politely thank McCain for the efforts he has made on a couple of occasions recently to correct the wingnuts at his rallies.

3. Invite McCain to put the record straight regarding the questions about Obama's patriotism,religion,nationality, just to clear things up on national TV.

One of the things that I'm totally loving about Obama? I feel that he is a cool, calm, and collected Leader. He has an ease in the face of the storm/fire with himself and his capabilities. Letting McCain be temperamental and ornery is the way to go.

That said, I don't care WHAT the first question is - if it goes to Obama? He needs to weave a PROACTIVE 'response' to the Ayers "memo". And he needs to use the following words - Ayers is a maverick who BOTH John and I have a connection with via the standard American Political process.

He needs to take some 'words' from McCain and show that 'mavericks' tend to go all wonky, wierd and temperamental when they don't get what they want when they want it. ;-)

It wouldn't be wise to look weak at this point- he's got to at least give as good as he gets.

as opposed to the doddering, demented old fool who doesn't make eye contact or shake hands.

With kindness and compassion...

knows and that's why he's running for President and not me.

The contrast makes McCain look like an angry, old troll. I'm hoping the miserable coot will finally pop his cork on live television and call Barack a racial slur.