debate-watch

... really interesting - whenever Obama mentions change in Washington, the lines (green for men, red for women - undecided voters in Ohio who are sitting, watching the debates with dials) go up, when McCain mentions it, they go down... good? We'll see in the polls afterwards. Interesting? Definitely.

btw - am also following on BBC, CNN and FiveThirtyEight - all worth looking at.

UPDATE: The only phone calls into the office in the last 40 mins have been press - I've given them our Comms Director's details and they've gone away!

UPDATE 2: Sorry was that McCain just saying that we need less money coming in from lobbyists? I think I must have mis-heard him. Fortunately the dials seem to respond pretty badly to that.

UPDATE 3: Really interesting - McCain has just had his best dials of the evening and that was talking about Russia and preventing another cold war. When talking about actual war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and even Dafur, Obama's dials were so much better than McCains. Wonder if this is people connecting the cold-war to times-past and seeing McCain in the same vein?

UPDATE 4: Nearly over now, and I think it's pretty much a draw. The good thing to take away from it is mainly that Obama's dials on foreign policy and military action have been better than McCain's across the board. This is one issue where you would expect McCain to do better.

UPDATE 5: Final question - What don't you know and how will you learn it? Great question by the way. Obama makes a joke about asking Michelle, then goes to his family history and makes the point that the American Dream and the ability of people to be provided for so they can succeed is the thing that enables you make decisions in situations you haven't been in before. His final point is about change and our need for it right now.
McCain talks about the things that no-one knows - the unforeseen challenges in the world, he also focuses on his family history. He mentions that he knows how to succeed through hard times and have to rely on others for support in tough times. He talks of the honour he's had in serving so far. He finishes with the "needing a steady hand at the till" line.

Debate over and I think it will come out a draw which is good for us, but watch the polls!