Live Blog b-blog Blog Bloging the De-biggity @ Hofstra

Ok folks... here we are. Here goes nothing. Phils just turned a nice double play to end the second inning. Kimmie and I are here watching the TV with Phils picture in picture in the lower left and CNN in the main picture of the TV. Wolf Blitzer is cooing at us with his dulcet tones. All is right wiht the world.

Meanwhile, you should know that tonight's debate is taking place at Kim's alma mater, Hofstra. She said she recognizes the neighborhoods in the video posted on today's Debate Warmup post.

So here we go folks. Blogging in a few minutes... live, here, in the hooooooouuuuuuuuse.

9:01 PM Bob Schieffer looks so jolly and nice. Kim agrees!
9:02 PM McCain is writing frantically, Kim says we can't vote for him because he's a lefty, aka sinisterness. Also, sup with the black tie, McCain? Don't cha know? It's blue or red, man. BLUE OR RED!!!!! Why does McCain hate America? Oh, sorry... got carried.
9:04 PM Kim pointed out that McCain's face (on the left cheek) looks particularly swollen today.
9:07 PM Welcome Matts of the world, Nate, Corinne, anyone else who hasn't commented yet. Also, Kim is worried about the question of what the candidates are going to do to help people who actually do pay their mortgages
9:09 PM Kim's asking why the government doesn't go after all the small businesses who don't claim any of the $ they make. Her question is why people get away with claiming $30,000 when they're somehow magically paying to live in a $500,000 home. I said, "hmm... that's way more insightful than anything I could have said on this topic."
9:11 PM McCain wants to prevent Obama from spreading money all over the place. No spreads. McCain does not like that fake spread stuff, only real butter NO SPREADS!!!
9:13 PM From the comments: Joe Sixpack, Joe the Plumber, GI Joe, Jonah and the Whale
McCain dominates in all J-names!!!, also Ryan Howard just singled in the Phils second run of the game, Phillies 2/Dodgers 0. Finally, McCain still frantically and sinisterly writing.
9:15 PM Burell singles in the next Phillies run (Phillies 3/Dodgers 0)
9:16 PM A little delayed here, but how about that classic, "class warfare" dig from McCain??? That was old skool! I remembered when McCain started talking about how things worked back in the Great Depression when McCain was first elected to the Senate. Men in Ohio LOVE when McCain talks about hatcheting his scalpels.
9:18 PM YES YES YES, 18 minutes in and McCain has already brought out the projector! That's right, Johnny Mac! Hit 'em hard! Drill baby Drill!
9:21 PM Men like when McCain gets testy, women not so much. Obama sometimes just outright laughs when John McCain gets super testy.
9:24 PM Woah weird moment where McCain challenges Obama on whether he's challenged his party's leaders, then when Obama actually offers some examples McCain pulls out an even bigger list.
9:25 PM From the comments: Venice: The black tie is for McCain's campaign. Corinne: yeah - Mccain looks like darth vader with that tie. Glad we're all on the same page.
9:30 PM Of Course McCain talks to Joe the plumber about his wealth and how people want to put low-fat non-butter spreads on his money.
9:34 PM From the comments: Oh come on. Stop pretending like you don't understand what Lewis was saying about the atmosphere at your campaign events! I hate it when politicians pretend to be upset about something. I hate it so very much.
9:36 PM Hi Auntie Mel-mel! Nice to see you here with us!!!!
9:36 PM Wow... into the Ayers thing.
9:38 PM While Obama was talking I think McCain was gritting his teeth or something, because Kim noticed and then we both watched in awe as his left cheek kinda pulsated. Weird stuff.
9:42 PM From the comments: Raphe: phew, thank you, a new good topic... whew! what about those running mates? YEOW!, venice: Running mates? This can't be good for McCain!
9:43 PM Kim, "Do you know how much he regrets picking her?" Amen. Wait! Wait! Todd Palin is tough, so VOTE McCAIN!
9:47 PM Wow, McCain pulled out the whole we've had nukes on Navy ships for years so it must be safe line AGAIN. Seriously. Do people believe this? I guess the folks who might fall for that won't necessarily worry about whether it makes any sense or not.
9:50 PM From the comments: venice: Forget foreign oil. What really worries me is foreign air. Do you know how much of our air comes from other countries? We should only allow people to breath air made domestically.
9:51 PM I think Obama really was clear and smart on unfair trade there.
9:54 PM More wardrobe commentary from the peanut gallery!!: venice: Obama= flag pin. McCain= not so much. Matt: OMG Venice is right. McCain hates America! I hear he doesn't say the pledge of allegiance. Corinne: mccain's suit is velour. it looks kind of sparkly.
9:58 PM Ohio loves Obama's health care solutions. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are falling apart, my friends. It's now 5-0 Phillies with two outs and the bases loaded in the 5th inning. Back in the debate, John McCain is on the up-tick when talking about how much he cares about obesity. Joe the plumber is back! WOMEN HATE JOE! Shut up about Joe, McCain, the ladies hate Joe the plumber. Their happy lines are super low.
10:01 PM From the comments: venice: I would point out that neither NAFTA or Columbia are actually Free Trade agreements, by definition. They should be callled "Discriminatory Trade Agreements" because they favour certain countries, discriminating between countries we judge worthy and those we don't. FREE trade would allow us to to trade regardless of nationality.
10:03 PM As someone who will be deemed to have a pre-existing condition should I ever be unlucky enough to lapse in healthcare coverage, I greatly appreciate what Obama just said. Also, I'm glad he tossed up the $ amounts for cost on an average annual plan.
10:07 PM From the comments: Nate: I am so going to rob Joe... That sucker is loaded!!
10:08 PM Kim: "John McCain sure got the best in Sarah Palin, huh?" ZING!
10:10 PM Obama wins! He has made the leap from talking about stupid old Joe plumber who nobody even likes anymore or perhaps ever did, to Lillie Leadbetter who is only hated by John McCain, who by the way is courageously and compassionately proudly pro life.
10:12 PM I think John McCain has now called his opponent "Senator Government" and, "Sarah Obama."
10:15 PM Barack Obama believes that, "Sexuality is sacred," which I think maybe I think too... but it kinda sounds funny, and um... sexy?
10:17 PM WHEW! The last question is actually good, important and non-bizarro this time around! I understood it. I'm excited to hear what they have to say. So far Obama is talking clearly about the programmatic plans and ideas he has.
10:18 PM From the comments: venice: Dude, McCain HATES Obama's eloquence! You can see his blood pressure rising! Mac, the hand quotes are not worthy of you! (go Phillies!)
10:20 PM John McCain for now is focusing on education policy and ideas, which is kinda cool. I expected him to basically say, "rah rah charters" and then back to the kitchen sink junk. I'm impressed here. Nice shout-out to Teach for America, and then this weird troops to teachers thing that McCain makes sound like if you've been in the battlefield you must be qualified to teach, which strikes me as um... weird (and I hope that doesn't come across as offensive to troops, cause I've got some friends who were in boats... not quite the battlefields, but still...)
10:22 PM From the comments: Raphe: community! service! responsibility! so positive, such a relief to listen to Obama and so painful to listen to the black tie guy., Matt: what kind of sense does it make to let anybody leave the army and become a teacher without certification? Did I hear that right?, venice: Hint for federal government about education: if you make a state or local government do something, give them the money to do it!
10:25 PM Manny hits his latest post-season homerun, posting the Dodgers first run of the night out in LA, 6th inning out there Phillies 5/Dodgers 1
10:28 PM Here in John McCain's closing comments I finally am getting a good chance to soak in his fine fine suit, and I agree with the others who have suggested it just may be velour. It looks so soft. I want to hug him. Especially since he has no flag pin, hence there is no danger of being scratched by said lapel dagger.
10:30 PM Kim and Zoey agree, this debate is the perfect sedative. 2 people, 1 dog here in the house. 1 person and 1 dog sleeping, 1 person blogging away. I love the phrase, "service and responsibility." I think it really drives home what Obama is all about.
10:31 PM Schieffer's closing line was really quite lovely, "Go vote. It will make you feel big and strong." I also liked John McCain's hearty, "Good job! Good Job!" Wait, did John McCain just wag his tongue at the croud while giving them a thumbs-up? WOAH! That was unexpected and kinda... awesome!?!?!?!
10:32 PM Thank you so much to all of the lovely and amazing folks who left comments. This was tons and tons and tons of fun.

Final thing: Corinne just tossed this up in the comments, and I saw it earlier today. Check out the fun site Palin as President. You have to mouse around and click on stuff to discover all the fun pieces of what's going on.

One More Actual Final thing: It's already a headline from the AP (10:39 PM) "Ohio plumber becomes focus of debate."

He's Joe Wurzelbacher, an Ohio man looking to buy a plumbing business who came to symbolize the middle class in Wednesday night's presidential debate...