Love and Death on Long Island 3: Joe the Plumber

For the first 10-11 minutes, McCain would start a sentence and repeat phrases as if he was trying to remember the line he had been rehearsed on. He caught his stride a bit toward the end of the "Joe the Plumber" exchange -- not that his content became true, or good policy, but he stopped faltering so much (and looked very pleased with himself as a result).

On home ownership, McCain makes a stab at winning over Clinton supporters by mentioning a plan of hers positively. Nice try, there.

McCain goes back to his across-the-board spending freeze, anticipating Obama's "that's a hatchet, we need a scalpel" line by saying he'd get out the hatchet then the scalpel. Once again, he has secret plans for all sorts of things. Apparently we'll only get the benefit of McCain's secret knowledge of good government if he's elected president. As Senator, and as a member of the party of the current president, we get no such benefit. [Editor's note: Mind you, I don't believe he has such a plan. It's ego plus desperation speaking there.]

Obama redirects us to thoughts of Bush's fiscal malfeasance and McCain's votes for 4 out of 5 of Bush's budgets.

McCain avers that he can balance the budget in 4 years and that he is not George W. Bush.

McCain: "Americans are hurtin' tonight, and are angry." Did he learn the dropped G from Palin? I'm somewhat convinced his repetition of the word "angry" with regard to Americans is some sort of effort to drain his own anger out so he doesn't have a tantrum on stage.