Can we have a do over?

Ok...quick debate recap...BORING!!!

I find myself liking them both less all the time. Now McCain wants to buy up mortgages and renegotiate them to keep people in their homes. Which is both impossible and stupid...a winning combination! (If any Bank holds a whole mortgage, they will gladly renegotiate that loan if the borrower can pay the new loan and will do so in good faith. The alternative is foreclosure, which is expensive and time consuming and will result in a much bigger loss. The problem comes with loans that have sliced up and resold into several pieces, and you couldn't buy that even if you tried.)

Obama still wants to cut income taxes for 95% of Americans. Which is patently impossible. These numbers are all rounded, but you will see the nonsense of this anyway...there are about 150 million workers. Therefore, only 50% of Americans earn anything upon which they could pay income tax to begin with.

Now, Obama did correct himself later on and say "95% of American workers" which is better, but still preposterous. Why? Because about 35% of American tax filers do not pay any income tax. Now...if your tax rate is 0% (or less), how exactly is that going to get cut? And what will the new rate be?

Unless he is talking about cutting social security taxes (he isn't, of course, but follow me for a second), which are a MUCH larger burden on the poor and lower-middle class. While the income tax is progressive (you pay a higher rate as your income rises), the social security tax is regressive. If you earn $80,000, you pay 6.25% of your salary, and your employer also pays 6.25% of your salary. If you make $200,000, that percentage is about 3%.

And, before you give me the "Oh, but your benefits are capped," argument, please note that the two are entirely unrelated. Don't be fooled...it all goes to the same place. Whether they call it and income tax or a social security tax, it all goes into the same pile and pays the same bills.

Anyway, I got totally off track there for a second...

I thought the most interesting part of the debate was the question about humanitarian intervention and the Doctrine of each candidate. If you get the chance, go back and watch it...I don't think either of them expected that question. Obama had to answer it first, and really seemed taken aback. His answer was, well...nothing. The question called for "We will act when..." and he didn't have much of an answer. McCain's response was a little better (and he, of course, had the 90 seconds of Obama's answer to think about his own response) but I don't think he had a really good answer for it either.

Anyway, I am prepared to make a statement today...barring a major, unforeseen incident (like, say a missile test from Iran or footage of Michelle Obama chanting "kill whitey" while drinking blood in a bizarre pagan ritual), this race is over. Obama will win, and he will do so by winning Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, Nevada, Colorado and Missouri (among the more obvious ones.)

McCain has allowed himself to be tagged by the financial difficulties of the day, he hasn't distanced himself from Bush enough (should we all remember that they hate each other?) and his campaign can't get past that.

Elvis...as they like to say...has left the building.