You may want to read up on this new mortgage proposal McCain put out last night.  Basically, if Mr. & Mrs. Smith bought the house next door to you at the height of the real estate boom, using a no money done ARM that they now can't afford, the government would go in and say that house isn't worth $250,000 anymore, it's only worth $200,000 so Mr. & Mrs. Smith only owe the bank $200,000.  The Ferrier's have been paying there mortgage so we aren't going to do anything for them.  Oh, by the way, Mr. & Mrs. Ferrier, since houses are appraised by the value of the houses near them and we lowered the value of the Smith's house by $25%, the appraisal of your house just dropped 25% as well.  Sorry

What do you think of McCain's here's $5,000 for health care plan? It makes me crinige every time I read it or think about it or have to hear it come from his lips. I will also say that being at a debate and watching people live and in person gives a whole different feel. I went to one of the debates in Las Vegas last year and it was mind blowing to be in the room right in front of these people and being able to really pay attention to movements instead of watching it on a television.

Oh and since you were sitting with the press how did the 'That One' comment come off?

(P.S. I still like you..)

Heather B. Personal Blog: No Pasa Nada BlogHer CE: Business, Career & Personal Finance

but the Obama camp did fact check everything McCain said on Obama's record last night and it's really not surprising considering they've been smearing all week

http://therecord.barackobama.com/?page_id=1465

I would also recommend my last post entitled 'Enough is Enough' where I take McCain/Palin to task for dangerous, racist, tactics. http://queenofspainblog.com/2008/10/06/enough-is-enough/

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

I am impressed with your commitment to do the research and find the truth about what the candidates say before making a decision on who to vote for.

A couple of thoughts on your comments:

McCain's repeated statements that he has consistently gone against his party leaders while Obama has not actually rubbed me the wrong way.  If he disagrees so much with the leaders of his party, why is he a Republican?  I don't know if his claims are true are not, and to me it is irrelevant - I agree with most of what the Democratic party stands for, so I don't see the problem with a Democratic senator voting with his party most of the time.  If McCain had brought up specific examples of legislation that Democratic party leaders supported and Obama voted for and that McCain disagreed with, it might have made more sense, but I don't get why agreeing with your party is a bad thing!

I also don't get how McCain's plan to have the government buy mortages using a reduced home value is going to help the situation.  Renegotiating the tems of the mortgage at a lower interest rate so that people can make the payments, yes; bringing down property values in entire neighborhoods, as Blue Lady describes, no. 

--Liz  

I blog about creating a life worth living at:  www.inventingmylife.blogspot.com

Hoping this helps too

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_2.html

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

One thing you mentioned that swayed you was taxes, and I'd really like to clear something up on this point.

The best way to examine the tax plan is how it affects you and other tax groups, on the whole, and the best place I've found for that was here.  You have a couple of charts that weight things differently, along with a link to a very thourough breakdown of the tax plans that you may or may not actually have time to read (I've only skimmed it, myself).

Your reactions to it will depend on your priorities.  Look, for instance, at the $33,000 - $66,000 tax bracket.  McCain's tax plan would only give them back $319.  Obama's would give them back $1,042.  A lot of my friends with kids to feed fall into that tax bracket, and they're the ones struggling.  They're also the ones who will take that additional $700 and buy stuff with it.

One final thing.  Look at the average cut in taxes, across the board, on the two plans.  McCain's is $1,200.  Obama's is $160.  McCain's spending plan is, by most accounts,  no cheaper than Obama's.  How he intends to pay for his programs when giving that large an across the board tax cut when we're already in deficit spending is a question worth considering.

Thanks for listening.

Eric Sipple

One of the things that bothered me, again, about McCain is his willingness to talk out of both sides of his mouth.

How can he in a half-hour's time-span say that he has a reputation for being able to work with both sides of the aisle and then turn around and call himself a maverick that is not too popular with either his party or the democratic party? Please, re-watch the debate and listen to him say it.

How can he (in the first debate) first say that Obama was initially wrong about the surge in Iraq and that even Obama conceded that it had succeeded beyone their wildest expectations, and then turn around and state that Obama would not even admit that he was "wrong about the surge working".  Even the CNN fact checking site backs up this one.

How can he label Obama as a cronyist, when McCain is the one who has been in Washington for almost 30 years, when it was McCain who was censured for the Keating debacle? That bothered me immensely.  The fact that he would continually stress the word "crony" in relation to Obama did bother me.

As far as the tax issues and the health care, CNN.com has a terrific fact checking site.  Basically, the McCain health care plan would initially reduce taxes but they would evenutally go up, as per Obama's statement. And honestly, Obama is correct. I pay $83.00 a paycheck (every two weeks) for standard health care, which is half the total cost- my employer picks up the other half. Let's say that McCain says, "Hey! Here's 5 grand- go buy yourself some insurance if you need it"... WHY would an employer continue to fork out thousands if not millions of dollars towards health care? They wouldn't. So now a vast majority of Americans would be looking for health care coverage. With my employer paying half the cost for medical only, I currently pay $2,158.00 out of my paycheck. If McCain's plan happens, I would most likely end up having to pay the entire amount, which would be over $4,000.00.  Now, add in a spouse and children and see how far that $5,000.00 gets you. You can also visit http://www.electiontaxes.com/ to see how each candidate's tax system will work for an individual voter.  You put in some basic earnings info and presto magicko! You get an approximate answer.

Another thing that has me going is the theatrics involved. I absolutely cannot stand it when McCain gets that "ooohhhh.... there's a ghost story in here somewhere" voice going in the debates and interviews. I know it's a personality trait, but it makes me insane. And the overused term "My Friends" also put me over the edge.  It came across as patronizing and creepy.

No, before the first debate I was beginning to lean towards Obama. After seeing some of the attack ads that McCain has run, hearing the "terrorist" talk (another fear ploy) coming from Palin, etc.. I am more solidly behind Obama. After last night's showing, I am now upset with McCain after I used to be a big fan of his. How quickly times can change.

To each their own. You liked McCain after that debate? Go for it, and good luck if he wins.

Sen. Obama:  I think he spoke well.  Was upfront about his policies.  He was very well composed.  Stayed away from the trash talk and really spoke on the issues.  He clarified when needed and remained in control.  He did not talk down to the audience or to the moderator.

Sen. McCain:  He was very condescending to the moderator.  He avoided the questions and went on the attack rather than answering the questions.  He was engaging with the members of the hall and that was his strong suit. 

I do not feel that either candidate ran away with the debate.  I do think the McCain controlled his temper much better than I anticipated.  He really needed to pull away with the debate and he fell short.

Jess Mom to Thing 1 and Thing 2 CEO of Knight INC.

Queen of Spain,

I just saw the discusson on your blog! OMG! How scary.  It's sad really what people have been fed, and depend on one perspective alone.  Really.  We take one debate and perhaps use that as the basis for our very important vote.  Maybe right after the elections, there could be a possibility of moving to the other side, by then it's too late.  We've got to do just that....RESEARCH. I tell my students that all the time.  Where is your frame of reference? One magazine article? One debate? One night of an experience? It's unfair to Sen. Obama that as the many lies roll in, the more believers there are about them.  That one post on your site, condemning Sen. Obama as a "cold bastard." Yikes. But I believe in your spirit QueenofSpain. I do. I I love your retort. It was exactly what people are afraid of hearing and seeing...and reading.  We're so stuck in our own closets that we refuse to look at things from multiple perspectives.

I too was sorta kinda semi-excited that a woman was picked at the VP candidate, but that woman isn't me, nothing like me, and would never represent me, my struggles nor where I come from. She doesn't even sound like anyone I know - very textbook. Very. If that's the kind of leadership this country needs at a time like this, then I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but like you and many others have said, enough is enough, and I've damn well had it. 

GirlProfNYC - www.pinkerink.com

You Said: McCains proposal to double the child exemption on taxes, from $3,500 to $7,000 per child.

I Say: How does that benefit me? I am a single, TAX-PAYING, citizen who cannot have kids due to medical reasons. I live well within my means, but still live paycheck-to-paycheck, struggling to pay off loans. How is an extra $3,500/child in your pocket good for me/people like me?

You Said: I may end up voting for him and later regretting it (*cough* George W. Bush, *cough*).

I Say: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Do you really want to make that mistake again? Can we as a country make that mistake again?