Debate #2 is now over. My wife and I watched it in it’s entirety and then flipped among all the news channels to get their post-debate analysis. I also checked out the websites of a number of prominent newspapers that were all conducting online polls as to the reaction to the debate.

The three large news channels are CNN, FOX NEWS, and MSNBC. Then of course, you have ABC, CBS, and NBC.

As I write this, a little over an hour after the debate has ended….

Let’s look at some of the polls as to WHO WON THE DEBATE?

(as of 11pm Central time)

CBS NEWS: Obama 84% McCain 15%
ABC NEWS: No online poll that I could find
NBC NEWS & MSNBC: Obama 84% McCain 13%
CNN: Obama 80% McCain 16%
Chicago Tribune: Obama 88% McCain 12%
Houston Chronicle: Obama 77% McCain 18%
USA Today: Obama 60% McCain 40%
Boston Herald: Obama 49% McCain 43%
Denver Post: Obama 90% McCain 7%

And then we come to FOX NEWS. After watching CNN and MSNBC, along with the big 3 networks, it became clear that the analysts on those stations and the polls that they conducted after the debate showed that Obama won the debate. McCain, all agreed, had to come into this debate, go on the offensive, and regain the momentum he had lost in the past weeks. All of these channels agreed he did not do that. And, this was in a debate format thought to heavily favor McCain.

Fox news, who does not have a poll on their website, instead asked viewers to text in their choice for the debate winner.

At the time I write this, McCain 88% Obama 12%

Wow! What a shock! (heavy sarcasm) All, I mean All the people who thought McCain wom must have texted into FOX NEWS (or Sarah texted 3,000 times). Then, the FOX ANCHOR, unbiased professional that he is, proclaims that “it is clear to the American Public who won the debate”.

I don’t know about you, but 3,000 right-wing texters do NOT speak for this member of the American public. For the record, I thought both candidates did good. I gave a slight edge to Obama in that I thought he did a better job of communicating with the “common” people watching. I think that a poll of Obama 51% McCain 49% would have been perfectly fair and acceptable. Obviously, by all the OTHER news organizations that I checked, the AMERICAN PUBLIC had Obama winning by a much larger margin.

Great Journalism FOX NEWS! The AMERICAN PUBLIC thanks you for your unbiased reporting.

What Idiots!