geekchick | So what do you like about the other guy?

This made for a nice change from the usual ~~nasty name-calling~~ level of discourse: responses from voters on both sides to a request to say something nice about the other guy.

We were noticing something as we did this: The people, whether they supported McCain or Obama, seemed to be in a little better mood– in an observably more pleasant frame of mind– after they were urged to say something nice about the other guy. During a campaign year that has consisted of so many raised voices and ugly charges, they seemed to like this.

John Scalzi did a similar exercise a while back, in which he asked people to name something you don't like about your preferred candidate and something you do like about the other guy.

Here, I'll start:

I like that John McCain has opposed drilling in ANWR. I like that at one time he had the guts to call out the religious right as "agents of intolerance", although I wish he hadn't turned around this year and pandered to them with the Sarah Palin pick. I like that he's willing to talk about climate change. I respect his military service.

I don't like Obama's FISA vote on telecom immunity. I don't like his stated lack of support for same-sex marriage. I'm not thrilled that he reversed his position on public campaign financing; take it, or don't (and "don't" was clearly the way to go, what with a $150 million fundraising month), but stick with it.

Things I don't like about Joe Biden: "Drug Czar". RAVE Act. The 2005 bankruptcy bill.

On Sarah Palin, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stick with "then don't say anything at all".