The First Presidential Debate: No Clear Winner
I feel certain that the average American will never see through Sen. McCain’s strategy in this debate. The disparagement and verbal eye rolling McCain did after each statement made by Sen. Obama regarding foreign policy: “Senator Obama clearly doesn’t understand”; Senator Obama is “naive”; Senator Obama’s reaction shows his “naivete”.
This was not a debate of their differences in policy.
It was Obama attempting to talk about their differences, to bring to the forefront of the debate McCain’s record, for which McCain should have to answer to the American people — especially now.
And it was McCain, with his condescending tone and scoffs, calling Obama a “poo head.”
This is, sadly, something the average American will read as truth rather than what it in fact is: the pathetic strategy of an overly ambitious old man.
What they will remember is that McCain is an “experienced war veteran” who has known x, y and z leader for “thirty years.” [Perhaps they summer together in one of his ten residential properties.]
Obama appeared to be winning during the first half of the debate as they talked about the economy, despite the fact that it felt like the two of them were debating what came first: the chicken or the egg.
In essence, Obama was saying: We’re going to fix this mess, but more importantly, we need to look at how we got here [i.e., "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." -George Santayana].
In response, McCain was saying: Nah, let’s not dwell on that stuff. Let’s just fix it and move on. It’ll be fine! [i.e., If anyone looks at my part in this, I'm screwed.].
McCain pulled a few more old school dirty tricks from his bag when he put words in Obama’s mouth and stated verifiable untruths about his record. He even used the tried-but-true: “He’s the most liberal person in the Senate! Fear him! Run while you still can!”
After all, who wants someone in charge who is “open-minded” and believes in “individual freedoms”?
The commentary on each candidate’s body language is being reported thusly: Obama — trying to make eye-contact with McCain, “masterful, like a conductor using his hands to shape his answers,” and McCain — “hunching, stiff,” wouldn’t even look at Obama.
It was obvious Obama was well-prepared for this debate. He was articulate, precise and delivered his attacks with class.
McCain was condescending and childish. He had nothing new to say. But, in his defense: what choice did he have?
His record is one that is almost exclusively aligned with GW’s. The old Republican election strategy of put your opponent down personally rather than discuss your differences on policy, and be sure to inject some fear while you’re at it [e.g., if we don't cut taxes for business we'll lose more jobs; if we sit down with Iran, we're giving every nut job around the world license to mess with us and our allies] worked rather well.
In fact, the pundits are calling this McCain’s best debate — ever.
On the lighter side, my two favorite moments of the evening, besides Obama rattling off how many times McCain had been “wrong,” were: 1) when Obama said that McCain wouldn’t even sit down with the prime minister of Spain because he wasn’t sure if he was an ally or not; 2) when McCain told the story about how he was given a bracelet by the mother of a fallen soldier and asked not to let her son “die in vain,” and Obama countered with: “I have a bracelet, too … “
The bottom line on tonight’s debate is that there wasn’t a clear winner. And I don’t say this from the stand-point of those who will engage in intelligent commentary and discussion of the finer points.
Rather, I say this looking at what I believe the average American to have gleaned from it.
Having worked many political campaigns, and therefore talking to more than my share of “average voters,” I can say with absolute certainty that the number of people in the shallow end is a population of far greater numbers. This is not a statement of arrogance, but rather of experience with and knowledge of what messaging works with what population in a political campaign.
The people McCain needs to reach heard him loud and clear tonight. With all their “naivete” and failure to “understand” what it was they were watching.
