Saturday, September 27, 2008

McCain: 0, Obama: 0.1

I think it's safe to say Friday's debate was a letdown for all of us.

All the hype leading up to the debate was intensified when McCain decided to, very vaguely, put his country before himself once again, and put off the debate.  This "tactic" did not roll over well with anyone, and apparently didn't settle well with McCain either, leading him to quickly change his mind.  Media hounds and pundits very, very lightly entertained the notion that McCain was not ready for a big stage performance, but wisely did not push it very far.  After all, McCain was ready to go, and we had a debate.  Well, kind of.
For sure, we had two much higher qualified candidates than in 2004; both candidates speak better, have more confidence, and appear far more intelligent than both George W. Bush and John Kerry combined.  There is much more excitement surrounding this election than there was in 2004 and and more than there has been in recent memory.   Monumental decisions must be made, as the candidates in this election need to address both issues of foreign policy, and the current economic crisis.  But for all these important decisions surrounding the American people, not much was decided.
During the first question of the growing dilemma enveloping our economy, neither candidate seemed even mildly confident about arguing with each other, in fact Obama had himself agreeing with McCain and seemingly waiting for McCain to start the argument.  Mediator Jim Lehrer had to openly invite Obama to direct his comments to McCain, which shouldn't have been necessary.  The Lehrer boost certainly got Obama rolling and soon enough he was not only challenging McCain, but had a response for everything McCain had to offer.  McCain began to liven up as well, but as expected, didn't fully arise until the war issues came about.  McCain became more lively and confident, and it was Obama who was backpedalling.  
But why was Obama so hesitant to speak directly to McCain?  The blame here lies squarely on McCain.  The amount of disrespect McCain has for Obama became more evident as the debate progressed.  For someone who wants Democrats and Republicans alike to unite, McCain made a very poor showing.  If McCain wants to appear bi-partisan, he failed to do so, but he also needs to be focused on being tolerant with Obama, as it might make him seem racist.  So far, it looks like he has some work to do.  And for that reason alone, the lack of respect that McCain opted to show, gives Obama the slightest of edges in the first debate.  Overall, it lacked substance and if you missed it, you didn't miss anything at all.  Let's just hope McCain decides to brush up in his common courtesy, more for himself than for what he looks like to other people.




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