Round One Aftermath
I thought that Obama did well in this first debate - especially considering that this was supposed to be McCain’s strong subject. I agree with David Gergen that McCain needed a knockout and did not get it because Obama really held his own in this debate
“I think John McCain needed a clear victory tonight. I think a tie was not in his interest. He is behind, and this is his best subject matter. … I think he needed a clear victory, and that eluded him, even as strong as he was.”
Many are complaining that McCain did not show Obama respect by not even looking at him. I will note that I noticed that McCain always does that in debate. He simply doesn’t like to acknowledge his opponents existence.
The question in all these debates is not who will win the debate itself, but who will win the spin war after them? Bush was initially seen as losing all six debates, but won the spin (and eventually the elections). So we must wait a few days to be see who wins the spin,
Here is a clip from a Fox News Focus Group. We all know that Fox News is definitely not interested in making Obama look good in any way, yet look at what the group says:
The further bad news for McCain is that a) foreign policy will probably not be talked about much in the coming weeks and b) not only is the VP debate coming up, but some on the right are turning on Her Majesty Queen Palin after her recent interview flubs. Kathleen Parker - an early Queen Palin supporter - even called for her to resign:
As we’ve seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion.
[...]
Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.
No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.
Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there.
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If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.
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What to do?
McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability. Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden.
Only Palin can save McCain, her party and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.
Do it for your country.
A few short weeks ago, people like Rush Limbaugh were declaring the Republican party to be Palin’s. Some were even calling it the “Palin/McCain” ticket. What a difference a few weeks make.
Maybe Her Majesty will step down and McCain will bring in Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray.
Filed under: Politics
I actually stayed up to watch it live here in Qatar and was really impressed with Obama. He is developing a greater ease in relating to people, was on his toes with all the responses and really looked like someone who is ready to be a world leader. McCain looked like an aging automaton with anger management issues. In fact, I was surprised to hear anyone in all the media follow-ups say they thought McCain did well (some even said they thought he won). I am starting to wonder if living outside the US has made me so out of touch with the way Americans think about politics…..
Salaam Alaikum,
PM
Peaceful Me,
I don’t think you’re out of touch. I honestly think the pundits (you’re referring to them right?) are out of touch. McCain wasn’t bad, he just wasn’t great (which he needed to be) and Obama held his own (which I don’t think McCain expected).
As-Salaamu ‘alaikum,
The Kathleen Parker article was full of the normal right-wing cliches and stereotypes - Palin as the “antithesis of the hirsute, Birkenstock-wearing sisterhood”. Most women, whether they identify as feminists or not, are not like that and haven’t been for a couple of decades or more. If a female politician looks like a woman, why is that special?
By the way, if anyone’s read the serious Evangelical right blogosphere, many of them are opposed to Palin simply because she is a woman. Have a look at the ladiesagainstfeminism.com site and some of the articles they’ve linked recently.
I’ve always liked the way Obama spoke, not because I’m a Democrat. He’s a very good orator. His words are forth right and clear. He’s just not a conservative speaking man. McCain was ok, but it gets irritating with him bringing up the “experience” bit on Obama when he ’s got the most inexperienced running mate on his shoulder.
In all seriousness, the idea of Sarah Palin being the VP of the US is downright scary. I have looked at the several interviews that she has done in recent times. She just doesn’t sound professional. She sounds like a giddy overeager high school cheerleader, but more importantly, she can barely answer the questions that are presented to her by the reporters. By listening to a couple of them( Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric), they seemed frustrated with her. VP’s and Presidents are always presented with oodles of questions. If she cannot clearly answer the questions of some reporters, how is she going to answer some questions concerning world affairs? Even worse what if something happens to John( with that temperament he has, I’m afraid he’s going to push the wrong button), were really going to get in some serious trouble.
If John was going to choose a good VP, he should have chose one with sense. It’s sad to see that she cannot( so far) correctly answer the questions of reporters. She was paraded at the UN–what for? It still will not make her an expert on world affairs. She has recently gotten her passport. When she was asked about going out of the country she admitted that she hasn’t and that she got her
” experience” from the books. That is all good, but it’s not the real thing. She needs to experience someone’s country, culture and people. She has not done that, yet at least. I wonder did she get that passport to because of it? Not to say that it’s too late for her to travel, but she should have thought international affairs during her years in college. She kept saying that she was a small town girl. That may be her experience, but if she really wanted to experience another country , she could have. I know some people who have grown up in small towns,or inner cities and they now can tell stories of studying in countries like Peru , Chile, Senegal , South Africa or Madagascar. She could have done the same. They had scholarship that could have helped her out.
I don’t think either of them stood apart, it was fairly even. Obama did well in the economics stuff. McCain punched hard in the foreign affairs stuff calling Obama ‘wrong’ and his ideas ‘dangerous’. That may sound arrogant/condescending, but when it comes to foreign policy, it actually plays well with both his base and independents who are concerned about America putting a strong face up to the world.
Overall, fairly even, and unemotional. I’d love to see more emotion, but I think all the debates will be very civil and both candidates will be controlled.
Where is the passion!!!!?????
Obama did a good job overall. McCain could have done better, but his demeanor was unappealing. Many people thought that McCain beat Obama with the foreign policy portion, but McCain looked like those old people in the organization who will never listen to the youth, and will only insist on their old way of doing things. Young people hate that.
I watched the debate and like many people thought it was boring. The only “moment” in the debate is when mcCain related his story about wearing the medal of young dead soldier and Obama quickly stopped mcCain momentum with his story of receiving a dead soldier’s medal from mother of the soldier.
McCain looked old, frustrated and over agitated. I felt Obama should have been more aggressive.
I’m really surprised Parker is turning on Palin. Although tries portray herself as person of the center she is indeed a consevrvative. But she’s not a neo-con. Shes speaks for southern small town conservatives (”Reagan Democrats”) and converative leanings interdependents. Could this be a prelude to what many in republican party are thinking?
Regardless, what spin one put of events happening in the election. Obama needs the votes to put him in office and we really don’t know what people, and you know what “people” I’m referring to , will do on election day. The question isn’t is The US ready for a black president but is there enough people willing to vote to put a black man in the White House.