Why do news organizations immediately go to someone in each of the opposing camps and ask their opinion on how the debates went? Are they expecting one of them to go, "Well, shit, my guy totally fucked up and I gotta say, after listening to his opponent, I'm gonna switch sides." No. Their guy could have shouted out, "I'd suck Bin Laden's balls!" and they'd still say he won. What's the point? The same goes for the commentators on staff. Really, Pat Buchanan thought McCain won? I am abso-fucking-lutely shocked. I want someone to give me a honest assessment.
OK, I'll tell you that I think Obama won, but I'm biased. So, read this with a grain of salt.
Obama did win, but only by the skin of his teeth. He wasn't strong going into the first twenty minutes of the debate - he seemed to be treading water. I think there were a ton of opportunities to attack McCain, but he let them all slip away. McCain on the other hand, may not have beat Obama, but he came away with a great success - he didn't lose the entire election, which was the direction he was heading in this week. He put his campaign back on track after this odd "senior moment" of the non-suspension campaign suspension and swooping into Washington with enough political theater that House Republicans could stage their revolt. (OK, they probably would have revolted anyway, but McCain's presence sure as shit appeared to be the catalyst) and the whole will he or won't he suspense about attending the debate at all. Not to mention pissing of David Letterman - which may actually have caused more lasting damage than anything else. Who wants a national personality with a nightly show seen by millions of voters crapping all over you Monday through Friday from now until the election?
So, no real fireworks. They both got in a few jabs and both stumbled. Obama benefitted from finally finding his footing and strengthened during the last half hour - which may have swayed my thinking he won. But it's next Thursday's debate which will be the fun one. Palin v. Biden. What kind of shenanigans will the McCain campaign pull to deflect from that? Will he pull her and put Rudy in her place? Hmmm...
3 comments:
I agree. He won but not decisively if I am fair about it. It's hard to strike the right note. Too angry and he may scare people. Too smart and he's John Kerry.
Okay... here's what struck me the most. McCain is my Dad's candidate. When McCain speaks, he's talking to my Dad. He's talking to every sixty something person out there. His references are from times when the republicans ruled (either in the White House or when they were in control of the House and Senate.) His foreign policy experience spans decades but he hasn't done much in the past decade.
What scares the hell out of me even more than being 16 and worrying I might be drafted into a war with Russia, (Hmmm...McCain had something to say about those times didn't he?) is to hear relatively liberal independent voters like my folks say, "McCain certainly seems ready to lead on day one."
Yeah and my butcher is ready for surgery.
McCain: Ready on day one... to fuck everything up. I have to say that any respect I had for the man back in 2000 is now gone. Back then being a Maverick meant speaking his mind and being truthful about things in Washington. Being a Maverick now looks like a madman who just does shit to shake everything up, even when it's detrimental to what the country needs.
McCain referencing the Cold War with Russia, and continuing to connect Putin with his old company, the KGB, is not a comforting thought. He's thinking in 20th Century terms. Hell, he keeps bringing up Teddy Roosevelt like the man only got out of politics sometime around 1996. Not a direction we need to go in.
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