The Presidential Debate
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Ok everyone, Rex just watched the first Presidential debate and here are his two cents worth. On this issue of who won the debate, He has to say that he think Obama was the victor although not by a very wide margin. Why? Well, actually, very little has to do with what they said but by how they acted.
McCain's greatest strength is that he was able to convey experience by citing his personal efforts in the various aspects of foreign policy discussed. Obama could not compete with this simply because he doesn't have as extensive a resume.
Obama's greatest strength is that he was able to give concrete examples and a direction for where to go and what needs to be done. He could present an idea for a future direction and argue for it quite effectively.
But the debate, Rex thinks, wasn't won or lost on the strengths but on the weaknesses. Here McCain lost, in Rex's opinion, simply in his attitude. He had a tendency to gloss over Obama's points. He presented viewpoints and arguments that simply don't add up. For example, several times during the debate he argued that he opposed the Bush administration but that record simply can't exist on a purely mathematical basis - John McCain voted with the Bush administration 100%, so far in 2008 and 95% overall. So how is it possible that he opposed Bush on just about every issue that was brought up in the debate?
Secondly, McCain had an annoying tendency to migrate from a concrete argument to a cutesy anecdote about some wounded soldier with a tear in his eye. This may win support from the bleeding heart constituancy (which is probably sizable because most people vote with their hearts rather than with their heads) but to the thinking audience this betrays his argument as it shows his true attitude towards his audience: don't you worry about that, I'll take care of you. He actually said that about the war veterans: I'll take care of them. Clearly he's trying to be a kindly father figure and while that may work with many it shows him as condescending and arrogant. And he was condescending and arrogant, particularly towards Senator Obama, which is Rex's third criticism of his performance. Several phrases that stood out were that Senator Obama doesn't understand, that he is naive, that he lacks experience, but never once did he actually refute anything that Barack had to say in a categorical manner.
If you get the chance to watch it again, look at his face when Obama is speaking and then look at Mr Obama when McCain is speaking. Obama is thoughtful and attentive. McCain looks like a smug bastard. For many who claim that McCain won, they may have an argument because when speaking he was direct and forthright. But at most times, when directly addressing the opposition it's clear that he's a smarmy prick who has absolutely no respect for his opponent.
Even at the end of the debate Obama showed much more professionalism by being the first to walk over and congratulate McCain on his performance, while McCain was trying to woo the audience - Obama's approach to him took him by surprise.
On the other hand, Obama's performance was very lack-lustre compared to his usual speaking style. He stuttered, he hesitated, he hemmed and hawed far more than Rex would consider acceptable. He knew his stuff - that was clear - but he had a hard time getting it out. Mr Obama, you need to be more polished and direct and, furthermore, Rex thinks that Obama allowed Senator McCain to walk all over him at key moments. Most notable is the assertion, made by McCain, that Obama supported top-level talks with Iranian President Ahmadinejad without precondition. He kept repeating this over and over, even after Obama qualified that it would not start at the top level. Rex didn't think Obama did as much as he could have to refute this deliberate misinterpretation. And, incidentally, Henry Kissinger did say that he supported unconditional talks with Iran. On a separate note, Rex would have to say that he agrees - as Obama pointed out, isolation does nothing but allow a rogue nation to develop their own agenda unchecked, as was the case with North Korea.
So, on content Obama, as Rex said, walked all over McCain. He gave a concrete path that he would follow as president. McCain floundered by telling "heart-warming" (or, more as Rex saw it, condescending and saccharine) stories about some woman giving him a bracelet. On presentation, from a public speaking standpoint, I can't believe Rex is saying this, but he thinks Mr McCain had the edge. Obama was certainly more engaging as he spoke not only to the audience, to the camera, Jim Lehrer, but also directly to Senator McCain which McCain almost never did. His attention was focused almost solely on the moderator.
But Rex thinks the greatest criticism of this debate must go to the organizers (PBS) and to Jim Lehrer himself. There were situations where he allowed the opponent to retort, even though, technically, by the rules of the debate this was not supposed to be permitted, which Rex has to applaud, but he has to say that he's appalled that Lehrer almost exclusively gave John McCain the last word. In a situation when they would have to move on he allowed McCain to chime in. On the few situations where it looked like Obama was going to get the last word he promptly shut him up to which, we have to say to Obama's credit, Obama graciously accepted the decision and voluntarily handed control back to the moderator.
And it wasn't just in regard to the ad-libbed final comments that Rex offers this criticism - the entire structure of the debate was geared to favouring McCain. Each question was directed with Obama starting and McCain finishing. Had this structure been more equitable then Obama would have been favoured by a much higher margin. As for who actually won, well that depends on who you talk to. Most of the more moderate news sources cite a tie or a narrow victory in Obama's favour (perhaps largely from the impressions that we've mentioned) and only the most radical, pro-McCain sources project him as the winner (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7639103.stm). Similarly, the most pro-Obama sources cite Obama as the winner.
In the long run Rex thinks Obama will be able to control his hesitation and doesn't think McCain will be able to conceal his arrogance and that will cost him dearly or, as Ezra Klein of "The American Prospect" put it "His [McCain's] emotion, his passion, came from a nearly uncontrollable contempt for his opponent." That's going to look bad. |
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