What impressed me most about this debate is the level of maturity Obama has attained during this presidential election season.
He was almost “Clintonesque,” but still needs some polishing in the “connecting with voters” aspect of debating. I don’t think anyone has ever done it better than Bill Clinton in the last couple of decades. Slick-Willy is(was) a master at connecting with voters (see video below). He man-handled and completely destroyed Republican candidates Bush Snr. in 1992 and Bob Dole in 1996. Obama is not at that level yet, but he will get there. For now, McCain’s ineptitude helps.
Clinton vs. Bush in 1992 Debate
The mark of a brilliant man is how he adjusts to conditions around him, and the Obama of now is better, sleeker and crispier than the one I saw in the first few debates during the Democratic primaries.
Obama gets the McBush Hug
This was not a knockout for Obama, but he surely mopped the floor a couple of times with McCain’s butt.
It was not a game changing performance for McCain either.
Obama outclassed McCain to an extent that he doesn’t need a knockout in the next debate. He is ahead on points and will stay on top barring a major blunder.
He(Obama) owned both the foreign and domestic policy discussions, and McCain should feel blessed for Obama not accepting the “ten townhall meetings” he proposed earlier in the campaign, because Obama owned this meeting too — he was quick on his feet and moved around with athletic ease while hammering in point after point.
Obama was comfortable walking the stage and interacting with the questioners, while McCain wandered around stiffly, microphone in hand like a peeled banana ready for eating.
John McCain has a large collection of very pretty ties, but in this debate as in the previous one, he seems to have chosen the worst out of his closet. What happened to the nice suit and tie he wore when accepting the nomination at the Republican convention a month and a half ago?
McCain looked old, cranky and erratic — sometimes pacing aimlessly around the stage while Obama was talking. He was tense and uneasy, and the big difference in age showed.
I think the biggest mistake McCain made was when he proclaimed that healthcare is a “responsibility” and not a right of every American. Obama countered by saying that healthcare is a “crushing burden” for small businesses and is “breaking family budgets,” and is a RIGHT of every American. This was a very effective answer — and one of the “Butt-Mopping” episodes I mentioned earlier.
Full Debate Video
CNN Debate Analysis
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David Gergen, CNN Analyst and respected aide to presidents for 30 years had this to say:
I give McCain a ‘B’ and Obama a ‘B+’ A few hits, some runs and no major errors — that was the way this second debate struck me. The format was far too confining so that neither candidate could answer in depth and viewers were left with a sense of disappointment that they hadn’t heard enough about specifics. Too often, we heard the same arguments we heard in the last debate. John McCain was more effective on domestic issues than he was on the second debate but flatter on national security. Periodically, he made an excellent argument and he was more composed than earlier. Interestingly, he never went as negative as feared (e.g., he never talked — as Sarah Palin has on the stump — about the past associations of his opponent). Barack Obama showed once again that he is more articulate and a better debater, able to weave together arguments and themes with great skill. Once again he was also steady. But he was hardly on fire and he didn’t give us much more insight — or new ideas — about the economic crisis now gripping the country. So, my scores tonight are lower than last week: McCain — B Politically, this debate strikes me as good news for Obama and bad news for McCain. With two straight victories under his belt, Obama has established in the minds of many voters that he is as qualified to be President as McCain –and given the economy, that means he should have strengthened his position. |
Obama made no mistakes, connected better with voters. McCain’s condescending reference to Obama as “That One,” while probably un-intentional, might be viewed as racist by African Americans. During the years of slavery, blacks were often de-personalized by their slave masters in similar fashion.
“That One!”, could be as bad as ….“Boy!”
Obama was unruffled, consistent, had a thorough grasp of his policy prescriptions and McCain’s “bad ones,” so to speak. He looked more presidential.
In contrast, John McCain seemed agitated, looked grumpy and was sometimes unnecessarily aggressive, and in many instances didn’t answer questions clearly and succinctly.
“I’ll get Osama bin Laden, my friends. I’ll get him. I know how to do it!” ……. — is not good enough.
VERDICT: Obama mauls McCain, but got a free “McBush Hug” at the beginning of the debate. I found that funny after the “No Look” treatment by McCain in the first debate.
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Time.com — Grading the Second Presidential Debate
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References:
2. Arianna Huffington: The Winner of Debate II? “That One”
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AfterMath of the debate — Typical “GOP Assholery”
The McCain-Obama Post-Debate “Handshake” Sean Hannity — The Sickest ‘Son-of-a-bitch’ on TV |
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