Obama honed leadership skills as a community activist: Barack Obama’s meteoric rise from the streets of Chicago to the U.S. Senate to winning the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party showcases the unique experiences and skills he has gained in his years as an organizer, legislator and community activist. [ READ MORE ]
Boston Globe (January 17, 2009): “Some of his skills are transferable and they are significant ones,” said David Gergen, a professor and program director at Harvard’s Kennedy School who has served in four different administrations. “His capacity to move people through rhetoric, as he did during the campaign, is clearly a major asset in the presidency. Our most memorable presidents of the last 50 years have been wonderful communicators on television; one was John Kennedy and the other was Ronald Reagan.
“The other that’s transferable, and in a very interesting way and an asset no Democrat has had in recent years, is the data base he has built up on the Internet,” Gergen said. “That can be used to build grass-roots support for his legislative programs.” [ READ MORE ]
“It’s too early to declare victory because Barack Obama’s black.” — David Gergen, CNN Analyst — More comments by Mr. Gergen below
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
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
Obama — 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.
Barack Obama clearly passed the threshold as a credible commander-in-chief. He met and surpassed the test — Bob Shrum, Former senior advisor to the Gore and Kerry campaigns.
We haven’t had a ‘short’ president since Harry Truman — Dick Morris
Sneering like a “Cheshire Cat” ready to claw Obama, an ingracious, mean and contentious John McCain repeatedly pivoted on his foolish campaign stump-line: “Obama does not understand,” …”Obama will raise your taxes,” …..interjecting with his FAVORITE FETISH — “Pork Barrel Spending,” a.k.a Congressional EARMARKS.
Obama, McCain & Debate Moderator Jim Lehrer
Obama Towers Over McCain
McCain’s verbal and body language was “off-putting,” contemptuous, condescending and patronizing. McSAME couldn’t get himself to look at Obama for a full ninety minutes — a grumpy, angry old man indeed.
Barack Obama on the other hand was presidential crisp, caring and reassuring. He was polished, confident and focused — fully prepared, and able to convey a real depth of knowledge on nearly every issue.
The Debate (PART 1)
The Debate (PART 2)
The Debate (PART 3)
Watch: The First Presidential Debate, in a Minute
Even White Nationalist ReTHUGlican Nativist, Pat Buchanan of MSNBC, grudgingly gave Obama high marks, comparing the debate to the epic Ali-Frazier fight in Manila, the “Thrilla in Manila,” on October 1, 1975. Buchanan likened Obama to Ali, who almost blinded Frazier with jabs and counter-attacks, in fourteen grueling rounds. “Obama “stuck in the needle” repeatedly, said Buchanan,” “frequently he back-peddled and jabbed effectively.”
To his credit Fox News’ Toe-Sucking Pervert, Dick Morris, judged this debate very objectively, surprisingly. While appearing on Fox News’ “O’Hannity and Coward,” Mr Morris said: “Obama came across as knowing and caring about the average person.”
Earlier yesterday before the debate Mr. Morris said:
“In a TV debate between a tall man and a short one, the tall guy usually wins – we haven’t had a short president since Harry Truman. Young man vs. older one? The younger usually wins.
Handsome, charismatic candidate against a man who’s neither? Well, you get the point: John McCain will have three strikes against him as he enters the first presidential debate tonight (assuming it goes ahead).” …[MORE]
Dick was right, the taller, younger man won — Barack Obama!
David Gergen, a respected adviser to multiple US presidents for 30 years, and CNN Analyst, had this to say: “Obama held his own like John Kennedy did to an older Nixon in 1960.”
Even the ALWAYS biased FoxNews.com conducted an impromptu poll that had Obama beating McCain 54-46%. Note:The poll is safely hidden in an obscure section of the website, while the majority of the stories on the 1st page are all anti Obama.
“McCain was McCain — evocative, intense, and at times emotional, but also vague, elliptical, and atonal. He failed to deliver his “country first versus Obama first” message cleanly, even when offered several opportunities. Surprisingly, McCain did not talk much about “change,” virtually ceding the dominant issue of the race,” ….
….and Obama went for a solid, consistent performance to introduce himself to the country. He did not seem nervous, tentative, or intimidated by the event, and avoided mistakes from his weak debate performances during nomination season (a professorial tone and long winded answers). Standing comfortably on the stage with his rival, he showed he belonged — evocative of Reagan, circa 1980. He was so confident by the end that he reminded his biggest audience yet that his father was from Kenya.
Two more performances like that and he will be very tough to beat on Election Day.
McCain kept painting Obama as naïve, and dangerous, insisting that he ‘doesn’t quite understand or doesn’t get it.’
Obama should have responded ‘Senator, I understand perfectly, I’m just saying you’re wrong.’
On the surge, he could have said that McCain was the arsonist who wanted to be praised for the great job he’s doing putting out the fire he started.
And who cares what Henry Kissinger thinks? He was wrong 35 years ago, and it’s only gotten worse since then.
Obama did a poor job of getting under McCain’s skin. Or maybe McCain did an exceptional job of not letting Obama get under his skin. McCain nattered about earmarks and Obama ran out of gas.
We’re left waiting for a knockout debate. On to Palin-Biden.
The primary focus of this debate was foreign policy, and expectations were that McCain would SLAM-DUNK obama.
Well, he didn’t.
McCain spent too much time angry, negative and lying as usual.
The decision goes to Obama — He won the “Thrilla in Oxford, Mississippi.” Obama only needed to hold-on, …and he did more than that.
NEXT — I am looking forward to Joe Biden EATING the “Killa From Wasilla” alive — Next Week! SLURP…SLURP! The “Foot-In-The-Mouth” face-off will be a CATEGORY 5 debate…LOL!
