First Debate Post-Op

The first POTUS debate was held last night in Oxford, MS, and the theme was foreign policy, yet everyone knew that, in light of recent events involving the financial crisis, the opening remarks were going to be monopolized with the candidates' viewpoints on how to solve this mess. The pre-game consensus was that this worked to Obama's advantage because McCain is seen as light on economic issues, plus he has the weight of the current administration on his back (due to they sharing the same party affiliation). McCain's saving grace was to be his advantage in foreign policy experience, so the debate was shaping up to be a toss-up. Obama's focus was to come off as presidential without seeming aloof, while McCain's focus was to come off as independent of the Bush administration yet still viable as a reformer.
The first half was dominated by the financial bailout and the mistakes that got us to this point. On this topic, I felt that both candidates were equally lukewarm. They both benefited from using sweeping generalities that sounded good but carried little substance. This shouldn't be a surprise, given that both candidates either have little knowledge of specifics or are too wary of hanging themselves with statements that may or may not have credibility in their logic. Obama had several golden opportunities where he could have piled on McCain and effectively associated him with the status quo, but he continually missed -- my impression was that Obama was overcoached on this topic and was (therefore) unable to put any type of constructive thought together that made sense. I think McCain sensed this early and pulled back, letting Obama trip all over himself, and it worked. Obama could not close his arguments, which is a serious flaw in his preparations. It will be interesting to see if his advisors will help him correct this or if they even notice it in time before the next debate. I was looking for any hook that I could grab onto, from either candidate, that demonstrated strength and determination in resolving the crisis, and I got nothing. Advantage: push.

The second half of the debate brought us back to the reality of the current foreign policy, and again I was amazed that Obama failed to jump on openings or create obstacles that would force McCain to back-pedal. McCain came off much better on this topic, but I felt his comments were slightly off-set by his demeanor. McCain rarely, if ever, looked at his opponent, giving an impression of being condescending and disrespectful. In post-debate coverage, GOP pundits were describing it as the warrior in McCain, working on a posture of stiff defense as he prepared for battle. Well, that's taking it to a ridiculous level, in my opinion. Most media experts know you must always remember that you are pitching to an audience of 6th grade level, so keep it simple, clear and repeat as necessary, but avoid being disdainful and bored. McCain, with his posturing, in my opinion, came off as stand-offish and, dare I say, elitist. Obama held up well with his knowledge of foreign matters, but again did not recognize the opportunities presented -- either he didn't see it or he was following a game plan and didn't want to stray from it. McCain seemed to have a better grasp of foreign policy, but his body language and snide comments negated any advantage gained. Obama seemed to be comfortable on this topic and came off very well, but he failed to gain ground because he refused to improvise on his remarks, thus letting McCain off the hook. Advantage: push.

Like most of America, I was hoping to see one of these guys take an early advantage, but it never materialized. I'm afraid that, because both didn't distance themselves from the other, the impression to America will be that, in light of the current events, we remain unconvinced and wary that anything can and will be resolved by either of these guys.