PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE #1

Last night, John McCain and Barack Obama met at long last in their first of many confrontations, trying their best to woo the undecided voters and push their respective platforms.
Obviously, I am a biased observer, but I will do my best to provide a fairly objective analysis of the debate.
This review will be broken into segments, each portion of the debate will be reviewed based on style and substance. Then I will give an overall grade for each candidate. Enjoy!

PART I: THE ECONOMIC CRISIS:
Substance: The economy is not McCain's strong point, but he did alright. He hit Obama hard on the earmarks issue...it would've been a much more effective line of attack if people really cared about it. However, it seems to be something of a non-starter, and didn't do much to help McCain. Obama's most effective hit was on McCain's health care plan. Probably the most devastating attack of the entire first portion of the debate, it caught McCain flat-footed, and he was unable to respond effectively. McCain's suggestion to do a spending freeze was kind of awkward, and the fact that he did not once mention the middle-class was a stark contrast to Obama, who directly addressed the middle class multiple times. McCain also had a good point about business, but it's too wonky to really resonate with people. Overall, Obama had answers that seemed to be more meaningful to the everyday American.
MCCAIN GRADE: B-
OBAMA GRADE: A-

Style: It started off awkward for both of them, with neither willing to address the other directly. Obama soon started looking at McCain, speaking to him, and also looking directly into the camera and speaking right to the American people. McCain seemed to be talking to the audience and would consistently avoid looking at Obama. Occasional creepy smiles from McCain just came off as out of place.
MCCAIN GRADE: C
OBAMA GRADE: A

PART II: FOREIGN POLICY:
Substance: This is where McCain is supposed to be his strongest. However, he made a number of gaffes, and his attitude and demeanor really started to hurt him in this segment. Obama's threw a number of devastating blows in this round, notably hitting McCain on his belligerent stance towards Spain, his 'bomb Iran' song, and how McCain was wrong about the Iraq war from the very beginning. McCain was not effectively able to counter these points. McCain, for his part, gave solid answers that were often lost in wonkish political speak that will, again, not resonate with the average voter. He did, however, make several verbal gaffes. He was unable to pronounce the name of Iran's leader, called Russia an 'existential threat' (WTF does that even mean?) and made a bizarre reference to North Koreans being shorter than South Koreans. Obama showed that he was able to stand up to a foreign policy heavyweight and hold his own. He landed solid hits and did better than expected in this segment.
MCCAIN GRADE: B+
OBAMA GRADE: A-

Style: McCain started to show signs of being angry here. He continued to not look at Obama, and continued to give creepy smiles and giggles at inappropriate times. While Obama said 'John is absolutely right' several times about certain things, McCain never once complimented Obama. He preferred to condescend and say that Obama 'doesn't understand.' This line might've worked coming from Ronald Reagan, who could back it up with charm, but McCain had all the charm of a cold fish. Body language and tone of voice are MUCH MORE IMPORTANT to communication than mere words...I could say you look gorgeous, but if I'm smirking while I say it, and saying it in a rude way, you won't think I'm being sincere. McCain's body language was stiff, cold, hostile. Polls taken after the debate show the effect: many more people felt that Obama could understand their plight than McCain. Obama's courtesy, calm, and friendliness won people over. McCain's hostility and boiling temper did the opposite. I have been predicting for some time now that McCain's temperament will cost him the election. Also of note? McCain did not approach Obama to shake hands, and did not congratulate Obama after the debate (Obama can be heard saying 'good job' to McCain at the end).

MCCAIN GRADE: F
OBAMA GRADE: A

PART 3: OVERALL:
If this were just a debate on content, the McCain would have a slight advantage. However, debates factor in much more than just policy. The defining moments from previous presidential debates have included George Bush looking at his watch, Al Gore sighing in frustration, and Ronald Reagan saying 'There you go again.' Gore and Bush both lost their respective elections, Reagan won his. Keeping that in mind, McCain's personality was a huge detriment to him here. He quite simply did not look presidential. He looked like a grouchy old man about to blow his top. Some felt Obama wasn't aggressive enough, that he let McCain get in too many shots. I think this was Obama's goal in the first place. Obama is a brilliant politician...he knows that likability counts. It's the only way Bush managed to win twice. His opponents, Gore and Kerry, were both somewhat wooden and people had trouble relating to them. Obama is much stronger than each of these, and McCain possesses none of the charm of Bush and Reagan. The media narrative will not be the policy points. Rather, it will be that McCain would not look Obama in the eye, that he looked mean, angry, and was disrespectful and dismissive of his rival. That's why the victor of this debate is Obama. He was better able to communicate directly to the American people, and was far more likable and presidential.
I will be interested to see how the VP debate on Thursday goes.

FINAL GRADES:
MCCAIN: C+ Some good, solid points, a lot of attacks, but lost in a sea of ugly smirks and inappropriate chuckles.
OBAMA A- Some moments of weakness, but a very strong performance overall.

http://www.jargondatabase.com/Jargon.aspx?id=1135


Wow, you pretty much hit it dead on. I thought I was the only one getting annoyed by McCain's smirk and wry disposition. Sorry I didn't read this earlier; I didn't see it here.

Anyway, great break-down man. That gets a karma 'blessing' from me.

I'll keep this brief. I was going to review it question-by-question, but I got lazy, lol. I'm going to hit the major points.

- Palin asked Biden if she could 'call (him) Joe' at the very start of the debate. This was the setup to a few of her more pungent zingers later in the debate. What a cynical and rotten move.

- Biden referred to McCain's health care plan as the 'ultimate Bridge to Nowhere'...this was the most popular line with the audience, and probably the most effective one. Palin is unable to defend McCain's health care plan.

- Palin uses Biden's disagreements with Obama against him. This has mild effectiveness. People do change their minds, Governor Palin.

- Palin openly throws the debate rules out the window. She also repeatedly says 'maverick'...ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

- Palin contends that the vice president needs BROADER POWERS. You know, like Dick Cheney. Biden counters that Dick Cheney was the most dangerous vice president in the history of our country. Sleeper reminds folks that Cheney's approval rating makes Bush's look good. This was a remarkably dumb move on Palin's behalf. Easily her worst moment of the debate.

- Biden tears up when speaking of the loss of his wife and daughter and the critical injury of his son in a car accident. Palin can't even bring herself to say something sympathetic, replies instead with something lame about McCain being a maverick. Palin's second worst moment in the debate. She could've scored big by expressing sympathy, but that'd be too human of her I guess.
BIDEN: Look, I understand what it's like to be a single parent. When my wife and daughter died and my two sons were gravely injured, I understand what it's like as a parent to wonder what it's like if your kid's going to make it.
I understand what it's like to sit around the kitchen table with a father who says, "I've got to leave, champ, because there's no jobs here. I got to head down to Wilmington. And when we get enough money, honey, we'll bring you down."
I understand what it's like. I'm much better off than almost all Americans now. I get a good salary with the United States Senate. I live in a beautiful house that's my total investment that I have. So I -- I am much better off now.
But the notion that somehow, because I'm a man, I don't know what it's like to raise two kids alone, I don't know what it's like to have a child you're not sure is going to -- is going to make it -- I understand.
I understand, as well as, with all due respect, the governor or anybody else, what it's like for those people sitting around that kitchen table. And guess what? They're looking for help. They're looking for help. They're not looking for more of the same.

- Biden is against gay marriage. For me, his worst moment in the debate, for those of us for who support gay marriage. I am one of them. Unfortunately, this is the position that he and Obama are forced into if they want to win. At least he supports the same civil benefits...a step in the right direction. Palin 'tolerates' gays. I also 'tolerate' her.

- Palin refers to Obama's plan to withdraw troops as 'raising the white flag of surrender'...disgusting line.

- Biden points out that Ahmadinejad does not control the security apparatus of Iran. This is an important point that people tend to overlook...Ahmadinejad is not the central authority figure in Iran, he is merely their mouthpiece.

- Palin accuses Biden and Obama of 'always looking backwards,' in other words, why are they being so hard on Bush? If I need to explain why this is utterly idiotic...well, I don't have much else to say to you.

- Palin thinks our commanding general in Afghanistan is named McClellan. Palin needs to get her facts straight before she opens her pie hole.

- Every time that Palin says 'maverick' god kills a kitten. Please, think of the kittens, Governor Palin.

- Palin's line 'Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again' is so awful that it made Reagan spin in his grave, especially when it was in response to Biden talking about the failures of the Bush administration. Governor Palin, I think it's fair that people want to hear how Biden and Obama would be different than one of the worst presidents in our nation's history. I know you'd rather not talk about this because you know McCain would be no different than Bush.

- Biden gets sick of Palin constantly saying 'maverick' and counters with this:
"Look, the maverick -- let's talk about the maverick John McCain is. And, again, I love him. He's been a maverick on some issues, but he has been no maverick on the things that matter to people's lives.
He voted four out of five times for George Bush's budget, which put us a half a trillion dollars in debt this year and over $3 trillion in debt since he's got there.
He has not been a maverick in providing health care for people. He has voted against -- he voted including another 3.6 million children in coverage of the existing health care plan, when he voted in the United States Senate.
He's not been a maverick when it comes to education. He has not supported tax cuts and significant changes for people being able to send their kids to college.
He's not been a maverick on the war. He's not been a maverick on virtually anything that genuinely affects the things that people really talk about around their kitchen table.
Can we send -- can we get Mom's MRI? Can we send Mary back to school next semester? We can't -- we can't make it. How are we going to heat the -- heat the house this winter?
He voted against even providing for what they call LIHEAP, for assistance to people, with oil prices going through the roof in the winter.
So maverick he is not on the important, critical issues that affect people at that kitchen table."

- Palin was nasty and snarky at several points in the debate. Biden concentrated the vast majority of his fire on John McCain. Clear consensus in the polls is that the debate was a victory for Biden. Palin didn't self-destruct, but she didn't stand out, either. She was not the shining star she needed to be. The momentum is firmly with Obama now, and we'll see how Tuesday's town hall meeting plays out. It should be interesting.

Well put, my friend. I agree.

I wish I had more to say but you said it all.

I didn't want you to think I didn't read it though. :]

*guffaw*

i think it's just another repub spin (which they're so good at).  he was more than respectful toward her - especially considering how she treated him in return.  i loved how they addressed that on SNL - 'can i call yah joe?  cos i practised a couple zingers when i call yah joe.'

http://www.hulu.com/watch/37730/saturday-night-live-vp-debate-open-palin--biden

it's deplorable how she decided to make her own rules about the format, though i really think that her answering the questions she'd avoided probably would've done her even worse.

also, if i ever hear the word MA-v'rick again, i will shoot myself.



well,...they could suppport wars over oil, the rich ones could refuse to vote for obama because their taxes will inevitably increase and they don't give a shit about anyone in the bottom 98.5%, the poor ones could vote based on their wanting to be rich and having a false ideology that republicans will take care of them, and the women could just look at sarah palin and feel a sense of 'sisterhood' and vote for her simply based on her accent and the fact that she's a mother.

good thing they don't do those things, or it'd be impossible!

i actually think the 'that one' remark is being a bit over-analysed/over-dramatised.  it further indicates mccain's not-so-closet racism, but he's just a dick; i guess it just didn't surprise me, really.
the parts that really goaded me:
-obama respectfully sat down whenever it was mccain's turn; he kept his attention on mccain, as well.  conversely, mccain wouldn't look at obama; he kept walking round whilst obama was talking; also, there were other remarks he'd made that were, in my opinion, far more rude, and his 'senator obama doesn't understand' reiteration continues to hammer in the point.
-mccain's down-talking to oliver was horrendous.  when mccain told him he 'probably hadn't heard of fannie may or freddie mac,' it made me cringe.  & by the looks of things, the audience felt the same way.

obama again is the clear winner.
and i loved seeing he and michelle talking with the audience; their smiles are so genuine, i think they probably won a few votes just on that alone. (=

i cried, i was laughing so hard.   
unfortunately, i had my headphones on so i wouldn't disturb mike, and he kept glaring at me for my guffaws.
 

Coming into last night's debate, Senators Obama and McCain both had very specific goals they set out to accomplish. McCain faces a growing deficit in the polls, and needed to do his best to halt Obama's momentum and shake things up a bit. Obama, for his part, wanted to maintain his lead and keep things as they are. Did either accomplish what they set out to do? I'll be analyzing this one point by point to determine how they did. Are you ready? Let's go!

QUESTION 1: TAXES:
The moderator, Mr. Bob Shieffer, opens with a question about the respective tax proposals of McCain and Obama. What makes one better than the other? McCain leads off with continuing to tout his proposal to buy off bad mortgages. Obama talks about bailing out the middle class. Soon, McCain brings up the now infamous 'Joe the Plumber' for the first time. Every debate, it seems, McCain has a key phrase he repeats over and over. Last time it was 'my friends,' in the first debate it was 'maverick' and now...ugh. Again, ugh.
McCain hits Obama again on taxing small businesses. Obama doesn't come off strong enough in this segment. McCain lands most of the hits, and he does it well. Overall, this question goes to McCain.

GRADE:
MCCAIN: A- Loses half a point for starting with that Joe the plumber nonsense. He starts off strong and sounds much better than he has in the past two debates. If he keeps this up, Obama will be in trouble.
OBAMA: C Too tepid. Not defending himself well enough here.

QUESTION 2: THE DEFICIT:
Shieffer points out that both Obama and McCain would increase the deficit with their spending proposals. He asks what they would cut to bring spending under control. Obama mentions going through the budget line by line and cutting out programs that don't work. He specifically targets subsidies to insurance companies which could save billions. McCain once again brings up his proposed spending freeze.
Obama disagrees with the concept of a spending freeze. Suggests a scalpel would be more appropriate than a hatchet. Obama also brings up the disastrous spending under Bush and links it to McCain. McCain responds with his best line of the night. 'I'm not President Bush.' Obama counters that when it comes to his voting record, McCain and Bush look pretty similar.

GRADE:
MCCAIN: B+ McCain gets in a good line about President Bush. He doesn't really answer the question, though.
OBAMA: C+ Gets in a few good lines. Getting better, but still not great.

QUESTION 3: NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING:
Shieffer asks Obama and McCain to clear the air about the negative campaign ads run by both. Obama brings up the 'kill him' remarks shouted at Palin's rallies and wonders why neither Palin or McCain have repudiated them. McCain blusters and claims he has stood up for Obama (don't make me laugh) and then whines about John Lewis' remarks about George Wallace and demands that Obama renounce them. For the uninformed, Lewis expressed concern that McCain's use of scaremongering to whip crowds into a frenzy put them at risk of becoming like George Wallace. Obama would not rebuke Lewis for this. Thank god.
Obama accuses McCain of running 100% negative ads. This is inaccurate. Eventually, we finally get to Ayers and Acorn. The Ayers accusation is stupid. Obama puts it to bed but fails to address the claim that he held a fundraiser for one of his campaigns in the home of Ayers. Obama does a much better job about shutting down the Acorn business. Obama goes on to say that they can disagree without being disagreeable. Considering the often ugly tone of McCain's debate performance and attitude towards Obama, this is a pointed remark.

GRADE:
MCCAIN: C Ayers is a lame, lame, lame line of attack. Not surprising he tried to use it here. He kind of had to, in the end. McCain should have renounced the people at Palin's rallies who shout 'kill him.' Instead, he got defensive. At this point, we start to see McCain's temper slipping.
OBAMA: B Much stronger and more forceful this time, but he should have done a better job addressing Ayers. God what a stupid issue.

QUESTION 4: THE RUNNING MATES:
Shieffer asks the rivals to point out how their respective running maters would be more prepared to lead in the event of something happening to the president. Nothing overly interesting here. McCain mentions ubercreep Todd Palin for some reason. Obama is given an opportunity to say that Palin is not qualified to be president, but passes on it.

GRADE:
MCCAIN: B Sarah Palin's record as a 'reformer' is highly questionable.
OBAMA: B I kind of wish he had said that Palin isn't qualified to be president...but I guess he had his reasons for pulling his punches.

QUESTION 5: ENERGY AND FREE TRADE:
Shieffers asks the candidates about reducing our dependence on foreign oil. McCain focuses on nuclear power while Obama lays out a broader plan. He scores big by talking about developing fuel efficient cars right here in the U.S. He comments that green technology has the potential to create thousands of jobs and could help expand the economy. McCain retorts by noting Obama's opposition to free trade, especially to Colombia, and mocks Obama's 'eloquence.' He suggests that Obama should visit Colombia so he could 'understand it a lot better.' Obama counters that he does understand what is going on in Colombia, that labor leaders have been targeted for assassination. He argues that free trade shouldn't come at the cost of human rights. McCain looks positively flabbergasted at this point. Was it because he didn't think Obama knew so much, or was he trying to be snarky? Either way, McCain ends up looking foolish.

GRADE:
MCCAIN: C- What the hell was that facial expression, McCain???
OBAMA: A When McCain condescendingly tells Obama that he doesn't know anything about Colombia, Obama shows he knows a LOT about Colombia, and catches McCain completely off guard. Obama is in his stride now.

QUESTION 6: HEALTH CARE:
It's about to get worse for McCain. Shieffer asks which is more important for health care in the current economy...reduce costs or expand coverage? Obama thinks we need to do both. He highlights the strengths of his health care proposal. McCain mentions Joe the plumber again. I hate Joe the plumber. McCain alleges that if Joe owns a small business, he will have to pay a fine under Obama's plan if he doesn't provide health care to his employees. McCain challenges Obama to name the price of the fine. Obama says 'zero' and goes on to talk about how his plan has exemptions for small businesses and that Joe would not be fined. McCain's response is priceless. His eyes bug out, he exclaims 'Zero???' and then does his best impersonation of a fish. If McCain was trying to look cynical or sarcastic, he failed miserably. He looked stunned and caught off-guard. Again. Weak, McCain. Weak. Oh, and at one point he calls Obama 'Senator Government' which is kind of cute. It sounds like something a kindergartner would say.

GRADE:
MCCAIN: F "Zero???" and Joe the plumber. Blech.
OBAMA: B+ "Zero." Way to catch McCain off-guard. Again.

QUESTION 7: ROE V. WADE AND THE SUPREME COURT:
Shieffer notes that McCain favors overturning Roe v. Wade. Obama does not. He asks if they would be willing to appoint a justice to the Supreme Court who held a view that opposed theirs. McCain does his best to piss off his base by saying that he would not have a litmus test to appoint a justice. Then he tries to cop out of this by claiming that he doesn't think somebody who supports Roe v. Wade would be qualified anyway. Riiiight. Obama voices his support for Roe v. Wade and for women's rights overall. He goes on to suggest there can be common ground on abortion...working to reduce them through education and adoptions, while allowing partial birth abortions only in cases where the health of the mother is at risk. McCain then does his best to piss off independent women voters and mocks 'women's health' even putting it in quotes. Considering that McCain's record on women's issues is already highly questionable, he pretty much killed his chances in that regard. That was a bad, bad move by McCain. Not to mention that it was a dick move.
McCain kept referring to being pro-choice as being 'pro-abortion.' Obama made a good response...being pro-choice is not the same as being 'pro-abortion.'

GRADE:
MCCAIN: F I'd give an F- if it were possible. First he angers his base by saying he wouldn't impose a litmus test, then he angers female voters by mocking their concerns over health. Does he even WANT to win this election? Is this what constitutes him trying?
OBAMA: A He sounds presidential and compassionate. Damn.

QUESTION 8: EDUCATION:
We arrive at the final question. Both are asked to describe how they would help reform the education system. Obama emphasizes early childhood education and laments that No Child Left Behind was underfunded. He supports charter schools. Considers strong education to be of paramount importance. McCain likes vouchers. I think vouchers are a bad idea and I have yet to see compelling evidence that they really work. Obama's response is very strong here...calls on parents to be involved, speaks of the ideals of every family...it feels like he really connects to the public here.

GRADE:
MCCAIN: C Throwing vouchers at the problem isn't a viable solution.
OBAMA: A Obama sure can inspire, eh?

OVERALL ANALYSIS:
Obama started off weak, but he had a specific strategy here. He was trying to tire McCain out, stay cool, and not get ruffled by attacks. I'd say he met this goal stunningly well. McCain, meanwhile, started off fantastic but then became angry and got ugly. Some of his facial expressions were hilarious. He came across as rude, nasty, mean-spirited, and condescending. Obama looks reassuring and presidential, McCain just looks angry and hostile. Another clear victory for Obama. McCain failed to do anything significant here, and in fact probably did himself more harm than good on the abortion issue.
Chris Matthews pointed out that McCain twice referenced Americans being angry. Matthews felt that McCain misread the mood of the American people. He thinks that they are scared and worried. I agree with Matthews. Americans aren't looking for anger. They are looking for calm, reassuring guidance. Obama's debate performance once again reinforced the image that he is the one who can provide all of that, and nothing McCain threw at him last night could change it.

GRADE:
MCCAIN: D Sorry Joe the plumber.
OBAMA B+