I know I said I’d give both candidates a bye on this one. But of course, I had to watch, to serve you dear reader. Just in case some one really landed a punch.
McCain needed a knockout blow. But Obama is too skillful, too cool. He stood up to McCain. The electorate needed to see that. If McCain is a fighter and threw the best he had, Obama is still standing this morning–way out in front.
I even took my own advice. I tried listening to the debate just on the radio. The experience makes you listen more to the ideas, rather than react to the visual. Listening you don’t get the “crotchety old man” image vs. the black preppy whippersnapper. You do hear angry vs. calm, aggressive vs. steady, frustrated vs.cool.
What you don’t hear is black vs. white. You don’t hear race. I heard Immigration mentioned once (by McCain), affirmative action not at all, and civil rights mentioned just once (again by McCain). This was a generic American debate.
Listening to it, Obama won, mostly because when there was real clash, Obama had an answer. McCain got his Ayers/Acorn digs in. But they didn’t hurt. Obama had a reasonable and acceptable answer. When you answer an Ayers charge with “I consult with Warren Buffett, et.al…” McCain just looks ridiculous and desperate.
What McCain needed is to force the clash points. He did with the “I’m not George Bush” retort. That was one of his few moments where he got my attention. He should have repeated and developed that more. He didn’t, at least not enough to let it resonate like he wanted. He did repeat a weak “spread the wealth” line, that tried to paint Obama as some socialist hell bent on the redistribution of wealth. But that doesn’t work with the middle class, only with the rich.
Joe the Plumber certainly would rather see a redistribution to guys like him.
That McCain made Joe the Plumber the star, was good shtick and could have worked. But McCain’s policies lack the kind of answers for the average Joe. McCain is all about saving taxes on the rich and government cutting back on the things we need. Sounds like Bush, doesn’t it? McCain even attacks Obama in the same manner as Bush, painting Obama as a “tax and spend” liberal. What was that now about not being Bush?
McCain could have scored more points on issues like judicial appointments, abortion and vouchers. But while McCain was predictably conservative, Obama wasn’t predictably liberal. It gave Obama a chance to sound reasonable and pragmatic, not radical. Nothing to fear here. Unless you fear a black man. And then if you’re listening to the radio, it doesn’t even cross your mind. Obama just sounds like the better candidate.
So then I re-watched the debate on the DVR. And McCain loses on the visual. Old and white can be winning when it’s seen as “avuncular.” That was Walter Cronkite’s trait. The lovable old white guy. Smart, wise, passionate. Not old,angry maverick.
Obama’s visual is professional, pleasant, polite. Civil. Not radical. Nothing to fear. He’s presidential for these diverse times.
In the closing statement, I went back to just audio to get a sense of the tone. Only Obama offerred a sense of unity, of working together. He said as much and it came across. McCain was too busy pleading his own case. Unity? He was too busy self-serving his fading campaign.
On TV, on radio, it was Obama. In this race, he is pulling away and soon McCain will appear to be running backward.