The Great Debate
Last night's presidential debate at Ole Miss was a missed opportunity. When we could have heard serious conversation about what the real opportunity costs of a $700 billion bailout are likely to be, we came away unconvinced that either candidate truly understood the bailout package, other alternatives and the causes of our banking meltdown. When we could have had serious engagement about our insane tax code, we got lowest common denominator tit-for-tat and campaign sloganeering. When we could and should have heard the candidates had , the word "Iraq" was not mentioned until 40 minutes into the debate.
Untouched were areas where America desperately needs true leadership and difficult decisions: retooling our economy to address climate change, ensuring the long-term solvency of Social Security and Medicare, fixing an inhumane health-care "system" that is crippling American businesses.
Obama should have landed several haymakers on the old gent. Perhaps it looks more presidential if he stays away from the more vicious attacks and addresses the voters in a measured way.
McCain meanwhile comes across neither as a total warmonger or a dotard. My dominant impression was of his egomania. Everything was about him and about tooting his own horn. "They called me the sheriff" because he opposed earmarks. "I'm the Senate's original maverick!" he crows about the nickname his campaign seems to have contrived for him, sounding like he's hawking New Coke. Obama, on the other hand, comes across as much humbler, in fact invisible sometimes, using the royal "we" that must be natural for all candidates, who appear alone before the voters but in reality are in conference constantly with advisers, managers and spouses.
McCain's closing statement was impressive: brief, straight-ahead and powerful. It had a strange opening, though: "When I got out of prison..." My wife and I looked at each other. Prison? Was he in a Johnny Cash song or something? Of course he meant the Vietnamese POW camp, but still, I had never heard him refer to it that way.
Untouched were areas where America desperately needs true leadership and difficult decisions: retooling our economy to address climate change, ensuring the long-term solvency of Social Security and Medicare, fixing an inhumane health-care "system" that is crippling American businesses.
Obama should have landed several haymakers on the old gent. Perhaps it looks more presidential if he stays away from the more vicious attacks and addresses the voters in a measured way.
McCain meanwhile comes across neither as a total warmonger or a dotard. My dominant impression was of his egomania. Everything was about him and about tooting his own horn. "They called me the sheriff" because he opposed earmarks. "I'm the Senate's original maverick!" he crows about the nickname his campaign seems to have contrived for him, sounding like he's hawking New Coke. Obama, on the other hand, comes across as much humbler, in fact invisible sometimes, using the royal "we" that must be natural for all candidates, who appear alone before the voters but in reality are in conference constantly with advisers, managers and spouses.
McCain's closing statement was impressive: brief, straight-ahead and powerful. It had a strange opening, though: "When I got out of prison..." My wife and I looked at each other. Prison? Was he in a Johnny Cash song or something? Of course he meant the Vietnamese POW camp, but still, I had never heard him refer to it that way.
posted by Hallovian at 7:12 AM
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