5 - Debate #1

So I just watched (most of) the first debate between McCain and Obama. I’m almost sad McCain went though, I honestly thought it would be super funny if Obama was the only one who went and it ended up just being Jim Lahrer talking to Obama. But whatever, I’m going to start off with that silly “Who won?” question.

So, Who won? Well in all honesty no one did, because the debates don’t really work that way and the election is the only real part of this entire process that can have a “winner.” However I can speculate about who did better, blah blah blah. This debate was quite interesting in that department too. There is always talk about how watching it on TV and just hearing the voices on the radio can change the general consensus, and just before watching it I had someone tell me they felt McCain had sounded better from what they heard on the radio. Now having watched it I disagree, however I can understand why it may of sounded like McCain was doing better, particularly after hearing just which part that person had heard on the radio.

So, I don’t really follow boxing, but I remember seeing some classic match up with a famous guy coming out of retirement to fight another guy in some super crazy match up. Now the older boxer was kind over the hill, so what he ended up doing was dodging around, not really throwing many punches for most of every round, but with 10 seconds left his trainer would signal to him, and he would do an all out flurry for 10 seconds. Now this being the last thing the judges would see of every round they would score him a little higher because “oh man he was really railing on that guy” or whatever. McCain in this debate seemed to be doing that kind of thing a little, only instead of punches, he was saying complete bullshit.

It kind went like this; Lead question about an issue, mild talking, signal that they needed to move on to the next question, McCain spouting a ton of shit that wasn’t true and NOT stopping, Obama not getting to correct the lies. Right towards the end of the debate McCain did this and Obama was saying, “that is not true I need to correct him on this,” and then while Obama was actually being given the chance to respond McCain just started talking again without shutting up until the moderator stopped them both and asked the next question. Obama was extremely professional during McCain talking, and McCain was just a total asshole.

Now, hearing this on the radio I can see it sounding like McCain was doing better, he was getting the last words in on every question. But watching the debate, seeing Jim trying to stop them both and having McCain just keep talking, watching McCain cut Obama off like a total asshole, and seeing McCain doing a rather forced and uncomfortable looking smile, gave the impression that McCain knew he was being rude and was doing it because he knows he is the weaker candidate.

There was one thing that McCain said in the whole debate that really was strong though. During a question about Iraq, Obama talked about how we never should have gone in, and McCain brought up that the next president isn’t going to be dealing with what should have happened but what is going to happen. That was the one thing that really did show McCain stronger. But Obama also was able to argue that his judgement, because of his views on the war in the past, are why we can trust that he will make the better decisions in the future. And I think that is where he is right, and why he still came off as the stronger candidate in the debate.