Final take: What I ultimately gleaned from last night’s debate was the realization that Barack Obama is simply cruising at a different altitude than John McCain. While McCain was swinging wildly and showing open contempt for his opponent (That One), Obama remained unfazed and unflappable. He was poised and patient, as if to say, “Okay, I’ll engage in this debate, but we all know I’ve much bigger plans ahead, and this grumpy old man to my left is little more than a nuisance.”
I thought Obama’s best answer came early, when he discussed the Wall Street bailout. Recall that the questioner was an African-American man who wondered how the whole fiscal crisis impacts the lives of regular Americans.
McCain took the question first, and began by saying (directly to the questioner): “You probably never even heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac until a couple of weeks ago.” Uh, condescend much John? That was a mighty presumptuous statement, and not the best way to ingratiate yourself with the voters, I dare say. He then went into a litany of platitudes that had little to do with the substance of what the questioner want to know.
Obama picked up the baton and gave a well-reasoned dissertation on the state of the financial mess and how the bailout impacts the lives of everyday Americans (i.e. frozen credit markets = missed payrolls = closed businesses = higher unemployment). I thought he did a brilliant job with that question.
Shorter Debate II analysis: Of the two presidential candidates on stage last night, Barack Obama was the one who revealed himself to be made of presidential timber.
I thought Obama’s best answer came early, when he discussed the Wall Street bailout. Recall that the questioner was an African-American man who wondered how the whole fiscal crisis impacts the lives of regular Americans.
McCain took the question first, and began by saying (directly to the questioner): “You probably never even heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac until a couple of weeks ago.” Uh, condescend much John? That was a mighty presumptuous statement, and not the best way to ingratiate yourself with the voters, I dare say. He then went into a litany of platitudes that had little to do with the substance of what the questioner want to know.
Obama picked up the baton and gave a well-reasoned dissertation on the state of the financial mess and how the bailout impacts the lives of everyday Americans (i.e. frozen credit markets = missed payrolls = closed businesses = higher unemployment). I thought he did a brilliant job with that question.
Shorter Debate II analysis: Of the two presidential candidates on stage last night, Barack Obama was the one who revealed himself to be made of presidential timber.
Exactly!
ReplyDeleteHe might as well have said:
"You're a young negro, so you probably have no idea what Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac is. I suspect all you really care about is basketball, like That One."