Both men were good, in fact--much better than either Bush or Kerry or Gore. McCain was more confident, forceful, and (surprisingly) calm. Obama seemed more nervous, sputtering, and annoyed. Neither said anything real about the current economic crisis. Neither was all that eloquent, which meant that Barack didn’t exploit his undeniable advantage. Overall, there was nothing surprising about content and positions. McCain played the experience card effectively, and Obama didn’t deal well with being called naive. I predict a slight bump for Mac, with the additional benefit of diverting the country for a bit from the threatening spectre of economic calamity.
Not wanting to end the evening a positive note, let me call your attention to the comments on NRO by K-Lo on our Sarah. She’s one of several conservative columnists who’s faced up to the fact that the cringe factor was pretty darn severe in Palin’s recent interview with Katie Couric. Kathryn wonders whether there might be less to her than we conservatives hoped. It’s more likely the case that she’s being mishandled or being forced to be a student being filled quite inauthentically with sound bites and factoids that she’s having trouble using at the appropriate moments. Sarah needs to be herself in the debate, and we have reason to hope and pray that’ll be enough. (See Julie’s comment below, which I didn’t see before writing this.)
And here’s a commentator who suspects that overcoaching has taken a toll
on Sarah’s confidence.
And finally, Carl is correct to comment in Steve H’s thread below that McCain won’t get away next time without decent answers on taxes and health care.
PETER,
still defeatist?
Obama revealed himself, and that is a man supremely unready for the demands of high command.
Just take a look at the minor bracelet moment. OK, just look at that minor, but ever so revealing moment. For McCain, that's clearly authentic, as it was for Reagan. BUT FOR Obama, it was clearly, CLEARLY a gimmick, a "you have your bracelet that means something, and I have mine, so they're a wash............" That's an Axelrod, Democrat staffer idea, and it was CLEARLY a joke!
And PETER, make yourself a margarita, for the real Obama is in trouble. Listen the news reports. All we hear is "no knockout moments." Now when does the media EVER say the Democrat didn't clearly win the thing. But in this one, for "the one," the "messiah," the communicative genius, for him they're out there saying there was "no knockout moment."
THAT'S how bad it was for Obama.
McCain looked constipated. Someone get him some prunes.
Barrack Hussein looked rattled, somebody get him some Valium.
It was a complete wash and basically a tie, which means that Dan is right. Obama was supposed to win and outdo McCain. On news that McCain would debate Obama the Rasmussen market rallied for Obama about 3% points, during and right after the debate McCain surged 5%, after which Obama resurged to finish the trading day ahead by a negligable half percent Obama bump. I don't know if this is meaningfull since the baseline on Obama still trails by about 6% the substitute and longer running market on democrats winning the presidency in 2008. It could simply be that traders are equalizing the older higher volume market explaining why Obama will tend to trend upwards or the democrat presidency will trend downwards until there is some general equilibrium. In other words market participants can guarantee a profit by simple arbitrage. In other words Obama should trend upwards on the simple strength of a guaranteed selling strategy, which I assume has little to do with the actually dynamics of this race.
Wasn't this suppose to be a foreign policy debate?
Actually the 6% was an exageration, albeit at one point during the debate when I checked the gap was this large, and I made a mental note of arbitrage opportunity. When the Rasmussen market closed, the spread on the democratic presidency was .6 with the the bid at 58 and the spread at 58.6 compared to 56.2-56.4 on Obama, which means that the late momentum for Obama might have been partially due to arbitrage between the markets concealing the McCain gains during and briefly following the debate.
"Sarah needs to be herself in the debate..."
Yes please, please be yourself, Sarah. Please tell us about mooses, the location of Russia and God's plan for Alaska during the End Times.
The cranky old dinosaur barely got away with a draw tonight and we can hardly wait until "our Sarah" gets her turn next week so we can see the next episode of the freak show now masquerading as the Republican party. If Kathleen Parker is cringing now, we can only imagine what all those undecided voters will be doing if "our Sarah" gets to be herself.
If Obama is himself, and Governor Palin herself, and America had to make a choice between the two, --------------- Obama would get his doors blown out.
If America were able to listen in to his conversations in San Fran, with guys like Soros, if they were able, {in some sci fi flick kind of way} to listen in to the many conversations he's had over the years with Pflegger, with Wright, with Dohrn and Ayers, ------------------- and yet also be able to listen in to Governor Palin discussing reform in her hometown, and listen to her discuss cleaning up Alaska, ------------------------------- if such a thing were possible, {which it isn't of course} --------------------- this race wouldn't even be close.
So SAM, there is a candidate who is doing everything he can to hide himself. And that's the guy at the top of the Democrat Party ticket.
And as for Governor Palin and "the end times," -------------- far more Christians would be able to relate to her despite all that, than would be able to relate to Barrack Hussein Obama, who chose to attend a "church" presided over by "Reverend" Wright.
More people would identify with her moose hunting, than would identify with Obama associating with a creature like Soros, and running America down, with a known anti-American type like Soros, {who by the way reports are out he's trying to orchestrate a run on the Dollar.......}.