Tuesday, October 7, 2008

If McCain says "My Friends" one more time i might just scream

For the most part tonights debate was business as usual. McCain and Obama bickered about who signed what bill and positions regarding alternative energy, the economy, and international affairs seemed typical. I found that instead of having a better understanding regarding the actions that each candidate will take, after watching the debate I am even more unsure of how this country will ever put the pieces back together. The debate began with a discussion regarding the economy and what each candidate plans to do to help the people. It became quite evident that I am not the only one who wants to know what the governemnt is going to do now to ease the suffering caused by our failing economy. A young man asked what the government plans to do now to help those who are not earning enough to support themselves and who are faced with the harsh reality of losing their homes. McCain was quick to state that the bailout will be the resolution to such hardships and suggested that "Fannie May and Freddie Mac" were responsible for the current state of our economy. While McCain was placing blame and oversimplifying the course of action required to repair the economy, Obama offered a more reflective response by stating that the bailout was just the beginning of a long hard process to restore national economic stability.
I felt that Obama outshined McCain in the economic portion, but I was disappointed by both responses to a question that required that both candidates offer their opinions on what would have to be sacrificed by the American public in the midst of such crisis. Neither candidate bluntly stated that yes alot will need to be sacrificed and people will lose their homes and their jobs and continue to worry about their retirement. Instead both discussed how policies would be thrown out and how they were hopeful about the future. Im pretty sure at this point no one thinks that the next couple years will be easy and so a more honest answer would have given the voters more insight into how both candidates plan to fix the economy .
I was also disappointed by both responses to the closing question: "What do both of you not know and how do you plan to learn about it?" Both responded similarly in that they are unsure about the future of this country. While Obama seemed to be more concerned about preserving the "American Dream" ideals and the the U.S. continues to be a place of opportunity, McCain simply stated that he was unsure about the future.
In all i was a little disappointed, but more so by McCain's performance than Obama's. McCain is trailing Obama and frankly i expected more from him. McCain continuously made historical references and at times was condescending (especially during the foreign policy portion.) He also insisted on addressing the audience as "my friends" the entire night which is just simply annoying. I admit that at times I am biased becuase I support Obama, but tonight i was rooting for McCain and was expecting a performance that showed that he is ready to be our President, but after tonights debate he just seems like more of the same.
All in all the debate was not great, but important topics were discussed. Even with rehearsed responses, I felt like the character of both candidates still shined through and at times that can be more influential than ideology. So who won? Im not sure if there was a winner, if I had to choose I would say that Obama was more fluid and personable in his responses and therefore was more captivating, but there really wasnt a decisive victor. I am very interested to see what you all think so if you havent watched the debate theres a link attatched to the title.

7 comments:

Jeff Yeh said...

I think both candidates had a few flaws during this debate.

Based solely on presentation, here are my observations:

Before I start rambling, I have to share something I noticed that made me crack up :D
At the end of the debate as they were shaking hands, the two seemed to be avoiding each other at first.. Obama seemed especially intent on keeping away from Obama. McCain eventually walked over and gave him a tap on the back and held out his hand to shake Obama's hand. I saw Obama turn and reach out for McCain's hand and then before they shook he noticed Cindy McCain standing next to John McCain and he sort of suddenly changed course and shook her hand instead, leaving McCain's hand sort of awkwardly outstretched... then Obama sort of turned away again... :P
huh.. i guess I kind of rambled there...

but anyways... I'd have to agree that McCain did seem sort of condescending towards Obama and I thought I even heard McCain call Obama "that one" though I'm not sure if i heard properly...
McCain also seemed much more comfortable debating in this fashion where the candidates can sort of walk around and express themselves though body language... but that's just my opinion...

Emily Mee said...

I definitely think that Obama was the winner is terms of addressing the economy and domestic issues. But I thought that they were even with the issues of foreign policy and Russia and Israel ect.
No doubt I think that some of Obama's strong points was that he stayed calm and cool when attacked by McCain. He strolled on the floor of the debate with easy while McCain hobbled and looked... well old. Issues are a big part of the presidential race but there is a part where appearances come into play. Obama looked younger and more presidential. I also think that Obama showed his respect and concern for the people when he stayed and talked to the people, when McCain got in and got out.
Also McCain pulling out the housing card and buying all the loans, where did that come from. After we just passed a $700 billion dollar bail out he wants to spend more money to buy up these loans??? And McCain calling Obama "that one". Um.. disrespectful much?
Obama won hands, but McCain completely didn't bomb it.

carmenceh said...

Yes, McCain actually did refer to Obama "that one". I felt both Obama and McCain attacked each other equally, but McCain did seem more condescending. I also noticed that Obama stuttered quite a bit and said a lot of "um"'s. I guess McCain was more prepared because of his experience. Even when he talked, he seemed more sure of what he was saying than Obama.

As for the issues addressed, I was also disappointed with their responses to the last questions. Neither of them really gave straight answers, or answered the question for that matter. Especially for the sacrafices question. Obama didn't answer that question at all. He just talked about what he did know, which is the opposite of what the question was asking. In general, I didn't get much new information from the debate. And like everyone said, McCain didn't shine when he REALLY REALLY needed to.

Nick Franquez said...

Laura I think your headline was one of the main reasons why I think Obama won the debate. I was also hoping for McCain to have a star performance and see if he could clearly state how he would be different than Bush.
McCain I think strayed away from his straight talk, using a lot of generalizations and Obama called him out saying, "a wheel fell off of the straight talk express". Obama answered most of the questions very fluidly and specifically said how he was going to change things and make them better. I feel like McCain also came off as being to associated with an older generation, and its "archaic" system of government regulation as Obama pointed out. I think this race is definately going to come down to who has the better economic plan because that is the biggest issue at hand in our country today. I think our foreign policy is the next most important thing, and Obama clearly made good points about why Iraq was a mistake and how Afghanistan and bin Laden should've been the focus.

laura said...

During a run today I was discussing last night's debate with Mr. Colglazier and well we came to the conclusion that the debate in general seemed entirely rehearsed and unnatural. I actually cringed when one of the women stood up and asked a question concerning Bin Laden and Pakistan. She clearly had no idea what her question meant or why she was asking it. Not only were the candidates a little disappointing, but the audience was aswell. They might as well have not even been there.
And isnt McCain supposed to be trying a little harder or is he leaving that up to Palin. She seems to be more forceful than McCain in her debate style which does not bode well for the Republican party. I'm still very annoyed by McCain's comments and it seems like both McCain and Palin are taking a casual approach to the debates in an attempt to appear relatable. Only it didn't quite work for me.

Aly C. said...

Adding to what Laura said, I think it's pretty ironic that the debate was designed to create an informal, conversational feel, when in reality it succeeded in creating the opposite. The debate felt very rehearsed and very forced.

One aspect of the debate that I found particularly amusing was the candidates' inability to stay with in their given time frame. I honestly do not think that any of their answers were within the given minute. I also thought that McCain's attempt to be funny sounded very scripted. I mean the line about the hair transplant? really?

Michael Donath said...

I definately agree with Laura, it was so staged. I heard on a newscast a few days before saying that McCain would probably be better in this "town hall" format because he wouldn't be so nervous. Obviously their guess was wrong. McCain walked around awkwardly and the cameras had trouble repositioning to get shots of his face (or at least PBS did).

There was a very points when McCain walked in front of the camera while Obama was talking and I couldn't help but laugh. And the poor moderator struggled to read his teleprompter because the candidates kept blocking him. Overall, this debate was way more nerve-racking compared to the first one. Answering who did better: I couldn't tell.