What to do, what to do, oh what to do when so confused.
I have not my wits about me this night. You see, I'm feeling quite ho-hum after yesterday's debate. But that's not because Barack did poorly. On the contrary, he was nuanced and assertive - without a doubt personifying "Presidential." Rather, I'm feeling somewhat aloof because I was so desperately craving McCain's demise, and so sure that Obama would strike with such force, that I presumptuously planned for a joyous day of pompous grandstanding. Oops.
That cursed Obama. Putting his needs - and the needs of the American people - before my very own. Who does he think he is? I wanted my damned knock-out! But no, he has to think about "winning elections" and "saving the world." C'mon, that's so yesterday. Let's just accept our apocalyptic fate and ridicule McCain as some sort of Nazi sympathizing, latte sipping, drag queen loving, Franco-Queer, money-bags, hipster doofus. No one will care about such senseless shenanigans once the markets collapses, panic ensues and we all become zombie hordes. Right?
Alas, Obama played it safe, and kudos to him. I suppose he thinks some disastrous Mad-Max scenario for the future avoidable. Idealist. Anyway, in the short-term, the strategy was wise indeed. Obama passed this much talked-about "Commander-in-Chief" threshold, spoke with sophistication, and acted, on the whole, like a gentleman. He can save the bravado and tenacity for another day. Interestingly enough, his graceful performance won him many a fans, as Nate Silver from FiveThrityEight explains:
The [CNN] poll suggests that Obama is opening up a gap on connectedness, while closing a gap on readiness.
Specifically, by a 62-32 margin, voters thought that Obama was “more in touch with the needs and problems of people like you”. This is a gap that has no doubt grown because of the financial crisis of recent days. But it also grew because Obama was actually speaking to middle class voter....
The CBS poll of undecideds has more confirmatory detail. Obama went from a +18 on "understanding your needs and problems" before the debate to a +56 (!) afterward. And he went from a -9 on "prepared to be president" to a +21.
Still, Obama could have hit harder on several occasions, yet he chose not to. Totally intentional, I would gather, because given the circumstances - McCain's clumsy display in Washington, his "to debate or not to debate" malarkey and, of course, the cringe-inducing Palin fiasco - the election should be effectively over.
Let's not forget that Barack Obama had a very, very difficult task - and still does and always will. Not only did he have to duel with McCain on foreign policy, but he had to be tough without, you know, being the "angry black guy." Prejudice in twenty-first century middle America. It's a bitch.
Sullivan, in a far more eloquent fashion, echoes this point:
But Obama is also a black man against a white man. So he must also be very careful not to get angry and to stay cool and calm. He has to do that to avoid the "angry black man" trap. But then he cannot afford to seem weak either. You realize how hard a balance that is for ninety minutes?
Obama has to walk through a racial minefield all the time.
Exactly.
Now we turn to that little rascal Johnny Mac. During the sparring I thought him to be a contemptuous brute. For the entire night, he made snide comments and indulged in his own god-awful wit. That said, he made some decent points, and often distracted Obama just enough to prevent exposing his own incompetence. So, I will give him credit, after a terrible introduction, he rebounded with some smart, quick jabs and demonstrated a command of several issues - Ukraine, Russia and Iran. That's not to say he was right, but he definitely knew his stuff and spoke with a distinguishable confidence.
But, as Chris Matthews and Josh Marshal noticed, McCain couldn't even look Obama in the eye - not once. How petrified or arrogant is this man? He clearly loathes Obama, respects him very little, and thinks him some sort of prep-school fancy-pants. How mistaken he is, that old man McCain. It wasn't Obama who was born into privilege, who developed a destructive James Dean complex, who left his crippled wife for a beer heiress, and who was involved in a notorious congressional scandal. No, Senator, that was you. You're the one, Mr. McCain, who does not deserve the time of day, the slightest gratitude, or begrudging respect from his opponent.
What irks me most about John McCain is, without question, his hypocritical martyr complex. And oh how he flaunts it. The man is morally bankrupt; he is an impetuous fool and life-long swindler. There's no denying this, yet he brazenly boasts about his "honor," brandishes himself a "maverick" and trademarks this notion of "country first." It's a sickening farce. I will have none of it.
I wish him nothing but humiliation in defeat. Regardless, I expect polls to remain close for now, but the seeds were sown, and Barack's about to blossom anytime now.
Debate Grades:
Obama A-
McCain B/B+
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