I listened to part of the debate on the radio on my way home from work. I am an Obama supporter, but I thought McCain was doing better. When I got home, I turned on the television, and I thought, "no contest." Looking at both of them side by side, Obama was putting a hurting on McCain.
McCain looked like a doddering old man who was looking for his cane. And damn he was pissed. I think he believes "that one" (code word for "that uppity nigra") is stealing his destiny. Obama is the one with a destiny. McCain needs to retire and enjoy the rest of his days chillin' in Arizona, or in one of his many, many houses.
The fact that you have the Nixon/Kennedy debate posted makes complete sense. The similarities are eerie. Obama is the more photogenic, charismatic of the two men. And I think he is the more capable, so it's not merely style over substance. And listening to Kennedy, even the topics of discussion are similar. Thanks for posting that debate on your blog.
Thanks for coming by, and I plan to bookmark your own blog because you're doing good work.
I wonder if McCain's handlers really understood what type of hurting Obama would put on McCain in the debate. Yes on one level it is about someone who was president of the Harvard Law Review vs. someone who graduated 893 out of 897. But it's also about visceral gut level responses. Kennedy's campaign staff understood the difference between television as a medium and radio...and they took advantage of it. Nixon's campaign staff was absolutely clueless. I doubt they understood what type of gap they were looking at (again before political ideas even come into play) until they saw the debate on television.
Obama's campaign created a nifty download for the IPhone that extends the Obama social network. Like facebook for the IPhone. McCain in contrast created a republican badge that works like a screensaver and does....nothing else. If we were talking about Iphone technology or the "internets" then that's understandable. Obama represents the future...McCain is stuck.
But here? McCain's folks HAD to know that once the two of them got on television McCain would drop like a rock. McCain originally suggested that the two of them have several town hall meetings. If Obama would've agreed, even given racial resentment, this race would've been over a while ago.
submariner
· 1 year ago
Below I'll reproduce a comment I dropped yesterday.
His campaign is effectively over and he knows it. A McCain comeback would surpass Truman's 1948 victory and in that race Truman had the advantage of being the incumbent and mounting the first relentless grassroots campaign in the form of the so-called "whistle-stops" in which he would travel to cities and towns and speak to citizens from the back of the train.
If you get a chance, look at the rebroadcast of last night's debate. Note the contrast in body language. McCain is feral. While Barack is speaking, he paces back and forth across the stage like a caged animal. He is unable to assume a position of comfort. His attempts at levity are forced and unnatural. He is also strangely petulant. My wife, too, picked up on the paternalistic undercurrent of McCain's response to the black man.
Obama, meanwhile, is reposed. He is sipping on water while McCain is on the attack. He is still using phrases like "John and I agree." He remains seated while McCain is speaking. He shares the intimacy of his mother's dying days and affectionately calls out his wife during his final remarks. But at the debate's closure, Obama pointedly does not walk over to shake the man's hand. He is accommodating but not subordinate.
The supremacy of Obama's confidence is confirmed by his and Michelle's dalliance at the end of the event compared with the efficient exit of McCain. If you are a sports enthusiast, this is the equivalent of the winning team staying on the court long after the game is over as the losing team quickly withdraws.
The purpose of debate in the modern era is not to deliberate or educate. It is to serve as a sort of presidential fitting room in which you get to try on a suit, pose in front of the mirror, and see which one makes you look good. Likewise, we get to see which candidate best reflects our self image. It's as entertaining as theater and sports. Of course, there are plenty of folks that don't like either, but for those of us that do it doesn't get better.
submariner
· 1 year ago
I also meant to add that beyond the visual or stylistic aspects there are some eerie political and substantive resemblances to JFK as well. I would refer you to Clark Clifford's memoir, Counselor to the President, where he describes Truman's ambivalence if not outright disdain for Kennedy. Kennedy also had a detached style and surrounded himself with older figures but was intensely focused where it matters in terms of preparing for future governance while going through the requirements of campaigning. Today's Huffington Post reports that Obama's transitional team has an efficient, fully charged operation while MCCain's is barely existent.
MIB
· 1 year ago
You would think in this day and age candidates for public office would understand better the risks of television -- that it can amplify or distort the features of a person, place, or event in unanticipated ways. One funny thing about Tuesday night's 'debate' is the format was thought to be favorable to McCain. He got his ears boxed (again), substantively and viscerally.
But we shouldn't allow ourselves to accept these events as debates. They're actually tightly controlled sales presentations. That's why to a large degree the choice of moderator doesn't matter. The criteria for choosing a host comes down to a personality whose image is credible, well-established, and non-partisan. I suppose there's a VH-1 VJ or reality show host who could hold down the fort, but many of today's young(er) journalists simply lack the chops. Farai Chideya is illustrative of my point; News and Notes' blogger's roundtable is news as Buppie entertainment -- frequently unreliable infotainment by, of, and for conformist Negroes. It's NPR's 'hood.
The questions' lack of rigor is a function of the debates being controlled by an undemocratic, opaque organization controlled by the two major parties with the consent of the media. If you're judging by what's presented on the screen, you'd think there are only two candidates running for president. That's no accident or coincidence. The only thing I can think of to force the issue is the use of new media technologies to further decentralize how information is produced, distributed, and consumed.
In theory, the town hall format provides a more casual environment befitting a less-than-capable, but still charismatic, public speaker. I believe McCain's people were thinking he resonates with the American public on an intimate level in a way a conventional debate format doesn't capture. Obviously, they grossly underestimated Obama's charisma.
Whether we characterize it as war, defense, or security, I somewhat disagree with the idea the issue itself isn't important. It should be second in importance to the economy, but I also think as a subject the economy is far more abstract, and therefore harder to address. So defense takes precedence in most voters minds until there's a widespread economic crisis.
All Comments
McCain looked like a doddering old man who was looking for his cane. And damn he was pissed. I think he believes "that one" (code word for "that uppity nigra") is stealing his destiny. Obama is the one with a destiny. McCain needs to retire and enjoy the rest of his days chillin' in Arizona, or in one of his many, many houses.
The fact that you have the Nixon/Kennedy debate posted makes complete sense. The similarities are eerie. Obama is the more photogenic, charismatic of the two men. And I think he is the more capable, so it's not merely style over substance. And listening to Kennedy, even the topics of discussion are similar. Thanks for posting that debate on your blog.
Althea
www.therawmochaangel.blogspot.com
I wonder if McCain's handlers really understood what type of hurting Obama would put on McCain in the debate. Yes on one level it is about someone who was president of the Harvard Law Review vs. someone who graduated 893 out of 897. But it's also about visceral gut level responses. Kennedy's campaign staff understood the difference between television as a medium and radio...and they took advantage of it. Nixon's campaign staff was absolutely clueless. I doubt they understood what type of gap they were looking at (again before political ideas even come into play) until they saw the debate on television.
Obama's campaign created a nifty download for the IPhone that extends the Obama social network. Like facebook for the IPhone. McCain in contrast created a republican badge that works like a screensaver and does....nothing else. If we were talking about Iphone technology or the "internets" then that's understandable. Obama represents the future...McCain is stuck.
But here? McCain's folks HAD to know that once the two of them got on television McCain would drop like a rock. McCain originally suggested that the two of them have several town hall meetings. If Obama would've agreed, even given racial resentment, this race would've been over a while ago.
His campaign is effectively over and he knows it. A McCain comeback would surpass Truman's 1948 victory and in that race Truman had the advantage of being the incumbent and mounting the first relentless grassroots campaign in the form of the so-called "whistle-stops" in which he would travel to cities and towns and speak to citizens from the back of the train.
If you get a chance, look at the rebroadcast of last night's debate. Note the contrast in body language. McCain is feral. While Barack is speaking, he paces back and forth across the stage like a caged animal. He is unable to assume a position of comfort. His attempts at levity are forced and unnatural. He is also strangely petulant. My wife, too, picked up on the paternalistic undercurrent of McCain's response to the black man.
Obama, meanwhile, is reposed. He is sipping on water while McCain is on the attack. He is still using phrases like "John and I agree." He remains seated while McCain is speaking. He shares the intimacy of his mother's dying days and affectionately calls out his wife during his final remarks. But at the debate's closure, Obama pointedly does not walk over to shake the man's hand. He is accommodating but not subordinate.
The supremacy of Obama's confidence is confirmed by his and Michelle's dalliance at the end of the event compared with the efficient exit of McCain. If you are a sports enthusiast, this is the equivalent of the winning team staying on the court long after the game is over as the losing team quickly withdraws.
The purpose of debate in the modern era is not to deliberate or educate. It is to serve as a sort of presidential fitting room in which you get to try on a suit, pose in front of the mirror, and see which one makes you look good. Likewise, we get to see which candidate best reflects our self image. It's as entertaining as theater and sports. Of course, there are plenty of folks that don't like either, but for those of us that do it doesn't get better.
But we shouldn't allow ourselves to accept these events as debates. They're actually tightly controlled sales presentations. That's why to a large degree the choice of moderator doesn't matter. The criteria for choosing a host comes down to a personality whose image is credible, well-established, and non-partisan. I suppose there's a VH-1 VJ or reality show host who could hold down the fort, but many of today's young(er) journalists simply lack the chops. Farai Chideya is illustrative of my point; News and Notes' blogger's roundtable is news as Buppie entertainment -- frequently unreliable infotainment by, of, and for conformist Negroes. It's NPR's 'hood.
The questions' lack of rigor is a function of the debates being controlled by an undemocratic, opaque organization controlled by the two major parties with the consent of the media. If you're judging by what's presented on the screen, you'd think there are only two candidates running for president. That's no accident or coincidence. The only thing I can think of to force the issue is the use of new media technologies to further decentralize how information is produced, distributed, and consumed.
In theory, the town hall format provides a more casual environment befitting a less-than-capable, but still charismatic, public speaker. I believe McCain's people were thinking he resonates with the American public on an intimate level in a way a conventional debate format doesn't capture. Obviously, they grossly underestimated Obama's charisma.
Whether we characterize it as war, defense, or security, I somewhat disagree with the idea the issue itself isn't important. It should be second in importance to the economy, but I also think as a subject the economy is far more abstract, and therefore harder to address. So defense takes precedence in most voters minds until there's a widespread economic crisis.