Debate Reactions

It seems like today's reactions to the final debate last night have been overwhelmingly positive for Obama. While no one seems to insist that Obama covered any new ground, his tried and true, steady as she goes method of running down the clock to Election Day seemed like a success. I thought McCain had his strongest debate to date but still at times seemed erratic and unfocused, jumping from issue to issue within the course of a few sentences. From the NY Times:

It seemed as if Mr. McCain was veering from one hot button to another, pressing them all, hoping to goad Mr. Obama into an outburst or a mistake that would alter the shape of the race in its last three weeks.

For the most part, Obama seemed his usual self, refusing to be dragged into any sort of petty tit-for-tat with McCain over some incisive topics, i.e. ACORN and William Ayers. When prompted, Obama clearly and efficiently laid out his history with both ACORN and Ayers and seemed to make a convincing case on both.



Most seem to agree that McCain's strongest line came when he stated he was not President Bush, seen here:



However, people just seem to think that McCain came up short. Reports can be found as follows:

Boston Globe (1)(2)(3)
NY Times (1)(2)
LA Times
Washington Post (1)(2)(3)

Reaction to the Debate: Moderators

Some discussion has arisen of the role of the moderators in the debates in the wake of Gwen Ifill being chosen to host the VP debate. Many felt that the fact that Ifill has a book coming out on the topic of race in the Obama age would handcuff Ifill from truly moderating and a solid group felt that it did. There was worry that any sort of limitation Ifill put on Palin would be construed as unfair and political versus actually trying to get an answer from a candidate.

After last night's Presidential debate, it seems as if some are just as unhappy with the role the moderator played. While watching the debate, the fact that Brokaw was desperately attempting to keep the candidates under the time constraints was pretty evident. I don't think I would call Brokaw's job "terrible" but it was something less than stellar. Even when he tried to stop the candidates, they would frequently push anyway often times with Brokaw allowing it to happen. I agree with Mitchell's idea that the second half of the debate seemed all too familiar given the first hour and a half that we sat through a few weeks ago. For Obama, who seemed to have the consensus that he won the first debate, it must be a positive that he didn't have to sway from the ideas/talking points that already won. For McCain, who is facing increasingly desperate times, the fact that he had to regurgitate previously explained ideas can't be good for the campaign.

This Just In...

VP Debate could be Politically Pivotal.

While it may seem like an obvious statement, with all the the scrutiny on Palin prior to tonight's debate, this could be a contest with far reaching consequences for both sides. With more than half of voters beginning to think that Palin doesn't understand the "complex issues", tonight may be her last chance to salvage whatever dignity she may have left. After getting drummed with questions to which she had no answer by Katie Couric (Katie Couric!) and stumbling through moments of the Charlie Gibson interview, it's almost a necessity for Palin to come out tonight and have a great debate.

On the other hand, I feel its almost a necessity for Biden to come out and bury Palin. Let's all be honest, the McCain/Palin ticket has had a rough couple of weeks and while I'm not quite ready to say that they're reeling, its not a stretch to say that they've been falling behind. If Biden can unequivocally show tonight that Palin is the clueless, unprepared woman she has made herself to be in the past few weeks, I'm not quite sure how she'll be able to recover. As we discussed briefly in Monday's class, if Palin has another bad week and then all of a sudden turns it around and comes out slinging knowledge, can we even believe that its genuine and not a regurgitation of today's fact packet? I'm not so sure that I want a VP who needs to use flash cards during a meeting with a foreign head of state. But hey, that may just be me.

The Presidential Debate in 90 Seconds

I forgot to mention this tonight in class but this is about as video manipulation as you can. Reducing a 90 minute debate to 90 seconds. Buckle up.


While its obviously gimmicky, it does provide the viewer with a suprisingly efficient summation of the night's events. It really works to point out many of the topics that we discussed tonight in class. In particular, the moment of the rapid repetition of Reagan stands out as we discussed. The McCain campaign recognizes that for them to align themselves with the current White House would be political suicide. However, for conservatives and even the so-called "Reagan Democrats", the Reagan administration was a shining light in conservative presidencies, one fondly remembered by right wingers around the country.

If McCain/Palin can effectively denote the ticket as a Reagan/Bush for the 21st century, its something the conservative base would most likely rally around, a key issue for the campaign, especially after the events with the economic bailout falling through today. As many are reporting, McCain came back to Washington last week promising to rally the House GOPs. He was unable to do that, with roughly 60% of House Republicans voting down the bill. So not only has McCain been unable to get something done in Washington, the whole reason for the campaign suspension, he also had to endure the hullabaloo that ensued (as we highlighted tonight).