Wednesday, October 8, 2008

What a Disappointing Debate

Last night we saw McCain and Obama in the second of just three opportunities to go "toe-to-toe." The result: a disappointment.

I hate to admit it, but McCain faired much, much better in the "town hall" approach to this debate. I already have done my research and long ago made my commitment to Obama, but McCain tugged on me just a little last night. I don't agree with his proposed policies, but his arguments were made in a much more cogent and intelligent manner last night. I saw the type of leadership in the way McCain talked that has-- at least in part-- made me such a big fan of Obama. His comments on domestic policy were surprisingly well-laid out (this is such a weakness of his), and I felt like Obama just kept repeating over and over the same things he said in the first debate. I thought Obama did a steller job in the first debate, but I didn't want to hear it a second time, you know?

Both candidates, of course, were a let down this time around in any case. That's been talked about everywhere. Especially on that last question, "What don't you know and how would you learn it?" I wanted to hear something genuine, but hah, it goes without saying that such a thing would be expecting too much in these final countdown days. The whole debate was just, well, blah. And as much as I respect Tom B., I felt like rather than pushing on the time limits, etc., he should have been expending his energy pushing for some *real* answers and not just rhetoric.

Oh well. Here's to hoping the third debate is better.

2 comments:

chickadeescout said...

I think (as I've heard others say) that it's also disappointing that there are only three presidential debates overall, compared to the number of primary debates.

Masasa said...

I am actually glad there is only three because I watch the debates loyally but don't really feel like sitting down more than three times only to hear the same things we've been hearing for months.

*Especially* when there is sooooooo much happening right now on the national scene. If I am going to take time out for the debates, I'd like to hear the policies explained but *also* see some responsiveness (and an unrealistic "spending freeze" on everything except military spending on a war for which success hasn't even been defined just won't cut it).

It does actually make sense to me that there are more debates in the primaries. I'd only want to see more if it meant more substance.