Crossing the Threshold
In the weeks (maybe months) prior to the first presidential debate, the question in the minds of many people has been whether Barack Obama has the wherewithal to be Commander-in-Chief. John McCain, and Hillary Clinton before that, tried to hammer on the issue of experience. Barack Obama has always countered that while he might not have the same amount of experience (i.e. time on the job) he does have the judgment, temperament, and demeanor necessary to be president. Last night Barack Obama's primary job was to convey to the undecideds out there, about 10% or so of the voters, that he would not be a risky choice. The analogy often used is Ronald Reagan in 1980 showing in his debate with Jimmy Carter that he wasn't a whack job who would lead America into nuclear annihilation.
So, what happened last night? Well, I didn't get to watch the whole thing -- about 45 minutes or so -- but I saw enough to get a sense that by and large they were even. I later watched some of the late night observations, and the consensus was that this was pretty tight and not the game changer John McCain needed. So, whether you thought it was a tie or whether you thought one candidate or the other won on points, the consensus is that Obama came out of this debate unscathed. Why is this important? Last night's debate was on John McCain's turf. So, if Obama squeaked out a 1 run win or in soccer terms tied, he won. If John McCain was going to change the playing field, he failed. Now, we look back at a candidate who for the past 2 weeks has been as erratic as any in memory, and you have to say that Obama came out of this debate in a good place. Now, they move on to territory that should favor Obama. Of course there could be gaffes and all, but hey round 1 went as well as could be hoped for.
Of course, whatever the pundits might say, the key is how the polls respond. That we must wait for! But at the end of the day, the most important thing that came out of last night is that Barack Obama looked presidential, showed he knew the stakes at hand, and showed that he would not be a risky choice as Commander-in-Chief of our national armed forces.
By the way, notice the body-language in the photo above. I think that catches things well. McCain refuses to look at Obama. He didn't look at Obama when Obama was speaking and can't look at him when shaking his hand. For whatever reason, McCain seems to despise Obama -- and it shows.
So, what happened last night? Well, I didn't get to watch the whole thing -- about 45 minutes or so -- but I saw enough to get a sense that by and large they were even. I later watched some of the late night observations, and the consensus was that this was pretty tight and not the game changer John McCain needed. So, whether you thought it was a tie or whether you thought one candidate or the other won on points, the consensus is that Obama came out of this debate unscathed. Why is this important? Last night's debate was on John McCain's turf. So, if Obama squeaked out a 1 run win or in soccer terms tied, he won. If John McCain was going to change the playing field, he failed. Now, we look back at a candidate who for the past 2 weeks has been as erratic as any in memory, and you have to say that Obama came out of this debate in a good place. Now, they move on to territory that should favor Obama. Of course there could be gaffes and all, but hey round 1 went as well as could be hoped for.
Of course, whatever the pundits might say, the key is how the polls respond. That we must wait for! But at the end of the day, the most important thing that came out of last night is that Barack Obama looked presidential, showed he knew the stakes at hand, and showed that he would not be a risky choice as Commander-in-Chief of our national armed forces.
By the way, notice the body-language in the photo above. I think that catches things well. McCain refuses to look at Obama. He didn't look at Obama when Obama was speaking and can't look at him when shaking his hand. For whatever reason, McCain seems to despise Obama -- and it shows.
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