Quick Points on Debate I A cool 70 for your consideration.
By Jay Nordlinger
As is my custom, I’m writing my comments without hearing any other commentary — I am unaffected by other opinions. I don’t know whether I will reflect a consensus or what. And, except for Point 1, I will make my points in the order in which I jotted them down, as I watched the debate. Here goes:
1) Obama is a masterly debater; McCain is a competent one. They both came off as moderates — a center-right moderate, maybe a center-left moderate. Actually, there wasn’t much left in Obama’s comments. McCain is genuinely a moderate, I believe; Obama plays one on TV. You would never know that he rose from ACORN, etc. Never.
Frankly, they disagreed on relatively little. They disagreed in marginal ways, actually. America probably got the impression that these are two capable candidates who would govern reasonably. I imagine that center types will say, “Gee, America is lucky to have two such good and decent and well-informed candidates running for president.”
That definitely advantages Obama — the “out” guy, the “change” guy.
2. Jim Lehrer has been moderating these debates forever. He is a true TV fixture of our times — a Murrow, a Brinkley. His Midwestern twang is one of the voices of American politics.
3. This idea that the financial crisis should be discussed because it’s a “national-security issue” is baloney. The crisis should have been discussed because it’s so current — so pressing. But to pretend that it’s part of foreign policy and national security is bunk. It reminds me of 1984: when the Democrats — because they were getting killed on national security, soft as they were on the Sovs — started saying, “Well, education’s a national-security issue. Health care’s a national-security issue.” Etc.
Mommy State garbage.
4. “Who won the handshake?” That has been an issue since 1980, when Reagan startled Carter by walking over to him. This time, the handshake was a draw — both men “won.”
5. Obama has a very smooth, dignified, nice baritone.
6. When he talked about Wall Street versus Main Street — clichéd as that is — he was very effective. No doubt, the Dems have themselves a good talker. (Maybe he is The One!) And his line about how the financial crisis is a “final verdict” on President Bush was very good — bunk, but good.
7. McCain began by talking about Senator Kennedy. I’m sure he meant well — but it came off to me — and perhaps only to me — as a little cheesy and contrived.
8. McCain tried to position himself as Mr. Bipartisan — Mr. Nonpartisan. Mr. Fix-It. That is his image of himself, and I suppose it’s true. Is it effective politically? Maybe so, in this year.
9. When he said, “I’ve been around a little while,” was that an allusion to age?
10. I had no idea what he meant when he was talking about the House Republicans — that was garbled.
11. Obama wasn’t in a mood to talk about finding a bipartisan solution (to the financial crisis). He wanted to pin the crisis on the Republicans. And that was a very good campaign tack to take, I’m afraid.
12. His purple tie was an excellent choice. (I’ll have no more statement on fashion in these notes.)
13. McCain said there will never be a bigger, more important invasion than the D-Day invasion — how can he know that?
14. The anti-Cox stuff — the anti-Chris Cox stuff — is BS, but it sounded good, in debate.
15. Obama is, of course, the better grammarian; but McCain sort of hangs in there — forges ahead.
16. When I listened to Obama, I thought, “This guy’s not going to make a mistake — of any type.” Sort of depressing.
17. Interesting that Obama repeatedly referred to his opponent as “John.” I don’t believe McCain ever said “Barack.”
18. Is it just my imagination, or do Democrats make better use of the clock — talk more — than the Republicans at these debates, over and over? Probably my imagination.
19. Said McCain to Lehrer, “Are you afraid I couldn’t hear him?” — was that another allusion to age?
20. McCain was Reaganesque when he said that America’s best days were ahead of her.
21. Funny that McCain talked about the greatest expansion of government since the Great Society. Why funny? Well, because, when I took a leave of absence from NR to work on the Bush campaign in 2000 (six weeks), we talked a lot about that: how Gore was proposing the greatest expansion of government “since Lyndon Baines Johnson,” as W. would say on the stump.
22. McCain sometimes spoke in shorthand, forgetting to spell things out: such as, “I’ll make them famous.” He didn’t say what or whom he’d make famous.
23. Obama did well on the subject of taxes — saying he was going to soak the rich and no one else. I’m afraid that goes over pretty well in America, although we’re supposed to be one of the least envious nations on earth.
24. A grammar point: McCain said “fundamental difference between” — then there was a big pause. He was trying to decide what to say. He decided, of course, on “myself and Senator Obama.” Everybody is terrified of “me.”
25. Very effective of Obama to speak of a $250,000 salary as “a quarter million.”
26. He said that American businesses pay the lowest effective tax rates in the world (or something like that). And he said that as though it were something bad. That’s part of what’s wrong with this candidate (and the entire Democratic party, of course).
27. Radical Democrats are very, very good at not seeming radical — I mean, not John Conyers and some others, but those concerned with the mainstream. Obama is one of them.
28. Apparently, McCain decided to laugh at offensive comments by Obama, instead of getting mad — and the laughing didn’t come off very well, I think.
29. Sometimes, McCain got bogged down in details, and did not speak broadly and thematically enough. Often, there should have been more music in his answers.
30. He talked a lot about spending cuts — how we’re going to have to reduce spending. He’s right, of course — but do candidates win talking like that? Do they win as budget-cutters? Well, maybe this year . . .
31. When McCain made his crack about how Obama can’t reach across the aisle, because he’s too far over to the left, Obama chuckled — which came off very well, I thought (different from the McCain laughs, which seemed strained and programmed).
