The Second Debate

Obama did a good job at the beginning on the economy. McCain just looked like he didn't have a clue. He looked old. He breathed heavily into the mic. He stressed energy independence as a economic solution, which didn't strike a chord. He stressed $700B going overseas for oil, which reminded people of the total for the bailout. Obama said $700B when he was talking about what we've spent on Iraq; also reminiscent of the bailout.

McCain's problem is that he wants to steal Obama's message of a new politics, yet he has to attack Obama, which looks like the old politics. Obama had this great line early saying "Look, you don't want to hear politicians attack each other" as he pivoted to what he was proposing. I thought he really connected with the young man who asked the question. McCain talked about bipartisan Reagan and Tip O'Neil in one breath, and in the very next sentence he mentioned how he himself "wasn't very popular sometimes in his own party, much less the other." It's a fundamentally flawed argument.

"What sacrifices would you ask for?" The first internet question. McCain repeated lines about cutting programs, without giving any (unpopular) specifics. Obama first spoke about Bush saying "Go out and shop" after 9/11. Good start. He then started talking about government programs--not personal enough. Then he started talking about people using less energy in their own lives...but then related it back to government giving incentives. I thought that could have been more powerful. Too Jimmy Carterish? But the people liked Carter's "malaise" speech--it was only the cynical media who turned on him and turned the speech into a laughingstock. I thought Obama missed a real opportunity to issue a politically risky call to individual Americans to share the burden of consuming less. A lot of talk about "sharing the burden" but I thought it could have been even more specific. (But that means more risky.) McCain hit Obama on looking to the government too much on health care. I think McCain could have pressed this aspect a lot more.

Obama's tone was good, and I'm continually impressed with how he doesn't say "uh" anymore. McCain said "my friends" a ton, and his "s's" whistled into the microphone.

I thought Obama won the "what's your priority" question. He said, "We need to prioritize" while McCain said "We can do all of them." Bush 43's political genius at the beginning of his first term was to portray himself, at least, as someone willing to prioritize. People roll their eyes when politicians dodge this type of question. McCain knew he was beat and returned to it in a follow-up that I thought smacked of desperation.

McCain continues to be the strongest when he preaches his record against earmarks. Obama is the weakest when he reminds everyone that McCain is part of the problem in Washington in the last 26 years--this only reminds people that Obama is the newbie.

When talking about health care insurance companies Obama bashed Delaware--interesting given his choice of running mate!

When McCain started talking about foreign policy he got animated and was at his best. The contrast with his speech when he's speaking about the economy is marked. McCain said, "The United States of America is the greatest force for good in the history of the world." More overweening American exceptionalism you cannot find--not that the nation is blessed by God in his providence, but rather takes the place of God's providence. He had said at the beginning of the debate that the economic problem was caused by Washington and greed on Wall Street.

McCain had more malapropisms. McCain: "Let's keep never forget the trouble we're in today." McCain: We have to make sure we're not "exacerbating our reputation."

I thought Tom Brokaw was obnoxious from beginning to end. He sniped and snarked, was schoolmarmish and a know-it-all, yet at the end he didn't even know what to say without the teleprompter.