I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stomach it. I had to stop watching the debate. Obama was playing it too safe, and as a result, was being overshadowed by McCains ridiculous talking points. Every time I heard Obama say “John’s right”, I felt a drop both in the polls, and in my hope for the future. Why was he being so accomodating? I expected fury - a presidential intensity calling McCain to answer for ANY of his huge blunders from throughout the past week. McCain, on the otherhand, stuck to his talking points, painted Obama as overintellectualizing, naive, and unknown, and cut him off whenever he had the chance. This debate clearly wasn’t about content (and it rarely is). This debate was about making an impression, and Obama, sadly, left me unimpressed.
I’m not going to write any more about this, but please check out this quick entry by Robert Kutter; he summed up my experience with this debate exactly.
