The Great Debates, Round 2

Well, the second of the presidential debates has concluded. The town hall format was supposed to be a big plus for John McCain, but it just didn't seem that way. I also take issue with this beig called a "town hall format". Let's call this what it is folk, a joint press conference where voters get to ask pre-screened questions.

Coming into this debate, all Barack Obama had to do was not screw up. He is up in every poll, he is pulling away from McCain in the battleground states, and his favorability numbers are on the rise. This late in the game, Obama can afford to let the clock run down. Time is clearly onhis side.

For McCain, he needed a game changing moment tonight and he didn't get one. In fact, I don't think tonight served McCain very well at all. Of course, coming on the heels of Sarah Palin's alternatingly corny and creepy (wink, wink!) performance last week, McCain had nowhere to go but up.

First of all, the contrast between the two men on a physical level did not help McCain. Obama is very at ease with people and it showed. He looked at them, went up to them, and moved around the debate set with little effort. McCain, in contrast, moved around like a man well into his seventies. At times, I was afraid that he might fall and break a hip. Further, McCain's smiles always seemed forced, as if he was gritting his teeth.

McCain's attempts at humor also seemed to fall flat with the audience. From his lame joke about a hair transplant to his (perhaps unintentional) insult to Tom Brokaw about not picking Brokaw for the cabinet, McCain's humor fell flat. Perhaps voters realize what serious trouble we are in right now, and lame jokes are just not appealing as substitutes for serious policy.

I was honestly surprised that McCain didn't engage in more personal attacks against Obama. With Sarah the Dung-Flinging Howler Monkey spewing verbal garbage at every stop, I expected John McCain to at least try to go after Obama. He never did. Perhaps even McCain can see by the poll numbers that the garbage campaign is just not working. Had he done so, I think it would have backfired. Americans are remarkably engaged in this election and are gravitating toward serious issues, not an obvious string of gimmicks.

As a charter member of Generation X, one line of McCain's caught my attention fully. in the discussion of Social Security reform, McCain noted that future retirees will not be able to count on the same comparable level of benefits current retirees enjoy. I am going to be VERY interested to see how Team McCain spins this one to the post-Baby Boomer generations.

I think the debate performances were close, but I think the edge has to go to Senator Obama. He did what he had to do: he looked like a plausible president. McCain looked like a grumpy old man. This debate should not cause any significant change in the race. McCain has one last shot with the third debate to hope for a game-changer. Given the way the first two debates have come off, I find that very unlikely.