The second debate
This brief article, which you can quite safely skip, offers no deep or especially noteworthy commentary today. It merely remarks briefly on the latest presidential debate.
Listening to the debates on radio rather than watching them on television seems to offer a different perspective. As heard on radio, John McCain clearly won yesterday evening’s second presidential debate, following a pair of solid Democratic victories in the first presidential and only vice presidential debates. Mr. McCain knocked Barack Obama back on his heels about half an hour in, after which Mr. Obama seemed defensive and generally off-balance. Also, for the first time that this writer has heard, Mr. McCain tried seriously yesterday evening to address one of the chief criticisms against him: that he seems intemperate, volatile and generally unstable; that he cannot be trusted to put his finger on the United States’ nuclear trigger. The Economic Nationalist cannot be reversed on the question by a single good debate performance, but does give Mr. McCain fair credit for trying.
On the other hand, Mr. McCain’s ongoing campaign against the Republican party that has unwisely entrusted him with its presidential nomination long ago grew tiresome. Republicans really ought not put up with it.
But you shouldn’t pay any attention to this blog’s estimation of the debates. What matters is the actual substance that underlies the debate performances, in which case the only plausibly winning candidate of the four—Obama, McCain, Biden and Palin—would be the moderately hypocritical but intelligent, well balanced Joe Biden.
This blog still recommends that you follow through with the necessary plan to vote Obama, to deny Mr. McCain the White House; for, should Mr. McCain win the election with your vote, you would surely regret your vote the morning after.
HJH
October 8th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I just find the prospect of either one of these guys being our president too depressing; it’s too bad there’s not a way both of them could lose the election.
And while I agree that McCain would spend his presidency more or less advancing a Democrat agenda, Obama will do the same, AND will have the media covering for him. Trust me, there will be no objective reporting of Obama’s failures, they will be reported as successes or if they cannot be papered over they will be attirbuted to “racism.” The media coverage Obama will get will make the old USSR propaganda films of Stalin or Brezhnev look like models of journalistic integrity and impartiality.
October 8th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Glad to see you here, Sgt. Joe. I think that you are right. The reason my balance of judgment comes down on the other side is that the Republican party is in my estimation a more potent force than are the mainstream media. The media would cover for a President Obama, whereas that is what we would have expected, anyway. The Republican party would cover for a President McCain. The latter would be worse in my estimation.
Nonetheless your point is well taken. I would even go so far as to admit that a McCain presidency might bring some positive results an Obama presidency probably would not bring. Politically however, the election of John McCain represents a minor tactical advance coupled with a major strategic retreat. This is not a wise trade in my view.
Howard
October 8th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Howard - I agree with almost all of what you say. Perhaps you are right; for example a McCain administration might do a better job holding the line on taxes and spending, but amnesty & maintaining suicidal levels of legal immigration is a high priority for McCain. It political as well as personal for him. I have a pet theory that his fixation (or fetish, if you prefer) with Mexico and immigrants is due to his wife’s owning a large beer distributorship in Arizona. It’s well known that our population’s median age is increasing, whereas Hispanics are, on average, younger. And young Hispanic men don’t drink appletinis or chardonnay, they drink beer, and lots of it. If he were honest, he’d admit that he benefits from the present situation, and then repeat his stupid “God’s children” platitude a few times to drive the point home.
OTOH, Obama, while he will raise taxes is not going to make amnesty a top priority, if for no other reason than he wants to be re-elected in 2012. That fact on its own will give us time to gear up for the fight, and better our chances for success. Higher taxes will not render our country unrecognizable as America, blowing what’s left of our sovereignty to smithereens will.
Some choice, huh?