Special 9/26 Debate Coverage

The first presidential debate always provides a new perspective on the prowess and legitimacy of each candidate. By pitting them against each other in front of an audience of millions of viewers, the candidates were forced to answer questions that they would otherwise avoid. Although it is not completely clear who came out on top, both John McCain and Barack Obama were reintroduced to the public in a whole new light.

In light of the current Wall Street crisis, economic issues dominated much of the debate. It provided a chance for both candidates to differentiate themselves on the subject, both of them attempting both to build themselves up and shoot down the other. Senator Obama, who has in recent weeks sought to make economics a prime focus of his campaign, pinned the breakdown on George W. Bush’s deregulatory policies while at the same time linking McCain to the unpopular incumbent president. This new focus on economics seems to represent what will become a broader scheme in the Obama campaign, a strategy which has provided him a boost in the polls during the current economic turbulence. It is likely that Obama will continue to cite his opponent’s previous statement that “The fundamentals of our economy are strong”, and cast him as economically incompetent and out of touch.

Another continuous theme in Obama’s debate rhetoric was an appeal to the middle class, especially in relation to taxes and the economy. Since Friday he has continued to slam McCain on this issue, releasing a new attack ad stating that “in 90 minutes of debate, John McCain mentioned the middle class zero times”. Judging from the success of negative ads thus far, it is possible that Obama will surge forward as a result, deepening his current lead in the polls.

When asked about how to deal with the economy, McCain emphasized accountability of individuals rather than deregulatory policies. He introduced this Idea with an historic anecdote from Dwight Eisenhower on the eve of D-day. By mentioning Eisenhower, McCain is trying to reinforce his role as the seasoned war hero and while casting his opponent as an amateur. This strategy is also manifests itself in the way he addressed Obama. McCain would often start with “what Senator Obama does not understand is….,” trying to make him seem inexperienced in the eyes of the public. In much the same manner, Obama would say that McCain “just doesn’t get it” in an attempt to cast him as the out of touch old-timer. The debate was largely characterized by this kind of subtleness as opposed to many of the primary debates that involved the candidates sniping back and forth.

Although some post-debate polls showed that Obama was perceived to have won the debate, Friday did not result in a clear winner as many had hoped. The race continues to be a close contest, with Obama still slightly ahead. However, we can be satisfied that the night provided the public with a much more definitive idea of the differences between the two candidates.



To watch the full debate go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-nNIEduEOw



For Further Reading:

CnnPolitics.com.2008 Obama slams McCain on middle clash Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/28/campaign.wrap/index.html, 9/29/08.

Bergen, Peter . 2008. Debate Skipped key Iran-Israel questions. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/28/bergen.debate/index.html, 9/29/08.