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Second Presidential Debate Thread 2 |
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I’m going to dash off this thought before the conventional blogger wisdom destroys it - I think this was Obama’s best debate of the campaign. It made me think that the last eight years have blinded us into thinking that Americans don’t want to see intelligence in politicians. But that’s simply not true; some of the most dynamic occupants of the White House were men of phenomenal intelligence, whether that be Johnson, Nixon, Kennedy, either Roosevelt, Lincoln, or any of the Founding Fathers. George Bush the son is not the rule. So I think that when Obama’s intelligence shines through - and is channeled into the very pragmatic project of solving problems - Americans respond. It doesn’t take too much effort to see that McCain neither speaks well nor offers solutions, and without that he has nothing.
Oh, and here’s a moment I was reminded of tonight. I posted this a few weeks ago, but it’s worth a repeat:
The most important moment of the debate for me was Obama saying that health care is a right. If you accept that premise, we can move on to a lot of the progressive vision.
What did you think?
I was thinking of that same clip during the format (a format that inherently favors the younger Obama, much the way it did Bill. Both were mobile and dynamic - both used their comparative advantage to great effect) And, again, I couldn’t agree more with the comment on intelligence in the White House. It was fantastic to see a leader handle himself with grace, poise and brains. this was easily his best debate. I didn’t watch any punditry on it and don’t care to.
Some personal notes on key moments, in keeping with your health care as a right; when Obama said young people are interested in how they can serve their country, not by spending as Bush advised after 9-11, but by going out and having a positive impact through productive work; speaking of the extra-governmental ways that each of us as citizens need to contribute to challenges of our time, thinking of how we use energy, the way that we act as consumers in the marketplace, etc. It hinted at the FDR Fireside Chats you mention so often.
thanks for getting these open threads up.
Was anybody else struck by the fact that foreign policy seemed to draw more passionate debate than the economy?
if diebold breaks down and skin cancer McCain lose’es..obama will be ham strung by ‘THEM’ people..how do you dig your way out of a gazzilion dollar hole?? with a tea spoon?yea the bad guys chacainery rocked the world this time..ice shelfs are caveing in..i whish these people were standing on them..telling us every thing is cool and copeasetic…dose that sound “REAL’ to you?.
You moneyed it.