This is my first diary, but I thought it might be a good time to make my debut by offering a little bit of perspective on the debate. As a big Obama supporter, I turned on the west coast feed almost in spite of myself, after reading the threads here as well as the pundit analysis. Assuming the worst, I thought Barack actually did quite well in the debate. Of course, the way things are spun will have a big impact on how the debate registers, but here are a few thoughts I had while watching it with the distance of a few hours:
- Differentiating Barack’s performance from the abomination of the event
Despite the horrible, completely irresponsible line of questioning that begun the debate, I felt he held his own answering the smear questions at the beginning. In fact, did everyone else notice the smattering of applause with his Weatherman pardon pushback? Even if he wasn’t at his best (though not at his worst either, as some pundits have suggested), Barack didn’t make any awful gaffes that could be soundbited and looped.
- Hillary didn’t win
There’s also an important point to be made that Hillary didn’t make a particularly compelling case for herself. Even if the scuttlebutt on the debate might deem that Barack lost the debate, that’s not the same as saying Hillary won. If anything, the overreaching Hillary reappeared, trying to push the Ayers thread, only to open herself up to Bill’s pardoning the Weatherman. She just can’t leave well enough alone, and that’s precisely what has driven her negatives.
- How’d it play in Pennsylvania?
If the boos in the crowd are any indication, maybe Pennsylvanians feels as if ABC didn’t represent their interests at all. This is somewhat confirmed by a brief scan of the "Attytood" blog, which seems none-too-please about Charlie’s and George’s grandstanding, when many of the real issues on the economy were barely glanced over.
http://www.philly.com/...
This has been mentioned elsewhere, but maybe Barack gets a sympathy bounce after this completely shameless hatched job. Or, as I think KO and Howard Fineman have suggested, the beating Barack took only confirms that he’s the frontrunner.