So much for John McCain's "game-changer".
According to CNN.com, 54 percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey conducted after the debate ended said that Obama did the best job in the debate, with 30 percent saying Sen. John McCain performed better.
Likewise, CBS News interviewed a nationally representative sample of 516 debate watchers assembled by Knowledge Networks who were "uncommitted voters" - voters who are either undecided about who to vote for or who say they could still change their minds. Forty percent of these uncommitted debate watchers said Obama won the debate, 26 percent said John McCain won, and another 34 percent thought it was a tie. (Source: cbsnews.com)
Those are the facts regarding the voting public's assessment of how the candidates performed in last night's debate. Now, for the analysis:
Republican Party Presidential Candidate John McCain (R-AZ) arrived in Nashville in need of a game-changer. What he received instead was a trip to the woodshed, courtesy of Democratic Party rival Barack Obama (D-IL).
Obama came out firing on the central issue of this country and its election narrative: the economy. He fashioned his responses as modern-day equivalencies to the struggles working-class Americans are facing each and every day. He connected strongly with the middle class via his detailed plan to restore equity for working Americans via adjustments to the tax code that better favor the majority of this country's work force. His answers and proposals for solving the health care crisis scored enormously with the CNN focus group, as well as the vast majority of the viewing audience. He articulated his domestic policy solutions in a clear, concise, and focused manner that forged congruence with millions of Americans who are deeply concerned with the direction the country is heading.
On foreign policy matters, Obama was sharp as a tack - and scored mightily during the discussion on Pakistan. His expressed willingness to strike at Al-Qaeda elements (including the oft-elusive Osama Bin Laden) in Pakistan if the government in that country was "unwilling or unable" to assist scored big with the focus group and with the viewing audience. He hammered away yet again at McCain-Bush regarding the costs of the War in Iraq - scoring big when he laid out in detail what the war is costing with regards to the lives of our soldiers and the economic cost to our economy.
McCain, on the other hand, looked unfocused and unprepared to take any sort of lead during the debate. His ham-handed answer regarding fixing the health care crisis in America was not well received by either the focus group or the viewing audience. He failed to defend the fact that his economic plan consists of expanding Bush's tax cuts for the extremely wealthy - including oil executives to the tune of an average of $700,000 per year (as pointed out by Obama). He again failed to use the term "middle class" during the entire debate, whereas Obama used it constantly when presenting his ideas. He failed to substantively answer questions about his plans for Social Security and Medicare - instead opting to propose a "commission" and "meeting at the table" as solutions.
Regarding foreign policy, John McCain was again forced to defend his support of the vastly unpopular Iraq War. To his credit, McCain's best moment of the debate was way he explicated the conflict between Georgia and Russia - which played out very well with the focus group from CNN. However, when he and Obama were discussing Obama's plan for Pakistan, McCain fell flat. He came across as one who is more willing to toil away in Iraq than take the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan, if necessary. He almost seemed hesitant to support the idea of sending more troops to Afghanistan and working closely with President Karzai - a strategy supported by every commander on the ground.
Now, to the scorecard:
John McCain (R-AZ)
I heard many so-called "analysts" (mostly Republican in affiliation and bias) try to make this debate as one similar to the first debate. I have to wonder exactly what debate they could possibly have been watching. Looking at the internals of the CNN/Opinion Research poll, it was no surprise that Obama easily handled McCain on the issues of the economy and health care. However, the real turnaround where the voting public is concerned was on the matter of who is a stronger leader between the two. Bolstered by his military service, this has long been McCain's strong suit in comparisons to Obama. Last night, 54% of those polled said Obama seemed to be a stronger leader compared to 43% saying the same for McCain. These are a disastrous numbers for a candidate who needed a "game-changer", but instead was defeated by a rival who continues to dominate the campaign as well as the debates.
Grade: D-
Barack Obama (D-IL)
This was Barack Obama's most dominant debate performance of the entire election season. The clarity and articulation he displayed when laying out his domestic and foreign policies connected with the town hall, focus groups, and viewing/voting public. He was as calm, cool, and collected as we have seen him. But his command of the issues and willingness to strike directly at the heart of McCain's failed policies while successfully making the case for his vision for the future of the country resonated with the part of the country that he has been criticized in the past for failing to reach: The Working Class. His willingness to take a stand where Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Al-Qaeda are concerned spoke loudly to the majority of Americans who feel the true War on Terror should be fought in those countries, not Iraq. In all, this was a lights-out performance by Barack Obama that will strengthen his lead nationally and in the battleground states yet to be decided.
Grade: A+
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