Reaction

The best part of the post-debate spin cycle this year is that the snap polls will tell us who won this debate. We don't need the bloviators to do our thinking for us. Another gate crashed thanks to the big media companies themselves and their awesome snap polls. And the biggest beneficiaries of this dramatic change are progressives, who no longer need to suffer the conventional wisdom-setting power of the Right Wing Noise Machine pretending to speak for the American people. Today, the American people can speak for themselves.

That said, there's no doubt what the public will think. Anyone watching CNN on a hi-def TV could see the dial focus group of a bunch of Ohio undecided voters. And throughout the night, it often seemed that Obama would break the darn meter, his ratings going through the roof. McCain, on the other hand, was the king of the flatline. I swear, you could see the downticks every time McCain said "my friends" -- a tell to the audience that he was about to serve another heaping dish of b.s. It was painful. According to the Republican pre-debate spin, McCain was supposed to use "humor" to soften the blow of his mighty attacks, but 1) did any of his attacks connect? and 2) can anyone say, in all seriousness, that McCain delivered a single effective laugh line? And earmarks? Does McCain still think anyone outside of the wingnutosphere give a damn about "earmarks"?

For all the pre-debate stuff about the townhall benefitting McCain, Obama looked far better here. He is at his best when he can speechify, and that's what he was able to do here. And really, Obama is the picture of "cool". The side-by-side comparison isn't kind. But even on substance, it wasn't close.

But what was most striking about the debate was the way the focus group handled the attacks. When McCain attacked, his numbers would tank. When Obama attacked, his numbers would go up. It was a striking difference, and one that can be explained by this:

People don't like McCain, don't trust him, and when the guy no one likes attacks, they like him less.

It won't be long now before the snap polls confirm all of this.

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p.s. The format sucked. Who are the geniuses in both campaigns who decided to prohibit follow-up questions? Brokaw sucked too. And while some of his suckiness could be blamed on the format, he could've tossed it aside and been the hero of the night by freeing the candidates. Neither candidate would've complained; they both seemed eager for follow-ups.