Home  News National News Debate no game changer for McCain
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Debate no game changer for McCain |
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Sunday, 12 October 2008 |
Following a week of vitriolic attacks from the McCain-Palin ticket against Barack Obama, which incited shouts of “Treason”, “Kill Him” and “Terrorist” in reference to Obama, McCain in Tuesday’s debate slugged another one that has been a topic of discussion on the news, blogs and among groups who watched the debate.
“He didn’t just call Obama, ‘That One’ did he?” was the chorus among the nine members of a presidential debate focus group convened at a Tamarac residence on Tuesday night to watch the town-hall formatted 2nd presidential debate held in Tennessee, hosted by Tom Brokaw.
The outcry was in reaction to reference to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, by his opponent Republican John McCain during a discussion on energy, in which McCain criticized Obama for supporting a 2007 Bush-Cheney energy bill "loaded down with goodies, billions for the oil companies… You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one. You know who voted against it? Me."
The focus group consisting of registered voters without party affiliation, regarded McCain’s comment as, rude, dismissive or offensive. “You just don’t refer to your opponent for the presidency on international television as, ‘that one’”, a member stated. Seventy percent of the group felt that McCain was very offensive while 30 percent thought he was just being insensitive.
The debate was supposed to be a game changer for McCain who has been lagging behind in the polls despite that he and his running mate Gov. Sarah Palin have amped up the attacks. The debate did not seem to accomplish that.
Seventy percent of the focus group, a mix of African and Caribbean Americans, Hispanics and Whites, aged 19 to 67, also felt strongly that Obama won the debate, claiming he looked more confident, presidential, had stronger policies on economics, health care and foreign policy, and was much less contentious than McCain.
It was felt that throughout the debate McCain looked “tense, edgy, and as if he didn’t want to be on the same stage as Obama.” There was also comment that McCain didn’t appear as if he could be a unifying president. “He seems very divisive,” one person said.
Not surprisingly, economics took up some forty minutes of the ninety-minute debate. Obama tried to tie McCain to President Bush's failed economic policies, while McCain tried to link Obama to the problems of the mortgage guarantee companies Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac. McCain said he was a reformer and would reform the economy as president. He introduced a new policy where his administration would provide $300 million to assist borrowers facing foreclosure, and readjust mortgages. However, he did not explain how this new measure would be funded, and neither did he take the opportunity to elaborate on this point.
Obama again made a case to help America’s middle class with tax cuts and stressed his plan to lower taxes for 95 percent of American earning less than $250,000 annually. Sixty-six percent of the focus group was of the opinion that Obama was better on economics.
In the foreign policy segment the candidates focused on Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia. McCain repeated that Obama was wrong about Iraq and the surge and wrong about Russia when they committed aggression against Georgia. He said Obama does not understand America’s national security challenges. “We don't have time for on-the-job training," McCain said.
Obama countered that it was true he didn't understand some things. "There are some things I don't understand. I don't understand how we ended up invading a country that had nothing to do with 9-11, while Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda are setting up base camps and safe havens to train terrorists to attack us."
Those who thought Obama won the debate felt he won it in this segment, when in responding to McCain’s claim that Obama’s showed poor judgment in announcing publicly that he would invade Pakistan to capture bin Laden, if Pakistan was reluctant to do so. Obama said, “Senator McCain likes to say repeatedly that I am a little green behind the ear,” to which McCain glibly retorted, “Thank you.” Ignoring the retort, Obama continued saying it was interesting that McCain had publicly declared his intentions against Iran using the lyrics of a popular song that he would ‘bomb, bomb, bomb Iran,’ and also announced the that he would obliterate North Korea and before significant inroads were made in Afghanistan, said “Next up, Baghdad”.
The group felt that Obama won the foreign policy 66-34 percent.
The candidates also answered questions on health care and education posed by members of the audience and from the Internet.
Interestingly, although the majority of the focus group felt that Obama won the debate only four (44 percent) felt that the debate convinced them who to vote for in November. The remainder said they were still uncommitted.
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