My Thoughts On the 2nd Debate.
Not much here because not a whole lot was said.
It’s October, and I am afraid debate has simply flew out the window. What was aired last night was a mixture of vague puffed-up rhetoric, relentless talking points, answers that didn’t correspond to the questions, and policy that was conveyed in such general ways that it’s hard for any of it to sound bad.
I don’t think there was any substance to the debates last night. That being said, Obama definitely trounced McCain. Why? Because when their is no substance we must fall back on secondary criteria to judge, and the next criteria that is evident is performance and rhetoric. I think Obama comes off as being far more persuasive, deliberate, and personal than McCain does. Tonight I think they were pretty even on deliberateness, even though they were being deliberate about sound bytes and generalities. What really seperated the candidates tonight, and what will clearly make Obama the winner of last night’s debate, is meanness and anger. McCain is angry and mean. He is contemptuous and a blow-hard. He has disdain for Obama that you can see and that turns people off, methinks.