Debate 2008: Who will win?
With less than three weeks to Election Day and the final debate looming, tensions and stakes are running high for both candidates. National polls have recently shown a surge of support for Obama, and McCain needs a clear victory tonight to gain support among swing voters leaning towards an Obama vote in November. The big question to ask is how McCain will go about obtaining such a strong victory. Obama has been the “winner” of the last two debates as much as it is possible to win a debate. What will McCain do tonight?
Luckily for McCain, this debate will take place seated at a table with Obama and the moderator. There will be no awkward jetting around the room to address the audience. This is especially important considering Obama called McCain’s economic policies “erratic” and “lurching” – tying the shakiness McCain displayed at the last debate due to his age and war injuries to his own policies. However, the physical countenance and appearance of the candidates at this debate is less important. The debate is slated to deal with economic and domestic policies. Both men have recently laid out their economic plans, and now their job is to convince voters this plan is best for themselves and their families—something interested swing voters will pay attention to.
This debate is drawing huge attention—even Hillary Clinton plans to be in the audience. With the last two presidential debates some of the most highly watched of all time, this is a great time for the candidates to influence undecided voters and show their true mettle as they fetter questions about the future of our country—something both men clearly care deeply about. Though it has been suggested personal attacks might slip into some answers, this is the last chance for Obama and McCain to show off their policy knowledge to tens of millions of viewers.
Interestingly, with this third debate we don’t see any lowered or raised expectations from either candidate. Perhaps this is because Obama has been the winner in the last two debates. Obama aides have said that Obama is prepared, “calm” and “focused” for this last debate. The Obama campaign is setting the bar quite high, though analysts predict that as long as he avoids major gaffes, he will maintain his lead in the polls in the final run to the ballot booth.
McCain’s camp, on the other hand, has suggested that McCain is prepared to bring up Obama’s connections to Ayers and the ACORN scandal that is rocking
Tomorrow we will know if McCain was able to turn things around for his campaign and gain swing voters. Be sure to watch tonight to see if analysts are right! Also be sure to keep an eye out for special requests about the set up of the debate. For instance, each candidate will have an air conditioning vent above him to avoid looking sweaty. It’s good the future leaders of our country were able to agree on these stringent, important conditions. :)
Also, please take my senior comp survey! It’s about YouTube in the upcoming presidential election.
posted by Sarah | 5:49 AM
5 Comments:
McCain did have a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Since been a few days after the debate, I think that McCain did alright but I think he came across too strong and too aggressive. Since it was a table debate, I found it a little more relaxed, but it was nothing but tension.
I think McCain did a fabulous job in the debate on thursday. I feel that the media will never be satisfied with how McCain or Palin for that matter, performs in the debate. For example they think that he came out far to strong in his attacks on Obama and his ideas-however they said he needed to prove this strength in the election.
In an election where debates have been of such great importance, I feel as if both candidates have done great jobs of stating their points while attempting to win over the swing votes in the country throughout the debates overall. I agree with the fact that McCain seemed rather aggressive throughout this particular debate, which may have resulted in swing voters turning away from McCain and, instead, siding with Obama. I also feel as if the tone that Palin is attempting to bring to McCain's campaign will not help him in the end.
Each debate I watched, I was pleased with the performance of both candidates. Debates are especially difficult because each one is set up with a differnt type of stage, location, audience, and person asking the questions. I do not think a candidate can be too agressive if they feel confident and relaxed. The more passion they show about our country, the better. I love watching what the press has to say after the debate more than watching the debate itself. Like we learned in class, both sides automatically drill positives and negatives.
I think Senator McCain did just as well, if not better, then Senator Obama in all of the debates and the question of who won isn't always accurate. We see a lot of bias media and political parties who will say that their party clearly won the debate regardless of whether or not the individual performed well or horribly. In addition, saying that one candidate did better because they looked better on camera is just bad political analysis. Senator McCain has 25 years on Senator Obama and that is not a bad thing, rather it should be looked upon favorably because he really does have the experience that this country needs and has been in politics for quite a long time. Furthermore, viewers criticize Senator McCain's war injuries. I think this is absolutely appalling. He fought in the Vietnam War and that should be respected. He has a slight handicap because of it, but what does any of this have to do with whether or not he's a good choice for president? In this particular instance, I feel that Senator McCain won the debate. He began the "Joe the Plumber" analogy for America and he really came off strong. He was explaining specifically what his economic plan could not only do for "Joe the Plumber" but for all Americans. His plan to get out of this economic slump does not involve the wealthiest two percent giving their tax returns partially back, but emphasizes that this plan along with higher taxes are not the answer. Senator McCain makes a lot of good points in his argument as to how his plan could be beneficial and some of the flaws of Senator Obama's plan. Though Senator Obama did do a good job refuting the statements made by Senator McCain and then explaining his economic plan, I believe that John McCain was really on target in this debate.
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