My Take On Last Night's Debate

I thought they were pretty evenly matched but then, what do I know - I thought the same thing after the Saddleback Forum when everyone said it was a clear "win" for McCain. I even thought Obama's "above my pay grade" answer (at Saddleback) was the best line of the night (and most accurate) but I'm in the minority with that opinion, too.

Anyway, I doubt if the exchange changed anyone's mind about who they intended to vote for. It may have helped undecided voters come to a decision. When I say that I thought they were evenly matched, what I mean is they both looked like plausible leaders. They're both knowledgeable and have coherent world views. However, those views are radically different.

John McCain is such an old soldier. War, weapons, the camaraderie of warriors, and the military mind-set permeate his statements and seem to occupy most of his thinking. Even his signature issue of eliminating earmarks is consistent with this mindset. He repeatedly expresses disgust and distain for money spent on things like museums, ecological research, and other issues important to the people in whatever local district requests the money. I'm not talking about his aim of reforming the system of money distribution. Obama wants to reform it too. I'm talking about the way McCain focuses his contempt on things that are important to ordinary people (i.e., people not in the government or military.) This could explain why he's not sure how many houses or cars he owns. It's not only that he's rich . . . I think he just doesn't care about everyday life. He's an ideologue - even Mavericks can have an ideology. The soldier has his basic needs (food, clothing, shelter, a job to do) taken care of by someone else (the military or his wife.) When he's not fighting, all a soldier needs is his duffle bag, and his buddies. The rest of us civilians are either motivational icons or collateral damage.

Obama, on the other hand, is part of everyday life. He has one house, one car and he grew up like most Americans, fully immersed in the day-to-day struggles of meeting our basic needs. While he's certainly cognizant of the military challenges the country faces, his primary concerns are the needs and desires of ordinary people. For that very reason, he's less ideological and more pragmatic.

If you missed it - 3 minute video highlights of the debate, HERE.

Rundown of professional pundits on the debate, HERE.

image via ChinaView