Stunning: McCain Actually Won
John Mark Reynolds
Misc., Politics
08.16.2008
Tonight at the Saddleback Civil Forum Obama was good, but seemed to be playing it safe while McCain, dear old John McCain, brought his A game.
I am stunned, because I did not know he even had a B game.
John McCain was better than Senator Obama. I actually liked John McCain, liked him, for the first time in this campaign.
I tried to be neutral and thought Obama had nice moments, but when pressed on issues he had nothing much to say. When asked, we discovered that Obama loves his mother and his wife. His biggest choices were, well, not very big. Wrestling with issues of war and peace from the Illinois State Legislature lacks the force of McCain telling of his standing up to Reagan (!) on Lebanon.
Obama mentioned politics and his vote on the War as courage. Was it politically tough to make this call for Obama in his district or when had to face Democrat primary voters in his next major run? Why didn’t Obama even mention the War on Terror?
McCain talked about major service to the country and a record of great personal commitment to the nation and pain that sounded like real pain.
Senator Obama came across as a swell fellow, but McCain as a hero.
Obama is a fine communicator and would make a great professor, but McCain spoke and debated like a commander in chief in a country at war. Perhaps we can have the best of both! Senator Obama can return to the Senate and run again in 2032 when he will have gained McCain’s experience.
We can be sure that we cannot wait until 2032 to elect John McCain, so we better get the old hero into office now.
After all, since Senator Obama thinks Justice Thomas, with more government experience than Senator Obama, was not qualified for the Supreme Court, perhaps we should heed his advice and keep Senator Obama in the Senate to get some more time to mature.
Senator Obama stuttered and stammered his way through his hour. His answer regarding campaign finance reform was stunning . . . given McCain was the leader on it and Senator Obama was frustrating and let McCain down.
If you didn’t know Obama was a standard liberal, you know he is now. In answering a question about abortion, surely the most predictable question of the evening, Obama had nothing to say. Evidently having a view on abortion is above his pay grade. What job would Obama have to seek in order to bother to get an answer: Tsar of America?
He should have just said he was pro-choice, received points for sticking to his ideas in a tough venue, and moved on to something else. Instead in one move, Senator Obama stuck himself with a phrase (”above my pay grade”) that will (I predict) haunt him the entire campaign.
It was a big, big advantage for McCain to go last.
Senator Obama set a good bar and McCain cleared it. McCain answered questions crisply, told good stories, and looked ready for prime time.
This was so unexpected to me, that I am still stunned.
My favorite silly comment after the debate was, “We have heard John McCain’s stories before now.”
Memo to the press: most Americans still have not heard these stories. Most Americans are just starting to pay attention now.
Second memo point: some powerful tales are so good and true that repeating them is fine. I will be tired of hearing John McCain tell stories of his courage when he stops tearing up, naturally and authentically, as he thinks about that time and his love for our nation.
As bards from Homer forward realized, to speak in familiar ways or patterns is comforting to the audience and helps them get their bearings. John McCain was the wise old sage tonight.
Senator Obama hardly mentioned our battle against terror. He may have forgotten tonight that terrorists still plot attacks, but John McCain had not. He does not forget for one minute.
As for the event, it was better than friends had hoped and allayed all fears. This entire event was amazing. Southern California should be proud of Saddleback Church and the great job they did.
Rick Warren was steady, kept out of the way, and made sure the evening did not bog down. He managed to tone down his tendency to get a bit too civics class sincere. The questions were far better than in most professional media discussions.
Tonight John McCain become the Grand Old Man of the Grand Old Party.
(We had a reporter at the event, Rachel Motte, who will be submitting a piece today. This piece represents only my own opinion. JMNR)
scriptoriumdaily.com
The Candidate and the President: Rachel Motte Reports from Saddleback
Administrator
Politics
08.19.2008
Rachel Motte reporting from Saddleback:
I’ve been amused by recent speculations that Barack Obama may be the antichrist. After Saturday’s candidate forum at Saddleback Church, I think we can safely say that he isn’t. That would be too far above his pay grade.
Rick Warren is also not the antichrist, though the numerous outcries against him online before the event may have lead some to suspect otherwise. Most will know better now.
And John McCain? He is authentically himself, unmoved by public perception and uniquely unchanged by his candidacy.
Warren could easily have made himself the highlight of the Saddleback event, but he didn’t. He could have easily asked safe questions designed to make his audience love him, but he didn’t. He asked his questions, left very little “wiggle room” for his guests, and neatly stepped out of the spotlight. It was nicely done.
Despite repeated assurances to the press that Warren would stay away from issues-based questions in this forum, he hammered out direct and difficult questions about such issues as abortion, marriage, taxes, and stem cell research without hesitation or compromise. His direct, no-nonsense wording gave the silver-tongued Obama pause, despite the friendly tone in which the questions were asked. If Obama stumbles when answering a jolly and welcoming Rick Warren, I cringe to imagine how he’d do as President when faced with less hospitable interrogators. I have no such fears about John McCain, who had no difficulty in conversing with Mr. Warren. This event was clearly easier for him than for Mr. Obama.
I fully expected Obama to dominate the evening. This was the sort of event that Obama and his brand (for he has been marketed as a brand) have been molded for. His easy-going demeanor and impressive rhetorical skills are ideally suited to this format, often leaving the less polished but more authentic McCain at something of a disadvantage.
I was wrong. Obama’s distinct failure to answer most of Warren’s questions looked shoddy and unprofessional when compared to McCain’s short and direct answers. While Obama gave long, rambling responses and even admitted his inability to answer the abortion question, McCain’s every answer seemed to challenge Warren, as if he were thinking, ‘That was hard? Is that the best you’ve got?’
Obama is polished (though much less so at this event), but McCain is Real.The generation raised on myspace and youtube may be largely unable to make this distinction, but time will show them that Obama’s digital flair cannot compare to McCain’s real-life experience and convictions.
Mr. Obama has talked at length in previous forums about his ability to bring people together. In reality this means that he has an inability to displease his audience. He needs to be liked. This is useful in a candidate, but fatal in a President. He excels in the art of sounding good while saying little, and his refusal to take a firm stance on almost anything in this forum will not help him gain the vote of those who were actually listening.
John McCain has no such qualms. He is well-known for being unafraid of what people think of him. This is not always a desirable quality in a candidate, but it is absolutely necessary in a President. Let Obama remain a candidate for a few more years—he’s good at it. John McCain, on the other hand, is ready to be President.
scriptoriumdaily.com |
