Spinning the debate

So called political experts say the debate was close, with some giving it to McCain, and others to Obama. But in this era of live blogging and YouTube videos, it matters not what the experts say, but rather, who the American people "perceive" to be the winner. Both campaigns are already calling the night a victory, trying to spin the debate into an event featuring their own success and their opponent's mistakes - Obama's campaign believes the debate showed that McCain is not in tune with the middle class, while McCain's campaign believes the debate highlights Obama's inefficiency at handling foreign affairs.

Reactions to Debate

I was sitting in the I-House today watching the Presidential Debates with several others in a large room as they concentrated faithfully on the TV screen, trying to follow each candidate in the formation of their ideas. And just as the newspaper editors and political pundits, their reactions were mixed. Most thought the debate was exciting and brought out good points, but others felt that the candidates weren't on their best game tonight. It will be interesting to see exactly how people's opinions of the candidates are affected by the debates in the following days.

Is McCain Incompetent Afterall?

September 25, 2008 marks the date that McCain decides to play chicken. Surprising Americans everywhere by postponing the first Presidential Debate against Obama on Friday, September 26, 2008, McCain proves unreliable and incompetent for presidential status. Leaving the American people with no response to how he will intend to lead the country, McCain saw it more fit, or convenient, to bail out of confronting Obama and "put politics aside and deal with the fiscal crisis". Perfect timing!

McCain's Risky Move to Suspend Campaigining Could Make or Break His Political Future

Republican Presidential Candidate, John McCain, has made a sudden decision to delay both campaigning and the upcoming debate. He has chosen this course of action so that he could return to Washington and aid in the bipartisan negotiation over the financial bill, drawn up to save the country from the increasingly high chances of mass economic meltdown. From a campaign perspective, his constituents will react strongly one way or the other to such a bold decision. It is possible voters will appreciate the "country-first" attitude that McCain is aiming to portray. However, if the project in congress is unsuccessful and he fails to debate Obama over plans for the immediate future, McCain risks losing lots of support. While McCain's ultimate motives for heading to Washington are still unclear, "He managed once again, at least in the short term, to shake up the presidential race at a time when national and state polls show Obama opening up a clear lead" (Washington Post).

Pragmatism Over Idealism, Obama Campaign Consolidates Resources as Election Approaches

With just under six weeks left until Election Day, the campaign of Senator Barack Obama is scaling back on the number of states it is targeting, according to a recent Time Magazine article. The move is not surprising given the tightening of polls in swing states over the past few weeks and the impact that John McCain's vice presidential selection has had on several traditionally red states, which the Obama campaign had been targeting up until now.

Shortly after winning the Democratic primary, Obama announced that his campaign intended to adopt the Democratic National Committee's "50 State Strategy" and hire campaign staff in every state in the nation. The campaign set especial hope in their ability to expand the political map by competing in the historically dark red states of Montana, Alaska, North Carolina, Indiana, North Dakota, and Georgia.

This strategy seemed to be working well for the Obama campaign during the summer, and some polls showed him pulling ahead of McCain in Montana and North Dakota. However, immediately after Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's selection as the GOP Vice Presidential candidate, many red states saw a dramatic surge in enthusiasm among the Republican base. Faced with the stark reality that Obama no longer had a prospect of winning in Montana, North Dakota, Georgia, and Alaska, the campaign began closing offices and moving staffers to states considered more necessary come November.

McCain calls to postpone Friday's presidential debate

The republican presidential candidate, John McCain, announced today his intentions of setting aside his campaign to return to Washington and deal with the crisis facing the U.S. economy. There were no clarifications as to how extensive the suspension on his campaign would be. Also during his New York announcement, he spoke of his desires to delay the first presidential debate, scheduled for this Friday. At 8:30 this morning, the democratic presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama, called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement summarizing their shared views toward the $700 billion bailout proposal, and urging Congress to act promptly in a bipartisan manner. Senator McCain responded to the call at 2:30, and agreed in giving a joint statement. Shortly after, he announced his plan of returning to Washington, and called on Senator Obama to do the same. Aides to Senator Obama responded that he had no intentions of going to Washington, and planned on going ahead with the debate. Some democrats were skeptical of McCain's sudden announcement, calling it a political ploy to gain the support of those concerned about the economy. Still, ploy or not, Senator McCain is showing that the fiscal crisis is first on his priority, appealing to all America, waiting anxiously for a solution to the possible economic catastrophe.

Obama and Mccain Deal with Economy Debacle

When the economy is continuing in a downward spiral and the public is a worried frenzy, the presidential candidates need to take action immediately. McCain or Obama must convince Americans that they can lead the country in the right direction, and this current economic crisis tests their leadership, strategies, and sense of direction they want to take this country. An article from the New York Times, “Obama and McCain Stand Firm on the Bailout” discusses how each candidate plans to deal with the crash of the stock market the multiple overturning businesses. There is a $700 million bailout proposed by the Bush administration, but each candidate has a different take on how they think the government should help businesses and the people. However, their proposals are not unique to the current crisis, “most of them proposals they have already made.”Neither candidate commits to voting for the $700 million bailout proposal if their own proposals are not met, and if they choose not to, how does this reflect their ability to take action and narrow mindedness? Will they continue to sidestep issues and not take a decisive stance if they unsure of how it will affect the polls?