Debates, Elections, Fear and Hope

With the final presidential debate behind us, I'm feeling the need to put some thoughts down. For those of you who are likely to tl;dr me on this, I'll even give you a preview with some bullet points:

• Barack Obama took the series (3-0, if you ask me).
• John McCain has lost himself completely.
• The vice presidential candidates don't really matter.
• However, if they did matter, Biden took the VP debate 1-0.
• The artificial fear that the right is attempting to whip up has nothing on the genuine fear that is the natural consequence of neo-conservative economic policies.
• Town hall style debates are stupid. Sitting at the table debates are awesome.
• Pat Buchanan is just really blatantly a cheerleader for the right, and it's kind of pitiful.
• Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow really do rock.
• John McCain's base of supporters must be idiots.

I'm sure I missed some stuff up there, but that's probably good enough for now.

So, Senator Barack Obama is just a better debater than Senator John McCain. McCain comes across as mean (the first debate), condescending (say "My friends" one more time, John), or angry (this last debate). Obama has been calm, steady and thoughful throughout all the debates. Don't take my word for it, go back and watch the debates. But, really watch, don't just cheerlead for McCain because he's a Republican. You'll see.

The John McCain of now is not the John McCain of the past. In an effort to pander to the Republican base, he's hitched his wagon to the worst of nags, and it shows. It's also not working, because the only people that support him now are that base (and oh, are they base indeed), and that's not enough to win an election. He could have pulled off this "maverick" thing if only he had actually acted like a maverick in recent memory. But, now he just looks like another neo-conservative Republican to the undecideds and any Democrat who might have voted for him based on his marverickyness, and to the Republican base, he's still to moderate, and even the nomination of Sarah Palin didn't fix that.

Face it, nobody really cares who the vice presidential candidate is. Maybe the vice presidential candidate has made a difference in elections past, but these days, not so much. Even so, surgeons could remove most of Joe Biden's brain, and he'd still pwn Sarah Palin in a debate. At best, she is completely unprepared to hold the second highest office in our land (never mind her being one melanoma away from the highest); at worst, she makes George Bush look like a fucking genius.

It's the economy, stupid. Really, it is. Republicans can sow the fear of terrorism all they want, but that only works in good economic times. What's the threat of planes flying into tall buildings compared to the fear of losing your house, your car and your big-screen television? Seriously, folks, if I don't know where my next meal is coming from, I just don't have time to think about the scary terrorists.

The debate this evening was awesome. McCain just dug hole after hole, and Obama happily shoveled the dirt in on top of him. You really can't argue with facts, and you certainly can't counter facts with lies and distortions. It was like McCain went in with a game plan of the plays he was going to run, but his playbook was inflexible and not responsive to the offense or defense of the other team. It was clear that Barack Obama has class, and it was clear that whatever class John McCain may have had has left the premises. Obama responded with facts; facts about his economic plan, facts about his health care plan, and facts about McCain's plans. McCain responded with the tired old Ayers, Acorn and taxes, oh my. Anyway, this debate format was perfect to illustrate the differences between the two.

I've always thought Pat Buchanan was a douchebag, but I had hopes that maybe he'd be a little less douchebag-y when he started appearing on MSNBC as the token Republican. I'm sorry to say, he's still just a Republican cheerleadin' douchebag. I think if John McCain had come out and performed "The Aristocrats", Buchanan would give him the debate "on points".

Just givin' a shout out to my sweetheart here, gosh darn it; Rachel and Keith make politics fun again. Yeah, they're just a tad bit biased in the direction we lean (just a tad), but you know, it's nice to have an alternative to Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity whereby such alternative isn't on Comedy Central. (I love you, Jon and Stephen, make no mistake, but Rachel and Keith are just a tiny bit more legitimate).

In honor of Mr. Olbermann, here's my special comment: Senator McCain, you are proud of your supporters, are you? You had an opportunity to repudiate their behavior on live television in front of the entire nation, and you did not take it, sir. Rather, you deflected the question by suggesting the same sort of nonsense occurs at Obama rallies. However, you offer no specific instances of such, sir, relying instead on the politics of insinuation, saying, in effect "no u". Mr. McCain, that is not an argument, that is not a debate. I defy you, sir, to offer up one instance of someone shouting, in reference to you or Governor Palin, "Kill him!", at an Obama rally. I defy you to offer up any instance remotely as despicable. Sir, you incite and inflame your supporters; your running mate stokes the fires of fear and hate, and you have the audacity to whine about "things said at your [Obama's] rallies"? And, you can't even come up with a single example? Shame on you, Mr. McCain; that is conduct unbecoming a United States Senator. And, when the respected congressman from Georgia calls you on this behavior, sir, your response is to complain that he's calling you a segregationist? Mr. McCain, you apparently did not read or hear the same remarks from Congressman Lewis that I did because that is not what he said at all. He said, "As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all. They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy. We can do better. The American people deserve better." His allusion to George Wallace was but an example of how this sort of behavior can backfire. He was not calling you a segregationist, but rather, a sower of the seeds of hatred, and, Mr. McCain, the comparison is apt. You and Governor Palin are playing a dangerous game, sir, and it is one the invitation to which I hope the majority of the American people will ignore.

In closing, Barack Obama offers real solutions, real change and real hope. Let us hope that the American people accept his offer, because the other way lies fear, darkness and despair.

Also, Senator Obama was wearing a flag pin and Senator McCain was not. Who's unpatriotic now? :P