Presidential Debate [Video included]: Liberal MSM thought McCain was "a cranky [or grumpy] old man," conservative National Review descibe McCain as "energetic," Obama, not "cool," "that plastic smile people wear when they are trying not to scream."
[John K. Matyi] My first question would be, did they watch the same debate? When you look at CBS, ABC, MSNBC, and CNN, as well as most other liberally biased MSM pundits (AKA Obama supporters) the best they can say is that it was a tie or a slight lead for Obama. Now that's a big surprise. From the Telegraph here is a quote from The New York Times and the Washington Post. Of Course to me, it looks like they wrote their columns before the debate and then went to bed. The excerpts below are from the Telegraph.co.UK from the United Kingdom: [emphasis is mine]
For The New York Times, the most interesting aspect was the candidates' respective ages [ageism is alive and well]. "The first presidential debate was more than a clash of ideology or temperaments," it wrote.
"Theirs was a generational collision, and at times it looked almost like a dramatic rendition of Freudian family tension: an older patriarch frustrated and even cranky [I watched the entire debate Obama was cranky] when challenged by a would-be successor to the family business who thinks he can run it better.
It said their "reticence suggested the stiff politesse of two relatives determined not to ruin Thanksgiving dinner".
The Washington Post commentator Eugene Robinson had a similar complaint: "Here's the politically incorrect way of phrasing one of the central questions about tonight's presidential debate: Did John McCain come across as too much of a grumpy old man?"
Here is what John Pitney Jr, wrote on the website of the conservative National Review Online, he thought Senator McCain gave the stronger debate.
"If appearances alone decided the debate's winner, then John McCain won," he wrote.
"His energetic demeanor helped dampen concerns that he is too old for the job. Obama, on the other hand, did not come across as the candidate of cool. His expression alternated between a scowl [Cranky] and what Raymond Chandler called "that plastic smile people wear when they are trying not to scream".
When you read from news outlets in the rest of the world, at least some try to be fair and balanced with their reporting [I think they used to call that journalism]. To give John McCain the edge, or simply say he was an outright winner for the US media appears to be almost a mortal sin.
My 'pundit' analysis, I really believe it started out rather boring. Obama was supposed to talk for two minutes and was quite long winded. No buzzer went off and the moderator (from PBS) just let him keep talking. Then as it progressed and McCain started making points Obama kept looking to the moderator (like a school kid raising his hand to speak) when they were supposed to get two minutes each. He likes to be in a position where he reads from a teleprompter and no one but him gets to talk.
His facial expressions gave him the appearance of constantly being annoyed. He "agreed" with John McCain eight times, John never said I agree with Obama. Most Obama's talking points were Axelrod's (his main adviser), not his. To me he spoke well, but appeared his usual empty suit. When the topic changed to Iran, Russia, the rest of the world, John was in his element (Defense) and it showed. My guess is if you went into this as an Obama believer, no change. If you were truly an Independent, (not a IINO, Independent in name only), you believe John McCain at the very least had an edge. I personally believe John was at his best.
- “I think Senator McCain’s absolutely right that we need more responsibility…”
- “Senator McCain is absolutely right that the earmarks process has been abused…”
- “He’s also right that oftentimes lobbyists and special interests are the ones that are introducing these…requests…”
- “John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he’s absolutely right…”
- “John is right we have to make cuts…”
- “Senator McCain is absolutely right that the violence has been reduced as a consequence of the extraordinary sacrifice of our troops and our military families…”
- “John — you’re absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent in what they say…”
- “Senator McCain is absolutely right, we cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran…”
Add it all up, and Obama was undeniably, and surprisingly, deferential to a man who in the past Obama has said “doesn’t get it.” Moments after the debate ended, I asked David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, whether Obama had simply been too nice (not a question one often gets to ask in these situations). “The bottom line is, I don’t think the American people want us to disagree just for the sake of being disagreeable,” Axelrod told me. “I think he made a very strong case, absolutely.”
Well, you wouldn’t expect Axelrod to admit that his guy messed up. But here’s a prediction: The next time McCain and Obama meet in debate, on October 7 in Nashville, start a drinking game in which you take a big swig every time Obama says, “John is absolutely right.” I’ll bet you get to the end of the debate without ever lifting a glass.
Categories: Barack Obama, John McCain, PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, Liberal Bias in the MSM
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