PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE #1 Last night, John McCain and Barack Obama met at long last in their first of many confrontations, trying their best to woo the undecided voters and push their respective platforms. Obviously, I am a biased observer, but I will do my best to provide a fairly objective analysis of the debate. Smiley This review will be broken into segments, each portion of the debate will be reviewed based on style and substance. Then I will give an overall grade for each candidate. Enjoy! PART I: THE ECONOMIC CRISIS: Substance: The economy is not McCain's strong point, but he did alright. He hit Obama hard on the earmarks issue...it would've been a much more effective line of attack if people really cared about it. However, it seems to be something of a non-starter, and didn't do much to help McCain. Obama's most effective hit was on McCain's health care plan. Probably the most devastating attack of the entire first portion of the debate, it caught McCain flat-footed, and he was unable to respond effectively. McCain's suggestion to do a spending freeze was kind of awkward, and the fact that he did not once mention the middle-class was a stark contrast to Obama, who directly addressed the middle class multiple times. McCain also had a good point about business, but it's too wonky to really resonate with people. Overall, Obama had answers that seemed to be more meaningful to the everyday American. MCCAIN GRADE: B- OBAMA GRADE: A- Style: It started off awkward for both of them, with neither willing to address the other directly. Obama soon started looking at McCain, speaking to him, and also looking directly into the camera and speaking right to the American people. McCain seemed to be talking to the audience and would consistently avoid looking at Obama. Occasional creepy smiles from McCain just came off as out of place. MCCAIN GRADE: C OBAMA GRADE: A PART II: FOREIGN POLICY: Substance: This is where McCain is supposed to be his strongest. However, he made a number of gaffes, and his attitude and demeanor really started to hurt him in this segment. Obama's threw a number of devastating blows in this round, notably hitting McCain on his belligerent stance towards Spain, his 'bomb Iran' song, and how McCain was wrong about the Iraq war from the very beginning. McCain was not effectively able to counter these points. McCain, for his part, gave solid answers that were often lost in wonkish political speak that will, again, not resonate with the average voter. He did, however, make several verbal gaffes. He was unable to pronounce the name of Iran's leader, called Russia an 'existential threat' (WTF does that even mean?) and made a bizarre reference to North Koreans being shorter than South Koreans. Obama showed that he was able to stand up to a foreign policy heavyweight and hold his own. He landed solid hits and did better than expected in this segment. MCCAIN GRADE: B+ OBAMA GRADE: A- Style: McCain started to show signs of being angry here. He continued to not look at Obama, and continued to give creepy smiles and giggles at inappropriate times. While Obama said 'John is absolutely right' several times about certain things, McCain never once complimented Obama. He preferred to condescend and say that Obama 'doesn't understand.' This line might've worked coming from Ronald Reagan, who could back it up with charm, but McCain had all the charm of a cold fish. Body language and tone of voice are MUCH MORE IMPORTANT to communication than mere words...I could say you look gorgeous, but if I'm smirking while I say it, and saying it in a rude way, you won't think I'm being sincere. McCain's body language was stiff, cold, hostile. Polls taken after the debate show the effect: many more people felt that Obama could understand their plight than McCain. Obama's courtesy, calm, and friendliness won people over. McCain's hostility and boiling temper did the opposite. I have been predicting for some time now that McCain's temperament will cost him the election. Also of note? McCain did not approach Obama to shake hands, and did not congratulate Obama after the debate (Obama can be heard saying 'good job' to McCain at the end). MCCAIN GRADE: F OBAMA GRADE: A PART 3: OVERALL: If this were just a debate on content, the McCain would have a slight advantage. However, debates factor in much more than just policy. The defining moments from previous presidential debates have included George Bush looking at his watch, Al Gore sighing in frustration, and Ronald Reagan saying 'There you go again.' Gore and Bush both lost their respective elections, Reagan won his. Keeping that in mind, McCain's personality was a huge detriment to him here. He quite simply did not look presidential. He looked like a grouchy old man about to blow his top. Some felt Obama wasn't aggressive enough, that he let McCain get in too many shots. I think this was Obama's goal in the first place. Obama is a brilliant politician...he knows that likability counts. It's the only way Bush managed to win twice. His opponents, Gore and Kerry, were both somewhat wooden and people had trouble relating to them. Obama is much stronger than each of these, and McCain possesses none of the charm of Bush and Reagan. The media narrative will not be the policy points. Rather, it will be that McCain would not look Obama in the eye, that he looked mean, angry, and was disrespectful and dismissive of his rival. That's why the victor of this debate is Obama. He was better able to communicate directly to the American people, and was far more likable and presidential. I will be interested to see how the VP debate on Thursday goes. Smiley FINAL GRADES: MCCAIN: C+ Some good, solid points, a lot of attacks, but lost in a sea of ugly smirks and inappropriate chuckles. OBAMA A- Some moments of weakness, but a very strong performance overall.