First Thoughts on Round 3 of the 2008 Presidential Debate
As I collect my thoughts for this first impression of the 3rd and final presidential debate of 2008, I am invigorated. In many ways this was the closest we've come to an actual debate. It was intense, compelling, and should offer voters a clear choice between the candidates on the issues that matter the most to them. I haven't listened to the spin room or the punditry, so I have little idea what will actually play in the morning. However, if this was a "win or go home" moment for McCain, he didn't win. In fact, he lost and lost badly. When he needed to persuade us to vote for him, he left us with a feeling that we might not even like him.
Substantively, Obama evinced a seriousness of thought as well as a tenor and tone that should "seal the deal" for many undecided voters. As I said after the second debate, McCain appeared that night to be in the middle of a strategy shift. This debate offered further evidence that the fluctuations in strategy have taken their toll on candidate McCain. In this debate, more than any other, he seemed...surly and unlikable. He had one shining moment where we could feel a genuineness start to percolate when he looked at Obama and said, "I am not George Bush." Unfortunately, that moment of authentic emotion was lost in the haughtiness, condescension, and disagreeableness that followed.
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