Last Night's Debate

So, last night was Round 2 of the Obama/McCain debates and what have we learned? Well, we've learned that John McCain supports the Treasury buying up bad mortgages from people too stupid to not buy homes that fall within their means (potentially a $300 billion bailout), and we've learned that Barrack Obama supports nuclear energy "as one component" of an overall energy independence program. See, I had to stretch with what we learned about Obama, because there was little, if any, new information provided. I'm not saying that McCain was overflowing with answers either, but there was something about his answers that seemed better informed than Mr. Obama's.

I did think Obama did an excellent job of answering the question of how the bailout will affect the average American. He's hit a home run linking businesses (large or small) ability to survive without access to cash. According to Mr. Obama, businesses risk not making payroll and thus potentially laying people off. Now, whether or not that's a totally accurate portrayal of the bailout is kind of irrelevant to me. It was a good answer and it's an answer that most people can understand.

I'll also admit that I didn't focus 100% on the debate last night. I was also surfing the web, going on Ebay and winebid.com, and checking my Facebook account. As Drudgereport is blasting this morning, "B O R I N G," I have to agree. However, I was impressed with Mr. McCain's overall demeanor last night, and give him a B+. I wish he would stop saying "my friends." It bugs me, and it's condescending. I'm not his friend, and the average American out there is not his friend. To me it feels insincere, even if he truly is being sincere. Please, stop saying "my friends."

But otherwise, he did do a good job. I thought that he took on energy independence well - stating a need for more investment in alternative energy sources including nuclear, wind, solar, tidal, etc. I thought he was strong on the message of reining in government spending. I may personally want to see federal earmarks for projects that I support, but Mr. McCain has a track record of trying to reduce frivolous spending. He also does have a track record of working both sides of the aisle. We have to remember one fundamental thing about John McCain - he truly is this maverick that SNL has been parodying. He's a maverick in the sense that he's willing to go outside the Big R political ideology, work with Democrats, compromise when it's needed, and stick to his guns when he feels he's right. He really DID work with Senator's Feingold, Leiberman, and Kennedy on joint legislation.

I just get the sense that Mr. Obama, on the other hand, is too conciliatory and lacks the ability to make a decision when things get difficult. Where are the Obama-"Insert Republican Senator's Name Here" co-sponsored bills? I certainly haven't heard about them, though I suppose they may exist. Of course, you would think Mr. Obama would want to diffuse McCain's "maverick" label by showing that he too is a maverick, or at the very least bipartisan. But my guess is that Obama's record doesn't support a bipartisan label.

Last night may have been an exhibition of talking points, personal attacks (albeit, not very vigorous ones), and light-weight answers to difficult problems, but it was still a good illustration of the difference between the two candidates. I'm not about ready to stand from the rooftops proclaiming, "Vote for John McCain!" quite yet, but unless I see some spark out of the Obama campaign, I have to stick with my political leanings and vote R.