In last night night’s televised U.S. presidential debate staged in Nashville, American voters and observers around the world were treated to another example of what we have come to expect from such spectacles: both candidates evaded the more difficult questions and sidestepped to well-known campaign talking points, with few if any surprises.
Certainly, there was no revelation equal to Sarah Palin’s expression of support for civil rights for same-sex couples that emerged from one of the tougher questions in the first vice presidential debate staged here in St. Louis.
Moderator Tom Brokaw cued allegedly undecided voters selected for a small focus group, who delivered questions they had previously submitted and had been approved by committee. Brokaw said both campaign agreed to the rules of the forum (which never became a genuine debate), but neither candidate had seen the questions in advance. Brokaw himself read a selection of questions that had been chosen from online submissions.
Most of the questions pertained to personal finances in a rapidly disintegrating economy, but both candidates answered questions about the economy in terms of macroeconomics rather than personal microeconomics, voicing familiar campaign positions.
Obama pointed out that McCain has always supported deregulation of the financial sector, which most analysts agree was largely responsible for the current global crisis in the credit markets. McCain claimed that Obama’s tax plan would raise taxes for small businesses, which Obama denied.
They also tangled over health care, once again. Obama pointed out that McCain has repeatedly voted against funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, while McCain pointed out that Obama’s health insurance program involves penalties for families and businesses that do not cover their children or employees. McCain repeatedly challenged Obama to reveal what those fines would be. Obama did not respond, but stated a familiar campaign point that McCain’s plan would install new taxes on business spending on employee health insurance.
The only arguable slip-up of note was when McCain referred to Obama as “that one,” which could be construed as a playful note of familiarity but was seized by some commentators as dismissive and insulting.
The large majority of observers rated the debate as a draw. With Obama gaining in projected electoral college votes n and with his campaign expected to benefit from a large number of new voters whose presence will not be detected until election day n most observers agree that McCain needs to do better than fight to a draw if he wants to stop Obama’s momentum before the Nov. 4 election.