The debate: The reviews are in
Posted: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 9:25 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Last night, MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell and Adam Verdugo assembled 30 voters from suburban Pennsylvania to watch the debate, using dials (sort of like a remote control) or "perception analyzers" to get moment-by-moment reaction to the candidates. “What we found was fascinating. Overall, independents responded much more favorably to Barack Obama than John McCain, particularly during the discussions on domestic policy. The debate started with a discussion of the economy and the government's $700 billion dollar bailout plan. When McCain said he would order the secretary of the treasury to ‘buy up the bad home loan mortgages in America,’ our participants responded negatively across the board. Some Republicans told us afterwards they don't want their hard-earned taxpayer dollars spent on a bailout.”
“Another interesting moment was when McCain joked that getting Obama to nail down his tax proposals was like trying to ‘nail jello to a wall.’ Again, the joke did not play well with independent voters who are often opposed to negative attacks. Still, while we found that McCain failed to convince many independents he did solidify his base. At the end of the debate, Republicans said they were firmer in their support for McCain. Democrats also said they were firmer in their support of Barack Obama. Only one voter out of 30 tonight switched from McCain to Obama. Bottom line: This debate was not a game-changer.”
Those CNN and CBS insta-polls gave Obama the win.
In the debate over body language, the AP writes, "confident Obama, combative McCain." "And then there was the comment, likely to be much remarked upon, about Obama's vote on an energy bill. 'You know who voted for it?' McCain asked, thrusting his finger in Obama's direction but not looking at him. 'That one.' It was a comment that could be interpreted several ways -- harmless, offensive, merely annoying -- but it bothered Tim Groeger, an undecided voter from Morristown, N.J. 'I didn't feel that was very professional,' said Groeger, 28, an accountant. 'I felt McCain was very aggressive. Obama seemed to stay cool and collected.' And yet Groeger said he remained split between the candidates, and hadn't heard enough specifics from Obama."
The Washington Post’s Shales: “[T]he snarled ‘that one’ also contributed to McCain's image as a kind of mean old Scrooge, not so much a battle-scarred warrior as an embittered one. "Intemperate" is an adjective often applied to him, and again McCain demonstrated why. He also was perhaps the more relentlessly repetitious of the two men -- though Obama trotted out many a rerun from past appearances -- and was guilty of addressing the audience with his old standby phrase "my friends" at least 15 times in the 90-minute session.”
The Boston Globe's Canellos: "Sometimes sarcastic and sometimes sincere, McCain seemed off-balance in a way that undermined his much-repeated claim of being 'a cool hand at the tiller.' Obama, who did not particularly excel at town hall-style debates during the primaries -- sometimes seeming lordly or professorial -- was better than McCain last night at connecting with audience members on their own terms."
The New York Post’s Hurt: "And that was supposed to be the platform where John McCain would shine the brightest? … If last night was the arena of McCain's choice, he's in deep trouble these next 26 days. Obama was loose, polished and seemed to enjoy the whole thing. Afterward, he stuck around for a long time, posing for pictures with throngs of people gathered on stage. McCain was awkward and rambling and said some pretty strange things - like calling Obama 'that one.' Several of his attempts at humor came off as brittle and harsh."
The New York Daily News' DeFrank: " With the stock market cratering another 500 points yesterday, McCain wasn't able to achieve his most critical objective: changing the subject to more favorable turf. … What McCain must do before next week's finale on Long Island is find a formula to convince uncommitted voters that he can be a superior financial crisis steward than Obama."
