"What senator Obama doesn't seem to understand..." Well, tell us. What doesn't he understand? (by guest author Aaron)

With the debates fresh in everyone's minds, it's important that we take a step back and evaluate what was said. Well, go on! Start evaluating! Nah, just kidding.

The first thing I'm addressing is the "winner" of the debates. It seems that both sides have claimed victory.  How does one go about winning a debate in the first place? I wasn't entirely aware that it was a competition, although I'm sure some people see it that way. Open forums for discussion and even disagreement are supposedly part of the democratic process, but this tongue-in-cheek style of constant cut-downs didn't really do anyone any good. It seemed only to widen the quagmire between the two parties.

That said, politics is generally rife with double-speak, so it's little surprise that a lot of if was done. It was also not surprising to see the side from which it came. McCain stated time and time again "What Senator Obama doesn't seem to understand..." but failed to ever drive a point home. It seemed in light of this negative portrayal of his experience, that Senator Obama DID indeed understand a great number of issues of very great complexity. Apparently lack of age and lack of experience DON'T necessarily have to go hand-in-hand.

We also can't really get a firm grasp of the financial crisis. Fire the chairman of the SEC!!! Let alone that the entire structure below AND above him is to blame. I guess we all need a figure-head to whom we can assign blame. And really, isn't that what EVERYTHING has been about for the past eight years?

It seems that he espouses a continuation of failed policies, of negligent behavior, and the blame-game, all the way from Wall Street to War. It's time that someone stepped in and fixed the mess instead of talking about who got us into it and why. We already figured that one out.

(My original intent was to outline some highlights from the debate, but upon obtaining a transcript, I abandoned that in favor of a small, non-inclusive synopsis. I, after all, didn't want to consume Joe's ENTIRE blog with one post, which would be rude and really annoying to read. What I've boiled in down to is simply that Senator Obama DOES understand, and has demonstrated that remarkably well. As for a winner? Neither. We're in this to win an election, not a debate.)

Comments

[Steve]

Great post,

In my eyes, McCain's "Obama-doesn't-understand" ploy might have worked if Omaba appeared incompetent. Since Obama was confident in stressing his talking points, and he did so convincingly, McCain came across as belittling Obama not because Obama was inexperienced, but just because he didn't agree with him.

In using that "Obama-doesn't-understand" ploy, McCain was, in a sense,telling me I was stupid for giving Obama credit for his response.

Pissing off Independents like myself is not something McCain wants to do!

[Scott Gentzen]

I don't know when/how/if it changed, but debates used to be a competition to win or lose. All of the debates that I had to participate in when I was in school were scored and won/lost.

Maybe it didn't change. I haven't paid attention to presidential debates in a long time. Maybe they should start scoring again.

[Aaron]

First off, thanks Steve, and I completely agree. Alienating the people he should be trying to woo is a bad idea, and it's independent voters and undecideds that'll give either side a healthy boost, but I didn't really expect too much pandering to happen. McCain isn't necessarily steeped in diplomacy, and, well, let's face it. He's about as diplomatic as a roach.

And you may be right, Scott. I never saw debates as a competition, but maybe that's the problem with my viewpoint. I always saw them as a forum to bounce ideas and beliefs, and let the public decide where they stand, but they are almost rancorous now. But democratic (as in democracy) ideals are fleeting these days. A score board, popcorn, and beer might make more people watch though. Haha.

[Shirley]

I too, was a little surprised by not only McCain's repeated "doesn't understand" phrase - I guess I really thought he'd come to the debate a little more diplomatic than his ads, but also the Bush-like continual smirking. Even if I were undecided I would question his approach/character. Apparently he's going to run to the end of this election following the Bush/Rovain tactics of pandering to the ignorance of the people. Sadly, he wouldn't have to do that, Sarah Palin on the other hand has no choice, she plays the ignorant role like a pro.

Welcome Aaron!

[Scott Gentzen]

I don't think it's an issue of a viewpoint problem as a difference in background and perspective. Which is a good thing.

There was a time when I was in school (mid to late 80's) where for some reason I ended up in debate team kinds of situations. I was assigned a viewpoint and was expected to defend that position (whether I agreed or not) in a debate format against someone else. When time was up, points were tallied and a winner was declared. It wasn't about learning about each other, it was about beating the opponent.

Of course you still learn about people when watching them debate, if you're paying attention to what's going on, but that wasn't my focus at the time.

Because of that background, I tend to think of a "debate" without a declared winner kind of pointless and I try not to watch them. I would like to think that there's a better way to discuss ideas and get to know a candidate than a debate. The "town hall" format comes closer, I think but I don't know what the real "right" answer is if there is one.

[Aaron]

My schooling is much more recent, and I think there may have been a shift from the head-on approach to debate, to a more "gentle" approach to spare people's feelings. I never really put much thought into it, being that I was schooled with that framework in place, but a more traditional form of debate may be what we need. I may be more in favor of "town hall" style debates, although I must admit that I've not been much exposed to it. And no, I don't think there can be a clear-cut right answer. I just hope that something meaningful can be culled from this rat race.