Reaction to the First McCain-Obama Debate

Let me say, first of all, that I wasn't particularly impressed with either candidate this evening. I'm uncertain whether this has to do primarily with my expectations or the actual performance of the nominees but I was left feeling rather underwhelmed. I do, however, think that the new format worked successfully. It allowed for enough of the free exchange that so many previous presidential debates have lacked. Naturally this also led to some situations where the nominees interrupted each other and what might be perceived as awkward or, possibly, telling moments in the debate itself. Still, I enjoyed watching the debate (even if I wasn't overly impressed with either candidate) and I think the format might've had quite a bit to do with that.

My initial reaction to the debate is that McCain appeared, particularly early in the debate, to be more relaxed and comfortable than Obama. At times it appeared that Obama knew exactly what he intended to say but couldn't quite find the words. It also appeared to me that McCain's responses were expressed slightly more clearly and thoughtfully but, at times, I do think that Obama had a clear advantage in this area depending upon the issue. Both candidates, at times, also appeared to be visibly frustrated with each other either because of the responses of their opponent or because of the interruptions which were interspersed throughout the debate. In general, however, I don't think that either candidate could really claim a clear 'win' in terms of style points tonight. Each had their moments where they appeared very 'presidential' and each had their moments where they appeared somewhat petty or not as professional as they would probably like to be perceived.

Beyond the issue of style I don't think there was anything present within the debate regarding issues that would truly sway an undecided voter to make a decision on who to vote for. I think Obama satisfied his supporters with his responses and overall performance and I think McCain achieved the same level of success with his supporters. Given the general perception that McCain's strength is foreign policy, the fact that Obama appeared to hold his own in this area may be viewed by some as a zero-sum win for Obama. At the same time I think the same might also be said for McCain given his responses to the financial questions which were highlighted early in the debate. The key to me, however, is that undecided voters may have heard a few new ideas tonight but I don't believe these ideas may be the ones they care about nor substantially distinctive in a manner which would cause them to shift their support to either one of the candidates.

One of the potential implications of this is the possibility that the VP debate next Thursday might play a slightly larger role in the undecided voter sweepstakes than initially predicted and, perhaps, a larger role than the campaigns themselves had foreseen. If the undecideds are still searching for a candidate to support then many of them may turn to the VP candidates as potential reasons to finally make a decision on whom to vote for. If the general perception that the contrast between Biden and Palin is greater than the contrast between McCain and Obama holds true next Thursday, maybe this is where the undecideds finally begin to swing in significant numbers towards a particular nominee.