2008 Election

The Case for HOPE: Three Strikes, McCain’s Out (Plus Tonight’s Wilshire & Washington)

By Maegan Carberry ⋅ October 15, 2008 ⋅   Email this post ⋅  Digg This ⋅  Share on Facebook ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

The tired antics and talking points of the first two debates were finally eschewed in tonight’s presidential brawl. Responding to some (actually) interesting questions about the false attack ads, vice presidential preparedness, single-issue voter issues like abortion, etc., the candidates finally showed some enthusiasm and articulated the differences between their respective partisan ideologies. Both candidates brought their best performances of debate season, but Obama was the clear winner, displaying presidential poise and thoughtful responses that indicated he has a comprehensive understanding of the American experience for individuals at all income-levels. He reinforced why Americans, who are increasingly cynical about the future of opportunity in this country, should vote Democratic on Nov. 4 if they want to change the downward spiral George Bush and Republican ideology has imposed on our nation. 

A CNN poll indicated that 57 percent of undecided voters thought Obama won the debate, as opposed to 31 percent for McCain. John King busted out the electoral map post-debate, indicating that even if McCain wins the six or so toss up states, Obama still pulls away with the electoral college majority. With fewer than 20 days left in the election, it’s clear that four more years of Republican policies are not going to resonate with voters. 

The previous two debates were a toss up. Tonight, although I thought McCain had an ‘American President’ moment with his ‘I am not George Bush’ proclamation, it was Obama who delivered the consistent, thoughtful responses. He clarified his affiliations with Ayers and Acorn, he discussed (again! blah) his health care policies, dismantled the ‘trickle down’ Republican economic philosophy, and reminded us why (when we’ll finally have budget to allocate to domestic issues after we terminate the Bush Doctrine) it is our inherent responsibility as a country to fight for the rights of our underprivileged brethren.

We all agreed on tonight’s Wilshire & Washington that both candidates stepped up with the passion and clarity we were looking for. After three taxing rounds of debates, it is now a matter of ideology: Americans must ask themselves if the ‘Trickle Down’ philosophies of deregulation, so-called “personal responsibility,” pre-emption, and the influence of the evangelical right are the core positions we want to espouse to the rest of the world. It’s still unclear to me who these undecided voters marking the little line graphs on CNN are, but it’s not ambiguous at all what needs to happen in three weeks. Barack Obama is the candidate that offers fresh ideas, thoughtful discourse, diplomacy, equality and a little bit of HOPE in trying times.