McCain - Obama Debate #2

John McCain may feel more comfortable participating in a "Town Hall" style debate format, but someone should advise him against it.  I have an old tattered sweatshirt from my college days that I just love to wear; it's faded, stretched-out, and soft.  My wife hides it because she knows that I really look like an idiot in it.  McCain looked like a wobbly old guy who tells off-color tales to his fishing buddies outside the hardware store, compared to Barack Obama who looked crisp, polished, efficient and self composed.

As an experienced salesman and business owner, familiar with giving as well as receiving presentations and proposals, I know that format and presentation style can compensate for many a gap, and can make or break a decision.  If the debate is scored on presentation and style criteria, I believe that Obama was probably more effective in reinforcing his base, and attracting swing voters. He has continued to hone and improve his mannerisms and style, while McCain has not

If the debate was to be scored on the substance of their statements, I would have to say that it was more of a toss up.  Both used obfuscation, omission, and deflection, to mask elements of their proposals.  Both misstated reality on some issues.  Both repeated their canned lines.  Except for one exception; McCain's hand grenade proposal to buy back mortgages and renegotiate the principal.  A clear break with some fundamental capitalist and Republican standards.  I'm sure that this, although glossed over during the debate, and even afterwards in the talking head discussions, will become a hot topic.

If the election is to be decided on real experience and past performance, than John McCain may win.  Obama is still the person of all future hope, and no previous record of delivering.

John McCain, as I've stated earlier was not my first, second, or third choice for the Republican candidate.
As I watched Mitt Romney being interviewed after the debate, I once again felt frustration with the Democrats who in the early open primaries selected John McCain as the Republican candidate, and for Mike Huckabee, who later on, secured it.  If Mitt had been up there tonight, it may have been a completely different forum .....but he wasn't, and won't be.

It's unfortunate Presidential politics doesn't have a designated debater rule.  Sarah, may have really livened things up.