The Debate

Tonight, I watched the Obama-McCain Debate with about 50 Montana State students. It was a treat: I really enjoyed learning from the students and sharing our thoughts about the debate. I can't wait until the VP debate next week.

A couple of quick thoughts:

I thought this was one of the best presidential debates I've watched. Both candidates were serious, both candidates were articulate, and both candidates demonstrated a deep understanding the issues. Gosh, I can't imagine a time when I've been really proud of BOTH candidates.

What shocked me was how the undecided students reacted to the debate. Every single one of them thought Obama had won. I, however, had a harder time figuring out who won. IF we accept that the McCain is better on foreign policy and that Obama demonstrated that he could play effectively on that terrain, then that suggests that Obama won with a "tie".

We watched the debate on CNN and I paid a lot of attention to the lines indicating how voters reacted to the statements of the candidates. I missed the pre-debate discussion that the voters were actually a group of OH voters (32 voters) and not a representative group of voters. Yet, CNN labeled the graph as the audience reaction. We agreed that CNN should have labeled the graph as Focus Group voters.

What was notable in this debate was the lack of pithy sound bites. There was no clear line, in my opinion, from either candidate that will be played over and over.

I asked students about what disappointed them about both candidates. Some were disappointed by the snipping and bickering between the two candidates. Perhaps this is generational, but I really liked them going after each other. What disappointed me was both their answers on the bailout: I wanted more specifics.

Students felt that both candidates should pay attention to how voters reacted to their statements. I found it amazing that McCain did not do as well vis a vis the focus group. There were moments when the self-identified GOP voters gave Obama high marks, and I noticed that more often than not McCain did well with his base but less so with independents and Democrats. McCain has to do better with those independents to win.

We'll do this again next week, so stay tuned!