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Blues in Slow Motion
Had Barack Obama had MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow as trainers, he would have put up a more entertaining fight last night. Neither pretends to be objective; their criticism and satire of John McCain are so effective because they are backed by the cold steel of hard facts, so many of which perforate McCain's claims and his campaign's advertisements. Devastation born of actuality.
Initially, I thought Obama needed more snap in his jabs but he, perhaps in a slow and naturally easy way, left McCain the bloodier. Unlike his opponent, he didn't go for a knockout or a knock down. There seemed confidence in letting the points build up.
So however dull Obama initially seemed, he slowly slowly wove an invisible web of authority and pulled into it some of McCain's accusations as though they were equal in irritation to flies but no more important. By the end something truly unexpected happened: of the two men, Obama came to seem older.
Check out other opinions on the debate from The Daily Beast team.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Why America Must Learn to Bow
Martin Jacques is the cofounder of the UK think tank Demos, writes a regular column for The Guardian, and is a visiting research fellow at the London School of Economics Asia Research Centre. His new book, When China Rules the World, is available now.
Going Rogue: The Index
Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
Desperately Seeking a GOP Hero
Stanley Crouch's culture pieces have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times, Vogue, Downbeat, The New Yorker, and more. He has served as artistic consultant for jazz programming at Lincoln Center since 1987, and is a founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center. In June 2006 his first major collection of jazz criticism, Considering Genius: Jazz Writings, was published. He is presently completing a book about the Barack Obama presidential campaign.
Carter's Charge Is a Distraction
Stanley Crouch's culture pieces have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times, Vogue, Downbeat, The New Yorker, and more. He has served as artistic consultant for jazz programming at Lincoln Center since 1987, and is a founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center. In June 2006 his first major collection of jazz criticism, Considering Genius: Jazz Writings, was published. He is presently completing a book about the Barack Obama presidential campaign.
How Insane Is the Beer Summit?
Stanley Crouch's culture pieces have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times, Vogue, Downbeat, The New Yorker, and more. He has served as artistic consultant for jazz programming at Lincoln Center since 1987, and is a founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center. In June 2006 his first major collection of jazz criticism, Considering Genius: Jazz Writings, was published. He is presently completing a book about the Barack Obama presidential campaign.
"Slowly slowly wove an invisible web..." Bravo! Well said. I think you have captured in words what Americans are coming to realize somewhere between their head and their heart, but were unable to put their finger on it. If you don't mind, I am going to copy and paste your last paragraph on every intelligent site I frequent. You just made one hell of a fan. Thank you.
I love your "Slowly slowy wove an invisible web...." also. Thanks for putting my impression into words; somehow you came up with imagery that expressed what I was thinking far better than I could have.
"Devastation born of actuality."
The results of conservative reign?
The end result of the Bushies, "creating their own reality"?
The fatal blow to the McCain campaign?
All of the above.
Excellent visuals presented in this commentary. Way to bring some clarity to the method in which the debate played out.
Love it! I thought Obama did very well last night. We have all become consumed with the desire for "red meat," and when McCain tried his best to throw Obama a cruve ball, he did what all great hitters do. He waited for the break, then knocked it out of the park. With his regards to William Ayers, the tone was much different in the debate than it is on the campain trails. I would have loved to see Obama call McCain out on his ties to ACORN, being the keynote speaker just two years ago.
I think Barak was keenly aware of what he needed to do to win. The conversation, after all, wasn't happening at that table, it was and is happening out here in real people land. He didn't need to match McCain blow for blow. To win, he merely needed to make sure that he was left standing at the end.
What a brilliant writer you are. With McCain, God bless him, I just tensed up every time he spoke.
Obama kept his tone thoughtful and relaxed. He'll be a sure captain of the ship. McCain acted like a sarcastic spoiled brat.
BTW: I'm a mom of 2 vets of the Iraq war. McCain-Palin do not speak for me. Thankx so much.
One of the objections I have with the coverage of the election process is the notion of a fight or horse race.
What I'm taking away from this post is a least a strategic implication - rope-a-dope. In that, I have the image of mccain spending all of his energy hitting Obama in a way that is doing no real damage other than to waste his energy.
The only reason that tactic works is at some point Obama has to knock his weaken opponent out - that my be the plan for the Oct 29th media buy - at least I hope so.
I don't think it's the economy.The American people have come to realize that it is Obama himself. The man and his demeanor is moving the polls,
Yes, I think Obama knows exactly what he's doing, and it's his air of calm mastery and precise reasoning that once again took the show. There is a passion and gravitas to Obama that is conspicuously lacking in the Republican camp, especially when it comes to Soccer Mom Palin, who seems about as deep as Paris Hilton on speed.
You really captured the debate as I saw it. I only hope the majority of our country felt it and saw it the same. Oh to have intelligence in the white house. Refreshing.
How I look forward to a government of ideas not stale ideology. Intelligence in the White House. What a re-assuring thought.
This debate was a repeat of a dancing, jabbing, floating Ali vs the plodding, but fierce Frazer
Cheesh... what a circle jerk.
Barry's a puppet, kids... not a poet.
You don't smell a rotting fish?
Mr Crouch, on such an occasion of supposed humor, charity, and amnesty between presidential candidates as the Al Smith dinner, do you not find this remark by Senator McCain during his speech misplaced among the jokes? - "There was a time when a mere invitation of an African American citizen to dine in the White House would be taken as an outrage and an insult in many quarters."
If there was a time when the towering figure of Senator Obama might have been directed to the Tradesmen's Entrance of the White House, why should McCain feel it necessary to point that out? Does it not seem that Senator McCain has failed to recognize that the world has evolved and outstripped him? Or, worse, that he might wish to call upon those divisive memories in his favor?
I wondered on hearing what sounded to me like a vengeful, patronizing put-down, if McCain might not next praise Senator Obama for his "dignity".
Thank you.
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