Posted by
Conservative USA on Thursday, October 16, 2008 12:36:58 PM
The debates are over and, even though the constant "Joe the plumber" rhetoric, the final debate was the most substantive of all. Candidates finally got a little more specific on certain issues and moderator Bob Schieffer did a very good job. Overall, McCain had a stronger performance than Obama, although the Democratic nominee did not make any gaffes.
These were McCain's strongest points:
-Painting Obama as too liberal and partisan. ("Tell me one thing in which you've stood up against your party leaders.")
-McCain did manage to give an image of an independent and maverick, mentioning several issues in which he has broken with the GOP (climate change, campaign finance reform, the conduct of the war in Iraq under Rumsfeld, torture, immigration, importation of drugs).
-On free trade, McCain really put Obama on the defense, when he mentioned Obama's proposal to renegotiate NAFTA. (McCain: "Canada will then say, 'we'll sell our oil to China'.") It was also funny, by the way, listening to Obama saying "I believe in free trade" (Yeah, sure, the same way I'm a communist). McCain also scored when the Colombia free trade agreement was discussed (McCain: "Maybe he should travel south of the border").
-The Obama-Hoover association was a good idea. Actually, it's scary to think about it; amid a recession, the worst thing would be to isolate the economy, adopting a protectionist trade policy and raising taxes on businesses.
-McCain's "no litmus test" answer on Supreme Court's nominations was also a good, middle-of-the-road way to go.
-On education, McCain also showed a strong performance, promoting school choice through vouchers (which Obama opposes) and encouraging more competition and reform, not puting more money into a failed system. Both agreed on the necessity of more charter schools.
-Finally, McCain's "Senator Government" slip was great. Actually, it's a good way for conservatives to call Obama.
In conclusion, even with Joe the plumber and the usual populist rethoric we've been used to during the campaign (I know, once again our special guest "greed" was present in the candidates' vocabulary), this was the best debate. At least we had a little more substance than in the previous ones.
The closing lines:
McCain: Americans will choose the candidate they can TRUST
Obama: Americans are tired of MORE OF THE SAME.
McCain won this one, but it's still not enough to change the game. If no major event takes place (think, for instance, of a Bin Laden video or a terror threat) , this will be a Dem blowout at all levels.