I felt like Barack Obama danced very carefully around the abortion issue with regards to the audience he was addressing...on tv *and* in the church with him. I would liked to have seen mention of sex education or contraceptives, since those are the only real ways we have to reduce unwanted pregnancies.
Overall, I thought Barack Obama presented himself better, and answered questions more directly. I also felt like he took better advantage of the criteria of the forum: as a discussion instead of a pulpit. This is the one place where the candidate has the opportunity to wait a few seconds, THINK, and then answer, instead of having to invent an answer that will go only one minute and you feel rushed to spit something out immediately. Obama treated it as a discussion and a chance for him to lay out his views.
McCain seemed, in about 2/3 the time, treating it as a way to confirm his views, rather than laying them out in thoughtful answers. McCain struck me as more emotional, whether nervousness or excitement I'm not sure. His answers were quick, often interrupting the inquisitor. And there were some questions he dodged, not really answering at all.
I noticed, especially in the first half of McCain's hour, that while Barack was having a conversation, McCain was making speeches. There was a definite, unmistakable cadence to his early answers, the up-up-down cadence that people use in speeches. That lessened in the latter half hour as he got more comfortable. I got really sick of the "my friends" thing... I'm sure he intended to connect with me as a fellow citizen, and I don't at all hold that against him, but he's such a different generation from me... "my friends" is not a sincere phrase I expect to hear. That's something for an older politician to older constituents. My mom said it reminded her negatively of listening to LBJ as a child.
I was overall impressed with Obama, and I hope he gets elected. I feel he has the intelligence and gravitas to do it, and I think he takes his core values of helping others and of being moral very seriously. I felt like his view of morality was just as staunch as McCain's, but his world-view was more gray, more pragmatic in terms of figuring out what CAN be fixed rather than defeating every evil you see around you (and in terms of taxes certainly more realistic.) Right now, though he may not be perfect, this is the president I want. I want a progressive, thoughtful, intelligent person who inspires others and who isn't a total scum-bucket.
What it told me about McCain is that McCain does believe in making moral decisions and although I don't agree with many of his politics, he would be some kind of improvement simply by having integrity. By not being a corrupt and immoral liar. I feel like he at least CARES about America and Americans, which is a sincerity I never felt with Bush. Nevertheless, he felt old. I'd rather have McCain from eight or ten years ago, when he was less towing the party line.
I liked that both candidates mentioned the need to serve others and move beyond selfishness and apathy. I also like that both mentioned the reality of energy needs and how important that will be to us. At last it's starting to become a political reality instead of an issue that can be shunted to the side.
Overall, I liked the forum concept. I think removing the element of opposition gave both candidates to address the nation in a highly public way without being stifled by time limits or the answers of their opponents. I think Barack Obama was disadvantaged in the questions, but probably walked out of it with a greater advantage overall, since he had the opportunity to gain voters while McCain was speaking to the converted.
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Overall, I thought Barack Obama presented himself better, and answered questions more directly. I also felt like he took better advantage of the criteria of the forum: as a discussion instead of a pulpit. This is the one place where the candidate has the opportunity to wait a few seconds, THINK, and then answer, instead of having to invent an answer that will go only one minute and you feel rushed to spit something out immediately. Obama treated it as a discussion and a chance for him to lay out his views.
McCain seemed, in about 2/3 the time, treating it as a way to confirm his views, rather than laying them out in thoughtful answers. McCain struck me as more emotional, whether nervousness or excitement I'm not sure. His answers were quick, often interrupting the inquisitor. And there were some questions he dodged, not really answering at all.
I noticed, especially in the first half of McCain's hour, that while Barack was having a conversation, McCain was making speeches. There was a definite, unmistakable cadence to his early answers, the up-up-down cadence that people use in speeches. That lessened in the latter half hour as he got more comfortable. I got really sick of the "my friends" thing... I'm sure he intended to connect with me as a fellow citizen, and I don't at all hold that against him, but he's such a different generation from me... "my friends" is not a sincere phrase I expect to hear. That's something for an older politician to older constituents. My mom said it reminded her negatively of listening to LBJ as a child.
I was overall impressed with Obama, and I hope he gets elected. I feel he has the intelligence and gravitas to do it, and I think he takes his core values of helping others and of being moral very seriously. I felt like his view of morality was just as staunch as McCain's, but his world-view was more gray, more pragmatic in terms of figuring out what CAN be fixed rather than defeating every evil you see around you (and in terms of taxes certainly more realistic.) Right now, though he may not be perfect, this is the president I want. I want a progressive, thoughtful, intelligent person who inspires others and who isn't a total scum-bucket.
What it told me about McCain is that McCain does believe in making moral decisions and although I don't agree with many of his politics, he would be some kind of improvement simply by having integrity. By not being a corrupt and immoral liar. I feel like he at least CARES about America and Americans, which is a sincerity I never felt with Bush. Nevertheless, he felt old. I'd rather have McCain from eight or ten years ago, when he was less towing the party line.
I liked that both candidates mentioned the need to serve others and move beyond selfishness and apathy. I also like that both mentioned the reality of energy needs and how important that will be to us. At last it's starting to become a political reality instead of an issue that can be shunted to the side.
Overall, I liked the forum concept. I think removing the element of opposition gave both candidates to address the nation in a highly public way without being stifled by time limits or the answers of their opponents. I think Barack Obama was disadvantaged in the questions, but probably walked out of it with a greater advantage overall, since he had the opportunity to gain voters while McCain was speaking to the converted.