I only wish I had thought of a “my friends . . .” drinking game beforehand. Surely John McCain’s handlers wish he’d dropped that cloying salutation after the first dozen or so uses.
Contrary to earlier press reports, Tuesday night’s televised debate was not a nasty brawl.
The town hall beamed from Nashville, Tenn., did not live up to the nose-bloodying, psychologically revealing showdown advertised on cable news networks. Nobody lost his temper; nobody launched personal attacks. Instead, it was a relatively dull recitation of established positions. Imagine, a debate almost distressingly heavy on content.
No over-the-top outbursts; no out-of-the-park hits.
McCain attempted humor. Barack Obama stuck with earnestness. Maybe the anxious mood of the country made the timing wrong for a presidential candidate catfight.
McCain practically climbed into the laps of his questioners to appear connected. His zingers sounded rehearsed. “Not bailout — rescue!” Pinning down Obama’s tax proposals is “like nailing Jell-O to the wall,” he said.
Obama didn’t talk down to the regular folks in the audience. He didn’t rely on catchy zingers but offered policy points. “Moral issues” should come into play in considering when to use force, he said. “There’s a lot of cruelty around the world. We’re not going to be able to be everywhere all the time.”
On the “zen” question of “what don’t you know?” both men curiously reached back to times of personal deprivation: Obama spoke of living on food stamps; McCain spoke of his military service.
Who won? Not moderator Tom Brokaw, who was constrained by the rules of the debate and so couldn’t dig deep for follow-up questions.
Call it a draw and hope the town- hall format is abandoned in the future. It’s a bogus attempt to appear interactive, viewer-friendly and Joe Sixpack accessible. Just put the two candidates in front of microphones, give the moderator follow- up privileges and let them go at it.
Advance punditry said McCain’s challenge was to remain cool while Obama’s goal was to generate some heat. Polls said the town-hall format would favor the Republican. In fact, the emotional temperature in the studio seemed relatively cool.
Viewers who stuck around could see Barack and Michelle Obama working the crowd long after McCain had made his exit. The ratings will tell whether the debate was deemed too lacking in heat for many viewers to follow.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
