Media And Politics
Judging from the howls of outrage from the left this morning and the articles I've read from major media, Obama did not fare well at last night's debate. Then again, neither did the media. The debate, such as it was, centered nearly exclusively on politics and didn't touch much on the policies of the two Democrats.
PHILADELPHIA, April 16 — Sen. Barack Obama repeatedly found himself on the defensive here Wednesday night as he sought to bat away criticism of his remarks about small-town values, questions about his patriotism and the incendiary sermons of his former pastor in a potentially pivotal debate six days before Pennsylvania's presidential primary.
In their first head-to-head encounter in nearly two months, Obama (Ill.) and his opponent for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), sparred over gaffes, missteps and past statements that could leave them vulnerable in the general election against Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican nominee.
But it was Obama, now his party's front-runner, who was pressed most persistently by moderators Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos of ABC News to answer questions that have dominated the Democratic race in the weeks since the last major contests, held March 4 in Texas and Ohio.
The encounter, particularly in the early stages, seemed more like a grilling of Obama on a Sunday-morning talk show than a debate between the two candidates. Obama fielded most of the questions calmly, although at times he appeared to choose his words with extreme care as he faced perhaps the toughest series of questions he has encountered since taking the lead in delegates in the nomination battle.
Longtime readers know I am not a big fan of the way media covers an awful lot of things, especially politics. Still, there really aren't many differences between Hillary Clinton's policies and Barack Obama's. So what does the media actually have to question? Like it or not, Jeremiah Wright and Obama's "small town" comments are legitimate issues that the media have every right to ask about. That they still are asking about those issues instead of making them disappear down the memory hole is a good thing. (I'm sure the left disagrees with that.)
For the past few years, th left has increasingly focused on meme attacks and gotchas. It's interesting to watch their reactions right now when that comes back to haunt their chosen one.
By Mwalimu Daudi, Thursday, 17 April , 2008 @ 8:43 am
I cannot wait for the debates between McCain and He Whose Middle Name Must Not Be Mentioned. A debate a day would not be too many. Every time the Messiah opens His mouth, He loses votes with His arrogance and conceit.
By martian, Thursday, 17 April , 2008 @ 2:29 pm
I think McCain should concentrate on ways to tick the Obamessiah off. My wife first pointed it out to me some months ago and I started watching more closely and found she was right - the Obamessiah has a short fuse. He gets upset easily, can quickly become petulant and defensive, and his defense is often that of a child. For instance, the Hildebeast started attacking his "bitterness" remarks, what did he do? He started calling her names and making fun of her - calling her "Annie Oakley" in reference to her statements on guns and taking an almost childlike delight in doing so (look at the glee on his face when he’s name calling in the clips). I can picture him taking his ball and going home because the other "kids" won’t play by his rules.