Election Issues Today

Was last night’s Third Debate the final nail in the McCain Campaign Coffin?  By all post-debate accounts, from pundits to the public, McCain’s campaign is not only in trouble, it may be over. Caput.

John McCain’s performance in the Third Presidential Debate was aggressive, but was his worst failure. He has no more shots to take.  His approach to Iraq is unchanged and unaccepted by the public.  His approach to the economic problems of the country is disjointed and scattered; like he does not understand his own positions.

There was too much character-issue stuff in his approach to attacking Obama.  The entire “Ayers” issue is old and tiresome; the voters have heard so many smears and character attacks that they are calloused to them; automatic turn-off, from now until election day.

I would “reckon,” just from one voter’s prospective, that we have heard just about enough of everything.  I am exhausted by the campaign.  And John McCain’s constant questioning of “who” Barack Obama “is” has run its course, as well.  Heck, the campaign has been going on for two years. TWO YEARS!

Over the course of the three Presidential Debates, John McCain’s performance has deteriorated, while Obama’s performance has remained steady.  Over the course of the debates, public perception of Obama has improved after each debate.  His performances in these debates will be studied by students for years to come.  He is a very smart man, in his intellect and in his approach to the public image he seeks to convey.  Very good show. A+

I don’t know what was going on in this photo of John McCain, but, unfortunately for him, this mirrors the public perception of his debate performance.

READYING FOR THE THIRD FACEOFF

Where do the two election campaign contenders see themselves right now?  This is just prior to the third and final Presidential Debate.  This is 20 days to the election.  (Take a deep breath; it’s almost over.)

Polls show Barack Obama with (roughly) a ten point “preference” lead, in the most generous polls.  Other polls show four or five-point leads for Obama.  Electoral votes appear to be more lop-sided.  Some pollsters are seeing a trend that could lead to a landslide, whatever that would be.  Maybe if Obama took somewhere around 376 electoral votes, that might be a landslide.  I don’t know.  I think it will be closer than that, but I do think the McCain campaign is in trouble.  The scent of desperation is in the political air. 

Will we see that desperation manifest itself in the final Presidential Debate?  I don’t think John McCain can appear to be speaking from a position of weakness. He must be perceived as in control and confident.  He is a very experienced politician and should be able to pull it off.  If he attacks Obama on any of the right-wingnuts’ outlandish claims, he will be labeled as desperate.  We will watch Wednesday night and see if he looks like a loser.

Barack Obama senses victory at hand.  With that, he can become magnanimous, calm, reassuring….in a word…Presidential.  We will watch Wednesday night and see if he looks like a winner.

Overall, I think the Presidential Debates are a waste of time.  Although they do serve to provide added television exposure to both candidates, the lesser known candidate stands to benefit the most, so long as he or she doesn’t screw it up.

And…is that why we really watch at all?  To see if someone ”loses his temper?,” “draws a blank?,” “totally embarrasses himself?,” or “TOTALLY SCREWS IT UP?”

I think the debates are boring beyond belief and the format is a dud, debate-wise.  Most of those who watch with intensity are the news reporters who HAVE to and the members of the public who are assembled into little “viewing rooms” by the networks so they can deliver their opinions of who won. Also meaningless.    

I opted out of the viewership for Debate 2, primarily because I have seen and heard MORE THAN ENOUGH from both of these guys!  By reading the newspaper and checking online, I see a few of the comments the next morning. Absolutely NOTHING NEW!

So let’s get on with it.  Cast our vote absentee and just watch “Dancing with the Stars” or ”The Biggest Loser” or “Survivor: Gabon.”   Time to reveal my true viewing habits; my true interests, my true avocation: watching REALITY TV that is entertaining and mindless!

I wish we had election campaigns that only lasted…let’s say 60 days…from start to finish!  No more primaries, no more endless months of campaign rhetoric and promises to do everything for everybody.  Hogwash.  All of it.   

Frequent visitors to this site may notice the new header look.  By getting rid of the photo I hope to have speeded up the loading process.

And, although we are OFTEN presented with “NEW LOOKS,” whether a web page or a political candidate, the content remains the same.   We bloggers and politicians alike are often full of ourselves and full of other stuff too.

Mostly though, I notice that politicians are full of “nastiness”  or should we spell it “nastyness” like the movie, “Pursuit of Happyness” for politicians and political parties alike, “Happyness” means “winning the contest” and “getting elected.”

As the days remaining for campaigning become fewer and fewer, and the electorate tires of the same ol’ advertisements, repeated phrases and triteness, we will again see politics turn nasty.  The candidates will turn nasty, the ads will turn nasty, and the entire process will again leave a “nasty” taste in our mouths.  We will ask, Why?  Why do the candidates always revert to looking for Dirt?  Telling Lies.  Using Innuendo.

I think most every political candidate–at least in the final Presidential Race–pledges to run a clean campaign, a campaign based on issues, on ideas, on the future; for our children, for the Public Good.

But it never fails: Panic sets it.  “Gotta Win” mentality takes over.  We can’t Lose and have it be said that we didn’t use something, some weapon, some tactic, that could have won it for us.  Kind of like warfare.  Real warfare, where a country says they won’t use nuclear weapons….but….just wait until they are in imminent danger of losing.  So…this is off the subject…but nuclear proliferation amongst third world countries almost guarantees that a nuke will be used against the citizens of another country at some point, just because of the “LAST DITCH EFFORT” to avoid losing.  It sometimes works in politics.  Why not in war?

Last Ditch Effort.  Will we see the beginning of this during the next Presidential Debate?  Yes.