Conservative Voices Pan McCain's Performance

In the wake of the third presidential debate, the McCain campaign and its Republican supporters hit the airwaves to repeat their talking points about how their candidate handily beat Barack Obama. And plenty of conservative pundits on TV and online were convinced that McCain won the debate.

But in the blogosphere, it was a different story with numerous bloggers, from the sanctified realm of the National Review's Corner blog to independent conservative voices, expressing dismay with McCain's performance and his inability to land a crucial knockout punch this late in the campaign.

"A minute they spend on who's being meaner or more dishonest in this campaign is a minute that helps Obama--not because he wins the issue, still less because he deserves to win it, but because it is not what is driving people's votes--and they've spent way more than a minute on this stuff," wrote National Review senior editor Ramesh Ponnuru on The Corner.

Rod Dreher, a conservative Christian columnist, declared the race over to Obama's benefit:

OK, that's over. And so is the McCain campaign. He was more aggressive than he's been so far, and he came close to landing some blows on Obama. But he never really connected, and for the most part this debate was as platitudinous as they all have been. McCain came off as sour, agitated and petulant. Obama -- man, nothing rattles that guy. McCain was two tics away from a vein-popping "You can't handle the truth!" Jack Nicholson moment, I felt. At one point, I thought: Which one of these men would I want in the White House when the 3 a.m. phone call comes in?

And Paul Mirengoff, who writes for the conservative Powerline blog, wrote that:

Ultimately, it seems unlikely that McCain cut into Obama's lead through this performance. And Obama may have taken another small step towards making Americans comfortable with the prospect of his presidency.

Over at Pajamas Media, Jennifer Rubin felt that McCain didn't improve his chance tonight:

At times McCain seemed to connect with a jab or a punch here or there, but his argument at times wavered and his delivery was far from crisp. As for Obama, he was at his calmest and smoothest. If McCain needed to knock Obama off his perch of serenity it didn't happen.

Comments

[cobraxus]

04:42 PM on 10/16/2008

where oh where is Madame de Rothschild and all her PUMA helpmates?where oh where are all the Hillary supporters who vowed they would vote for McCain instead of Obama?crickets.I hear nothing but crickets.and the wind blowing tumbleweeds.

[FR]

02:58 PM on 10/16/2008

Those of us tickled by McCain's supposed "gaffe" on autism need to realize that even the McCain campaign is not that dumb. McCain did not confuse autism with Down's. He knows autism is spreading and is in the headlines and he wanted to capitalize on that. He was trying to argue once again that Palin's special needs infant makes her an expert on all of them. Palin apparently also has an autistic nephew, and has upped the budget for special needs in Alaska.

He should have made his point more clearly. It's only a perceived gaffe, but pop wisdom says percetion is everything. So I must admit I'm glad he wasn't clear. But special needs are real and should not become a political football.

[KareninSac]

03:59 PM on 10/16/2008

I felt McCain's talking about Autism was pure and simple pandering. He's never been concerned about the rapid rise of this condition before, as far as I know. He's just flailing about, trying to find any hook he can for a vote. It makes me uncomfortable to watch this man disintegrate. He's lost his dignity and any respect from the American people that he might at one time possessed.

[TimeGrid]

02:40 PM on 10/16/2008

Obama is leading, McCain is lost...!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mccain-scrapping-to-change-course-of-election-962975.html?action=Popup&ino=1

[malcolm77]

01:44 PM on 10/16/2008

The irony of all the criticism of McCain shouldn't be lost..

It was his campaign manager that said this race would be won on personality and not the issues. But I bet he never figured that McCain and Palin would have personalities that turned off so many Americans, and Obama's calm, steadiness and intellectual wit would be winning over voters..



Be careful what you wish for....

[Rharte]

01:40 PM on 10/16/2008

Me thinks Palin put Obama on fast-track to the white house. Not that BO couldn't get there by himself, but she simply cleared the pathway. Interesting that Mccain could no longer use the "experience" argument against BO in these last few debates which was his main weapon against the Illinois senator for most of the campaign. He also put rev. wright off limits for discussion -- this of course was before he picked the pig in lipstick. Somehow, I think she was a blessing in disguise. Maybe she should take this "Maverick" out back and put him out of his misery.

[bpress]

12:41 PM on 10/16/2008

McCain pouts because he see his chance of outdoing his father and grandfather slipping away. Obama puts up with it because he see the win and can put up with McCain's pouting and anger for another 19 days. At least we won't have to put up with it after that, so long as everyone who wants Obama and not McCain go to vote.

[Maggy Hawk]

01:22 PM on 10/16/2008

What does this remind you of? George W. Bush competing with his father. And if you think about it, McCain's a lot like George W. Bush. Almost last in his class at Anapolis, depending on his father's legacy to see him through, an unimpressive record with planes (G.W. flew them off and on; McCain ditched them). If he hadn't crashed the last one and ended up a POW, he'd just be another Dubya.

[Hedonist88]

04:18 PM on 10/16/2008

well at least Dubya was a better pilot

[FaceYourFears]

12:32 PM on 10/16/2008

I really don't know why Repubs won't say it but Palin has been a drag on JMC's campaign. She brings nothing to his ticket... he recently asked Hill for advice on the economy, why not Sarah? Had he chosen Romney, we'd be looking at a totally different race!

[flatus]

12:58 PM on 10/16/2008

No, no. Sarah is the ENERGY expert. Remember? :>)

[craneman]

01:20 PM on 10/16/2008

sarah is just another empty skirt.

[11907281]

05:50 PM on 10/16/2008

No,no. Sarah is an expert at bringing ENERGY to the base. I wonder what would come out of her mouth if you asked her to define hydrocarbon?

[Lori411]

02:10 PM on 10/16/2008

Yep. Sarah is the real drag on the ticket. It would bring more comfort to independents, like me, to have a number 2 who is knowledgeable and experienced, not just a mouthpiece.

[haval2]

12:19 PM on 10/16/2008

the republicans put up a loser and now they want to know why he is losing. always casting himself as the aggrieved party ....it's nauseating especially after the the grunting and snorting and blinking from the anger pin up grouch. sarah's inexperience and they want to know why everyone does just love her...she lies?

[rj610]

12:17 PM on 10/16/2008

i don't understand why they're still keeping their star player on the bench. iwhen they're so far down, are they really that afraid that she would take them even farther down if they allow her to actually talk with the press--the real press, not dumbaugh or hannity or one of their other lackeys. i would think that they should just let her loose. what do they really have to lose (what's another state or two). she must really be bad if they won't at least let her have a shot at it.

[MissingAmerica]

12:12 PM on 10/16/2008

Most of the issues hit home for me, and McCain was wrong on them all. As for constantly pointing out Palin's understanding of autism and special needs, what a fraud! I know women with autistic children, which is not the same as Downs. Further, they see the need to stay home and nurture their children. The investigation showed that Palin is in her office and her husband is at a long desk in that office conducting both personal and Sarah-type business. That leaves a nanny to raise her son, and her daughters to raise themselves.

I'm sure Sarah has her strong points, but I don't see her major issue, motherhood, as being one of them.

[brizzle]

12:47 PM on 10/16/2008

A good friend of mine who watched the debate with me just about leapt off the couch and into the television set at John McCain when he confused Autism with Down's. My friend works with special needs children and found it astonishing that McCain could make such a big mistake. As you said, these two conditions are not remotely similar, either in effect or in treatment. And to claim that Palin knows anything about Autism because her child has Down's...that's just dumb.

If there are republican or independent schoolteachers who work with special needs children, I suspect many of these people are surprised at McCain's mistake...and some may be reconsidering their vote. Open Mouth, Insert Foot.

[starrshine]

03:11 PM on 10/16/2008

I originally felt the same as you about McCain's Autism remarks. I've read that Palin has a nephew who is Autistic. I'm not defending McCain (I'm definitely voting Obama) but maybe this is what he meant. More disturding to me is what I've read about Palin's Alaska record on special needs children.

[flyers]

12:09 PM on 10/16/2008

jessieo ,

The onlyl reason Obama was calm and cool because he is up in the polls. If you follow any election, general or primary, whoever is down going into debates is always the aggressor, and it either works or backfires because people think they are too angry.

[FaceYourFears]

12:24 PM on 10/16/2008

Wow....thanks, I had that Sen O bama all wrong.

[interestedinthis]

12:46 PM on 10/16/2008

Not true about Obama. He's been a very calm and level headed leader ever since I first noticed him at the 2004 Dem convention, and I'm sure long before that. It's just his nature. And that's exactly what we need to heal this country and get us back to reason, intelligence and sanity. It's just amazing how much damage the Repubs have managed to wreak in the past 8 years......all over the world! We are extremely lucky to have someone of Obama's stature and nature to lead us out of the abyss. Hope.....what a concept!

[jpmdevildog]

11:54 AM on 10/16/2008

McCain has even more to worry about now. So much for the mutant vote:

http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/election-08/bat-boy-backs-obatma/

Barack Obama has received the political endorsement of America’s favorite precocious mutant: Bat Boy.

“This boy is a shining example of the American dream,” Obama said at a small press conference held after the meeting.

“Coming from meager beginnings, cast out for who he is, he now enjoys the freedom and limitless possibility granted to every American.”

[jeffkane1]

11:54 AM on 10/16/2008

Down Syndrome and autism are distinctly different disorders. When McCain mentioned autism in relation to Palin the first time I didn't make much of it, but when he did it a second time I realized he must believe Palin's baby is autistic. The fact that he's unaware of Trygg's actual condition tells me he doesn't know his running mate very well, a confirmation of his shoot-from-the-hip reputation.

[RedWhiteandBrooklyn]

12:17 PM on 10/16/2008

Just one more example of John McCain "not getting it".

[FaceYourFears]

12:26 PM on 10/16/2008

I'm getting tired of them exploiting special needs children!

[bitemeredstate]

11:53 AM on 10/16/2008

Chris Rock (of all people) had a great observation on Bill Maher, he said his father always said "you can't beat a w h i t e man, you can only knock him out - Jackie Robinson, better than everybody, Tiger Woods, better than everybody, Michael Jordan, better than everybody"

Obama has cleared "knocked out" McCain by being better than everybody.

[KarateKid]

11:41 AM on 10/16/2008

For those of us old enough to remember, this debate, and its closeups, reminded me of JFK and Nixon, the first televised debate that elevated JFK and sent Nixon home to California.

[bitemeredstate]

11:45 AM on 10/16/2008

I wondered about the extreme physical contrast of young and old as well.

It's interesting to note that NIxon was 47 and Kennedy was 43 at the time of their debate and Nixon still looked bad by comparison - perspiring and 5 o'clock shadow.

[Pyrrhus]

12:06 PM on 10/16/2008

That's exactly what I thought! Only Mcblinky can't blame a head cold like Nixon could.

But I think this election won't be as close as that of 1960.

[RedWhiteandBrooklyn]

12:18 PM on 10/16/2008

Yes, but he WAS a prisoner for 5 years!