Debate #3: A Steady Leader vs. An Angry Man with Itchy Underbritches

The French have a wonderful expression, "He is comfortable in his skin." (Il est bien dans son peau.)

In last night's final Presidential debate that was the stark difference between Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama.

John McCain squirmed as if he were wearing scratchy winter underwear. He is not at ease in his facial expressions or his body movements. It seemed as if he had been told to look at Obama, to smile, to act as if he were enjoying himself, but all we saw was that it was hard for him to smile at someone he so intensely disliked, and that he was absolutely not enjoying himself. Of course it is easier to enjoy yourself if you are ahead in the polls.

It's hard work to be the underdog and huff and puff to try to catch up. Barack Obama has a natural front-runner's grace, he has reached a comfortable stride and he's sticking to it. McCain is still searching for an appropriate beat, which makes him contort his face, blink his eyes, and not know exactly where to look. He cannot hide his disbelief that this new young Senator should so easily over-take him, when "generations of McCain's" gave McCain the legacy to be President.

I know we should place more emphasis on substance rather than style; we should listen to what they say, and pay less attention to how they look. But it is hard to follow those intelligent instructions. Body language does matter, and it does tell us something about the candidates. Someone who knows who he is, is simply more attractive. As one commentator said after the debate, "I don't think voters will want to watch John McCain on their television sets for the next four years."

At this time of economic uncertainty, when the stock market is gyrating wildly, when jobs are going down the drain, when savings are disappearing, voters want a leader who is sure of himself and who can assure them that he can be a strong leader. They want a leader who acts like he knows where he's going, not someone who seems as erratic as the times in which we find ourselves. Not that Obama has all the answers—but he is calm in a time of turbulence, he knows who he is and where he wants to take us. That ability to retain his sense of equilibrium is bound to serve him well in the roller coast days ahead.

Madeleine M. Kunin is the former Governor of Vermont and was the state's first woman governor. She served as Ambassador to Switzerland for President Clinton, and was on the three-person panel that chose Al Gore to be Clinton's VP. She is the author of Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead from Chelsea Green Publishing.

Read more reactions to the Obama-McCain Hofstra Presidential Debate from HuffPost bloggers

Comments

[sociocanuck]

Considering that point made about your position on the panel that chose Gore, I would be sold on the rest of the article even without reading the content. That's my bias. I think your current analysis is spot on, too.

[moAb]

McCain would be deadly for this country.

[bebegirl1991]

McCain should be uncomfortable in his skin. As he"s ranting on during last night"s debate about how he always sticks up for Obama when his supporters say blatantly false statements, my father, a 70 year old retired postal worker from IN, called me to tell me he received a call from the McCain campaign yesterday. In an effort to sway my dad, the caller told him that Obama WAS A MUSLIM (WHO CARES!!!) & HE"S A TERRORIST. He was so angry w/ this lady that he cursed her out. He got the # from his caller ID & asked me to do a reverse look up of the phone#. I discovered that a company called Telefund, Inc out of MA called him. Now, I"m uncerain if the McCain campaign is authorizing folks to spout untruths or if she just went off on her own. The fact that McCain has "outsourced" his volunteer staff would indicate what he plans to do w/ the country from an economic standpoint. This is also an indication of the tactics that the GOP & McCain's camp are willing to use. If you went back to McCain"s campaign manager, he would say this person was overzealous & wasn"t speaking officially for McCain. They"ve employed a company to call on potential voters!!! Since this person is paid to call potential voters, they are paid to say certain things to the folks on the other end of the line. As my father likes to say, "Am I right,

[jatrig]

The scariest thing for me is not that McCain is erratic, which he is, but that he has shown a complete inability or even desire to talk to anyone who disagrees with him. We thought Bush was bad -- imagine a white house w/ mccain - he'd fire and destroy anyone who even suggested he may be out of line. He makes Bush look like a great diplomat. This is dangerous. If someone pisses him off, including a world power, watch out. American is in real trouble if he gets elected.

[DennyCrane]

McCain did the same thing during the primaries when he was debating Romney. That's fine that he doesn't like Obama or Romney (Is there anyone who does like Romney?). But he needs to work on showing some class and not showing everything he's feeling. Imagine McCain dealing with a foreign leader he doesn't like such as the president of Iran. That's not the kind of person I want representing me when negotiating with a potential enemy.

[mmgbizgirl]

Love your post.

Obama is style and substance. I believe we are all hard-wired to pick up on subtle body language when we are trying to form an opinion. I think more people should trust that instinct. I feel the truth with Obama.