Well, try as he might, John McCain was unable to break from the "crotchety old man vs. uppity negro" dynamic that, along with outmoded policy positions and a Karl-Rove-in-a-Gidget costume Vice Presidental candidate, have perpetuated his campaign's free fall. No sane person could have watched last night's debate and come away with the impression that John McCain is capable of organizing a church fish fry without flying off the handle over the temperature of the oil.
Johnny started strong with a nod to Nancy Reagan, who was hospitalized yesterday for a broken pelvis, but it was all downhill from there, as McCain reverted to the cheap, baseless attacks that have increasingly come to define his campaign. You know you're in trouble when the only decent thing that comes out of your mouth during a 90-minute debate is a brief sympathetic gesture toward an 87 year-old woman with a busted crotch.
And that was pretty much the highlight. McCain alternated between anger, desperation, and angry desperation for the duration of the debate. He brought nothing new, let alone sensible, to the table and only seemed lucid when he was invoking "Joe the Plumber" or raising Obama's non-existent relationship with William Ayers. In the end, Obama came away unscathed after calmly defusing every bullshit accusation drummed up by a transparently bitter and frenzied McCain.
Which brings me to a point. As a pretty stalwart Kucinich Progressive, I've remained wary of Obama, while clearly preferring him to Senator McCain. But there was something that struck me last night in the way Obama basically took a 72 year-old war hero and four-term U.S. Senator, sat him down, and said, "You are wrong and here is why" before calmly explaining that ACORN-bashing is a stunt, earmarks are a pittance of the federal budget, and he was 8 years of age when Ayers was blowing things up. Obama dispatched cheap digs in a way that Kucinich has never been able to come close to mastering and, given the amount of Lunatic Right bile that's bound to be tossed once Obama assumes office (yes, I'm calling it), it's a skill that will prove useful.
So, to sum up, mandatory government-funded abortions for every third pregnancy, two-fold tax increase on all Americans for purposes of socialist redistribution, and Ahmadinejad is coming over for dinner.
Oh, and I haven't checked the transcript, but according to the notes I carved into my forearm with a rusty knife in an attempt at distraction from this childish travesty, I scored it as...
Joe the Plumber: 9
Joe: 8
So close, Joe. So close.
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