Media Expectations Won’t Matter Much to Most Voters Watching Debates
Oftentimes when we who write about politics talk about the debates, we evaluate how well a candidate has done based upon our expectations of his performance.
To that end, campaigns tend to talk down their candidates debating skills while praising their opponent as well-versed in this arena. Â This way, after the encounter, they can note how their guy exceeded expectations.
Well, pundits and bloggers may be judging the candidates by how well they meet such “expectations,” but most voters, particularly those still undecided, will evaluate them with their own eyes, what they see tonight. Â And not what the pundits or campaigns expect of the candidates.
(I expect to have more to say about the debate, particularly addressing the question of McCain’s “blinking,” later in the day.)
UPDATE: Â The Jewish Athena offers an assessment similar to my own: Â ”Why is this all silly? No real voters care about this. They watch the debate and decide who did better.” Â Read the whole thing.
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Like the conventions, I will opt out from watching the debates. I already know who’s getting my vote, and there is not one single thing the other guy can say to sway me to his anti-American side of the aisle. And even if there was, he’d be lying anyway – like he’s been doing from day 1.
Comment by LesbianNeoCon — September 26, 2008 @ 4:21 pm - September 26, 2008
Well, since McCain lied about suspending his campaign, and then realized no one outside the right-wing cocoon believed he should cancel the debate while he pretended to solve the financial crisis (while really trying to cancel Palin’s debate), he realized he had to do be seen at least trying to do more than one thing at a time. Good for him, I guess.
Comment by torrentprime — September 26, 2008 @ 4:32 pm - September 26, 2008
No post defending Palin’s embarassing performance on CBS?
Comment by Jim — September 26, 2008 @ 4:47 pm - September 26, 2008
Oh, and this is great. On MSNBC, McCain’s aide just confirmed that McCain spent a few hours last night prepping for the debate. You know, the one he said he wouldn’t do? Because he was so busy working on the financial crisis that he couldn’t do anything else? Cause he haz ledership skilz!
He doesn’t even care if you catch him lying to you, people. Doesn’t that bother you at all?
Comment by torrentprime — September 26, 2008 @ 4:52 pm - September 26, 2008
All of McCain’s actions are better than Obama’s, “Call me if you need anything.” That sure as hell isn’t leadership at all. And how about Harry Reid’s comment that, “No one knows what to do?” And Nancy Pelosi’s being more concerned about not getting tagged with responsibility with the bailout when it goes bad? If I saw my fellow Congress members, especially the “leadership” making statements that clearly shows their total lack of ability to deal with a crisis of such supposed gravity, I’d get my butt back to Washington to get involved.
Comment by Hunter — September 26, 2008 @ 5:18 pm - September 26, 2008
torrent, do you want to even address the point of the post. Here, I make a general point about debates without injecting partisanship into, but it seems it’s the only way you know how to communicate.
Comment by GayPatriotWest — September 26, 2008 @ 5:22 pm - September 26, 2008
It’ll be interesting to see (next week, in the tracking polls) how undecided voters react to both everything that’s happened this week and to the first debate.
Unless something unusual happens tonight (always a possibility!) we’ll all think our candidate did better… the question is how the critical undecided voters in swing states see it.
Comment by Clint — September 26, 2008 @ 6:39 pm - September 26, 2008
He doesn’t even care if you catch him lying to you, people. Doesn’t that bother you at all?
Obviously, torrentprime, you didn’t digest this post.
What you’re now making obvious is that you don’t define truth and lie by whether or not what someone says is true; you simply state that everything that Obama says is true and everything that McCain says is a lie.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — September 26, 2008 @ 7:11 pm - September 26, 2008