I woke up yesterday excited about the presidential debate slated to take place last night.
However, my excitement was lessened a bit when I turned on the morning news show on CBS, which is of course “The Early Show.”
John Rich, of the country-music group Big and Rich, was on the show.
He sang a song titled, “Rasin’ McCain,” a version of which can be seen below.
It is horrible, and I’m sorry I just put you through the agony of watching it.
I like country music, and I haven’t decided who I’m going to vote for; however, that song sucked!
Why? Why would he write that? Why would he be allowed to perform it on the television?
For the love of God, tell me why.
It wasn’t a good way to get the day started, and the debate between Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) wasn’t much better, even though I Twittered during the event.
Tom Brokaw wasn’t a very good moderator.
He had little control over what was happening, and he couldn’t convince the candidates to stay within the time constraints.
Of course, this can also be attributed to the format of the debate. If it’s a town hall meeting, one can’t expect things to go according to plan.
I think the only way the candidates could have been kept in line with that format was if the moderator was, as my cousin Dale Westbrook suggested, Hacksaw Jim Dugan. He would have kept them within the time limits.
Both candidates did little to answer questions directly.
Even so, when Obama spoke, I felt empowered and excited. When McCain spoke, I felt like I should listen to him because he is wise and aged.
This debate did nothing to help me decide which candidate I should vote for on Nov. 4.
I wish I had been playing a drinking game while watching this debate . . . as long as the phrases to drink to were either “my friends” or “fundamental difference.”
I would have been hammered.
The two phrases were so overused that I found myself wishing Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin was on there again reminding me over and over that she is from Alaska.
The worst part is the phrases seeped into other people’s vocabulary. Just look at this Facebook status:
Dale is going to fundamentally change the fundamentals of all fundamentally fundamentalled fundamentals.
What does that even mean?
No one knows.
Hopefully during the next debate something of substance will be said by at least one candidate, if not both.
Regarding the “Raising McCain” song — I greatly prefer “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy,” for sheer originality and cowboy entertainment value. The McCain song was pretty lame.
The debate was basically a series of questions, followed by candidates hitting the start button on recorded stump speeches.
McCain, unfortunately for him, came across several times as a really grumpy, senile, mean old codger who was more pathetic than bold.
Only someone’s great-granddad, slumped in a wheelchair, would glare fiercely, point a shaky finger at someone and croak, “That one,” when accusing someone of a foul deed.
You easily forgive the codger in the home for that kind of thing — but it is jarring to see a presidential candidate act that way.
McCain also snapped at the moderator, Tom Brokaw, more than once. It may have been intended to be cute, or funny, but from McCain, it just added to the mystery of why this pissed off, senile old fossil was on a debate stage.
Obama was camera-ready and cute and handsome and appeared about 80 years younger and 5 inches taller than McCain. In the age of campaign-by- television, he had the debate pretty much in the bag just by showing up.
His answers were vague and basically consisted of his campaign rhetoric.
His ideas are interesting and a bit terrifying at the same time. He talks about grand schemes that could not possibly be financed by the taxpayers, even prior to our economy’s meltdown.
On the bright side, he seems to be growing as a politician, and it is tempting to assign to him some Kennedy-esque qualities, while envisioning him in the Oval Office.
A second later, I dread the possibility, due to his inexperience.
Perhaps his strongest characteristic, and one that gives me hope, is that he seems to have the ability to maintain his composure, even when being lambasted by a tottering, cranky old naval aviator on national television.
Maybe he is right, and he is capable of having talks with crazy, nuke-crazed Iranians and North Koreans and holding his own. If he becomes president, I certainly hope he can.