Agreed.
Coming into this election, I really had a lot of respect for McCain. I didn't agree with him, but I definitely respected him. The longer the campaign has gone on, really the less I have. He seems to constantly attack and never put out anything good or informative. It makes me skeptical on the rare occasion he does seem to say something sincere(though he did have a good closing)
True, but unfortunately that is what this race (actually, all races) are about. You have to compare the two and look for the lesser evil.
I find it interesting to see how the canditates debate, and I do not let myself guide by what is being said in there. What they say is rarely aimed at intellectual/educated folks. It's about getting those swing voters that can be influenced by talk, rather than go after the issues the candidates represent.
If a candidate gets asked a question in a debate, they are
expected to go emotional and
tell a story. If they stick too much with the issues and try to communicate facts, they are considered dry and impersonal. These debates are more about the personality of the candidates than they are about issues, and the only way to express personality is by telling a story peppered with colorful examples that the average viewer can relate to. Which McCain and Palin do in EVERY answer. Indicators:
"Just look at Joe & Jane..."
"We want the soccer mom to be able to..."
"I want to watch a hockey game just like you..."
etc. etc.
What does hockey have to do with issues? Nothing, but Joe Public can relate to hockey and feels addressed. Joe Public is a swing voter.
The mistake the democratic candidates still made at the beginning was trying to talk issues, not colorful stories. I say mistake because presidential debates are NEVER about issues but about personality. To win the swing voters, you MUST tell stories. The educated voters already know who they will vote for.