Sep 26, 2008
The Temperament Debate
Can a contest for the world's most important public office get any more uncertain than this? For all of his seriousness and sobriety, Barack Obama consistently seems to find himself playing the straight man in these unhinged political acts.
First, Sarah Palin and her hockey mom-with-lipstick sent the political contest hurtling into bizarro world, at least for a while. Then, the country's credit and mortgage crisis evolved into a full-blown threat to the nation's financial system, turning the economy into the overriding issue in the campaign. That led John McCain to cite the turmoil, declare that he was suspending his campaign, and unsuccessfully seek to postpone tonight's first presidential debate.
If there’s a bright spot in all of this mess for Obama enthusiasts, it's this: Their candidate has a track record of riding out crazy political contests to victory.
Obama's race for the U.S. Senate in 2004 featured two rivals who impaled themselves when unseemly revelations from long-sealed divorce records became public. The next bit of strangeness came when the outrageous conservative Alan Keyes entered the comedy-drama from stage Far Right.
Throughout that wild ride, a highly disciplined Obama kept his seat belt buckled, his two hands firmly on the wheel and his eyes keenly fixed on the road ahead. And ultimately, this mature strategy proved highly effective.
If he is to be successful in November, a similar approach seems necessary. Americans likely don't want to see panic from their candidate, and McCain this week bordered on panic. There’s enough anxiety emanating from Wall Street.
That said, neither McCain nor Obama has offered the kind of detailed policy prescriptions to the economic crisis that voters and editorial writers probably want. After unwisely declaring the fundamentals of the economy strong, McCain called for a commission to study those fundamentals. Obama would seem positioned perfectly here because he has long advocated for a more active government role in regulating the market, and he's often warned that markets can fail.
However, Obama is much less believable on this topic since becoming a presidential candidate. The reason: He's had massive amounts of Wall Street money flow into his campaign coffers, and he's courted economic advisers like former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin who have been directly responsible for deregulation.
But policy aside, Obama’s relentlessly reasonable tone and calm, clear-headed demeanor in the middle of a storm could prove a valuable asset in the current climate. To this close observer, Obama's collected nature has always been one of his most appealing attributes when determining whether he has the temperament to handle the presidency.
There is still a long way to go in the contest. And McCain is throwing one surprise after another into the mix, which effectively has him running the circus. By forcing Obama off the campaign trail and back to Washington, McCain sought to make the case that he is leading through the crisis while Obama idly watches from the sidelines. And maybe that's what voters will see in the end—one guy taking charge and the other standing by.
It's all a fascinating psychological case study of contrasts in the two men: one who shoots from the hip and hopes the dust will settle in his favor, and another who is deliberative and studied before pulling the trigger. Beyond basic policy differences, Americans certainly do have a choice here.
Posted at 01:50 PM in The Run-Up | Permalink
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The Run-Up counts down to Election Day 2008 with analysis by journalist David Mendell. Mendell—who wrote about urban issues, politics, and national news for the Chicago Tribune from 1998 until this summer—covered Barack Obama's 2004 U.S. Senate campaign and has written the leading biography of the presidential candidate. 
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Reader Comments:
Obama's lead up to the first debate was truly an exhibition of calmness that I certainly could not replicate! There were a couple of times I considered screaming and swearing as the developments of the week unfolded.
Obama, in my opinion definitely won the first debate and I anticipate he will be even more brilliant as he moves forward in future debates. He made several hard-hitting punches to 'John' where I had to yell out loud in my living room; great shots! I actually thought McCain was nervous about coming up against Obama in the first debate, but he plodded thru to the end with untruths and constant jabs at Obama about him NOT understanding. You would have thought Senator Obama had never set foot in Washington, or had any knowledge at all on the topics that were covered. McCain seems to have a strategy of making Obama seem ignorant, naive, and just nt able to comprehend the intricate topics that a President will have to deal with. In my opinion Obama has always, from day one offered much more detailed answers, and actual plans for the tough issues we all face as Americans than John McCain. 'John' has spent too much time criticizing Obama on the campaing trail, criticizing him during his party's convention, and pointing out that he is not ready to be our country's leader. If he plans on winning the election he will have to share much more about what he will do, what his vision is for a change from the past eight years, and stop focusing on criticizing his opponent. Actually, I don't care whether he redefines his message to be more substantive or not. I will be voting for Barack Obama!
And, finally, it was obvious that McCain was expecting Obama to suspend his campaign when he said he would suspend his. How ignorant does he think the Obama campaign is? It was hilarious when reports surfaced that he never pulled his ads as he said he would. McCain is a proven liar and will do even more to bolster that particular image of himself before November!
Did you see the VP debate? Well, I guess the question is - who didn't? Just reading your stuff is confirmation that we all have opinions. And, come tomorrow morning everybody and their grandmother will have predictions about poll numbers and the next exciting event that will surpass the buildup to the VP debate.
In my humble opinion, Palin did great...except fot two times when she seemed to be sseaching for her prescribed response in her notes. Poor woman! And, Biden made a southernbelle proud!!! I say there is a fascinating case study of contrasts if you try to compare VP choices. Totally astonishing.
You can complain all you want about Obama not giving details on what he will do to get us out of the massive mess we are all in, but it's McCain that has no details, no vision, no desire. But, he actually might have a few thoughts (he and Palin) but we will never find them out if all he does is stay on message with his tiresome criticisms of Obama said this and Obama said that. And, please don't tell him I said that because he just might try and improve his message. I don't think I really want to see his poll numbers improve and I don't plan to vote for him either. I don't particularly like mavericks that spend a great deal of time telling everyone they are a maverick and not having an ounce of proof --- unless you count the bad temper and peculiar choices he makes.