Obama Planning to Show Up at Debate
September 24, 2008
So here's the deal. Barack Obama plans to be at the first presidential debate in Mississippi. John McCain does not. Good luck to both of them.
Obama just came out and said he's going to the debate. More here.
I just watched Obama's press conference and of course I watched McCain's statement earlier. These guys couldn't be more different.
You can see how Obama sees a more measured approach to situations where McCain seems to want to take action right away. Some will call McCain decisive. Others will call it scary because it may seem he makes decisions too abruptly. Americans will have the final say.
Look, let's talk about the politics of all of this because in the end this is not about McCain's motive. This is about how Americans will view McCain.
This is a big gamble for McCain. Americans could judge him as a take charge, decisive leader during a crisis and the benefits could end up being very significant. This could end up as McCain looking like the guy who came to the rescue in Washington, suspended his campaign and put "country first."
Or, this could backfire and Americans may see this as a cheap political stunt. Remember, it doesn't matter what McCain's true intentions were here. For now it matters how he is viewed by the voting public.
As for Obama, he did not follow McCain by cancelling the debate or running to Washington like McCain. Instead, we actually see that it was Obama who did call McCain first. That gives Obama cover to say he was being pro-active and showcases some leadership ability.
A final analysis of this situation won't be available until we see how this plays out in the next 48 hours. In the meantime, I'm hungry. I'm going to get a bagel with lox.
The Brody File will be traveling to the debate starting Thursday. Do you think they'll be a debate?
Comments?
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