McCain Does His Best Archie Bunker Impersonation at First Debate
At last, a debate in the '08 presidential race worthy, in substance, of pursuit of the highest elected office in our country.
A pity that the demeanor of one of the two candidates was meanly unworthy, both of the presidency and of that candidate's own distinguished career.
Especially given the historic importance of these '08 presidential debates, there was something unseemly about a cranky, elderly white candidate condescending to and smugly demeaning an articulate, earnest, moderate-mannered black candidate 25 years his junior.
As if resurrecting the specter of Archie Bunker-like superiority to his ethnic neighbors, John McCain refused to make eye contact with Barack Obama, even when Obama was speaking and looking directly at him... even when urged to by moderator Jim Lehrer of PBS. (McCain to Lehrer: "Are you afraid I couldn't hear him?")
When coupled with frequent snarks of "Sen. Obama doesn't understand...," McCain's creepy behavior communicated that he sees Obama as distinctly beneath him... as not his equal, and, in fact, not even worthy enough to be looked at straight in the eye, much as a servant may not be allowed to look a master in the eye.
I'm not saying that McCain looks down on Obama because of race. I don't know that.
What I am saying is that the scenario of the first African-American with a solid chance to become President of the United States being demeaned, disdained and openly sneered at by an angry, elderly white U.S. senator and so-called statesman of 21 years was ugly.
Had this debate has been held at University of Mississippi 50 years ago, in 1958, I would at least get it. But set in 2008, John McCain behaved in a disrespectful manner wholly unbefitting the U.S. presidency.
It was stupidly insulting politics, too, in a United States in which a huge portion of voters are neither white nor elderly nor crotchety.
Does John McCain, who famously voted against creating a Martin Luther King federal holiday, not remember that undecided non-white voters are also watching the debates, or does he not give a damn if they vote for him? Does he not understand the great pride much of our country takes in the ascension of Barack Obama, whether or not he wins this election?
In recent weeks, John McCain has displayed erratic behavior and questionable judgment.
But McCain's prideful, imperious posturing toward Obama during the first '08 presidential debate may point to a more insidious impediment: pragmatic disbelief that "all men are created equal."
(Photo taken on Sept 26, 2008: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Comments
Are you trying to say McCain is a racist because he treated Obama the way he’d treat any other candidate who was standing across from him? Maybe I don’t get it either. Does that mean Al Gore was being racist against George bush in 2000? Was Reagan being racist against Mondale in their debates? Maybe everybody was being racist against Ross Perot in 1992, because nobody sure looked at HIM!
Please help me understand your thinking here. I’m not really sure about your point.
I couldn’t agree more. That was one of the most disgusting displays of disrespect I have ever seen. McCain looked like an absolute Nazi…and acted like one too.
JC, the offputting thing wasn’t that McCain didn’t look at Obama when the moderator was speaking, or even *so much* that he didn’t look at Obama when Obama was responding to the open questions (Obama spent his share of the debate looking at his podium), but that he didn’t look at Obama when the two were talking directly to each other. McCain snickering several times during the first forty minutes or so (which could well have been nervousness) didn’t help.
I can’t imagine that his handlers and those who helped him prep for the debate had him doing this as a debate tactic. There were a few potential reasons for McCain’s demeanor — nerves, focus, wanting to talk more to the camera and to the audience being some of the benign ones. But what the prominent lack of eye contact when addressing or being spoken to by Obama suggested to me was contempt.
Well, is it possible that McCain may not like Obama for a reason OTHER than racism? Somehow, I don’t think John McCain’s a racist. I just don’t buy it.
Is it possible that McCain doesn’t like Obama for other reasons? After all, Obama has called McCain:
1) old
2) out-of-touch
3) george bush
4) about to die
I don’t know if Id want to look at someobdy who called me names and was trying to embarrass me. McCain looked at Obama before and after the debate. During the debate, he looked at the American people — who he was supposed to be looking at!
I think if you’re saying that McCain’s engaging in racial discrimination because he won’t look at Obama on stage, then you have to say Obama’s engaging in age discrimination because he keeps calling McCain Old!
Jimmie, I hear you on this.
I admit in my blog post that I don’t know if McCain is racially biased, or if McCain disdains Obama because of race, age, lack of time in D.C., or he just doesn’t like him for whatever reason. (You give some good potential reasons, for instance.)
I guess my bigger points are that, regardless of his motive, it was an unseemly, undignified way to act, one that WILL be interpreted by many as racially based. In particular, for African-Americans and others people who take unusual pride in Obama’s candidacy, it probably was a painful sight.
It was both a grossly uncivil and a politically dumb way for McCain to act. I bet he doesn’t do it again… at least to this degree.
I’m willing to just say it… I’ve believed since long before this election that McCain is a racist. Why else would you vote against MLK day? Was he not a great America? Why would he be so stuck on making war with Russia? He is obviously of the old order, one of those who believes in the supremacy of American will. His contempt for diplomacy is deranged and dangerous, and pretty much… elitist.
But racist… duh, I’ve seen those stories over the years of him making racist and sexist jokes in public. Not a surprise to anyone who knew him before his campaign for the presidency.
Hey, lets just call everyone a racist. If anyone is, its Obama (or perhaps just all the people around him who keep bringing it up).
As for MLK day, why not vote against it? It is the ONLY holiday for a SPECIFIC person and MLK was not that great (by the way, he was republican). I didn’t notice mccain looking or not looking at Obama. who really cares – obviously some people. mccain was talking to the camera. also, it helps focus to not look at something specific and mccain also probably has trouble moving as well as some people given his wounds. Given that obama associates with all kinds of criminals, i can see why someone would not be very proud of his ascension (just ask hillary).