Both candidates are sequestering themselves to prepare for what will, in all likelihood, define the shape of things to come: the first presidential debate. Obama’s prep team should focus on two events as examples of what not to do: (1) Kerry’s second debate in 2008, where his accurate, intelligent, but long-winded defense of choice, set against Bush’s brief reply & pithy insult (“I’m trying to decipher that”), underscored the electoral meme of Kerry’s indecisiveness, and; (2) Obama’s answer to the abortion question at the Saddleback Forum. Though, as I have said, Obama’s response was rational and moderate, it left some bad, manipulable sound bites behind. Obama must not replicate either mistake.
Advertisement
I was listening to someone on NPR the other day. They said Obama’s advisers have been hammering him to give short, concise answers. Then they asked him to talk about the jist of his economic policy and he talked for five minutes.
Should be interesting…
Posted by Progressive Conservative | September 22, 2008, 3:56 pm