The Presidency is Obama’s to Lose

At this point, I think it’s safe to say that the election is Obama’s to lose.  And I think the debate last night helped him in that regard.  I do agree with Dave, there wasn’t really anything new in terms of substance, but Obama came off as more relaxed, grounded, and in control whereas McCain — whose forte is supposed to be the town hall meeting — seemed annoyed, nervous, and anxious.  At times he just seemed to be trying too hard.  We get it John.  You want to connect with the average American.  But referring to us as “your friends” seems disingenuous and patronizing.

McCain barely made eye contact with Obama during the last debate.   While he did make and effort to actually look at him this time he still showed signs of disdain and even disgust.  At one point he referred to Sen. Obama as “that one,” a telling slip of the tongue methinks, and it looks like he even refused to shake his hand.

Though my mind has been made up for a while, I found an exchange between the two on health care to be very important.  If I was an undecided it would’ve been a game changer for me.

BROKAW: Quick discussion. Is health care in America a privilege, a right, or a responsibility?

Sen. McCain?

MCCAIN: I think it’s a responsibility, in this respect, in that we should have available and affordable health care to every American citizen, to every family member. And with the plan that — that I have, that will do that.

OBAMA: Well, I think it should be a right for every American. In a country as wealthy as ours, for us to have people who are going bankrupt because they can’t pay their medical bills — for my mother to die of cancer at the age of 53 and have to spend the last months of her life in the hospital room arguing with insurance companies because they’re saying that this may be a pre-existing condition and they don’t have to pay her treatment, there’s something fundamentally wrong about that.

The difference there is huge.  In my opinion, every person has a right to quality health care solely on the basis of being a person regardless of the costs.  Period.  It’s not a responsibility we have if we can afford it, it is fundamental right that should be afforded to us all.

With that revealing point, McCain loses and Obama becomes President.