McCain’s Condescending Attitude
I know there will be volumes of very detailed and in-depth comments on the first Presidential debate by far much more knowledgeable and experienced analysts and pundits.
To me, an ordinary citizen, an ordinary American, what I was struck most by and what I will remember the most is the condescending, dismissive, contemptuous, patronizing, almost insulting, verbal and non-verbal attitude and body language displayed by Senator McCain towards his opponent, and colleague, Senator Obama. During an almost two hour debate, McCain did not look Obama in the eye even once. While I do not know what McCain’s reason was for such behavior, I thought it was very offensive.
I was personally offended by McCain’s attitude towards a fellow American.
Again, that’s just a first gut impression by an ordinary American.
Whether McCain’s insolence will have any effect on the polls, is an open question. And, while some may claim that McCain “won” the debate, in my opinion, he absolutely lost it in terms of manners, and civility.
Now, I’ll let the experts analyze the debate.
25 Responses to “McCain’s Condescending Attitude”
Dorian, that was my impression also. It seemed the condescension came off McCain in waves, and his sarcasm was barely controlled at times. In contrast, Obama was more often composed and appropriate in his demeanor. They both seemed knowledgeable, although I would have to give the edge there to Obama. McCain ignored Lehrer's questions a couple times in favor of going off on his own chosen rant. Obama spent less time trying to tear down his opponent and more time explaining his own message.
Obama was clearly much more Presidential.. Whatever that means.
I'm an average Canadian who is watching your election with interest and now trying to get interested in our own federal election. Some family and friends watched the debate together tonight, and on behalf of all of us…thank you for stating what needed to be said about John McCain's attitude toward his fellow American tonight. We sat amazed at how juvenile, inexperienced and unpresidential his performance was. We have our own right wing hopeful here in the form of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and he also lacks a level of civility and respect for his fellow Canadian party leaders. It's all personal for Mr. Harper, and I suspect Mr. McCain. At least that's what is most obvious to the average viewer like me. It's all about us and them, divisiveness, partisanship, strategy and winning, and I think it's just easy and cowardly. I'm sick of this kind of discourse among politicians. I sincerely hope, as a citizen of the world that Obama wins…actually, I'd rather have Ralph Nader, but please not Mr. McCain.
I noticed the lack of eye contact from McCain and wondered about it too……….my first reaction was anger at the rudeness of the man. But most people of the republican mind set are very rude and aggressive. I actually think the real reason is McCain is very intimidated by Obama. How can he not be? Obama has intelligence, charm and good looks……….he's a class act. McCain has an old, stale style about him.
To all who have commented on my plain but nevertheless from-the-heart comment on one American's reprehensible behavior towards another American: Thank you.
To our Canadian reader in particular, thank you for sharing your views on our election (and also on your own country's politics). Most Americans–believe it ot not– still care about how the rest of the world views us, and to change such presently abysmal view is one of the more important reasons why so many Americans want a change in our capital and Capitol.
Can you imagine *any* meeting of 2 people, social or business, public or private, where one of the people DID NOT LOOK at the other for AN HOUR AND A HALF?
Yes, it was extremely rude, extremely odd.
McCain showed his true colors last night and his contempt of Senator Obama was confirmed in front of millions of Americans as well as those abroad. My concern is if McCain were to be elected president, we would be in more conflict with hostile countries (not to mention our allies) because those non verbal cues speak volumes when it comes to the United States' integrity. Remember, the President is a representative of “us” and if he acts like that then our foreign and domestic policies will suffer greatly.
Baloney. Obama was rude and kept interrupting McCain. While Obama spoke, McCain waited patiently each time for Obama to finish. Obama, on the other hand, would interrupt McCain while he spoke. You want to talk about arrogant? You should do some research on Obama's buddies that caused our economic crisis. You see what you want to see, because you have already decided that McCain and Bush are the same person. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH–o And if you really want to go back to the Panic of 1907, let the govt bailout be the next step, this repetition of history will have the worst outcome. McCain addressed this early in the debate by suggesting a package that would eliminate the need for govt intervention. Neither candidate went into detail, because they were still trying to come to a decision. Finally, these two men don't hate each other. They know it's just politics and are presenting themselves to the public in a debate.
I totally agree to that. The whole time of the debate, I noticed that McCain never made any , any, any eye contact with Sen.Obama. How rude, unprofessional, and arrogant just like all the republicans. Obama did a great job just and simply because, he is intelligent, honest, and I hope he wins.We need change now!!!!!!!!
HalfPastMidnight says:
“Baloney. Obama was rude and kept interrupting McCain. While Obama spoke, McCain waited patiently each time for Obama to finish. Obama, on the other hand, would interrupt McCain while he spoke. You want to talk about arrogant?”
Please go to http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom to see for yourself who kept interrupting who; who was rude; who DIDN't wait patiently for the other one to finish speaking; who was smirking all the time; who was arrogant; and who did not have the common courtesy to look the person he was talking to in the eye during an entire one-and-a-half hour convesration i.e. “debate.”
Thank you
After the debate, I was waiting for the Wolf Blitzen or anyone to make the most obvious comment about McCain not looking at Obama, but he didn't. I finally had to change the channel to MSNBC and Chris Mathews was actually talking about it. When someone does not make eye contact for 90 minutes, it is distracting. I kept waiting for him to just look once at Obama. What was the deal? First he tries to cancel the debate and then when he arrives he won't look at Obama. Well, the only thing I can conclude is that:
1. He's just plain rude or
2. He is intimidated by Obama or
3. He was afraid of losing his cool if he looks at Obama or
4. He is lying and liars never look at the person who they are lying about or all of the above.
None of these choices is very presidential. They are downright scary. Can you imagine a meeting with the President of Iran and having our President McCain looking at the wall or anywhere else but his adversaries eyes? Who would believe a word he says? If McCain is so easily intimidated, what would that mean to our safety and security?? If he's just being rude, what 3rd world leader would he be rude to next? If he can't look at Obama w/o getting angry with his questions, then that should be a concern to us all. That means he has a hair trigger temper and we don't need someone with a hair trigger temper close to the RED BUTTON. Thank you for posting the obvious. We not only hear the words but we look at body language because that says a great deal about a person. How can this man be trusted to run the nation??
What a contrast! Obama looked and sounded presidential, McCain did not. And did anyone notice that after the 'debate' Obama went straightaway to Michelle and gave her a big smooch and hug? Cindy, meanwhile, approached her spouse and got nothing. WEIRD!
ICastillo5:
You list several plausible reasons for McCain's incredibly disturbing lack of eye contact. There may be other more subtle, or more sinister, reasons.
Your mention of looking into the eyes of adversaries and other world leaders reminds me of course of Bush's famous looking into Putin's eyes and seeing the soul of a good man, or something to that effect. What a farce that has turned out to be.
Doiran de Wind
D.E. Rodriguez~
I think the biggest issue here is how much Obama is lying about the war Iraq, and McCain lost his patience with him. Obama said “back in 2002″, he was against the war from the beginning. Even Bill Clinton said that he and Obama were on the same page and him saying he was against the war “was the biggest fairy tale he had ever seen.” Clinton is right. In this clip there is a lot of rhetoric with Obama where he is saying that Al Quaeda infiltration is worse than ever, and that is just not true. Even after interviewing, where Obama said the surge was a success beyond our wildest dreams, he is back-peddling. These two are bantering in the clip, and McCain is telling the truth. I would find it very hard to look at a guy that just lied his a*s off, which Obama did. Even Kissinger called in to say Obama was not correct in saying he should go to Iran and negotiate unconditionally.
Here is the clip I was talking about where Obama claims his stance on the war from the beginning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djmpmGXxwzQ
Here is what Bill Clinton had to say back in 2002:
Former President Bill Clinton, at a recent rally on behalf of his wife, insisted that Senator Clinton and Senator Obama had had virtually identical records on the Iraq war and that Obama's claim that he “had the judgment to oppose this war from the beginning” was “the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.”
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/22/…
It's funny though, the only media I hear declaring McCain the winner is Newsweek, and of course Fox. But the clear winner was Obama, he gained more from the debate then McCain by showing how presidental he was, clam, and completely composed he was to an obviously comtempted McCain. And don't forget the ground he gained on foreign poilcy! Not a great debate but still things were achevied.
HPM says:
“I would find it very hard to look at a guy that just lied his a*s off, which Obama did.”
For one hour-and-a-half? Do you look someone in the eye–even if he or she is lying to you–when you are talking to him or her…for over one hour? I would say that if you are telling the truth and the other person is lying, you have even more reason to look the other person in the eye…you know what is said about the eyes. You can tell a lot about a person by loking someone in the eye (except of course for the Bush-Putin case). Good try though
You're right, D.E. Rodriguez., Obama did pretty much lie off and on for about an hour and a half. I think the other part of it was McCain felt embarrassed for Obama that he had to use such tactics. I have a strong feeling that Obama has appeared very friendly with McCain for some time. I have seen photos of McCain and Obama shaking hands looking face to face before. McCain doesn't trust Obama because he lies so much. And yet, the American public have said that Obama won the debate. Don't ever think Obama's lying style will change just because he makes it into office. If people really understood what Obama was saying and how inaccurate and inconsistent he was with his stance on the war, foreign policy, as well as the economy, where he has never voted anything except “present”, they would be saying, “Wait a minute, what the hell is he talking about…?!”
I find it interesting that you would feel there is no problem with his dishonesty, and only focus on eye contact. Plenty of people can lie to you and look you square in the eye.
McCain is the Navy Pilot. The Experienced One. And he was petulant and weird at times.
As far as lying goes, McCain lies. Obama lies. Getting into a major discussion about politicians and lying is a fruitless as trying to make meatloaf out of bricks.
If you are really interested in the facts you should visit factcheck.org. This non-partisan site checks the spin of both candidates against reality!
Half_past_midnight-and-a-half says:
“I find it interesting that you would feel there is no problem with his dishonesty..”
I certainly find McCain's dishonesty (intellectual and otherwise)a BIG problem.
Now, it is past your sleeptime. Goodnight
My thoughts, exactly. I am even moderately supportive of McCain, but his refusal to pay common respect to Obama by looking at someone who repeatedly and politely called him by name and was talking to him, turned me off to McCain. If that was a strategic stunt, it backfired with me. I wrote as much in my blog the night of the debate:
http://timelston.blogspot.com/2008/09/john-mcca….
Emitr:
I went to your blog and found that you described McCain's insolence and disrespect towards a fellow human being so much more eloquently than I did. Thank you.
In particular, the following paragraph struck me, as perhaps many of us have suffered the same humiliation. Again, thank you
Dorian de Wind
“I have been in situations on occasion when someone has refused to pay me the dignity of eye contact, and I know how it made me feel. It was demeaning and told me that the person to whom I was speaking had no respect for me as a person. It hurt me and felt insulting.”
Obama fan all the way 2 me if you was real and somebody lied to you hell yeah i would look at the person dead in the eye because if u dont look a perso in the for lying what you gone do if the perso talk about your momma so McCain was being a bitch and a ass if i was him i'd look Obama dead in the eye if he was lying not saying he wasnt lying but still McCain showed wickness so it is what it is now. if you ready to lead you gone have to look at liers so McCain GET READY IF ??????????you become PRESIDENT!!!!!!!
A teacher friend of mine, saw it in a different light. Here's his response to a republican who said McCain won.
Which debate did you watch???
I'll give some points to MaCain for good lying and trying to “ni gger down” Obama by saying over and over again “You don't know”, “you are wrong” 'YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT” and THAT to a lawyer who graduated from one of the best law schools in the world, editor of the Law Review and a US senator, that he did not know the difference between a tactic and a strategy?? I can almost hear McBush call Obama a “boy”!!! GIVE ME A FRICKING BREAK.
MaCain could not take his eyes from his notes, Obama was loose, presidential, looking as his opponent's ear because McCain would not make eye contact, could not loose track of the index cards. McCain was blasted away in the economic issues because he is more of the same crap we've had with Bush for the last 8 loooooong years, an indefensible governing posture that McCain said he was 90% in favor of > Voodoo Economics II.
[...] anyone else think John McCain treated Obama poorly during the first debate? He wouldn’t look at or listen to him. Obama is being criticized for [...]