Democrat View: Correction, Obama DOES Understand

There was no "WOW" moment produced during Friday's highly-anticipated debate between the two men who would be president. But that doesn't mean the first face-to-face showdown between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain didn't provide a fascinating look at the politics of belittling the opponent.

It was difficult to keep track of the number of times the Arizona Republican stamped Obama as lacking knowledge, not having the foresight, missing the point, or just being too inexperienced on a number of topics key to running the country ranging from talking tough to Pakistan's leaders to the importance of winning the war in Iraq. ...

+ Read the Republican View

It was a tissue-paper thin strategy by McCain to turn the youthfulness of the junior senator from Illinois into a liability.

But McCain ran into one huge problem.

Obama showed a far more thorough command of the facts. Whether the subject turned to the federal bailout plan, the Russia-Georgia conflict, or the lessons of the Iraq war, Obama displayed a calm, reasoned rationale while keeping his occasional elitist tones in check.

And to his credit, Obama was the only candidate on the stage to even address issues like sending your kids to college, filling your gas tank, and providing affordable health care for Americans. You know, the kinds of subjects you and I deal with every day.

Even if you disagreed with his answers, it would be hard to say Obama lacks the temperament to lead this nation – especially against the presidential backdrop provided by the Bush Administration.

After its failure Friday, maybe McCain will drop that page from his playbook. I wouldn't bet on it, however, because painting a minority as being just a step behind the curve is as old as the hills.

The talking down tactic McCain laid down on Obama was nothing more than a campaign strategy, I know. But excuse me for wincing more than once as it struck a personal chord.

I'm sure I'm not the only black man who heard in McCain's tones the criticism of white co-workers or supervisors, sometimes directed at me – other times at other minorities, questioning whether we "had what it takes" or "if we fully grasped the situation" because we merely questioned how or why a particular deed or task was performed. We might have even had the audacity to suggest a new approach.

Maybe I'm just a little over-sensitive – seeing how close this man of African descent is to becoming our president. Maybe I'm feeling a little overprotective. But I think I'm justified.

Let's be honest for a second, no matter who you plan to vote for. After watching Friday night's debate and recalling the past 8 years of Republican leadership, during which our incredible shrinking president has brought us a nation where gas prices rise, home values fall, and even the Wall Street crowd is in a near panic, how can anyone in their right mind challenge Obama's intelligence or readiness for office?

Ready for more honesty?

If the polls are to be believed, how the hell is this election this close?
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Paul Shepard blogs the Democrat side of the election for BlackVoices. He has been a journalist for 16 years; on the national urban/minority affairs beat for The Cleveland Plain Dealer and for The AP in Washington, D.C.

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