Did Obama Win The Debate?



(image via huffingtonpost)

What's the dealie-yo?

Although this blog saw McCain as being more aggressive in last week's debate, scoring at will and forcefully on the subjects as diverse as entitlements and the possibility of U.S. military incursions into Pakistan, Dick Morris -- and other -- point out that the polls are saying McCain lost. We watched the debate a second time and came away with the same opinion: It appeared that McCain won.

What gives?

Clearly Obama's navigation of the debate -- courtly, post-partisanish, stressing of his ant-war stance -- won over undecided moderates. He also appeared to have cleared, once and for all, the hurdle of appearing "Presidential"; McCain, by contrast, appeared historically antiquated, trapped in the Left-Right fight, fight, fight narrative, so anti-thetical to the vital American political center. But does Obama's ability to charm and sway the undecided vote mean Objectively that he beat McCain and won the day? And what is Objectivity anyway.

Well, as we live in a democracy, polls appear to win out over the commentators. Democracies, by definition, deemphasize the idea of "Objectivity," arguing in favor of achieving the utilitarian ideal of the greatest hapiness for the greatest number of people through the popular vote. The perception of the people decide, ultimately, who won and lost a debate. And in this interactive era where "pundits" -- like, to a degree, The Corsair -- are increasingly irrelevant. So, hey, if the commonwealth says so: Obama won. That's actually better news to The Corsair, a pro-Obama sort of cat (surprised?), who, quite frankly, was a bit depressed over the weekend over Obama's debate performance.

But if you ask us, over a 2001 Chateau D'yquem Sauternes, at a bar, in the firelight as Johnny Cash's voice comes over the jukebox stung with Time: Who won? We will still say -- sotto voce -- that it was McCain with a touch of Ugandan melancholy and a manly sip of the fiery waters. We try to keep our observations objective up in this hizzle.