McCain’s Inability to Make Eye Contact will Cost Him

[OhioChick]

You know the saying, “You shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth?” Well John McCain must know it well, because at tonight’s debate, he barely glanced anywhere in the vicinity of Barack Obama, who will be gifting McCain an early retirement in November.

hotobucket has yet to post the requisite handshake photos, but I find it remarkable that even during these brief moments, McCain managed to avoid looking at Obama, shaking his hand limply and focusing on the audience instead.

Another old saying holds that a liar won’t look you in the eye, but McCain’s behavior this evening reveals much more than his dishonesty.

For McCain to repeat throughout the entire debate that “Senator Obama just doesn’t understand ” coupled with not even looking up when Obama addressed him directly indicates a fundamental disrespect for people with whom he disagrees, conduct which has long been recognized as McCainian throughout Washington D.C.

“I honestly don’t believe Senator Obama has the knowledge…” was another gem. John McCain is attempting to convince America that Obama is not smart. Bark up another tree, old man. He outsmarts you every time.

You chided Obama because he wouldn’t rush to deliver an opinion on the economic crisis or the situation in Georgia. HE’S THINKING. You should try it. Thinking before acting would’ve prevented the war in Iraq and a host of other hastily decided mistakes made by this administration.

McCain’s surrogates should take note that by occasionally “agreeing” with McCain throughout the debate, Obama was being honorable, not handing McCain a V.

Condescending. Bitter. Snarling. Those undecided voters who had not previously had a chance to see the Maverick under pressure got a wake up call tonight. This is how McCain will treat our allies and enemies alike if elected. This is conduct unbecoming of the office of the presidency.

http://opedna.com/2008/09/27/mccains-inability-to-make-eye-contact-will-cost-him/

[BattyDem]

1. I kept thinking ...

is this how he's going to behave with foreign leaders he doesn't like or doesn't agree with? Rude, condescending, snarky, angry and completely unable to make eye contact! He'll make a great impression at his first summit meeting! :eyes:

[uppityperson]

3. That's ok, he'll have Palin backing him.

bwahahahhahahahahaha



sorry. I've had the same thoughts also.

[BattyDem]

4. Oh that's right ...

she has all that "air space" experience with foreign leaders. That should help. :P

[snake in the grass]

11. She has all that "air space" experience...

...with that thing atop her shoulders.

[Common Sense Party]

2. That was EXACTLY my impression, too.

McCain came across as condescending and churlish. I don't think that's gonna play in Peoria.

[Zambero]

5. He refuses to look at Obama without preconditions

Why is this? I think it's because Obama has gone "soft" on rogue nations such as Spain.

[FatDave]

6. I think one of the most important aspects of "eye contact gate"...

(yeah, I'll give it a gate, what the fuck.)

The most important thing about it to me is that even people who are too dumb to recognize it as rude or condescending will recognize it instinctively as weakness and fear.

[MrsCorleone]

15. Agreed. Coupled with his creepy grimacing in previous speeches,

McChicken came off as incredibly insecure. I like eye-contact-gate.

[PATRICK]

7. I suspect next time

McCain will fall back on what he felt were his comfort zones this time, calm senatorial ramblings and discredited campaign fodder rehearsed ad nauseam. Whatever his disasters in the first half hour he could not sustain anything at all without just easing into his personal zone. He will look Obama in the eye now and then next time- at moments of his own zinger choosing. Content and points and errors will not likely improve much. Those concessions he leaves to the mercy of his fatuous MSM support.

So Obama knows that and should counter with more style himself in the sense of offering listeners hope and a youthful future. The trouble for McCain is that the economy is not his strong point so lower expectations should fit in nicely with smarmy anecdotes and Madison Avenue blips- yet leave him with almost nothing possible to gain at all. He can only survive the next one and that only on the cusp of being a discredited old uncle figure if he does that too much. Format should help him.

Palin next up on meltdown watch.

In the long run of the coming weeks the rather inevitable long fuse destruction might be even better than the knockout, gutting and mounting that some would not only like to see but is tantalizingly possible.

[Ronbeaux]

8. Uncle Fester

McCain was twitchy, rapidly blinking his eyes and got that creepy grin whenever he started feeling under pressure. He looked like a pressure cooker was boiling inside of him every time Obama said something that he disagreed with.

And then he always wanted the last word. Unfortunately it seemed that Lehrer always gave it to him. I would be curious to go back and see how many rounds that McCain made sure, even when told not to do so, that he got one last defensive or snippy comment in. Very unbecoming. I hope undecided voters saw the same thing.

He's a smarmy asshole. Just another way he emulates Bush.

[Norrin Radd]

9. Disagree. Uncle Fester had a manic, wicked charm. McCain is creepy, I do, agree, though!

;)

[philly_bob]

10. Don't forget "naive" n/t

[Jello Biafra]

12. Do you ever get the feeling...

that McCain is a racist? He probably feels that even looking at BO is beneath him.....

[Quantess]

18. At the very least, McCain is indignant that he has to compete against this young upstart,

an uppity black man.

[Joe Chi Minh]

19. Especially, decidely on the back foot....

[Bluenorthwest]

13. Hey it wasn't just Obama he didn't look at

McCain also seemed to have a problem with the direct address to the camera, which is looking the electronic audience in the eye. I'd also say he was also not focused on the live audience, but rather on Moderator Jim. He carried on a two way thing with Jim, and the snub was to Obama and the audience, live and at home.

[sweetroxie]

14. I actually thought McCancer was at the top of his game last night

I was pretty depressed after the debate. Apart from his obvious refusal to even look at Obama--let alone make eye contact-- I actually thought McCancer came off more likable than Obama. Don't get me wrong, I love Obama, it's just that he was so serious last night and showed very little charm, while McSame seemed very fluent (for him) and mild-mannered and rational. I kept saying to myself "This guy (McC) is a really superlative sociopath. He's a great actor that he can seem so benign when he's so dangerous." That kept going through my mind. But I'm afraid that many people don't see through that. I have a pretty small TV, so some nuance of expression was lost on me. And the angle of the cameral (on PBS) only showed McC"s contemptuous smirking from a distance and in profile.

[LiberalLovinLug]

17. I agree to some point

I also thought that McCain actually did well in the area of "folksy charm" which is a big deal to a lot of voters (for some reason). He got the only laugh, and got a few more witty clips out as well. It looked to me that Obama was stressed out more than in any other debate this year. He never smiled unless it was in disbelief at some of McCain's more outrageous assertions.

So I was surprised that the independent voters actually gave him high marks. I still think he has to somehow convey a less glowering, more at-ease demeanor for the next debate.

[ihavenobias]

16. K & R (I hope so)

[Joe Chi Minh]

20. I bet if Obama had been in the armed forces, he'd have had a much higher

rank than McCain. McCain would have had to salute him - and maybe stand to attention, if he was stationary, Obama would have been so high up the chain of command.

"Another **** plane down the tubes! Send that man to the brig! I don't want his feet to touch the ground!"

[Joe Chi Minh]

21. He's just come up with it... "When I came out of prison camp..."

I was going to bet that he'd manage to get it in somewhere!