Barack Obama and John McCain with Rick Warren
McCain Does Well at Forum in Front of a Friendly Crowd
Aug 19, 2008
Obama and McCain took part in a presidential-candidate forum hosted by Rick Warren, pastor and author of The Purpose-Driven Life. The setting was Warren’s mega-church in California, and each candidate was asked the same or similar questions for one hour.
The forum undoubtedly favored John McCain, who already has a sizeable lead in the polls among evangelical voters. Additionally, Warren’s church is located in Orange County, a conservative haven just south of Los Angeles County. Both campaigns did, however, receive an equal amount of tickets for the event, but it was clear that the crowd was overwhelmingly conservative.
Obama took a big risk by participating in the forum. Republicans are not his crowd, and conservative, evangelical voters are definitely not his crowd. Obama did, however, receive a surprising amount of applause. One such occasion occurred when he noted that he was not in favor of same-sex marriage but was in favor of civil unions. Obama also received some cheers when he noted a basic precept of a progressive society—that those with the most money should pay the most taxes, in reference to his tax plan that only those making over $250,000 would see a tax increase.
Despite Obama’s valiant performance, it was clear that McCain was the star of the show. He repeatedly gave short, succinct answers that play so well to conservative voters, who—because of today’s sound-bite driven media—are more interested in bottom-line answers than a well-reasoned response. George W. Bush, whether by design or his own limitations, became a pro at short, choppy answers, and John McCain is learning to do the same. When asked by Warren if he thought teachers’ pay should be merit-based, McCain’s simple response was, “Yes.” No elaboration, just a one-word answer. And guess what? It got applause.
But as his session entered full stride, it became apparent just how much John McCain really is like the current president. In fact, the vast majority of McCain’s answers would not have differed at all from Bush’s. Not wanting to tax the rich and saying that we have to drill off-shore “here” and “now” could have just as easily come from Bush’s mouth.
Frankly, this should concern McCain, who has not done enough to separate himself from a man who has a 29% approval rating. And, just like Bush, McCain sometimes spouts off rhetoric that does nothing but leave an audience scratching their collective heads, like when he told Warren that the three people he would rely on most when he is president are two military guys and the CEO of eBay.
John McCain has a very good chance at being this country’s president, but that chance will become even greater if he can start convincing voters that his presidency will not simply be a third term for George Bush.
