McCain-Obama: the Duel That Serves as a Lesson

After the third and last debate between McCain and Obama, it is worth drawing some conclusions about this type of confrontation. The dramatic financial crisis did not obscure the importance of the American Presidential race. This race has reached a decisive phase in which the candidates’ positions are interlocked with the decisions made by Congress and the administration in charge.

Most importantly, the modality of the confrontation continues to result in interesting, even decisive moments for a country that should not yield to panic. During the second and third debates, John McCain resisted the temptation to the follow Palin’s advice and resort to giving Obama hits below the belt.

Obama has the advantage, and the Republican candidate’s nervousness and aggression slipped out during the debate. In spite of this, he needed to present himself as calm and civilized in front of a scared electorate that is not ready to accept the lies shown in the election commercials, especially the Republican ones.

The referral to the Italian reality is not casual. What has hit me the most is the respect and even the sympathy that continues to show in discussions and in the reciprocal judgments. The words the rivals said and the behavior they showed did not leave anything to doubt. However, the difference is reserved for their political stands. The style is the one that constitutes the common patrimony.

Another important factor is remembrance. What is being said does not cancel what was said on the previous day (or year). A fundamental value is being played out: the coherence and not the judgmental immobility. Even a presidential candidate is allowed to change his opinion, as long as he does not deny it and he is able to explain his reason.

If that is not the case, the candidate will be called out by the opponent, or by the media. He is not necessarily penalized if he admits he has made a mistake. Surely he is not despised. Those who would despise him, would also be criticized. For example, during the third debate, McCain’s statement, “You are not running against Bush,” was recognized as legitimate because the difference exists. The truth is important. Obama has said multiple times: “It is not true,” to which McCain responded, “You did not understand.” The interpretations vary, but the facts exist and are brought up by someone, as long as they are relevant. This is the case, even from someone who realizes it is wrong.

A debate of this nature is drenched with a certain intellectual honesty that conditions the rules of the game. The opponents and the moderator negotiate these rules. In reality, the moderators have been proved to be superficial about the objectives of the rules. It would have been sufficient for them to make a small gesture to recall order and to remain in the time frames. They could have concentrated more on the need to respond in a punctual manner to a question or to an ignored fact.

I know that this could seem an idealized version of what has happened, especially given what is behind this ruthless race for a very high position: a dramatic context which could become tragic. In this electoral race, the low blows have not missed; the commercials are negative and manipulative, as said in the New York Times. The critics are numerous when it comes to Palin and Obama. Both candidates ignore the world that the winner will have to confront at the White House, a world that is multi-polar, that does not bend on any form of unilateralism, in which the United States’ power has visibly declined.

However, in that world full of tensions, not only financial, there is still a lot to learn from a country that puts two candidates in race who, independently from their skin color, chose “Ole Miss” as the debate’s location. The all-white Mississippi University required federal intervention when James Meredith, an American student of African origin, wanted to apply. Let us hope that this initial choice can be accepted by an electorate that will not yield to the temptation of choosing one president based on his skin color.