Obama? McCain? Who has more to lose from the faith-based forum?

As I write this I am beginning to watch Senator McCain take questions from Pastor Rick Warren. Many of you who know me would ask "Shawn, what do you care about the faith-based community's vision of the next president?" Honestly I don't. I am not a person of faith, raised Jewish, but I am at this point, as I have been since just after my Bar Mitzvah, a self-proclaimed agnostic. However, the recent polls have indicated that Obama and McCain are essentially dead-even nationally, which makes any current debate between these two important. But as the title states who has more to lose? In one word, McCain. He leads the polls of white-evangelicals at the rate of 68% to 24%, how much worse can Obama do. Any sales-based training will indicate to you that regardless as to how good of a salesperson you may be you will be able to easily convince 25% of your market to agree with you. While I watched tonight, as Obama took questions before 6,000 people at Saddleback in California, he routinely convinced more than 25% of the audience that he was correct.

Nobody has been questioning John McCain's Christianity. Tonight Obama showed his knowledge of the Christian faith as well as his knowledge of scripture. He proved to generations of Americans that he is not Muslim, he is not the Anti-Christ, he is, in essence, our best hope for a better country. As I continue to watch the forum, I notice McCain constantly being interrupted for applause, definatively more boistrous than Obama's but still, if he makes in-roads with some people at this junction, it will quantitatively increase his polling numbers in the months to come, especially once these two begin to debate in a less civil manner, ie. presidential and vice-presidential debates. During those debates I have little fear that Obama will demolish McCain in every effort to prove a positive policy position. Think Kennedy v. Nixon, but dare I want to further the similarities between Kennedy and Obama.

On the issues Obama did not waiver, he did not falter, he didn't beat around the bush or deny his positions, he used LOGIC to show people WHY he believes the way he did, be it faith-based logic or simple LOGIC. Obama didn't attempt to lie to gain votes tonight, he showed who he was, he saved his hide, he kept is 24% and probably gained a few as well, if not, people will remember (hopefully) his ability during this forum to show his true colors, honesty, humility, intelligence, and candor.

On the flip-side, McCain (for the first time) seems somewhat intelligent, but his speaking points are not winning anyone else over. It is the same face-time I've seen time and time again from McCain, the same Bull Shit, the same Right-Wing talking points, the same Pro-Bush agenda which we have heard time and time again, and I believe, with full conviction that America will be tired of McCain before the election arrives. For such a "patriot" he sure seems to think of the US military as a chess piece more than an actual entity of young American's who give their future's in hope that they can help their country and be greatly compensated for their actions. We should be DAMN SURE that we know WHY we send them into harms-way before we send them, that we have explored all the options and use them as the last course of action and only when necessary.

As I continue to watch, I am still not impressed with McCain. I am biased though, do not think of this as a concise determination of the actual proceedings, as I have a very small notion as to what McCain can do for this country. I've said it before his logic is faulty, he is too old, he is too military-based and in the wrong way. Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran? Are you kidding? I am very disgusted by his positions, but tonight it isn't about me.

Obama tonight has everything to gain, McCain has everything to lose. From this point on, mark my words, prove me wrong if need be, you will see a constant decline in Senator McCain's national polling numbers. He has nothing new to offer and people are slowly realizing that the other 50% of this country have been correct for a LONG time.