‘Romney wanted to be there; Obama didn’t want to be there,” was the pithy verdict on last week’s presidential debate from James Carville, who helped put Bill Clinton into the White House in 1992. You simply can’t argue with that. Obama seemed frazzled, undernourished and almost disengaged from the policies that are closest to his heart. You wondered if this man actually wanted to win the election. Does he have the stomach for another four years?…
That the president is black, that he seemed dog tired and often glanced at his notes when Romney was speaking had an uncomfortable but rarely acknowledged resonance in the US. I am sorry to have mention this, but the contrast between the black guy, momentarily off his game and looking downwards, and the white guy, all crisp, clear-eyed and on top of things, will register in the subconscious of an electorate that is far from being free of racism.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member