EL CERRITO  – The final debate of the 2008 presidential campaign reinforced stark ideological differences between Barack Obama and John McCain, but the unmistakable contrast in the candidates’ physical demeanor left local viewers with their most lasting impression.

“Obama seemed very poised, very presidential, calm and collected,” said David Berger, one of 500 people watching from the sold-out Speakeasy Theater in El Cerrito, Calif.

“McCain just seemed a little unstable, a little angry. What I saw today was a little bit more desperation from him that in the last two debates,” Berger said.

Pressed hard by moderator Bob Schieffer, the two contenders battled over a broader range of domestic issues – including abortion, education and energy policy – than they had during either of the past debates.

The split-screen broadcast used by C-SPAN and other networks amplified the perceived difference between the candidates’ temperaments.

“When I’m looking at McCain he’s got a lot of facial expressions going on, he’s not acting very professionally compared to Obama,” said Ray Ross of Oakland, Calif. “All of this fake smiling and moving his hands and stuff. I think it’s very unprofessional of him to do that.”

Nationally, public opinion seemed to confirm the reaction of the theater’s unabashedly liberal Bay Area crowd.

Undecided voters polled by CBS judged Obama the winner by a considerable 53 to 22 percent margin. An online Fox News poll also went to Obama, 67 to 33 percent.

And 50 undecided voters in Denver, CO polled after the debate felt McCain gave “a decidedly un-presidential performance, appearing rude, negative, and easily flustered,” according to a memo from Democracy Corps, the national opinion research firm conducting the poll.

The Democracy Corp sample group, which entered the night favoring McCain, shifted its support towards Obama by a margin of 42 to 20 percent after the debate’s conclusion.

Such a result would not have seemed likely after the first few debate questions when, by most accounts, McCain appeared very much in control.

In one of the evening’s most memorable lines, McCain defended himself more forcefully against Obama’s efforts to tie him to the failed policies of the Bush administration

“Senator Obama, I am not President Bush,” said McCain. “If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.”

But Obama deflected McCain’s attack with an equally pointed counter punch, as he did consistently throughout the 90-minute debate.

“The fact of the matter is that if I occasionally mistake your policies for George Bush’s policies, it’s because on the core economic issues that matter to the American people — on tax policy, on energy policy, on spending priorities — you have been a vigorous supporter of President Bush.”

David Berger, the Obama supporter from Hercules, Calif., agreed.

“If anything, this last debate seems to have pushed [McCain] closer toward the values of the Bush presidency, but more importantly he came across as more erratic and unstable,” he said.

Even when McCain directly accused Obama of ties to former Weather Underground leader Williams Ayers, an exchange both campaigns had foreseen, the momentum did not seem to shift in his favor.

In fact, many local viewers felt Obama’s straightforward response to the accusation actually increased the Democrat’s credibility.

“I always like the way that he explains things without being mean spirited, but never backs away from having to explain anything,” said Gail Smith, of Richmond, Calif.

Overall, Oakland, Calif., resident Mike Konzac felt the final debate was productive, both for the candidates and the American people.

“I think there was a fairly good discussion of what [the candidates] stood for and I think, at least hopefully, people are now more informed and have found their answers to what they needed.”

With only three weeks left until the election, David Berger, the Obama supporter, wondered what else it would take for voters to make up their minds.

“I just don’t know what they’re undecided about at this point.”

(From L-R: David Boisvert, Ann Cheng, Greg Lyman, Andrew Ting)

BY MATT DURNING //

On November 4th, at least two of the four individuals featured here will be elected to the El Cerrito City Council. The following three-minute video profiles provide a brief introduction to each of the candidates, in their own words.

Because current council members Leticia Moore and Jan Bridges have decided not to run for re-election, three of the five city council positions are “open seats” in this November’s election. Mayor Bill Jones is the only incumbent running for re-election.

Each of these candidates say they would bring unique experiences and perspectives to the council.

Unfortunately, too often citizens are unacquainted with the candidates running for city council in their community when they vote.

Here is your opportunity to get to know them better. For further information, you can visit the candidates’ individual campaign websites using the links provided at the bottom of this page.

David Boisvert

Ann Cheng

Greg Lyman

Andrew Ting

Campaign Websites

• David Boisvert
• Ann Cheng
• Bill Jones
• Greg Lyman
• Andrew Ting

Voter Information

Not registered to vote? Unsure where your polling place will be? Visit our helpful community Voting Guide to get all the information you need.

Related Stories

Budget and safety dominate El Cerrito City Council Forum (ContaCosta Journal, 10/9/08)

ContraCosta Journal endorses Jones, Boisvert, and Lyman in El Cerrito City Council race (ContraCosta Journal, 10/30/08)

EL CERRITO – A pensive crowd at the 33 Revolutions Café in El Cerrito watched intently last night as presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama presented distinct plans for addressing the nation’s economic crisis.

Each candidate declared himself better prepared to help bring the country out of what they called the most serious financial disaster since the Great Depression. Most people watching here, however, felt only one man had their best interests at heart.

“Obama is definitely committed to middle class people,” said Lisa Carey, a Berkeley resident. “McCain didn’t say anything like that.”

Held in front of 80 self-identified undecided voters in Nashville, Tenn., the debate reflected the somber national mood and the increasingly high stakes for the contenders.

McCain introduced a new and specific proposal for addressing the national housing crisis. Under his plan, the treasury secretary would buy up $300 billion worth of bad home loans and refinance mortgages to help struggling Americans keep their homes.

McCain’s proposal seems intended to deflect both the widespread misgivings of his economic qualifications and Obama’s continued efforts to portray him as an extension of the Bush administration.

“It’s my proposal, it’s not Sen. Obama’s proposal, it’s not President Bush’s proposal,” he said. “I know how to get America working again, restore our economy and take care of working Americans.”

Obama focused on the need for more government oversight and industry regulation, priorities he said McCain has spent a career fighting against.

“I believe this is a final verdict on the failed economic policies of the last eight years, strongly promoted by President Bush and supported by Sen. McCain,” he said.

Obama summarized the Republican economic philosophy as “strip away regulations, consumer protections, let the market run wild, and prosperity would rain down on all of us.” But, he said, “It hasn’t worked out that way.”

The Democratic candidate also identified a need for all Americans to make real sacrifices, particular in response to the energy crisis – a sentiment that seemed to resonate with many in the café audience.

“I like that Obama talked about that people have to make personal sacrifices and start to think about how we use power,” said Gina Barsotti, a school teacher from Richmond. “We can’t just be the way that we are, we actually have to conserve.”

Many in attendance credited the town hall format with maintaining a spirit of civility, even as campaign-trail attacks from both sides have become more personal and acerbic in recent days.

“I think having to answer to people in the audience tempered their fighting,” said Lisa Carey of Berkeley.

But while McCain chose not to directly attack Obama’s background or character, there were moments when he uttered rather pointed personal criticisms of his opponent.

Once, while denouncing Obama for a past Senate vote he cast in favor of an energy bill, McCain pointed towards his opponent and referred to him as “that one.” At another point, McCain said that pinning down Obama’s tax proposals is like “nailing Jell-O to the wall.”

Dial groups conducted by MSNBC and other networks during the debate showed that audiences, most notably independent undecided voters, reacted adversely to such comments. Local viewers agreed.

“McCain showed a little more warmth here and there but he also tried a few jokes that I don’t think came off well,” said Phil Mehas of Richmond.

Kerstin Feist of Albany was more blunt.

“I just feel like McCain is just full of hot air,” she said.

By most accounts the debate did not prove to be a game-changer for either candidate, though a series of online instant polls showed Obama to be the winner, and by a much larger margin than after the first debate.

Even a FoxNews.com poll, won by McCain and Palin following the first two debates, showed Obama winning this round, 62-38 percent.

The final presidential debate will be held Wednesday at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York.

“I have a lot of respect for McCain and always have, but I just think his time is gone,” said Mehas. “Our country just can’t afford to have someone of his generation as president. We need someone with fresh ideas  – hopefully Obama can bring that.”

BY MATT DURNING //

EL CERRITO – A capacity crowd of more than 500 people gathered at the Cerrito Speakeasy Theater in El Cerrito last night to watch the first debate between presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.

Afterward, national pundits appeared hesitant to declare a victory for either candidate, but for Crystal Higgins, 44, of Concord, the victor was clear.

“Obama came out on top. He really showed us that he has what it takes to be our leader, to get us out of this rut that we’ve been in, and to earn us the respect again that Bush has lost for our country.”

Wearing pro-Obama t-shirts, hats, and buttons, the lively theater audience expressed seemingly unanimous support for the Democratic candidate, cheering loudly for Obama and booing enthusiastically for McCain throughout the 90-minute event.

“There’s no doubt who every single person in this theater is going to vote for,” said Michael McCarthy, 31, a law student at UC Berkeley.

Repeating established campaign themes, McCain took every opportunity to characterize Obama as too “naïve” and “inexperienced” to lead the country, while Obama frequently associated McCain with what he called the failed policies of the Bush administration.

In particular, Obama sought to connect the $10 billion a month America is currently spending in Iraq with the country’s lack of universal health care coverage and what he sees as an inadequate federal investment in education, science and technology, especially renewable energy projects.

David Wheeler, 30, of Pinole said he was impressed by Obama’s ability to communicate the cause and effect dynamics of complex issues and felt McCain spent too much time focusing on isolated policy positions.

“Obama was looking at the forest whereas McCain concentrated on the trees,” he said.

While neither candidate seemed to deliver any clear knockouts or major gaffes, both local reaction and national polling immediately following the debate showed increased public confidence in Obama’s ability to handle critical foreign policy and national security issues.

“I think there were a lot of questions about his foreign policy stance and whether or not he was capable of answering international threats,” said Gabrielle Rhodes-Dreyer, 23, of El Cerrito, “and I think he answered those questions very well.”

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp survey of debate watchers agreed, finding McCain’s edge on the question of which candidate would best handle terrorism had fallen to just four percent, 49 – 45.

Similarly, among a group of undecided Republican-leaning voters in St. Louis, Obama’s debate performance achieved significant gains on the question of who would do better on foreign policy (closing the gap with McCain by eight points), according to a set of dial and focus groups conducted during and after the debate by Democracy Corps, a national opinion research polling firm.

“I think that Obama showed his confidence and his capability and he seemed to take the higher ground,” said Sandhya Ramadas, 26, of Berkeley.

Against the backdrop of the nation’s impending financial crisis, moderator Jim Lehrer opened the foreign policy-themed debate by asking a series of questions about the economy and the Bush administration’s proposed $700 billion bailout.

McCain focused his economic arguments on government waste and greed, promising that as president he would veto all bills tainted with earmarks.

At one point, in response to a question on how he might cut back spending in the wake of the current financial crisis, McCain suggested he would consider a spending freeze on everything but defense, veteran’s affairs, and entitlement programs.

McCarthy, a law student and Obama supporter, was unconvinced. “I thought that McCain sounded very unsure during the economic portion of the debate. I thought he had an arguing strategy that is not very sympathetic to people.”

Obama countered by describing McCain’s economic plan as “using a hatchet where you need a scalpel” and said that “eliminating earmarks alone is not a recipe for how we are going to get the middle class back on track.”

“When you look at your tax policies that are directed primarily at those who are doing well, and you are neglecting people who are really struggling right now, I think that is a continuation of the last eight years, and we can’t afford another four,” Obama said.

Theater patrons seemed pleased that Lehrer chose to focus so much time – more than a third of the debate – on domestic policy issues. Nearly all felt Obama answered those questions more effectively than McCain.

“Foreign policy is important, but looking after people at home is even more important,” said Bill Higgins, 39, of Concord. “I think Obama wants to help guys like you and me, the little people, whereas all McCain is talking about it cutting taxes on big corporations.”

Leaving the theater, patrons were already discussing plans to come back on Oct. 2 to watch the vice-presidential debate between Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden. Most appeared motivated by the anticipation of how Palin would perform.

For Hari O’Connell, a UC Berkeley law student, expectations were unmistakable.

“I’m hoping to see dramatic humiliation of Sarah Palin,” he said.