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Insomuch as presidential debates have winners and losers, the challenger prevailed in Mitt vs. Barack I.
I kept waiting for Barack Obama to throw Mitt Romney's words about the 47 percent right back in Mitt's face. I kept waiting for the president to remind Romney that his own party-mates, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, ripped Mitt for being a "vulture capitalist" during his time at Bain Capital. I kept waiting for Obama to remind Romney of the many stances he changed in kowtowing to the far right, signs that Mitt isn't his own man but a puppet of the extreme GOP fringe.
But no.
A subdued Obama seemed content to defend his own record and take mostly small pokes at Romney's policies (or lack thereof). Incredibly, in a 90-minute debate about the U.S. economy, Bain never was mentioned. Romney sure was smart to not bring it up.
It was Romney who made the best points of the night, wondering why the president used so much political capital on Obamacare when jobs clearly should have been the main focus in the first two years in office. After Obama called for more teachers to be hired, it was Romney who very cleverly said that Obama could have hired 2 million more teachers with the money he used on green energy projects, many of which failed. Romney simply appeared sharper.
Immediately after the debate, I told my wife Roberta that it was as if it had been the first quarter of a football game and Obama wanted to save the best part of his game-plan for later.
After thinking about it a little more, though, Obama actually reminded me of a football coach who thought his lead was so safe that he decided to play prevent defense.
As most fans know, however, a coach who plays prevent defense often prevents his team from winning.
If I saw all of that, I'm guessing that most media mopes did. And that will be reflected in the polls, where Romney no doubt will get a bump, perhaps even a significant one.
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I agree with everything you've said here - except that last line in the last paragraph. One thing is for sure. Mitt has changed his entire position. Is he going to committ to it is the question.
ReplyDeleteyah well they both hugged the middle for dear life...i watched cause cathy wanted to and there was NOTHING else on...i was a debater in college and this was no debate...nice article though...you can do thoughtful politics...
ReplyDeleteThanks Doug. Find me a job!
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand, the next debate will be on foreign policy. Let's see President Obama try to uphold "I GOT BIN LADEN" against four murdered Americans (including an ambassador), the Arab Spring which has put hostile Muslims in power in Egypt, Iran getting nuclear weapons, China/North Korea/Russia all flexing their muscles, his blowing off of Israel...oh, and him spending face time with the ladies of "The View" instead of talking to his fellow world leaders at the UN General Assembly a couple of weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteYour boy Obama couldn't defend his record face-to-face on Univision, a Latin- language network.
Your boy Obama couldn't defend his record face-to-face against Romney.
Your boy Obama can't defend his record without other people accusing his opponents of being racists, or crazy, or stupid, or...
Your boy Obama can't defend his record. He's in trouble.
If Obama can't defend himself adequately in the debate, he very well could lose the presidency. Which is how it's supposed to work.
DeleteI don't know where you get the idea that Obama is "my boy." I would have liked a better alternative> Unfortunately, the GOP circus gave us Mitt Romney.
And by the way, Obama is not a boy at all. He is a man.
"...but a puppet of the extreme GOP fringe."
ReplyDeleteUhhh, Mike? We need to talk...
Could you explain, to the proud remnant of readers of this blog, what exactly is this extreme GOP fringe of which you speak?
Is there an enclave of white supremacists among this cabal, when there are clearly Blacks, Latinos, etc who name themselves as Republican and/or conservatives?
Is this "fringe" a secret society trying to seize/regain control of America from within?
If neither of these two (or a similar answer_ apply, would you be referring to the Tea Party?
Are they extreme because they disagree with President Obama's policies and plans? Are they extreme because they disagree with the Unites States Congress chronic and perpetual inability to pass a budget and spend the nation's money with knowledge and wisdom?
Are they extreme because they listen to radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh or watch Fox News Channel, simply because both the man and the network are appealing and insightful alternatives to a mass media deeply in the pockets of Democrats and liberals?
Are they extreme because they don't believe that Congress should merely bow to the wishes of the President and not sign off on anyhting that he pleases? I thought this was how checks and balances worked among the three branches of our government?
To my knowledge, no Tea Partier has been even accused of anything resembling even a cross burning since their inception. They are routinely disparaged on TV/print/internet, and they have not responded with any sort of violence (shooters at Ft Hood/Colorado/Giffords), and their protests end in cleanups instead of chaos (Occupy Whatever).
Help us define this "extreme GOP fringe", Mike. Please.
I find their viewpoints on most issues extreme -- from religion to women's rights to military spending to guns to the role of the government to human rights to their insistence upon adhering strictly to a Constitution that encouraged slavery and spat on women. You disagree.
DeleteThat's a generalization. I know some are only extreme on some of these points. But Romney spent decades in the public eye as a moderate, as a guy who bragged about being left of Ted Kennedy. Now he's being led around by the right wing and calls himself "a severe conservative," whatever that is. Of course, in the debate, he became mostly moderate again, because he's the ultimate chameleon.
I'm not going to debate you ad nauseum on this stuff. My time is too valuable, nobody is paying me for it and we aren't going to change each other's minds. If you want to declare victory, I could give a whoop.