October 3, 2012

Lots of talk about Romney winning.

I'm just scanning the web (and listening to the TV commentators). Romney certainly seemed to be trying to win, and Obama was quite mellow. Obama dished out policy points and always sounded steady, if a bit tired at times, but I think he was relying on his famous likeability, occasionally flashing his famous smile (for little reason). Romney might have gotten too passionate, but he was bubbling with policy ideas, and the message was: Give me the job, let me work for you, I can help.

164 comments:

ricpic said...

Hey Althouse, maybe Romney actually knows what he's talking about. Or would that be too radical a thought?

rcocean said...

Really? I thought both were boring as hell, and either would've lost to Reagan or Clinton in a landslide.

Romney and Obama have minor differences and it doesn't matter which one gets elected, unless you're a political hack.

purplepenquin said...

In my "ain't voting for either one of 'em" opinion, Romney came across a lot better than Obama.

OLDFART said...

Mitt hits a home run with the bases loaded. Thank God they don't allow TelePrompTers in the debate hall.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Cris Mathews..

"I don't know what he [Obama] was doing out there. He had his head down, he was enduring the debate rather than fighting it. Romney, on the other hand, came in with a campaign. He had a plan, he was going to dominate the time, he was going to be aggressive, he was going to push the moderator around, which he did effectively, he was going to relish the evening, enjoying it," Matthews said.

"Here's my question for Obama: I know he likes saying he doesn't watch cable television but maybe he should start. Maybe he should start. I don't know how he let Romney get away with the crap he throughout tonight about Social Security,"
Matthews complained.

Anonymous said...

Obama DESTROYED Romney.

What is the proof? Rachel Maddow. Chris Matthews. Andy Sullivan. NYT Nate Silver. NYT Charles Blow. PBS Gwen Ifill. PBS Mark Shields. CNN Wolf Blitzer. Etc. Etc.

Every-one, who is any-one, knows Obama CLEAN-BOWLED Romney.

Romney got deleted from the campaign.

Anonymous said...

I'm as partisan as can be and I thought Mitt did fine and Obama stunk up the joint.

I was in front of the TV shouting responses to Obama and he didn't hear me.

I'm not giving up, not by a long shot, but Jesus there were dozens of chances to nail Romney to the wall and he wiffed.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

We saw a different Romney tonight.

Romney sounded like he took a passion potion.

Greybeard said...

The killer comment?
"You pick losers."
BAM!

SteveR said...

Its clear the left leaning media is going to portray this as a Obama slip to set up the comeback kid angle, but Romney did a very good job especially early on.

sakredkow said...

Really? I thought both were boring as hell, and either would've lost to Reagan or Clinton in a landslide.

There is something to be said for this POV.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Romney show up to a cock fight and Obama showed up for a wake.

Peter Hoh said...

A.P., if the contest was to see who was the most boring, then Obama won.

By the standard measure of these things, Romney won. Hands down.

sakredkow said...

It's three rounds though. Maybe Obama's doing the rope-a-dope. Gonna uncork the lead right.

Sloanasaurus said...

Romney appeared to be the competent executive that his campaign has been saying he is for the last year.

ROmney did not appear to be the person Barack Obama and the media has been saying he is.

So now, what exactly is the case for re-electing Obama?

madAsHell said...


Romney: Here's my homework!!
Obama: The dog ate it.

Anonymous said...

Romney got shellacking from Obama.

Obama shellacked Romney.

Shouting Thomas said...

Less one sided than people are saying, but a win for Romney.

The Romney as vampire thing was always kind of a weak argument, and it exploded.

On Obamacare, it became obvious that the differences between the two candidates have been vastly over-exaggerated.

Romney said he wouldn't torpedo entitlements. That helped him.

sakredkow said...

I just think us partisan hacks are generally a lot more intellectually honest than you partisan hacks.

Anonymous said...

No, killer was Obama conceding defeat and asking Lehrer to move on to another question. I've never seen this before. The should use that make this a focal point of an attack ad.

madAsHell said...

My 86 year old mother...."look at his face, Obama's getting his ass kicked"

Anonymous said...

Peter: Obama Won.

BUT, EVEN IF, he did not win, the next debate will be a bigger win. The Media is behind him.

NO one, no one shellacks the POTUS and gets away with it.

We have meetings with MSNBC in the WH tomorrow.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AmPowerBlog said...

He didn't just "win." Romney utterly destroyed Obama: 'Mitt Romney Kicks Ass in First Debate'.

vbspurs said...

What a carefully worded blogpost -- one I can assure you would've been more muscular and brimming with opinions on the candidates' performances if the blog commenters hadn't risen up in arms in 700+ posts about the racism thing.

Christopher said...

This is what happens when you have a news industry that tosses you nothing but softballs, and the left has nobody to blame but themselves.

Romney has had to survive in an environment where one wrong answer causes the media to label you an extremist while Obama has lived in an environment where "I'm eye candy" constitutes a serious response. They had Obama practicing with John Kerry for G-d's sake.

Can Obama turn it around? Sure, they still have the "foreign policy" debate which, let's be honest, will consist of nothing but Obama say "I killed Bin Laden".

JohnBoy said...

As a side note Althouse, I spent yesterday afternoon in Madison. What a great day it was!

And..c'mon Ann. If you're really undecided, why wouldn't this debate swing you?

sakredkow said...

If Romney had performed like Obama did I'd say it was all over for Romney. Being the incumbent Obama's still in there.

"Ray, Ray, you didn't knock me out, Ray!"

yashu said...

Via Hot Air, Andrew Sullivan's take:

Look: you know how much I love the guy, and you know how much of a high information viewer I am, and I can see the logic of some of Obama’s meandering, weak, professorial arguments. But this was a disaster for the president for the key people he needs to reach, and his effete, wonkish lectures may have jolted a lot of independents into giving Romney a second look…

The person with authority on that stage was Romney – offered it by one of the lamest moderators ever, and seized with relish. This was Romney the salesman. And my gut tells me he sold a few voters on a change tonight. It’s beyond depressing. But it’s true.

Irene said...

The talking points now will focus on Romney's lack of "specifics" and "details."

(See, for example, Axelrod in the post-debate spin room. Brought to us by the folks that crafted the "Hope, Change"-specific presidency.

vbspurs said...

Lem wrote:

Romney sounded like he took a passion potion.

I didn't see passionate Romney, so much as competent Romney. The business par excellence, without the ogrey Mr Burns fangs sinking into the necks of non-rich Americans (as MSNBC would have it).

Christopher said...

That should be "Saying"

ad hoc said...

AP, Bless your heart.

It was good to hear some discussion of the deficits and national debt that are hanging over our heads.

It still seems like we are looking at the US economy and going through the five stages of grief. I think that one of the reasons that conservatives and liberals seem to be talking past each other about the economy is that they are not at the same stage. Liberals are in denial, talking about free contraception, war on women, Mitt Romney’s dog, racial dog whistles, fiscal cliff, what fiscal cliff? Conservatives, who also spent much time in denial, have sped through anger (tea party, maybe) to bargaining. They are bargaining that a Romney/Ryan administration will slow down the cliff dive, so that the landing won’t be fatal.

To some extent that is what tonight's debate felt like. I thought it was good to see a debate about economic issues.

Oh, the last two stages - depression and acceptance.

The Crack Emcee said...

Romney won - hands down - no question about it.

My crazy liberal roommate is, still, trying to call it a draw.

Nasty reality check coming for him tomorrow,...

mccullough said...

It's pretty obvious Obama hasn't been challenged much during his presidency. He should have a smart conservative or two on his campaign staff to challenge him. It's also obvious that Obama doesn't understand small businesses.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

How about a poll professor?

jimbino said...

I can't vote for anyone who says "grow the economy." Of course I can't vote for anyone who talks about god either.

Gary Johnson won!

sakredkow said...

So the headline I'm going with is "Obama can take a punch".

vbspurs said...

Irene wrote:

Brought to us by the folks that crafted the "Hope, Change"-specific presidency.

Speaking of which...anyone think that "Forward" is a poor political slogan this time around?

It's almost as if they blew their ideological sloganmaking wad in 2008.

Howard said...

Romney definitely won. He looked rested, was calm, smart, respectful. I thought it was a good debate.

rcocean is correct. They both are poor debaters compared with Gipper/Bubba.

Jim Lerhrer was neutral and in the background.

Obama better pick it up. He looked sloppy from letting the MSM beat up Mitt for him. Toe to toe, he was on his heels much of the time due to lack of opposition preparation

When Romney would grin/stare at Ozero, he Mittens definitely came across as creepy cult guy. Other than that, he beat all expectations and rocked the Prez.

Irene said...

John Kerry lost the debate.

wyo sis said...

I honestly can't figure out what Obama is up to. He seems not to want to win. The media wants him to win more than he does himself. It's like he just gave up.

Freeman Hunt said...

On the bright side for Obama, he doesn't have a dirty clock anymore.

Anonymous said...

Romney won this debate, he was annoyingly over exuberant though, as if he couldn't talk fast enough.

Rcocean has a point.

Chip S. said...

Romney seemed to be trying to make Obama look bad on purpose.

If he's not careful, he'll lose the flibbertigibbet vote.

Shouting Thomas said...

Romney must have won because David Axelrod is on CNN saying that it was just to be expected and won't have any effect.

Anonymous said...

WE will treat Romney as an INCUMBENT.

We will treat POTUS as a challenger.

ThUS, we will want specifics from Romney. The press will NOT ask specifics from us.

WE win. Romney lost.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

LOL..

Irene is killing me.

sakredkow said...

On the bright side for Obama, he doesn't have a dirty clock anymore

Someone help me with the reference.

Chip S. said...

vbspurs said
..anyone think that "Forward" is a poor political slogan this time around?

I do. It's too close to "Forewarned." Which is way too honest for a political slogan.

yashu said...

"cleaned his clock"

Christopher said...

As nice as this was, there's 3 more debates (granted one of them is between Ryan and Biden); Obama can't be as bad in the remaining tow as he was here.

sakredkow said...

doy

Unknown said...

Obama repeated the lie that he inherited a $trillion deficit.

Obama claimed his plan was like that of Bill Clinton. When did Bill Clinton have $trillion deficits?

Freeman Hunt said...

Phx, because he got it cleaned!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Seeing Red said...

Bamster hasn't been challenged much during his life.

I Won.


Not tonight.

Irene said...

Victoria, the campaign that shouts "Forward!" (Wisconsin history aside) is the one that wants the voter to overlook the last four years as if it were a mirage.

mccullough said...

Phx,

The expression when someone wins a contest convincingly is to say "he cleaned the other guy's clock.

sakredkow said...

Freeman you too clevah for me!

Chuck66 said...

AP, I realize you are tryign to be funny, but I did check out MSNBC. So much for spin. Even they are saying Obama did very poorly.

Best spin they can do is that Obama didn't think he should have to defend his policies to a guy like Romney. (true...they really said that).

sakredkow said...

I'm as slow as Obama

Irene said...

Mrs. Obama did look lovely. Blue-state blue.

FWBuff said...

Romney was the clear winner: he was informed, articulate, organized, and passionate. He also was disciplined enough to stay on-message about jobs. Obama seemed disorganized and reactionary, even with all the assists from Lehrer.

bagoh20 said...

"Give me the job, let me work for you, I can help."

Add some details, and that's the perfect way to get a job. To lock it up, bring an example of what you would do. An ad, a spreadsheet, a product design idea, something real. Everybody brings words and promises.

Romney's examples are on his website. General and incomplete, but better than just "Hope and Change", and that won.

john said...

Yes, but "We'll always have Madison"

sane_voter said...

CNN did a poll on the debate winner and it weas a landslide:

Romney 67%
Obama 25%

Also the MSNBC loons are desperately spinning for Obozo.

vbspurs said...

Chip S wrote:

I do. It's too close to "Forewarned." Which is way too honest for a political slogan.

Hee!

A sort of Kinsley gaffe, how ever unintended and death-wishy as "Forwar(ne)d" is.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Romney seemed to be trying to make Obama look bad on purpose.

That was my take... by speeding away and making Obama keep up, Romney made Obama stammer a few times.

At the end Obama was exhausted and slipped into redistribution language.. the stuff he really believes in..
He used the words fare share.

I'm Full of Soup said...

"John Kerry lost the debate " which makes him a racist I guess.

McTriumph said...

What happened to Obama is what happens when you have been cocooned by the press. In a debate your talking points are questioned, not applauded.

sakredkow said...

which makes him a racist I guess.

I only want to hear this meme a million more times.

yashu said...

Romney seemed to be trying to make Obama look bad on purpose.

If he's not careful, he'll lose the flibbertigibbet vote.


LOL. On a totally unrelated note, "Romney certainly seemed to be trying to win"... as opposed to, what, trying to lose? The nerve of him.

Chuck66 said...

Lindsey....I did that 4 years ago with McCain. I was screaming at my TV saying "hey McCain, say this....". John McCain (god bless his sole) is a lovable moderate. Met him in person once was was very impressed.

But he was a wimpy debator who didn't get it. Even his rehearsed lines were lame.

Chip S. said...

I only want to hear this meme a million more times.

Then stick around. Think of it as a boomerang.

The Crack Emcee said...

Christopher,

Obama can't be as bad in the remaining tow as he was here.

I agree - he kinda came alive during the final three minute section - but I think he'll flub them, too:

He's exposed - no teleprompter, no crowd to play off of, no record of accomplishment.

This is probably the beginning of the end - finally.

vbspurs said...

What happened to Obama is what happens when you have been cocooned by the press. In a debate your talking points are questioned, not applauded.

Let's not forget that Obama is very rarely questioned at length by the White House Press Corps. Even if you think media are in the tank for him (which they are), he is not allowed anywhere close for any sustained amount of time to people who would make him look flailing and defensive. Never mind getting any kind of really hard-hitting question these 4 years.

(The few times he's stood up there, he's either exhibited tremendous irritation at the questions the Press Corps are lobbing at him, as well as that infinitely bizarre time when he handed the whole enchilada over to President Clinton...!)

Cheers,
Victoria

McTriumph said...

Best quote of the night.

MATT WELCH: “That wasn’t a debate so much as Mitt Romney just took Obama for a cross country drive strapped to the roof of his car.”

Chip S. said...

vbspurs said...
The few times he's stood up there, he's either exhibited tremendous irritation at the questions the Press Corps are lobbing at him, as well as that infinitely bizarre time when he handed the whole enchilada over to President Clinton...

Excellent point.

Do you suppose it might happen during the next debate?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

He's exposed - no teleprompter, no crowd to play off of, no record of accomplishment.

Obama was like Ali vrs Larry Holmes.

sakredkow said...

It's definitely hard to sell yourself while standing in front of the economic wreckage. But Obama does still have some decent cards.

Not the least of which is Romney's supporters, such as Rush, or Hannity or whoever is going drop a dead bird in Romney's punch bowl next week.

It's gonna stay close for a while.

DADvocate said...

Althouse has all the objectivity of MSNBC nowadays.

Seeing Red said...

Rush is gonna have a field day tomorrow, I might have to listen.

Seeing Red said...

--It's definitely hard to sell yourself while standing in front of the economic wreckage. But Obama does still have some decent cards.--


Barry chose that wreckage.

Other things were more important.

sakredkow said...

Don't think Ali v. Holmes.
Think Rumble in the Jungle.

DADvocate said...

Obama should have given Finnet the finger. That would have done it.

Seeing Red said...

Via Drudge:

DENVER, Colo. -- Obama spokesperson Stephanie Cutter took a swipe at moderator Jim Lehrer's largely passive debate performance tonight, saying the PBS anchor had allowed Mitt Romney to act as the moderator.

"I sometimes wondered if we even needed a moderator because we had Mitt Romney," Cutter told CNN shortly after the debate, though she told POLITICO that Lehrer did his job as moderator and that her comments were strictly about Romney...

sakredkow said...

Ali was on the ropes taking a godawful pounding from Foreman's big, big punches. Round after round. Finally he gets him in a clinch and says in Foreman's ear "Is that all you got George, is that all you got?"

Foreman told the story years later. He said "And I thought to myself, as a matter of fact, that is all I've got."

Seeing Red said...

Via Drudge:

Obama appoints wife of Univision owner to UN diplomatic post



F&F - foreign policy.

DADvocate said...

Finnet??? Romney. Damn word complete feature.

Blue@9 said...

Of course Romney crushed him. Have you watched MSNBC? I tuned in for 5 minutes and it was like a wake. You know Obama lost when even Ed Schultz is a sad panda.

If it were close the liberal commentators would have called it a draw or a victory.

Chuck66 said...

Seeing Red....you have lost an election if your only hope is that people are lying to the pollsters (I'm looking at you, Republicans). But you have lost the debate if you can only attack the moderator for not being enough of a hardass.

mccullough said...

Stephanie Cutter has to go. How does she have such a high position in Obama's campaign. Romney owned Lehrer and Obama. Neither of them is used to being challenged.

Anonymous said...

I think at this point Mitt seems more energized, he seems to want it more. Obama is going through the motions. I don't think he'd completely mind being an ex-president.

I'll take facts, hold the narrative said...

Romney would have had a more challenging debate if Clint Eastwood had brought that chair to the stage in Denver.

Nora said...

TCE,
You forgot to mention that he also was caught to be pretty cavalier about truth, i.e. Romney's plans (at the very beginning).
~~~~~~~~~

Obama produced more of the same: slogans, denial, lies, etc. Romney, verbose as he was, made an impression that he actually knows what he is talking about, while Obama had permanently vacant face while rehashing his old sound bites.

I also got an impression that Obama did not make an effort. I wonder, if he is deliberately reducing the plank to make Romney to relax, so he can get him in the last debate, that matters more.

Seeing Red said...

Shiloh & GM are MIA?

Anonymous said...

America's Politico, did you actually see these people, Maddow, Matthews, Ed Shultz and the whole MSNBC crew declared Mitt the winner. If it had been close at all they would have claimed Obama the winner.

On CNN the focus group was 16-5 for Mitt.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The biggest loser? Obama's coddling suck-up media.

Sloanasaurus said...

Obama was the empty chair tonight. Just as Clint said he would be.

sakredkow said...

I also got an impression that Obama did not make an effort. I wonder, if he is deliberately reducing the plank to make Romney to relax, so he can get him in the last debate, that matters more.

I don't know if that's true but I like how you think. Seems like GOP has a tendency to get outflanked these years. They spook easy or something.

But Romney's definitely not a pushover.

Seeing Red said...

I thought Obama didn't want to do the homework required for this debate?

bagoh20 said...

"MATT WELCH: “That wasn’t a debate so much as Mitt Romney just took Obama for a cross country drive strapped to the roof of his car.”"

That might be the hardest I have ever laughed on this blog.

Seeing Red said...

IF Romney wins the next debate, will debate #3 even matter?

Sloanasaurus said...

The media has been telling us that Mitt is not presidential and has a failing campaign etc...

But then when we actually see Mitt, the whole last several months of messaging from Obama and the media all seem like big lies.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Remember - Obama is just "eye candy".

Seeing Red said...

Bamster's had 4 years to prepare for this.

bagoh20 said...

If the left want's to blame someone, blame the press. You can't really blame Obama for taking a free ride. It's not his job to challenge his own bullshit.

Chuck66 said...

"MATT WELCH: “That wasn’t a debate so much as Mitt Romney just took Obama for a cross country drive strapped to the roof of his car.”"

At least Obama didn't eat Mitt for supper.

sakredkow said...

At least Obama didn't eat Mitt for supper.

You guys always ruin a good thing by overdoing it.

Chuck66 said...

That is a point that us right wingers have been making for a while. That Republicans are better debators, because we constantly have to defend our positions. While often Democrats live in an echo chamber.

AA...how often do UW history, Poly Sci, sociology professors have intense political debates with conservative in their faculty lounges?

Anonymous said...

67 to 25 on CNN thought Romney won.

iowahawk tweeted: Poor guy. He couldn't get it up on his anniversary.

Michael K said...

Obama flashed that big shit eating grin when he was pissed. Watch the debate again with that in mind. It's obvious.

One of his handlers told him he can't look irritated so he grinned when he was.

FWBuff said...

Hmmm. What will Peggy Noonan say now?

Blue@9 said...

chuck66:
Seeing Red....you have lost an election if your only hope is that people are lying to the pollsters (I'm looking at you, Republicans). But you have lost the debate if you can only attack the moderator for not being enough of a hardass.

My thought isn't that people are lying to pollsters, but that the polls are looking at turnout numbers incorrectly. Does anyone seriously think turnout will be D+7 on election day? Enthusiasm on the D side is the lowest I've seen in a long time. The liberals I know still think Obama will win (because of the polls, go figure), but none are super rah-rah about him. I'm guessing that half stay home on election night.

McTriumph said...

MSNBC spin: Not to worry, remember how Bush lost the debate to Kerry and Cheney pulled the campaign out in the VP debate.


Well I know Dick Cheney and Joe Biden is no Dick Cheney. Unfortunately for Biden, Mr. Ryan might be a Dick Cheney.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Eye Candy

The Crack Emcee said...

Michael K,

Obama flashed that big shit eating grin when he was pissed. Watch the debate again with that in mind. It's obvious.

One of his handlers told him he can't look irritated so he grinned when he was.


Jesus Christ, anybody sane could tell he was looking at his wife.

Jeez,...

Seeing Red said...

Next mod is a woman, Mitt can't seem to be bullying her.

ALH said...

Ann Oulter: "Anniversary or not, my guess is that Michelle is gonna ask to go home w/Mitt tonight."

Ouch.

Michael said...

Can you say "rented mule" these days?

john said...

The image of the evening. Credit to Sloanasaurus.

The Crack Emcee said...

Nora,

TCE,
You forgot to mention that he also was caught to be pretty cavalier about truth, i.e. Romney's plans (at the very beginning).


Yeah, Romney straightened him out and then held the line. Obama just wasn't there - I wonder how that happens? Like when boxers show up and just get pounded. I guess it happens (I've seen it often enough, but never been there myself).

Obama produced more of the same: slogans, denial, lies, etc. Romney, verbose as he was, made an impression that he actually knows what he is talking about, while Obama had permanently vacant face while rehashing his old sound bites.

I think the others nailed that:

He hasn't been challenged.

There's nothing worse than an echo chamber. That's why I don't choose my friends based on whether they agree with me, but on character and whether they can make me think. I have one friend who is a total coward, but even he's valuable, because the man is committed to that stance - I know, in a time of danger, there's no way I can count on him because his only thought will be on self-preservation at all costs. Makes it easy to see it in others.

I also got an impression that Obama did not make an effort. I wonder, if he is deliberately reducing the plank to make Romney to relax, so he can get him in the last debate, that matters more.

I have no idea. I just saw a guy who's lost. He's got nothing. The little flash of life at the end said there could be something more, but I almost don't think he cares. Which isn't as odd as it seems:

I know very few black people who aren't somewhat ambivalent, no matter where they are in life - "A Dream Deferred, and all that.

Life in America can be tragic, under even the best of circumstances, and I bet that particular mullatto has probably had enough "success" for a while,...

Nora said...

Sloanasaurus said...
Obama was the empty chair tonight. Just as Clint said he would be.

Yes, until he recovered toward the end and started doing what he does best: lies and scare tactics. Not that it worked that well, but he succeeded in putting Romney on the defensive for a couple of moments.

Emil Blatz said...

What famous likeability?

Saint Croix said...

Romney clearly staked out the moderate position. I was struck when the question was about regulation, Romney loved regulation. First thing he said, "we need regulation." When the question was about medicare, Romney loved medicare. First thing he said, "you're robbing medicare!"

It's like Clinton stealing all the Republican talking points. Romney totally took those arguments off the table.

We nominated a moderate Republican, and he's totally a moderate Republican. The attempt to portray Romney as a monster right-winger is ridiculous. It's always been ridiculous.

The other thing that Romney did that struck me was his use of real people, the human touch. (Reagan and Clinton). He used real people to illustrate why we need new leadership. And Obama was making the horseshit "math" arguments. Obama seemed oblivious to how actual people are hurting.

I think he's in real trouble. And the argument by the liberal press that Obama needs to "attack" more? No way. He already seemed grouchy, irritable, and annoyed. If he goes negative and mean in a debate, this is over.

I think it's already over. It's been over.

Chip S. said...

That's lickability.

The wounds he sustained tonight should be objects of sustained licking for several days.

furious_a said...

The President inherited his debate prep from the previous administration.

Saint Croix said...

Romney owned Lehrer

My favorite bit: "I love Big Bird. I even like you, Jim."

But I don't want to borrow money from China to pay for you. Ouch!

Lydia said...

Maybe Obama just isn’t a good debater. He wasn’t very good in the Democratic primary debates back in 2008; it was Iowa that put him in the winner’s seat then. And in the debates with McCain, all he had to do was look presidential because everyone had already decided that McCain was an excitable old coot.

kcom said...

Sure, they still have the "foreign policy" debate which, let's be honest, will consist of nothing but Obama say "I killed Bin Laden".

Romney should do the lawyer thing and just stipulate that at the beginning. "Yes, you killed Osama, big fella. We stipulate that. Now what else? Have you slept through any ambassador-killing terrorist attacks lately?"

furious_a said...

IF Romney wins the next debate, will debate #3 even matter?

Great first debate kid, don't get cocky!

Ctmom4 said...

Tweet of the night, via Instapundit:

Bob Owens
‏@bob_owens
Some people eat when they get depressed. I hope Michelle put Bo outside for the night. #DenverDebate

Jason said...

I only caught about 20 minutes of it in the car... health care, role of government and education (News flash for Lehrer: Nobody gives a shit about what these guys think about education)

I thought Obama was doing fine.

Then I get home, log on Facebook, and all my righty feeds are crowing and all the Dem/leftards are going through Elizabeth Kubler Ross's Stages of Grief.

What the hell happened?

furious_a said...

phx: So the headline I'm going with is "Obama can take a punch".

Yeah, but...Owwww...

Chip S. said...

Jason said...
I only caught about 20 minutes of it in the car...
I thought Obama was doing fine.

Then I get home, log on Facebook, and all my righty feeds are crowing and all the Dem/leftards are going through Elizabeth Kubler Ross's Stages of Grief.

What the hell happened?


Yet another way that Obama is like Nixon.

Tom Perkins said...

The question I have for the Professor, because her objection to the 5 year old Politico released video still has me gobsmacked, is that the ugly in this debate was brought by Obama--in his poor performance. The ugly in the video was all created by Obama--showing it is not ugly, Obama being the sort of person who would act (as in the performance art of it)--that's ugly.

So does the debate make the Professor less likely to vote for Romney too?

pm317 said...

I will repeat what we are feeling on another blog -- Tonight the country saw the Obama we had all seen in Primary 2008. They will prop him up but hope the voters saw what we had already seen in 2008.

pm317 said...

vbspurs..
yeah this post very carefully worded -- that thought occurred to me too.

pm317 said...

Foreign policy debate:

LIBYA

edutcher said...

Romney came as an entrepreneur submitting a business plan.

Barry showed up, having ditched debate prep because he didn't like the idea of being made to do his homework.

And the Romster was no less passionate than he was in the primary debates, on the stump, or at the convention. A lot of people have allowed themselves to be snowed by the media.

mccullough said...

It's pretty obvious Obama hasn't been challenged much during his presidency.

It's pretty obvious Obama hasn't been challenged much during his life.

FIFY

bob said...

i loved it when obama said romney's plans have no details -- right after he tried to pick holes in romney's health care plan by discussing very specific details.

Anonymous said...

I'm shocked that Obama, the greatest orator of all time, should have flopped so badly in the first debate: wasn't he just last week in the trenches and honing his debating skills--on the View, in combat with Whoopi and Barbara, and on the Late Show, in his slugfest with David Letterman?

Scott M said...

This is what happens when you let John Kerry-Heinz be your sparring partner.

Christopher in MA said...

LIBYA.

Obama's already admitted foreign policy "bores" him. How exactly does the lazy, choom-smoking grad student expect to cram for the next debate when he's blown off the last four years?

Hagar said...

I don't think much of these media-organized "debates," so I only watched a little.
What struck me was Obama's body language. He clearly detests Romney personally and totally rejects all of Romney's talk about competition and private this and that. His "famous smile" was displayed "for a reason," you can see it on many a professor's face when a smart-aleck student brings up incovenient facts in class!

kcom said...

"wasn't he just last week in the trenches and honing his debating skills--on the View, in combat with Whoopi and Barbara, and on the Late Show, in his slugfest with David Letterman?"

Killer comment. And so very true.

Rusty said...

Sr Croix said, "think he's in real trouble. And the argument by the liberal press that Obama needs to "attack" more? No way. He already seemed grouchy, irritable, and annoyed. If he goes negative and mean in a debate, this is over.

I think it's already over. It's been over."


The next debate over foreign policy should be enlightening. If there is one. A second debate, I mean. I'm certain there won't be a third. Obama will come up with some crisis that needs his personal attention. The little man has spent his whole life avoiding hard decisions.

tim in vermont said...

Obama has been painting Romney as Montgomery Burns and Ned Flanders with Burns's IQ shows up.

tim in vermont said...

It's racist to say Romney won.

gerry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Obama's Note to Myself #1, made at the First Debate:

"What's with these podiums and the white boy at one of them? I thought I'd be chillin' tonight with Beyonce, at Jay-Z's crib."

rick rogers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hagar said...

The 2007 tape shows Obama can speak without a teleprompter on his own turf as a "community organizer" - as President of the Unites States, not so much.

rick rogers said...

rogers said...
I had gotten very tired of Mitt Romney going into last night. But after the debate I got the impression he has the enthusiasm and policy ideas to get us out of our collective malaise. Basically, what Ann said.

Anonymous said...

Obama's Note to Myself #2, made during the First Debate:

"All for nothing all that blood, sweat, and tears, prepping for this debate, first on The View in combat with Whoopi & Barbara, and then on The Late Show, in my slugfest with Letterman."

Anonymous said...

Obama's Note to Myself #3, made during the First Debate:

"Question for Axelrod: Do ex-presidents qualify for a free ObamaPhone?"

Anonymous said...

Obama's Note to Myself #4, Made During the First Debate:

"Review textbook for my Con Law 101 at Harvard: Can a president's application to Congress for tenure be fast-tracked?"

Anonymous said...

Obama's Note to Myself #5, Made During the First Debate:

"First thing tomorrow morning: Grant myself Waiver from participating in any more debates."

Anonymous said...

Obama's Note to Myself #6, Made at the Podium During First Debate:

"Call back Whoopi; tell her I may be available to take that full-time gig on The View after all."

roger said...

Interesting that we allow the media to influence our decisions on such weighty a matter as this. Please remember, you are seeing everything about these candidates through the lens of the media.

Anonymous said...

Obama's Note to Myself #7, Made at the Podium During the First Debate:

"Check with Pelosi and Reid: Can they push through an emergency stimulus package for my mojo?"

Anonymous said...

Obama's Note to Myself #8, Made at the Podium During the First Debate:

"Question for Stella: 'Remind me: How did you finally get your groove back?'."

Anonymous said...

Obama's Notes to Myself #9, Made at the Podium During the First Debate.

"I'll bet the only reason they made me participate in this debate is because I'm black."

Anonymous said...

Obama's Notes to Myself #10, Made at the Podium at the First Debate.

"Maybe now's the perfect moment for me to lower those ocean levels."