I’m somewhat amazed at how aggressive the progressives are being about the first presidential debate – that Obama basically “phoned it in,” and was not on top of his game. Can he do better? Yes. But this debate wasn’t about who looks more energetic (or chaotic in my mind), it’s about domestic policy, and facts. Mitt Romney once again changed what he claims his policy is, and nearly all of Romney’s jittery-made points were baseless. As always, once the dust settles and the truth starts to rear its head, Romney will be nothing more than a lying used car salesman who tried any and all sales pitches to sell you the junker car you previously owned.
The thing that all the squawkers on TV are also forgetting: Obama isn’t trying to convince you to vote for him, he’s going after the independent voters, not the “raging progressives” who want to see a fight.
Progressives WANT to see a fight. Republicans WANT to see a fight… Independents DO NOT WANT TO SEE A FIGHT. They want to see reason, compromise, and civility in Washington.
And one hopes they also want facts, not just the babbling sound of changed positions.
Yes, I would have liked to see a bit more jabs from Obama, but I also know that Obama’s reserve was a calculated response. Debating has nothing to do with being agressive. Romney gave a much better performance for people who wanted to see a fight… that’s ALL Romney gave.
Mitt Romney ran like a crazed bulldog over the moderator and the entire debate format. While Obama did speak for 4 more minutes that Mitt Romney did, it “felt” like Mitt Romney was jumping all over the place – which he was. Mitt Romney looked chaotic, not controlled. Presidents do not behave that way. He showed the country just how much he has a tendency to overreact… just like his comments on Libya and his extreme catering to the Right during the primaries.
Mitt Romney looked shifty and at times, literally out of control. Yes, for Mitt Romney, he had a good night, because for Mitt Romney, we saw more passion out of him than we have in the past.
But we must also not forget about the boat load of misinformation that Mitt Romney threw out into the TV void, including all of the falsehoods about his own tax plan… to the point of saying that what he’s been running on is actually not his tax plan. So no one, including him, really knows what the heck his plans are anymore.
From this debate: the facts will show that, once again, Mitt Romney will throw anything and everything at the wall, lie like a three-year old with his hand in his grandmother’s purse.
Progressives must remember: Obama was NOT trying to win your vote. Calm down and breathe for a second. He needs to win the independents who will determine the outcome of the election, and going off like Mitt Romney did would not have been a good idea for Obama. Instead, what we have from Mitt Romney’s spastic upchucks are tons of additional lies and foggy “clarifications” about Romney / Ryan policy – about which he can now be asked on camera all week.
That’s the whole damn point! In the first presidential debate, Mitt Romney looked like a man possessed. He interrupted to no end at at times was out of control as if he was resting is hand on a certain former governor of Texas.
For his base, should President Obama mention more of the negatives against Obama: yes. And I bet you that it’s being saved for the foreign policy debate. Obama absolutely CANNOT be overbearingly aggressive in the debates. No way, no how.
It makes perfect sense to let Mitt Romney “go off” in the first debate. Why? Because the first thought I had was, “There is no way in hell that I would want THAT sort of attacking person to have his hand on the button. Should Mitt Romney, who constantly changes what he claims he believes, and is walking all over everyone, to the point of my asking people around me, ‘Is this guy on crank?’… should that guy have his finger on the button?” Hell no. No way, no how should someone who cannot be aggressive in a debate while still being collected be in charge of the largest military in the world.
Did Mitt Romney win the debate? I’d actually say that in the first impression, yes, most likely. What’s important, however, is HOW he won the debate and what it showed about Mitt Romney if he were a leader. Did Romney have a strong night, sure… but that’s NOT what matters in the end. We forget who is the deciding factor in this election: the undecided voter in a small number of states, we’re talking MAYBE two million people who won’t make up their minds until the last debates, and who, most importantly: want someone who is willing to compromise. The do NOT want someone who rants like Mitt Romney just did on the first of the presidential debates.
