NEW YORK – President Obama and Mitt Romney enter the second presidential debate Tuesday night with vital missions: The incumbent needs to display the urgency he lacked in the first debate, while the challenger is hoping to build on his momentum of the past 10 days.
With Super Bowl-size audiences tuning into what has become a weekly political miniseries, President Obama cannot afford another performance like the one he had in Denver — where even supporters said he was lackluster and timid.
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A rather discombobulating issue related to this evening's debate is emerging: the role of the second woman in a role to moderate these two guys seeking the U.S. presidency. Until the past couple of days the debate format has been billed as a 'town hall forum', which supposedly puts the questioning largely in the hands of attending undecisive voters seated in the Hofstra hall. All of a sudden there are journalists - most of them apparently women - who are demanding that moderator Candi Crowley insert herself into the format with questions, apparently both original and follow-up, as well as what the moderator may deem corrections to the candidates' statements. This demand for moderator participation on a fairly large scale is an attempt to revert to the Martha Raddatz formula, in which that moderator acted as both time keeper and inquisitor. It strikes this probable voter that journalists are attempting to take on roles in this presidential campaign - said to be one of the most important in U.S. history - that would improperly stick them where they don't belong. Journalists need to make a historic retreat to the days when AP standards of objectivity defined the practice of reporters and editors who are now trying to be arbiters of truth, justice and the American way.
well at least she is fair and impartial and has never ripped Romney..................On Ryan pick: CNN's Candy Crowley who claimed some Republicans (unnamed, of course) think this "looks a little bit like some sort of ticket death wish.
Candy Crowley is previously on-record with venomous anti-Romney and anti-Ryan statements on live TV!!!!!! It would be nice if Democrats mentioned some simple truth occassionally. As far as Obama showing-up with more energy: Too little, Too late. All of America saw Romney as an acceptable replacement in the first debate, and they are likely to make the change. No amount of energy and nothing Obama says can change the fact that America saw and heard Romney with their own eyes and ears.
Matt Viser says "The race appeared to be tilting decidedly in Obama’s favor just two weeks ago, with Romney’s campaign roiling from an ill-timed response on an attack in Libya"---But then Matt says NOTHING about the "attack on Libya".--It's not the debate that's causing Obama to crash now. It's Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's response to the attack. --They did NOTHING even while the attack was in progress for 6 hours. Then they LIED to the American people and to the U.N. saying that a Video was the cause of the attack. They should both RESIGN for this outrageous behavior. Then Matt blames Romney?? Exactly WHO is responsible for the deaths of 4 Americans? This is so obvious that you can only conclude that Matt deliberately omitted the most important factor in the current campaign. So at the debate when questions are asked about the Libyan consolate attack is the shameful Globe just going to OMIT the coverage??
Body language is so powerful. Romney has it down to a tea (tee?). While Barack speaks, he stares at him with a condescending, half-smile as if he were looking at one of his employees. He's a master debator. Barack, half-smile him back.
I'm 83 so forgive the mistake. It should read "down to a T." I hope.