Obama on points.
The president needed to do four things in this debate: 1) Show some passion, 2) play fact-checker/truth-squader to halt Mitt Romney’s attempted slide to the center, 3) remind Americans of the dire situation he inherited, and 4) give voters a better idea of his path forward.
Comments
Please... what else did one expect from Scot Lehigh other than a softball review of the presidents performance. The fact remains that Mr. Obama's performance numbers just plain old stink. Period
Scot - How can you not love Romney? He, like Senator Sidelines Brown, does not want anything to do with national Republicans. He snookered the president two weeks ago, which was Obama's fault, but he has finally been called on all of his lies and switchbacks on positions. The probel is that his lies had gained two weeks of traction with undecideds who may not have watched last night. We'll see. I'm sure you and the "Glob" will get blasted by the posters here regardless even though the Globe has been singlehandedly holding water for Senator Sportsfan.
what lies?
Obama did what he had to do, but he still fell short. The most stunning moment of this debate came when the moderator, Candy Crowley, actually joined the debate. She intoned-"Yes, President Obama did call it terrorism in the Rose garden speech". This is something I have never seen. While moderators typically take the side of the Democrat, I have never seen one actually leaver the moderator's chair and join the debate.
Scot's little pep talk for Obama will not change the truth, that Romney so arfully delivered: That this president has been a failure, and his radical approach to governance has failed to bring prosperity to our nation. I would have loved to Romney pick apart that approach, from writing and passing laws that ignore the legislative branch, to forcing unupopular legislation on an unwilling nation.
The polls will determine who actually won, but my sense is that this will not help the president.
It was already declared last night that when Republicans lose a debate, the first thing they do is attack the moderator. As for the President being a failure, this comment is yet another example of forgetting the fact that the Republicans vowed before Obama put his hand on the bible to swear in that they would do everything possible to destroy his presidency. To the detriment of the people of this country. The fact that Obama did as well as he did is a testament to his ability to overcome the excesses of the right side of the debate.
"radical approach to governance"
Hilarious. Take off the glasses!
"While the moderators typically take the side of the Democrats", this kind of nonsense from the zealots on either side is extremely boring. Mitt gets caught with his pants down and the "cultists" of the right blame the moderator. Please tell me that if President Obama wins a second term I'm not going to have to put up with another four years of Rejpublican right wing conspiracy nonesense. Obama stinks up the first debate and those of us who are independently minded say, "Obama stunk up the first debate". Zealots go on an insult binge. This time around Obama takes Mitt to task and all you have is it's the moderators fault. I often say zealots on both sides can't see past their team, but I have to admit the "righties" are plain annoying. It gets to the point where some folks won't vote against Romney they'll vote against his apologists and whining cheerleaders.
Attaturk, win or lose, another four years of Republican right wing conspiracy nonsense is headed our way. It's how they've spread their message ever since the repeal of the FCC's Fairness Doctrine back in the 1980's, and now you're had a whole generation of those on the far right who believe and will contonue to believe that this is the way it's done.
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Attaturk: Romney was correct. The President and his henchmen blamed a video and a protest for the attack for two weeks before admitting that it was a planned act of terrorism. Crowley is not being blamed, she is being admonished, for joining the debate and taking a side in it. That is not the role of the moderator.
Except she was right. Deal.
On CNN, Crowley just conceded that Romney's point on Benghazi and terrorism was correct on substance.
Richmond no he wasn't and it doesn't matter how many times you say he was. The point of the debate was that the Commander-in-Chief doesn't just jump to conclusions. There were mixed signals coming from state. The President did indeed say "an act of terrorism" in the rose garden the next day it's in the transcripts. One can argue over meaning if they want, but it doesn't change the words. The fact is Mitt jumped to soon on this issue and made himself look untrustworthy. Crowley corrected Romney as she should in fact I wish the moderators would call either candidate out when wrong on the facts.
You are simply wrong on this no matter how many times you say Romney was correct. He was not. What Obama said is clearly on the record. What Mitt originally tried to do was conflate the actions in Egypt and in Libya statements that related to the incidents which took place at the same time. No one denies it was a confusing period and that's the point Mitt spoke without all the information.
Can't you folks ever just admit you're wrong and move on instead of trying to twist the facts to meet your position. You can't win them all you know.
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Where exactly is the incivility. What I didn't agree with you so that's incivility. Really! Come on you're better than that. Grow up. I gotta go. Have it deleted if you can't stand the truth. You are single minded and you do lack objectivity. If that is not a civil statement then indeed I am uncivil.
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And again, why would his words be removed?
@attaturk: ever noticed that TheSystemWorked always come with one like? I wonder from whom...
President Obama repeatedly missed the opportunity to call out Romney on his repeated (ad nauseum...) claims to understand and support small businesses. Romney has never run a small business, which is an entirely different skill set than the primary one he has as a former businessman; the repeatedly proven ability to ramsack an established business for profit, without a care for whether or not his "intervention" is either a) good for or b) detrimental to the business. He really needs to be called out on this...
Some one needs to call-out Obama on his inability to remember his 2008 campaign promises. Someone needs to call-out Obama on his lack of skills & the fact he lacks leadership and the ability to build consensus to govern. Now we know why there is GRID-LOCK. Biden & Obama mock their colleagues & are unable to participate in a civil conversation.
Cantabrigiani01: I really wish someone would "call out" Obama on this, so that he could respond that never, ever, in the history of the Republic (not even during Lincoln's contentious Civil War era tenure) have so many - so publicly - so early - and at the highest level of political opposition, publicly stated their willingness not to work with a sitting American president; in no manner, in no way. Add to that the mentality and complicity of the opposition party in lockstep agreeing to such political non-starters as the "no new taxes" pledge, and you still want to put this problem in Obama's court? Finally, if and when Obama forcefully defended his position from this perspective, I can readily imagine the lit up but "coded" response of the opposition party toward this: "Angry black man."
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Why did Rice, Clinton and Obama repeat the fiction that the attack in Benghazi was due to an obscure video tape? Where did this story originate? Why was it repeated for WEEKS when NO ONE can point to ANYTHING that rationalizes this bizarre story? Propagating an obvious LIE is THE question that Obama, artfully, dodged with the "we're still investigating" narrative. Romney, inexplicably, failed to have these seminal questions asked and, directly, answered. Lehigh, the Globe and most of the media play along, trying desperately to ignore the gorilla in the room. Obama isn't taking any responsibility for who, what and why the video tape story was originated and touted for weeks. Isn't anyone concerned that an administration "addressed" the murder of an ambassador with a demonstrable LIE?
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When I die please bury me in my high top Stetson hat. Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain so the gang will know I died standing pat. Let her go, let her go, God bless her wherever she may be. She may search this wide world over, and never find a sweeter man as me. Lot of water under the bridge, lot of other stuff too. Don’t get up gentlemen, I’m only passing through. I’ve been walking forty miles of bad road- if the Bible is right, the world will explode. I’ve been trying to get as far away from myself as I can. Some things are too hot to touch. The human mind can only stand so much. And there is a System Misinformation Society.
single voice:
So what small business or even big business did Pres. Obama ever run. Even Sarah Palin and husband ran a fishing business, mayor of a town...more experience then the Pres. Obama...and they thought she was inexperienced.
Pres. Obama....and other in administration for days claimed it was the video that caused the attack in Benghazi can't make up his mind...but then rocket launchers you bring to demontrations all the time and use them.
He can't run security and business...25 million unemployed shows it.
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Beantowndebater: With respect, I don't accept the premise of your point, which appears to be that given that Obama himself has never run a small business, he hasn't the right to confront Romney on the question of his credentials in this regard. Personally, I think this is the heart of the matter relative to the question of who is better able to lead the economy. I'll take the empathetic guy who presents himself as who he is - an extraordinarily talented politician - over the guy who presents himself as a "champion of American small business", when he has: a) never run a small business himself, and b) has repeatedly shown, via his background and experience, that he has no passion for the long-term success of any given business. This type of "perspective" would be anathema to any small businessperson I know; the kind who has stayed up, night after night, trying to figure out how to keep his or her business afloat, and loyal employees employed.
Have you guys seen the two polls on who won? CNN and CBS: Both said Obama. I know, I know, it's probably part of the same vast left-wing conspiracy that had all the pollster lying about the results and saying Obama was ahead until the first debate, when they evidently decided to stop lying and tell the truth: Romney was surging. Now they are back to making up numbers again ... What's a poor conservative to do?
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I haven't seen behavior like Mitt Romney in last night's debate since Greg Niedermeyer of Animal House.
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I guess you did not watch Biden at the VP debate. There are 3 adults in this race, then there is Joe
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All President Obama had to do to "up his game" is talk 1/2 decently: But this he was unable to do.
After observing the communication styles of Obama without a TELEPROMPTER and Biden 'being Biden" as Washington insiders refer to him, - Americans know the GRID -Lock in Washington was created by the two frat boys (Obama & Biden).
Obama behaves like a farm yard rooster: prancing, crowing, curling his lip in scorn. The Alpha male, rudely interrupting while bullying his position.
Obama FAILED to discuss or articulate plans for another 4 years. The Obama-Biden team can only attack the ideas of others: They talk down to their colleagues with icy scorn & mocking.
Obama is a frat boy? That's all you've got?
This is projection. You blame Obama for everything the republicans in congress and Mitt Romney are really responsible for. Republicans do this alot.
#1 is irrelevant. How could he not be better?#3 is also irrelevant becuase he has not done anything to fix the problem, which Romney showed to be the case. Get over, it was bad.....#4. Still no idea what his plan is except repeal the current tax rates, which will actually hurt the MC.
I thought it was a tie. Both had some good points. The one thing I think Romney accomplished was being more human, especially in his response to the question from the O supporter.
Best line: You went to Las Vegas.
R: 1-1-0 = 3pts
0: 0-1-0 = 1pt
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I think it's going to take a long time for Romney to live down the "Binders of Women" comment. Especially after David Bernstein's fact check showing it was a lie. http://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/33756576903/mirror-of-mind-the-binder
Dang -- the "money quote" didn't post. Here's Bernstein:
What actually happened was that in 2002 — prior to the election, not even knowing yet whether it would be a Republican or Democratic administration — a bipartisan group of women in Massachusetts formed MassGAP to address the problem of few women in senior leadership positions in state government. There were more than 40 organizations involved with the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus (also bipartisan) as the lead sponsor.
They did the research and put together the binder full of women qualified for all the different cabinet positions, agency heads, and authorities and commissions. They presented this binder to Governor Romney when he was elected.
nah. Libya and the economy are much bigger, especialy with the next debate about FP and the polls showing Obama got creamed on the economy responses vs. Romney. The war on woman don't hunt
Barack "Never Waste a Tragedy" Obama never said "an act of terrorism" in the Rose Garden the day after an under-resourced U.S. Ambassador was assassinated in Libya. Though, if Obama said, "This was not an act of terrorism," Never Waste a Tragedy's cheerleaders and apologists would certainly be correct in pulling Obama's words out of context and pretending he did call the assassination an act of terrorism. Because Never Waste a Tragedy's cheerleaders in the liberal media are having so much success in flogging Gov. Romney with this issue, I suspect Never Waste a Tragedy's cheerleaders will continue to do so for maximum benefit for Obama. Despicable and disgusting behavior by Never Waste a Tragedy and his cheerleaders. Reprehensible. Indeed, the system continues to work. Obama did find time to say this in the Rose Garden on September 12, 2012, the day after an under-resourced U.S. Ambassador in Libya was assassinated by terrorists, "I visited the graves of troops who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan at the hallowed grounds of Arlington Cemetery, and had the opportunity to say thank you and visit some of our wounded warriors at Walter Reed." Indeed, the system continues to work for Obama, a man who never misses an opportunity to exploit a failure. Yes, liberal elites who are smarter than the rest of us wrote asinine columns that Obama won despite a poll of undecideds declaring Romney won 67 - 25; I bet some of those contrarians can't possibly see how Romney won this debate though the polls of undecided voters showed a much closer debate last night than the blow-out two weeks ago in Romney's favor. The liberal elites see what they want to see despite any logic, common sense or consistent application of any standard.
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