*The presidential debate between Republican candidate and Democratic candidate President Obama, is in the books. It went down Wednesday evening in Denver.
The overwhelming consensus is that the president lost.
President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney squared off in their first face-to-face presidential debate Wednesday, battling for more than an hour over the future of the economy, the federal budget, tax cuts, education, health care and even the future of Big Bird.
Faced with several recent polls showing Romney falling behind, the GOP candidate may have bought himself some added time after Wednesday’s debate, where he appeared on the offensive against Obama. Romney’s answers to questions from the moderator, Jim Lehrer of PBS Newshour, who played a subdued role over the course of the evening, were crisp and appeared well-rehearsed. His responses included as many specifics as the limited time would allow, and Romney seemed to hit his marks in a way Obama was not able to.
The “zingers” promised for the debate were scarce, and both instead used his time to carefully outline ideas for how they would govern. Romney and Obama both used personal examples to supplement their points.
In perhaps the most anticipated moment of the debate, Romney survived the session on health care reform, which could have been a major liability for the Republican nominee. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney championed a state health care law that later became the partial blueprint for Obama’s national health care overhaul that Romney now says he wants to repeal. During the debate, Romney worked to show the difference between the two laws, while Obama aimed to tie them together. Obama scored points in noting that many of the ideas that made it into the final health care law originated with with Republicans, but Romney escaped the exchange with only minor wounds.
“There’s a reason why Governor Romney set up the plan that he did in Massachusetts,” Obama said. “It wasn’t a government takeover of health care. It was the largest expansion of private insurance.”
Although the debate began awkwardly with both candidates discussing the president’s 20th wedding anniversary, the contest quickly moved into what at times became a tense conversation that showed the difference between their competing visions of the future of the country and the role of government. But for much of the first part of the contest, both Obama and Romney spent a lot of time working to fact check the other.
Obama launched an early attack on Romney for proposing a tax plan that cuts federal government programs but does not include tax increases on the wealthy. He knocked the former governor for not providing specifics about his own plan for tax reform and said his initiative would raise taxes on middle-income families by $2,000 and lower them for millionaires.
“Virtually everything he just said about my tax plan is inaccurate,” Romney shot back, adding that he doesn’t intend to raise taxes under his plan.
Read/learn more at The Ticket.
The question is who won? Who Lost? What say you?
If you somehow missed the debate or would like to see it again, here it is:
I don’t even know what was going on. Was Obama nervous? Did he receive a death threat?
So why was he acting so timid? Why was he afraid to attack Romney considering all the chances he was given?
What about the 47% and the Ryan plan?
Every time Romney start talking his bull shit about how he cared for the poor or the elderly, why didn’t Obama ask him about the 47% percent who he said he didn’t care about, or how the Ryan plan would screw people on social security?
Obama was acting like someone on the witness stand accused of murder, and trying desperately to defend himself. Romney, on the other hand, was acting like he was the prosecutor, grilling the defendant. He didn’t even give a fuck about the moderator. Just lie as he wanted, knowing that there was no one there to call him on it.
So true. It was pitiful.
Well, Romney won this debate, hands down. Romney did what he was suppose to do. This will hurt Obama in the national poll numbers. Romney will probably get a 2 to 3 percent bounce and push ahead in the national poll numbers but still trail in the electoral count. Now team Obama has to do damage control.
Like I posted yesterday….POTUS is pulling a J.Kerry! Now…the question eeah?…WHY!!??? “I” say again, he’s being controlled/told NOT to fight back, to give the GOP a fkn chance. “That” is the ONLY explanarion, here! Just as Kerry allowed GW to just “walk away” with the shyt, Obie may just be “made’ to….do the saaaaame thaaaaaang! Or?…he “played possuis, tonight, to feel MR out? Maaaaaybe. And all this just may be “drama/theatrics etc… to make it “interesting”?, but…this ain’t a GD gaaaaaaame!! So…”I” tend to believe my 1st theory! The system is Republican & therefore WANT a Repub. in the WH! This is also why POTUS never defended his wife OR himself, demanded respect for the OO or this country, calling out the various bigots, who disrespected…him! He was not ALLOWED to! I just hope the 2nd theory is the truth, & POTUS “grows a pair” &…knocks this ridiculous opponent the fk out!!! Chuuuuuuch!
Sidebar?…”I” for one am fkn SICK of how they ALWAYS show the White man 1st (on the left, as we count left to right!) In most EVERY photo you SEE?, it’s “that way”, like….YT must ALWAYS be “1st” even when he’s the fkn..”.wanna be”!! & even in a fkn “photo opp”, this man, PRESIDENT Barack Obama, can’t get the respect he damn well deserves, as POTUS!! Now….I know to some, this may seem a bit like..”reaching” etc!!??, but just check it out & you’ll see that, there’s no way in HELL!!, it’s just a fkn “coincidence” errytiiiiiiiiime! Beleeeeedat!!
No one is perfect. But I will admit that I am disappointed. I have already voted and I do support and love the Prez……Jim Lehrer sucked and to be honest, these were not hard questions. My fiance and I are huge supporters financially, motivating folks to vote, etc…..Yes, I know that this is just the first debate, but the Prez had the opportunity to bring on his A game and he did not. Instead he played it safe. I understand playing it safe, but the supporters cannot keep defending you, if you do not defend yourself.
I have already voted and done my part. I am taking off the political hat and going back to my regular life…….I will see what the wall looks like on Nov 6. I hope that how I feel is just temporary and that in a few days I will get back in the race……I just don’t know right now, I just don’t know. so many opportunities to sting Romney’s ass and he just did not. Wow!
Obama bombed in the debates and Romney spewed lies.
Cosign Diva!!
Both came out swinging, but Romney showed more energy and attacked & challenged the President who did not appear to be aggressive – he’s eloquent speaker not the best debater. So Romney took in charge of the debate and used a few good lines. Surprisingly he did not put his foot in his mouth. It’s far from over at this point. More than likely Obama will still acquire the majority of votes that will come from poor people, *gays / lesbians, *immigrants, women, blacks & others. (Romney’s father was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, he still denies that he’s not really Mexican. He did admit that his dad was born in Mexico and that he was proud of his heritage and said he was born of U.S. citizens who were living in Mexico at the time, but was not Hispanic. *The bottom line Romney like Obama needs the Hispanic or Latino votes! However, Romney apparently does not connect with this race of people, and others, *including poor people . You have more poor people in the USA that are poor versus rich. Do you really think the poor is going to elect him in the White House? Obama, will win this race in the manner that Nelson did. You can best believe these folks out of the woodworks are going to show up or prevail.
I watched the debate last night and I saw things very differently. What I saw was a man (Romney) that was rude, overbearing, not adhering to the rules for last night, overtalking anyone else and no regard for anybody that might have a point of view. He may have had more energy but that means absolutely nothing to me. At the end of the debate I had the same questions I had at the start of the debate. If the Prez’s policies need to done away with, what are yours and how would you go about putting them into place? I don’t recall him answering that. For all the “energy” he may have had what did he say? Nothing that would have me running to the pols to vote for him. Romney was given his moment to shine and the only thing that he said that grabbed my attention was when he said the Prez wants to change policies that have been in place for years. That told me what I needed to know to make my decision. So I don’t believe this debate was a slam dunk for Romney at all.
bobbie, you really summed up my thoughts and feelings to a T!!!
Comes out lying would be more accurate. And if that’s the measure of a winner, I’m deeply confused.