misterearl wrote:Who are these people giving advice to the President? Barack Ali lost the debate in the first round with a tepid opening statement. How can President Obama let Romney slide away like that?

You cannot Rope-A-Dope a desperate opponent. You hit him early and often so he cannot gain a false confidence that he can win. Romney connected and the President may need his jaw wired shut for a few weeks. I bet Michelle threw her shoes at the television.

What do you expect when John Kerry is your debate coach...

ChuckBuck wrote:Romney - 1
Obama - 0

2 more to go...

I'm not counting the VP one, I think Ryan with his 2 hour marathon time will wipe the floor with Biden.

There's a chance this debate re-defines Obama and his presidency.

Romney sound like a democrat. He was for just about everything in Obama Care and support of teachers, tax cuts for everyone preexisting illnesses, medicare, social security . Man I thought he was a democrat up there. But one thing I must say Romeny has been running for president for almost 8 years. He will lie , steal, and say anything in order to get elected. Obama had no choice but to feel Romeny out. Obama will wait because it was best for Romeny to show his hand. I think the next debate Obama will step it up a little bit playing the nice guy but look out for the last debate. He will then step on Romeny because Romeny can't come back because the debates will be over. If Obama bought up the 47% now it would not mean anything in the last debate. If Romeny does not get a big bounce from this debate he is done.

Nalod wrote:American pubic does not care about facts and figures. They want to be told what they want to hear.

If the American public really cared about facts and figures, they wouldn't vote for either joker the two party system run out. Be they black, white, male or female, privileged or well-off, rich or wealthy.

Papabear wrote:Papabear Says

Romney sound like a democrat. He was for just about everything in Obama Care and support of teachers, tax cuts for everyone preexisting illnesses, medicare, social security . Man I thought he was a democrat up there. But one thing I must say Romeny has been running for president for almost 8 years. He will lie , steal, and say anything in order to get elected. Obama had no choice but to feel Romeny out. Obama will wait because it was best for Romeny to show his hand. I think the next debate Obama will step it up a little bit playing the nice guy but look out for the last debate. He will then step on Romeny because Romeny can't come back because the debates will be over. If Obama bought up the 47% now it would not mean anything in the last debate. If Romeny does not get a big bounce from this debate he is done.

I think the biggest difference between Romney and Obama is that Romney would provide most of the same social services at the state level instead of the Federal level, while Obama would do it at the Federal level. Look at RomneyCare in Massachusetts vs ObamaCare. Ideologically, the concepts are similar.

The other difference is the ideology vs practicality. Romney is saying will cut federal spending because he won't borrow from China to pay for Big Bird... where Obama is saying the lines are not so clear cut -- you can't cut social services from people who are relying on that aid. Romney has a point that people need to understand how these programs are being paid for, but Obama's position more accurately reflects the paternalism that exists in the current mindset of Americans, that it is the government's job to take care of people. Republicans would change that mindset, but arguably they are already in the position to take care of themselves.

Personally, I think the biggest tragedy is that no one is really focusing (except tangentially) on the real requirement of getting industry back into the United States. Its not just that we need jobs, we need jobs that produce things that benefit the U.S. people. I don't want to cut taxes to make more social networking sites that sell private information to manufacturers so they can figure out how to charge people more the same crap. And, the focus on education is great, but really all that means is that we will have the most number of graduate degrees in the unemployed workforce if you cannot cultivate other industries.

Reagan effectively used trickle down economics where there was an existing industrial base that could benefit from tax cuts. Here, we no longer have the industries we had. We need a renewed insistence on "Made in the USA". Until then, trickle down economics is flacid.

jrodmc wrote:

Nalod wrote:American pubic does not care about facts and figures. They want to be told what they want to hear.

THis is how we are in this country. Sports figures do it all the time. Politicians do it to get elected. Salesman do it all the time.

We write the ending first then back it up from their. Romney says anything to get elected. Obama gave too many details and "Facts" and the public cannot digest that.

Romney could have sold me a used car last nite. OBama was explaining how electronic fuel injections have improved over the years and the new CVT transmissions save gas. Nobody cares.

Was this deliberate? Does it bring to the forefront the issue of fuzzy facts and while we all know Mitt is handsome and speaks well he did not bring details? Was it the Set up for the next debate where the media drives the lack of substance forcing Mitt to do some "s'plaining"?

And please tell me you are applying everything above to how Obama got elected 4 years ago, right? Right?

The funny thing is, your "factual" auto engineer POTUS who's trying so valiantly to "'splain" everything to the dumb American Idle public, never actually "engineered" anything, and honestly couldn't tell you what a fuel injector even looks like.

Style over substance.

That sounds more applicable than hope and change, don't it?

Ain't it just a big fat smelly beeyatch when you have to run against (and with) your own track record, and not just someone elses'?

IF you think the POTUS is at fault, and the POTUS is a magic man who can fix things then your delusional.

THEY ALL TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR. Obama 4 years ago. Bush before him, etc etc. If you look a the timeline of events and want to hang the plunge on a a Potus then its on Bush. Nalod is not hanging this on either. The Ebbs and flow of the economy and the problems we have are well rooted and formed over a few decades.

The election was not won or lost last nite.

Obama did not have to win last nite. Romney did.

SupremeCommander wrote:I wasn't expecting Romney to be this good of a television personality when it matters most. He came across as infinitely more charismatic than Obama

misterearl wrote:Exactly

BRIGGS wrote:misterearl it was simple as this---

What Obamas opening statement shouldve been.

Before we start to debate--I want to remind everyone where we have came from. When I took office the United States of America was on a total verge of collapse. With hard work it has taken us 4 years to start to get us out of the hole perpetuated by my predecessor George W Bush. We saved the auto industry--and note my opponent did not want that to happen. We saved the savings and loans disaster--made some choices but we saved it and now have but in the red lights to make sure it never happens again. I brought Bin Landen and Al Quida to justice--ended wars in Iraq and Iran. I've worked hard to pull us out of this hole and we go forward under a strong plan. I became president primarily to champion the middle clas and to make sure everyone has quality healthcare at their finertips. My opponenet through his own words said 47% of you--you meaning the middle class do NOT matter to him--thats his words and I want to sit up here and remind you of that. That Mr Romney is out of touch with you and I'm in your full corner. Check and mate end of debate in 3 minutes.

briggs - you nailed it. The stump speech recital was lazy and the shout out to Michelle for their anniversary was WAY too Mister Softee for my taste. Barack could have closed the thing down by speaking from the heart and not some script prepared by his preppy inner circle.

After almost four years, we know who he is. Tell me something new. And please, put some spicy mustard on it.

When you are put back on your heels--it's hard to comeback--in the first two minutes this thing was done. What did I do my first four years--I saved America from you. Now why do they want you back? It was so easy.