Posted on 10/04/2012 1:06:29 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
A historic defeat for a sitting president. Never has a POTUS been this badly whupped in a debate. It is that simple.
It wasn't just that Obama was so bad, but that Romney was so good. Conservatives see a candidate they did not know they had, and independents see a candidate who could turn the country around. No way to predict what this will do to campaign over a week.
Take aways: trickle down government, "you pick losers," and Solyndra and other green energy expenditures of 90 billion could have been 2 million teachers.
Throwing in the towel: Michael Moore, Andrew Sullivan, David Gregory, Ed Schultz.
Sports analogy: POTUS was the '54 Cleveland Indians --winningest team ever, and lost the Series in four games.
Caution to Team Romney and salve to the left: Mondale beat Reagan in the first debate in '04 (though not nearly as badly as Romney beat Obama tonight.)
Analogy? Agincourt?
On asking Lileks for an analogy, he noted that "Romney-Obama" will now serev as shorthand for a debate pummeling.
UPDATE: Don't believe me. Believe Andrew Sullivan:
10.31 pm. Look: you know how much I love the guy, and you know how much of a high information viewer I am, and I can see the logic of some of Obama's meandering, weak, professorial arguments. But this was a disaster for the president for the key people he needs to reach, and his effete, wonkish lectures may have jolted a lot of independents into giving Romney a second look.
Obama looked tired, even bored; he kept looking down; he had no crisp statements of passion or argument; he wasn't there. He was entirely defensive, which may have been the strategy. But it was the wrong strategy. At the wrong moment.
The person with authority on that stage was Romney - offered it by one of the lamest moderators ever, and seized with relish. This was Romney the salesman. And my gut tells me he sold a few voters on a change tonight. It's beyond depressing. But it's true.
Roughly thirty minutes into this debate...you could see moments of frustration on the President’s face and he probably wanted a end to this debate by the 60-minute point. It might have been better if Lehrer had held more “control” over two....but I thought that Lehrer gave a four-star presentation as moderator...fair to both guys.
Great job Romney. Let’s roll.
The sum total of my financial contribution to 1988 was $20 to Bush. After the first debate, they put up a pair of 900 numbers (remember those?): call 1-900-A if Bush won, or 1-900-B if Dukakis won. It was obvious Dukakakis had won. So, I called the Bush number 20 times. I vote for the policy, not the candidate.
“Never has a POTUS been this badly whupped in a debate. “
Reagan’s second debate against Mondale was awful. Truly awful. I would say worse than Obama tonight. He came back and aced the third debate.
I don’t think Obama was awful—just lackluster. Compared to Romney’s enthusiasm—heck, he was having fun—it looked worse than it was.
The other thing that made Obama look worse than he was is that Obama is so good with a teleprompter in front of him that you expected more, at least I did.
The big win for Romney tonight is that a challenger to a bad president still has to establish himself as credible and presidential. Romney accomplished that in spades tonight and added a big dose of likability. (Oh no, was that racist?)
The negative advertising is going to have a much harder time sticking after tonite.
...Doh!
Gee, I sure wish the election were held tomorrow....
There’s a long way to go.
It was great to see Obama squirm.
That’s why early voting is a big mistake—there are face slaps all around by many who have already voted for Obama...”
...I have my doubts. Anyone stupid enough to vote this turd in a 2nd time would never be swayed by a poor debate performance.
I still haven’t seen the whole debate, but I really got the feeling he just wanted to close and walk off the stage. Seriously.
Ever since he’s been President he has had that option. If he doesn’t like the question, he ignores it. If he gets bored, he just turns on his heel and walks away. This time, for the first time, he was on the hot-seat with no way to escape, no TelePrompTer to guide him, no way to escape the camera, and it showed.
He just plain sucked. Worse, he knew it. And Michelle is not going to be pleased.
And last night was Obi Wan telling everybody that, “This isn’t the toid (”turd” in Brooklynese) you are looking for.”
Somebody needs to do something, quick. Call 911 and have Chris Matthews put on a suicide watch. Lock all the windows at MSNBC above the first floor.
The narrative will be: Jim Lehrer didn’t properly “control” the debate.
That “Trickle Down Government” they were talking about is the government urinating on us.
Nope. The French at Agincourt were Men of Valor and worthy of the highest respect.
On another point: Wow, how would you feel being labeled “effete” by Andrew Sullivan?!
Obama knows he’s going to lose and didn’t want to waste any time preparing.
Obama knows he’s going to lose and didn’t want to waste any time preparing.
The debate does not matter at all the way the Press covers for this guy. They KNOW what BO is like never the less he’s their man.
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