Moderator Jim Lehrer the big loser after last night’s presidential debate (The Crying Left)

National Post ^ | Oct 4, 2012 1:21 PM ET | David Bauder, Associated Press

[Red Steel]

NEW YORK — Jim Lehrer may be regretting his decision to come out of semi-retirement and moderate his 12th presidential debate.

The veteran PBS anchor drew caustic social media reviews for his performance on Wednesday, with critics saying he failed to keep control of the campaign’s first direct exchange between President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. The candidates talked over Lehrer’s attempts to keep them to time limitations, and his open-ended questions frequently lacked sharpness.

The tough assessments crossed party lines: Republican commentator Laura Ingraham wrote on Twitter that Lehrer seemed “a bit overwhelmed.” Comic and Democratic activist Bill Maher bluntly tweeted that “Lehrer sucked.”

my rating: Romney won the debate, Obama had the facts on his side, and Lehrer sucked. Next debate, get @SethMacFarlane to host!— Bill Maher (@billmaher) October 04, 2012

It’s not the night Lehrer would have expected. The 78-year-old moderated 11 presidential debates between 1988 and 2008, and after writing a book last year about his experiences, Lehrer said he was through. But he was persuaded to come back Wednesday to handle the long-awaited contest between Romney and Obama.

Romney, aggressive from the outset, beat back some of Lehrer’s attempts to bring structure to the debate. At one point, when Lehrer tried to ask Romney a question, the Republican cut him off by saying of the president, “Everything he said about my tax plan was inaccurate.” Then he continued to outline his argument.

Lehrer tried to end the first segment of the debate, hoping to move on to another topic, but Romney stopped him.

“I get the last word of this segment,” Romney cut in.

[GeronL]

Liberals think Obama is unable to put a coherent sentence together, so they blame the moderator.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

What a load. I’m no fan of Jim Lehrer but what the heck was he supposed to do? The Left wants him to jump in and defend Obama against that nasty old Mitt Romney as if Obama is some child. Waaaah waaaah waaaaah.

What this shows is that if Obama and Romney go head to head without the MSM protecting Obama, Romney rips him apart.

[muir_redwoods]

Lose the game, blame the ref

[Persevero]

My complaint against Lehrer was that I witnessed him spoon feed Obama several times. It was like he was one of Obama’s debate coaches. . . “You really mean this, right?” “Don’t you want to mention that?”

It was so egregious, I am surprise more people haven’t commented on it. I couldn’t believe the hand holding, like a teacher helping along a kid in his class. Nice in a classroom, but not at the debate.

[Dixie Yooper]

There's video of Obama telling Lehrer “You did a great job!”, right before the closing comments. Aside from the time warnings, Lehrer was interrupting Romney every chance he could, as if he was interviewing/steering him with a slanted agenda.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Jim Lehrer was done, as a journalist, in 1998 when he got the first interview with Bill Clinton after the Lewinsky scandal broke. He was obsequious, asking "Is there an inappropriate relationship, as has been reported?". To which Clinton states "There is no inappropriate relationship." Now any thinking journalist would consider the use of present tense and then ask, "Was there an inappropriate relationship?" But not Lehrer. On bended knee.

He deserves all the laughter his feeble performance as a moderator is generating. Happy retirement Jim!

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I did not watch the debate or the news last night.

I woke up at 5:30 to WBZ-AM (CBS Boston) this morning. I had no idea who “won”. The story they promoted was that Jim Lehrer did a poor job of controling the debate. (Talk about grasping at straws.)

If the only information you got about the debate was from WBZ-AM, you would have thought that they were talking about a tie game in the NFL with substitute officials blowing every call.

[Reddy]

I saw that too and it made me crazy. He actually prompted zero several times on what to say. Sickening.

[Indika]

Good for Romney, he should be getting the last word. Every Republican should be getting the last word right now. FUBO, GTFO. I can’t wait to see the tears come November.

[GregoTX]

Of course it cant be obama's fault. obama is a marxist, a liberal, an aspiring dictator for the timid men that prefer the calm of despotism to the turbulent sea of liberty. Why oboma is a god for the Godless, the best hope since the death of Joseph Stalin.

It cant be that obama has nothing to say because he cant publicly espouse his agenda, only implement it.

omamas poor performance cant be his own fault... nothing ever was, never is or never will be. The fault must be with the pitiful mortals at his feet, it must have been the moderators fault.

[SMARTY]

“What this shows is that if Obama and Romney go head to head without the MSM protecting Obama, Romney rips him apart.”

That’s right.

So, I guess the next debate moderator will be Valerie Jarrett.

Or... maybe she’ll just stand in for “O” and take the questions...since she’s doing everything else anyway!!