The Politics Thread

[Ann_SS]

I did not watch, but Chris Matthews is having a meltdown on MSNBC so I think that it is safe to assume that Obama did not do particularly well. Sometimes you get what you deserve and this is exactly what Obama deserves for making the stimulus too small and bailing out the banks while ignoring the middle class struggling with the mortgage crisis. He needs to explain his failures and tell us how he is going to make sure that he does not repeat them.

[GoldenDogs]

President Obama fell apart tonight. It wasn't Jim Lehrer's fault. You can't even blame the media on this one. The fault rests squarely with President Obama.

He got shredded tonight. He was uneven, totally off his game. The pinnacle of his unease came when he clobbered his microphone. Perhaps he was wishing it was Romney.

I admit that I'm stunned. I don't expect this to be the storyline following the second Presidential debate, however. Obama will be ready next time.

I expect the VP debate to be particularly bloody for Biden. Ryan will wipe the floor with him... and that will be the second in the overall series of debates. Not good for Obama.

[Marco Dane]

[DRW50]

Obama's never been a good debater, and he was set up to lose no matter what. The whole thing just feels forced. The media has spent a long time preparing for this and are likely doing cartwheels. We'll see if they can whip up enough other crap (Libya, RACE TAPE, whatever else) to prop Romney until Election Day.

[soapfan4life]

Romney hands down won. Jim Lehrer was a joke as the moderator-he had no control from the beginning. I am really looking forward to the next couple of debates to see what else they have to say.

[marceline]

Chris Matthews tends to freak out when the weather changes. He's definitely not my favorite MSNBC commentator. He's like that coked-up guy at a party who backs you into a corner while he tells you his theory of how to communicate with other planets.

Obama played it safe. Overly so IMO but since he's in the lead he has more to lose and Mitt has more to prove. There's still two more debates to go and the next one is in a town hall format. That's going to be a vastly different dynamic and one that doesn't favor Romney. I'm rather enjoying the hysteria about Obama's performance in this one. The people freaking are playing checkers. This is chess.

Edited October 4, 2012 by marceline

[juppiter]

I disagree Carl; Obama is a lawyer and should have won that. Heads better be rolling in the Obama campaign tonight. He never ever should have allowed himself to be put on the defensive. Where was the 47% reference? Sabato is theorizing that somebody thought it was "not presidential" to go on the attack mode. But it's what he needed to do. Romney's arguments were like swiss cheese and Obama missed chance after chance.

LOVE IT. But I am freaking. I have seen Democrats/Obama [!@#$%^&*] up too many times in my life.

[marceline]

No it isn't what he needed to do. It's what his supporters wanted to see but these debates aren't geared toward his supporters. They're geared towards independents, moderates and undecideds. The people rending their garments or high-fiving each other don't matter. Their votes aren't in play.

[DRW50]

Obama has never been a good debater. One of the debate moments I always cringe at is "you're likeable enough." Debates only matter when the media wants someone to win. They didn't want Kerry to win, so they bent over backwards to help ramp up outrage over Mary Cheney to make sure Bush got out OK. Same goes for their fury over Al Gore "rolling his eyes" and "sighing." And both Gore and Kerry were better debaters than Obama.

These were set up for Romney to win.

Edited October 4, 2012 by CarlD2

[Ann_SS]

Eh, the debates never mean as much as the media make them out to be and they never change the polls or voters' opinions in any permanent or meaningful way. Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight blog at NY Times, pointed this out yesterday or today.

Another thing, maybe the negative feedback will push Obama to start talking about what he wants to do over he next four years in a substantial way.

Edited October 4, 2012 by Ann_SS

[marceline]

So have I but one of Obama's strong suits is that he's very good at the long game. I guarantee that he's looking at ALL of the debates together. Not each individually.

Everything - and I do mean EVERYTHING - Obama does from here on out is about independents and moderates. He knows that he doesn't have to worry about voters like me. We've got his back. (In fact I voted this morning.) Romney has to keep shuttling between the GOTeaP base and moderates/independents and I can almost promise you that he will do something before the next debate to piss off one of those groups.

Would I like to see Obama smack Romney down like Omar from The Wire? Sure but I'm not his audience.

Edited October 4, 2012 by marceline

[Money]

It was a good line but the delivery was off and that was the case with most of his salient points that should have been slam dunks. I'll be honest and say that I'm suprised at Obama's performance. He looked tentative and for the life of me I don't know why he kept his head down throughout the first half of the debate. He was even nodding his head at times while Romey was speaking which made it seem like he was actually agreeing with him. Even when he made salient points he let Romney off the hook too many times. Jim asked for specifics and he accused Romney of not providing any when he himself couldn't do it, instead his answers while pertinent, were all over the place. I'll give this round to Romeny - without the meltdown by MSNBC.

[juppiter]

You are good at seeing the big picture. Perhaps I should return my Political Science degree. LOL.

[marceline]

LOL! Naw. I'm just sitting here in the gold-standard of swing states. It's crystal clear to me what the Obama campaign's objectives are because I see the ground game playing out all around me.

Edited October 4, 2012 by marceline

[Soapsuds]

Broadcaster: ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY WON THE DEBATE

Broadcaster 2: But there were no clear knock outs but Romney came out strong.

Broadcaster 3: ROMNEY ROMNEY WON THE DEBATE....THE POLLS WILL GET CLOSER....

Seriously...for real?? Are these people serious ??? ....I just have to LOL at their hype of Romney tonight.