Need a pick-me-up? Think "Ohio." Does anyone really believe Romney reversed its numbers tonight? Of course not. And as Ohio goes, so goes the election.
Just thought that nice, pleasant note was a good way to conclude matters this evening.
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The pundits are trashing Obama's performance left and right, except Lawrence O'Donnell, who has had what I think is the best take on it--the pundits don't get to score this debate, the electorate does.
Implicit in that, of course, is the question: Has the electorate, outside of Romney's base, yet to demonstrate any trust in Mitt Romney? Did he give them any more reason to do so tonight? If voters were actually listening this evening, rather than scoring the two on dramatic stylistics, the answer to that must be a decided No.
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Once again, tonight, we witnessed a skilled practitioner of the Big Lie. That's what this debate came down to. Romney lying about ObamaCare and Romney lying about his Medicare privatization plan and Romney lying about his dripping concern for American students... however he didn't really lie about his tax plan; he simply denied all the guts of the fiscal plan he's been proposing for months.
President Obama, as I mentioned below, was too soft on Romney, but affability is his unalterable nature. Romney's unalterable nature is to lie. Simple as that. Mitt Romney is a world-class liar and if the Beltway commentariat takes anything other than that from this debate tonight, it's just more shame deservedly heaped on the commentariat.
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Obama's greatest enemy at the moment is his amiability. He's going too easy on Romney; he needs to "kick him in the balls," as Chris Matthews quoted Robert Kennedy to his brother in 1960.
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Romney wants to dump RomneyCare ObamaCare "because of [his] experience" with it? Huh?
Oh now he's saying he likes the way they did in Massachusetts. Which is the way Obama's essentially doing it nationally. What? They're virtually the same damn plans.
Romney has now trailed off into plaititudes as a healthcare plan. That, and he's simply lying about government panels determining care and his plan covering preexisting conditions. Simple lies.
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Romney's blathering about privatization of Medicare is hurting him even more than his evasions about his incomprehensible tax plan ... well, what used to be his tax plan.
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Romney looks as though he's undergoing a rigorous proctology exam as Obama's describing Medicare's voucherization.
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There goes another lie. Romney does promise changes to Medicare for current retirees. They'd lose the filled donut hole and free preventive care.
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Romney's only real game plan tonight: logorrhea. Painful--for us--logorrhea, although the president looks rather amused by it.
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This is staggering. Even for Romney. He has run for 18 months on a specific tax-cutting plan that he is now disowning. This was the Romney's camp's clever dodge when the inevitable question came--How do you pay fot it? Simply deny his own plan? Staggering. Just staggering.
I think Romney--surprisingly--won the exchange regarding Dodd Frank--that it coddles the NY banks and the regulations are still not written 2 years later. Interesting that he essentially went at Obama from the left on this--cynical given who he is, but he did it. Romney not making the break up of the big banks a part of his campaign--something Huntsman supported--was a lost opportunity. He would have put Obama on the defensive.
Posted by: wtf | October 03, 2012 at 09:04 PM
I am waiting for the president to ask Mitt Romney a question. Mitt Romney gave him the perfect opportunity when he trotted put the theme that Obama was the food stamp president. He should ask Romney which of the children and their parents made eligible for food stamps by Republican policies would he allow to starve?
Posted by: Peter G | October 03, 2012 at 09:46 PM
What a stunner when Obama said he and Romney have essentially the same positions on Social Security. Democrats are of course traditionally seen as the defenders of SS but Obama threw that away tonight. Of course, he is intending to please Wall Street and cut Social Security if he's reelected, but shouldn't the political suicide wait until after the election?
Posted by: wtf | October 03, 2012 at 09:55 PM
Look man, I don't like Romney either, but in terms of television presence he fucking DESTROYED Obama tonight. It was terrible. He owned.
Posted by: jaylemeux | October 04, 2012 at 12:24 AM
It looked to most of the world that George Foreman was destroying Muhammad Ali throughout the first several rounds of their fight in 1974.
I don't think I have to say how that fight ended and who won it.
Posted by: Josh | October 04, 2012 at 01:07 AM