Answer: we don’t know. It is THE identifying feature of modern presidential debates that the debate itself doesn’t matter nearly as much as the debate ABOUT the debate. The snarking blogosmear is out of the box first, aided and abetted by old tabloid reporter Ben Smith (who rather disingenuously walks his headline back throughout his “me first! I got my headline up first!” posting):
No way to link to this snapshot of memeorandum
My take is only this: Mitt Romney has shown himself a man who will stop at nothing — not laws, not rules, not manners — to get what he wants. And he’s willing to do anything to get it.
I guess rudeness doesn’t matter to anyone anymore?
And, of course, Mitt and the Truth aren’t on speaking terms. No one knows what the Truth did that hurt Mitt’s feelings so deeply.
If that’s your idea of “presidential” may god have mercy on your soul.
Courage.
Romney has always come across to me as a man who justs wants to win. He doesn’t give a shit about the 99%, winning is everything. I wish Obama would of gone for the jugular, but he let so many lies just slide. This is such an important election, if Romney gets in….we are all screwed. Unless your in the 1%. He would be a disaster.
I think Obama’s playing rope-a-dope. Let Romney be Romney and nobody’s going to want to vote for the prick. Seriously: secretive, slippery, slithery, snake-oil, changes his story all the time, and bullies moderators and presidents of the United States? Add to that his disdain for the law, for the tax code and you’ve got yourself another Nixon. Bleah.
right on, Hart. I agree completely. The Prez doesn’t need to get into blood sport battling with this slick liar. And who knows? Obama may decide to use a different strategy in debate #2. Put Rlomney off guard. Let’s all think this through and not go b–s–t about it. Obama is no dummy….at least, that is my hope. Shitty to have to put us with this crap on your anniversary….
I agree. I think that they’ve gamed this like an NBA series, and not as a one-off. Let Mitt be Mitt, and, given his difficulty with facts, Romney managed to win, at best a Pyrrhic victory. Because the takeaway won’t be the “issues,” but, rather, the overbearing bluster of Romney and the checkable lies. In the long run, like body blows in boxing, they’re going to take more of a toll on Romney than his seeming-”win” in the first game of the POTUS Finals.
I think Romney won on both substance and style.
You’re entitled to your opinion.
If Mitt ‘won’ anything, it’s because he didn’t let his mouth bury him and President Obama didn’t take him on the way he ought to have. How could he have possibly won on substance when he didn’t have any to begin with? He didn’t just magically transform form crap-a$$ candidate to warm, friendly, compassionate man o’ the people in the crucible of this ‘debate’. He went in a crap candidate, and he came out a crap candidate. He’s still a hyper-wealthy out-of-touch white guy who just wants the power and privilege and will do what he has to to get it.
Think he’s above lip-service an extra polishing to make him look as though he sincerely cares about what the proles go through in this country? Man, you got to think again.
According to flash polling on the REAL substance of the debate, 57% thought the debate made them MORE likely to vote for Obama, while about 30% thought more likely Romney with 13% no change. In the teleology of the debate — e.g. winning the election, Obama won. Romney thinks tactically; Obama thinks strategically.
To me the greater point also is found in how Jim Lehrer just rolled over like a compliant pup and let Mitt run the debate his way. If there’s any demonstration to be had about how feckless and in the bag for the economic aristocracy the media is, that’s prima facie evidence right there.
Maybe I’m not that bright but it looks a little like the President is playing playing chess when he needs to be bringing out that big guns and makes me a little queasy in the stomach. He plays with Mitt like my cats play with a mousie toy.
Agreed, Samuel. It’s the perfect metaphor for how the “Limbaugh” culture of bullying has reduced all media personnel to Eloi, while the Morlocks of Faux Nooz jackboot and goosestep through the aether.
It’s also the reason I started this blog eight years ago, and why I post almost every day.
I think that his voucher care plan was brought out in the open, also if he does repeal ACA, Medicare will run out of money in 2016. The ACA added 8 years to the program.
I am still stunned that he denied his tax breaks would cost 5 trillion. He set Obama up by saying that Obama was going to lie during the debates, so all he had to say was “that’s not true”.
But, did anybody else feel like smacking that smirk off of Romneys face?
And that’s the only impression that will finally matter. Romney may well have won the battle and lost the war in the same evening.
The Medicare voucher and pre-existing condition lie are really devastating long-term, as was his bitchy and overbearing attacks on the moderator, and, by extension, civil debate. Good luck with that.
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