Predictions?
8:10: First question: Will I be able to get a job when I graduate? It goes to Romney first. Romney spends the first half of his time explaining how college should be affordable and the rest about how hard it is to find a job. Concludes with "I'm going to change that." He does not answer the question. I hate that.
Obama's response - applauds the kid for going to college then lists things he wants to do like build manufacturing jobs (how?), improve education, and then touts energy sources of the future and with a straight face says we have to reduce the deficit and quit paying for wars.
Crowley calls Romney back for a more specific answer. Romney is just blaming Obama for graduates not being able to find jobs but doesn't list specifically how he's going to change that.
First impression? The tension between the two candidates is trumping the question from the audience.
Why is it so hard for a politician to just.answer.the.question.?
8:15: Blame Bush. #Drink.
Question 2: An energy questions. Lie #1: Obama says he has increased energy production. "Malarkey!"
Romney points out that oil production is down on federal lands and has instituted a moratorium offshore. Romney is for oil, coal, gas, and renewable energy. "What we don't need is the president keeping us from taking advantage of our coal, oil and gas." Romney cites Obama's war on coal.
Romney promises energy independence in eight years.
"How in the world Obama said no to [the Keystone Pipeline] I'll never know." Score.
Romney scores on this one.
Lie #2: Obama says we're drilling more on public lands than ever before. BULL!
Obama tries to make the case that Romney has a war on coal. What the hellllllll?......
Wow.
Romney's comeback - you've cut licenses in half, Romney says. "Not true" Obama says. Fact checkers will have a field day with this one.
LMAO! Obama says the price of gas was low when he came into office because we were on the verge of another depression (translate - Blame Bush #Drink). He's not taking responsibility for where they are now, however. In essence, he's saying gas prices are higher because the economy is better? WTF?
8:25: Romney is determined to answer Obama's lies; Crowley points out it's not his turn. Romney is trying to be sort of aggressive here. Points for that. Holding his ground.
On this tax question, Romney is solid and specific. After a vague start with that first question, he's settling into his game. Obama has been thin skinned, I think, and deceptive. If he has, in fact, been deceptive, fact checkers will get him.
Obama on taxes is interesting. Is he going to address the 21 new taxes in Obamacare?
8:35: I wish Romney would nail Obama on the Obamacare taxes here.
Obama pulls out Big Bird. #Drink.
Crowley wanders into the weeds about what if Romney's numbers don't add up and he doesn't fall for that. "Of course they add up," he says, and cites his extensive business experience.
Good response.
And for the record, I think these questions are sort of lame. Now we have an equality in the workplace question. Is this the biggest issue we have before us?
8:45: Romney is making a point to tout his business experience in as many responses as he can. Plus, I think he's doing a better job at showing pathos and compassion than he has in the past. It's resonating.
On the pay equality question, Obama somehow leaps to health care. And touts Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood makes women better workers? What? What?! WTH is he talking about? (And despite what Obama says, Planned Parenthood does NOT do mammograms.)
Moving along. Next question.
Romney points out to the "undecided voter" asking him how he will differ from Bush by pointing out that he and Bush are different people. He cites specifics like clamping down on China with regard to trade, a balanced budget which Bush didn't have (and zings Obama at the same time), and on championing small businesses while Bush was a champion of big business. Clear, specific answer.
He finishes up with a zinger on how Obamacare is killing small business. SCORE.
Obama laughs. Of course.
"We came in during tough times." #drink.
Obama spends half his time hacking on Bush here. Someone please tell him that Bush isn't running this year.
8:55: On a softball question asking about his accomplishments, Obama starts with "Osama bin Laden is dead." #drink.
Touts Obamacare, reigning in Wall Street, created five million jobs and saved the auto industry. Fact checkers, please?
Obama says he wants to "control our own energy." Well yes, he's doing that #NoKeystonePipeline
Romney tells the questioner if you re-elect Obama you'll get a repeat of the last four years, which we can't afford. Romney is listing what Obama HAS NOT done: immigration reform, reducing the deficit ("in fact he doubled it"), reduction of health insurance premiums ("they've gone up"), and "he created five million jobs after losing five million jobs." And then hones in on food stamps. SCORE.
Romney is specific, on point, and winning.
9:00: An immigration question. You going to send us back?
We welcome legal immigrants, he says, and need a streamlined, legal policy. Green cards stapled to diplomas for math, science, trained people. Stop illegal immigration. No amnesty for illegals. No magnets for illegals. The kids of illegals should have a pathway such as military service to gain status.
They are both screwing up this woman's name.
Obama's response: everybody wants to come here. "We're a nation of laws. We need to fix a broken immigration system."
OMG he really went there. More agents on the border. Someone ask him about Brian Terry, please! Do those agents get guns with bullets or beanbags?
9:05: Romney sits in his chair making notes on this response.
Candy Crowley asks Romney about self-deportation but Romney chooses to correct Obama's lies about him. Candy is miffed.
Romney points out that Obama had the presidency and the Congress for two years yet did nothing with immigration reform. SCORE.
"I'm not in favor of rounding up people and taking them out of this country," says Romney.
Romney nails Obama on the pension question and Chinese investments. Candy tells Romney to sit down. Obama is uneasy on the pension question and says, "I don't check it that often; mine's not as big as yours." The audience laughs.
Next question: A Libya question. This should be good. It's to Obama first.
Who denied enhanced security and why?
9:15: Obama says as soon as he found out the embassy was being over run he told them to beef up security. Wasn't it too late then?
Obama chooses to attack Romney's press release on Libya rather than answer the question. "You don't turn national security into a political issue!"
Oh god. "When it comes to national security, I mean what I say." Oh lord. The places I could go.
Bin Laden is dead. #drink.
Romney: No demonstration involved; it WAS a terrorist attack but it took days for the American people to hear the truth. And by the way, on that same day, Obama went to Las Vegas. SCORE.
Romney points out that he should have been tending to national security business rather than campaigning. Moving on to Iran, Israel and leading from behind.
Crowley asks about Hillary taking responsibility and asks if the buck doesn't stop with him. #setup
Obama says he was in the Rose Garden the day after the attack and said it was an act of terror and that he would hunt the perpetrators down. He's offended that anyone would play politics or mislead. "That's not what we do." Really?
But he did.
Romney pins him down: On the day after the attack did you say it was an act of terror? Not a spontaneous demonstration?
Candy backs Obama, Obama says "get the transcript," the audience applauds. Romney presses the issue. Cites Susan Rice going on five talk shows saying it was a spontaneous event.
Wow. This last question about AK47s calls for a Fast and Furious answer from Romney.
Will it come?
Closing: Obama - lets get automatic weapons out of the hands of killers and the mentally ill. What about Mexican drug dealers?
Romney: not in favor of taking guns away. Automatic weapons are already illegal.
Yeah! There he goes! Fast and furious!
Obama gave guns to drug lords who killed their own citizens. "For what purpose this was put in place, I can't imagine!" SCORE!!!!!
Double score: Obama invoked executive privilege in the investigation. Candy reroutes him back to assault weapons.
That's okay - he got it in.
Obama's comeback? He's struggling. He's in the weeds here about community colleges and education. No comeback on Fast and Furious from Obama.
On the terror/Libya question - in the speech Obama referred to in the Rose Garden, he said:
"No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for. Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of the United States of America. We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done."Yet multiple times after when he was asked, he refused to call it terror.
Semantics? Same thing? You be the judge.
On an outsourcing question, Crowley asks who will bring Apple back from China. Romney says we have to make America more attractive for jobs, cites regulations, lower taxes for business, etc. Obama concedes that some jobs will never come back and blathers about tax cuts for people who don't need them.
Romney interjects: "Government does not create jobs!"
Question: What do you believe is the biggest misconception the American people have about you...".
Lame.
Romney insists that he cares about 100% of the American people, our kids, and says his passion flows from the fact that he believes in God. Cites his compassion for people out of work and says he saved the Olympics. #drink. Romney then wafts off into what we don't have to settle for, thus blowing the chance to paint himself as a human rather than the robot many undecideds think he is.
Obama: I don't think government creates jobs! #LIE! He suddenly believes in self-reliance. Lightning just struck the White House.
He said it with a straight face, too!
Obama comes out with the 47% comment. And puts it out of context.
Hmmm. Who won? I'm not sure Romney won the Libya Rose Garden question. Obama's staff (Rice) blamed the video yet Obama says he blamed terror in his speech. Which is it? You can't have it both ways. Does your staff not represent you?
I think when you sift through the lies Obama put out there, Romney was more accurate. Romney was appropriately confrontational without being Joe-Biden-Rude. Obama was more assertive, but he lied a lot.
Draw.
4 comments:
I agree that it will be a draw. I felt that Obama spent more time telling us what Romney has said (often times incorrectly), than he did telling us what he would do. Of course, what he will do is likely more of the same, just unfettered by the need for re-election in 4 years.
It seemed like Romney failed to pursue many open doors where he could have nailed Obama to the wall. I was a little surprised.....
I'm over this political theater and am ready to vote for a romney win. He's not perfect but he's no commie either.
I am amazed by the number of lies told by Obama and a media that lets him get away telling them. It bothers me that enough people still believe those lies that he has a chance at reelection. I think that Romney did fine last night. The only people undecided at this point are idiots and Romney explained Obama's record in simple terms even they can understand.
What Kartman said.
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