In this first segment, the moderator is letting Obama run the show and Romney is lucky to get a word in. And Obama is misrepresenting a lot of things. I'll have to get the transcript because I'm late getting in on this one.
I did like Romney's line: "Attacking me is not an agenda." Good one.
Update 1: Hmph. I'm interested in the time clock on this one so far. So far this seems like The Obama Show. Is Romney here?
America's role in the world? Romney - American must be strong, America must lead. To do that you must improve the economy. We have to strengthen our military long-term.
Tehran! The silence of the president was a "big mistake" he says.
Obama says America is stronger now than when he came into office, but this is not true. The low information voter will believe this.
Obama is trying to make the case that our relationship with Israel is stronger than ever but it's not working. He says we've cut our oil imports because we're drilling so much more at home but this, too, is a lie.
Falling back on this tired and unproven rhetoric shows Obama's weakness.
That said, now Obama blaming Bush. #Fail.
Romney pounces by lining out his plan to make America energy independent.
We can get down into the weeds but right now, Romney is very much in command of the facts and winning.
Update 2: Obama is interrupting a lot. Romney seems in command of the facts and not at all flustered by Obama's blustering.
Bob Schieffer challenges Romeny: "Where are you going to get the money," to run your agenda?
Romney: Well, Obamacare is a good start! Hell, yeah. And he plugs the Tenth Amendment. States do a much better job with this, he says.
Rick Perry is pleased.
WTF? Obama says we "need to be thinking about space." Didn't he cut that?
Update 3: It seems to me that Schieffer is letting Obama run the time and the tone of this debate. "We have these things called 'aircraft carriers,'" Obama says to Romney. Very condescending.
Obama vows that Iran will not get a nuclear weapon. He says he supports Israel in a conflict with Iran.
Romeny: "We will stand with Israel." On Iran: a nuclear capable Iran is not acceptable. Romney vows that a military option is "a last resort" only after every other option has been exhausted.
Where are the questions on Libya?
Update 4: WTH? Obama says he hasn't "apologized" to other nations? Is he not aware of YouTube?
Update 5: Romney scores on the issue of Obama's apology tour. You skipped Israel, Romney notes, and they noticed. Romney hit a nerve it seems. Obama's reaction is thin skinned.
Schieffer lobs a hypothetical question at Romney who declines to play the game. He prefers to stick to the real issues. #Score.
Still, where are the Libya quesstions?
Update 6: As much as Obama blathers about "keeping America safe," I wonder what the family of Chris Stevens has to say about that.
Latest timekeeper has Obama up four minutes on speak time. Shocker.
The twitter feed reports that the general public is bored with this debate and foreign policy. Can this be true?
I'm wondering when Obama says we need "to do nation building at home," do any of these "bored" people wonder how he is going to pay for it? Why Obama's economic policies are absolutely crippling "nation building at home"?
Ah. Bob Schieffer just noticed that Romney is also in attendance at this debate with a question about "divorcing Pakistan."
Smh.
Update 7: Romney supports drone strikes "entirely."
Libya questions, anyone?
Update 8: Oh please, baby! Obama says Al Qaeda is weaker and "does not have the same capacity" to attack America that they used to. I, respectfully, disagree.
Ask, well, almost anyone.
Obama is rambling about cheap Chinese tires and saving jobs. Is anyone talking about Libya yet?
DID I MISS IT?
Update 9: Hmm. The look on Obama's face as Romney calls China a "currency manipulator" is almost as if he's impressed; a student in class. It's like he's never thought of this before.
Romney is in command of this question.
Romney's business acumen is showing here. Obama's lack thereof is also showing.
Update 10: Obama snarks back about outsourcing "jobs overseas." - Not the point -
Score to Romney.
...... so glad I'm not live-blogging .... :|
Romney again..."Attacking me is not plan." Defends his position on the auto bailout and says he disagreed with Bush on the auto bailout. Obama interrupts. I guess it's not Romney's turn to say "get the transcript" but he doesn't, exactly. Obama: "Let's check the record." If Schieffer pulls out "the record" here, I'm done.
Update 11: Obama, "Governor Romney, you keep on trying to airbrush history." I think he's still talking about the auto bailout but he's pivoted to education, the deficit and griping about "the debt we currently have" without, somehow, mentioning that he is the one who has expanded the debt.
Romeny applies the "food stamp president" label on top of Obama's other economic failures. Romney is coming off as very sincere that people not being able to find jobs "in a nation as prosperous as ours" is "a tragedy." Very sincere and empathetic.
The end.
Closing.
Obama first.
Obama is pointing at the camera and says Romney wants to "take us back" to the old days where people at the top don't have to play by the same rules. He says he wants to bring jobs back to our shores (but his policies dont show that) and reiterates that the wealthy need to pay more. His current meme is "nation building here at home" and that through tough times, "we always bounce back."
Romney:
He wants "to see peace," and wants to make "the world a safer place." He "wants to make sure we get this economy going," which includes a track to a balanced budget. He promises 12 million new jobs and getting people off food stamps by providing new jobs. "This nation is the hope of the earth," he says.
Hmmmm. Who won?
I'm giving this one to Romney only because so much of what Obama said was not true. I did not believe his rhetoric on Israel or Iran. Obama seemed thin skinned to me and defensive.
I think Romney should have pressed more on Libya.
I don't think that this debate will tip the scales in Obama's favor given the current "Mittmentum." Fact checkers will find much fodder in Obama's statements. That said, I don't think there is all that much difference is some of Romney's positions and Obama's and if so, the question comes to Israel and Iran, to me. There is difference there. Obama has a record on both. And it's not good.
I give this one to Romney, but barely.
3 comments:
I'm sure the person observing you will be impressed by a great teacher doing her job. Is David the observer?
Awww, thanks! Yes, he is. He's a GREAT principal! I adore him, as do our kids.
Congrats at having enough patience to watch the debate, Pat. I can't do it personally. The Obamatude is just too much for me. I have to read the transcripts later.
And paging through them, it seems that Romney wanted to appeal to indies, presenting himself as collected and being capable of being in control of situations. Obama seemed like he was trying to pick a fight, which indicates desperation in politics. Plus, Obama is just telling the same lies that he does... I'll stand with Israel (except that I won't meet w/ the PM, I'll insult him behind his back w/ a hot mic, won't visit the country, won't allow Jerusalem to be called the capitol, etc.). I can't imagine this is going to swing anybody not in his side to his side. Obama's done.
I think Romney quietly won the debate (marginally isn't quite the right word, but Romney didn't win big) by playing small ball, keeping things controlled, and demonstrating that Obama really has no foreign policy per se, but just his mostly hidden opinions and beliefs-- most of which are at odds w/ the majority of Americans.
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