Thursday, October 4, 2012

Debate #1

My initial response:   I think it depends on which one you wanted to win as to which you thought won.   It also depends on how much you know about the issues to know that much of what Romney said was pure bunk.

Romney's strategy seemed to be to throw out so much garbage that Obama couldn't possibly respond to all of it in time given;  but it made him look like he had the facts at his finger-tips and put Obama on the defensive.    For the uninformed, he might seem to have won.   How would it have been scored by debate-scoring rules?   I don't know, and that probably doesn't matter to voters anyway.

CNN had a group of undecided voters choose the winner:   Romney 46%, Obama 32%, tie 22%. 

Romney was certainly more aggressive and hyped up and also crisper in his answers -- but were they coherent?  That's the question.  He didn't make any major gaffes, although he got some facts wrong.   The errors will be pointed out in days to come, but that won't matter much to most voters.   They're used to his lies.

I'd say it was not a game-changer, but overall Romney probably helped himself, and the polls will tighten up.   This is usually what happens in the first debate with an incumbant and a challenger.

But here's why I much preferred Obama's more laid back performance.

1.  Romney was so hyped-up and aggressive that it made him grating and annoying.  His hyper state bordered on mania, and he seemed only a couple of steps away from being deranged.

2.  I want to see what the fact-checkers do with this, but I know of a lot of things that he said just are not true or contradict what he has said before.

3.  And what about his changing his so-called tax plan, which he's never really put forth as a plan -- only bits and pieces.  He's been saying for two years that he wants to cut taxes for the upper income peopleTonight he says his plan doesn't do that.   He just flat said it in contradicting what he's been saying all along.

4.  Many of his attacks on Obama were distorted or outright wrong.

5.  If you grade them on likeability, I would put Obama way ahead.   The Romney on stage tonight was even less likeable than the one we've been seeing.

The big loser tonight?   Jim Lehrer.   He didn't frame it well.  After saying it was to be on domestic policies, all of his questions were about jobs and the economy -- the areas of Obamas's vulnerability.   Not a single question about immigration, women's rights, abortion rights, gay rights, climate change, where Romney loses the voters' support.

Ralph

No comments:

Post a Comment