Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Scoring Debate II: Obama "B+", Romney, "D"

President Barack Obama re-energized his base with a strong debate performance, and showed that he had a far more comprehensive understanding of basic issues and their inter-actions  - - women's health, pay equity, immigration reform, federal budgeting - - than did Mitt Romney.

I also graded Romney down for, again, failing to list the tax deductions he'd favor eliminating (offering yet another dollar amount in that fictional "bucket list" instead), and for two huge unforced errors:

1. Accusing the President of waiting 14 days for calling the Libya attack a terrorist attack, when the moderator corrected him after a confident Obama said "get the transcript" of his remarks from the very next day.

You will hear a lot about that in the next 48 hours - - about Romney sounding more like an uninformed talk show host than an informed candidate.

2. Saying in his closing statement that he stood for 100% of the American people - - when he had gotten through 90 minutes without Barack Obama dropping Romney's taped slam at 47% of the public as lazy and dependent - - giving Obama the opening to clobber him with it as the debate's close.

So Romney handed Obama the ending, and the win.

Obama can make more hay out of the debate in ads than can Romney.

Posted at Purple Wisconsin.

9 comments:

Reagan's Disciple said...

The moderator has admitted that she made a mistake and was incorrect in regards to her comments.

oops, looks like you need to update the blog.


James Rowen said...

To RD - - I don't see that. I do see this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/moderator-candy-crowley-became-focus-of-debate-when-talked-turned-to-libya/2012/10/17/4417b04c-1810-11e2-a346-f24efc680b8d_story.html

Boxer said...

@ RD:

It's "in regard to" not "in regards to".

Oops, looks like you need to go back to grammar school. Or ask your school teacher wife to edit your comments.

Regards!

Reagan's Disciple said...

Google Crowley admits mistake to get more:

http://www.redstate.com/2012/10/17/candy-crowley-admits-romney-was-right-on-libya/

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-sheffield/2012/10/17/video-candy-crowley-admits-romney-was-correct-about-libya-attack

Boxer - Go ahead, focus on the "s." I feel bad for you when that is all you can come up with. Your party has no answers or plans. I'm surprised you didn't mention Big Bird!

James Rowen said...

Let me be the moderator here. Crowley said after debate that Obama was right on the point that Romney dragged out - - the "acts of terror" remark that Romney got wrong by 14 days, and also after the debate said Romney was right on the context.

James Rowen said...

From the Washington Post this morning:

What Crowley said on CNN after the debate: Romney “was right in the main, I just think he picked the wrong word.” But on the same network Wednesday morning, she said she was in no way taking back her original interjection.

“Listen, what I said on that stage is the same thing I said to you actually last night,” she told Soledad O’Brian. “[W]e got hung up on this ‘yes he said,’ ‘no I didn’t,’ ‘I said terror,’ ‘you didn’t say terror.’ … So I said, [President Obama] did say ‘acts of terror, call it an act of terror, but Governor Romney, you are perfectly right that it took weeks for them to get past the tape.’”

Asked if that was a backtrack, Crowley said, “No. The question was — we got so stuck on that ‘act of terror.’ Now, did the President say this was an act of terror? The president did not say — he said ‘these acts of terror,’ but he was in the Rose Garden to talk about Benghazi, so I don’t think that’s a leap.” (The exact phrase Obama used: “no acts of terror.”)

Anonymous said...

Well this explains a lot:

Reagan's Disciple said...
Google Crowley admits mistake to get more:

http://www.redstate.com/2012/10/17/candy-crowley-admits-romney-was-right-on-libya/

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-sheffield/2012/10/17/video-candy-crowley-admits-romney-was-correct-about-libya-attack


RD when your source of information are the two sources above it's no wonder you are so ill informed.

I'll bet you "confirm" your information by watching FOX and listening to Rush. Right?

Redstate.com, newsbusters.org, FOX and Rush...the perfect definition of the RWNJ bubble.

Reagan's Disciple said...

@ anon 7:01,

As opposed to how "enlightened" have become by getting your information from MSNBC, CBS, Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow.

There are plenty more... just google "Crowley admits mistake."

However, that is really not even the point. The real issue is that the moderator took sides in a debate and became the storyline. Very unprofessional, but not surprising.

What will happen next, Michelle Obama clapping for Barack's answers? I wouldn't put it past her.

Boxer said...

The real issue is that the moderator "took sides" in the debate? Really? Rayguns, you've outdone yourself this time in the ConflationWorld in which you operate.

The candidates were arguing about whether the President called the attack a terrorist attack. She said yes, the President did say it BECAUSE IT'S ON THE RECORD. How is that taking sides? It was the moderator moderating the debate so that she could could move the discussion on. Very appropriate.

If your candidate didn't want to be called on his statements, he shouldn't lie so often. Mitt's just lucky she didn't correct him every time he laid a whopper.

Why you guys go balls to the wall defending the indefensible is beyond me. It just extends the gaffe further in the public eye and brings more attention to Romney's mistakes and lies. Save your powder for something that really matters.