Obama will lose tonight's debate
Obama will lose tonight's debate
I just had on MSNBC (what...you were expecting Fox News?) with my preferred method of the sound off as I started writing this, and I saw Michelle Obama yammering about something over the chyron, "Great Expectations." Seriously, MSNBC? At least when it comes to President Obama and debates, I think the hour of the great expectations is long passed. The truth is that his 2008 debate performance was pretty mediocre, too, but his opponent John "That one!" McCain was equally lost. What's more, the Atlantic's Molly Ball, in a much-discussed piece, makes the argument that Obama's been "off his game" (assuming he once had one) for weeks now. Who knows why that is? Maybe the pressure....of living with his mother-in-law...finally got to him after four years.
So what should Obama do tonight? The worst thing is to raise "great expectations" that he's going to come out a completely different man -- because that's just not going to happen. He does need to a better job explaining, in his own plodding way, where the country's been the last 12 years and what could go wrong if America's low-information voters pick the call-in winner of "Debating With The Stars."
He should also take a page from the book of...ahem..Ronald Reagan. In 1984, a befuddled Gipper looked older than his 73 years in his first debate with Walter Mondale, and he was beaten so badly it nearly unraveled his carefully-crafted "Morning in America" strategy. In the second debate, he famously joked that "I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience." The gambit worked -- even though the truth was that Reagan's overall performance wasn't that great in the second debate, merely good enough.
If I were in President Obama's often-looked-down-at shoes, I'd look into the camera (because that alone would be progress!) and just admit it: "I should have done better last time -- not for me, but for the millions of people who've donated their time or their money for my campaign, and for the entire nation I've been honored to serve as president. You know, I wasn't the president of my high school debate club..maybe I knew even then that wasn't my thing. But running a country is more than a debate society..."
He then needs to find a more politically correct way to ask America if it really wants to pick the guy who smiles more and looks into the camera better...so he can spend four years cutting taxes for the rich, threatening 50 years of progress on women's rights and voting rights and returning to a reckless neocon foreign policy. If he does that, he'll still probably "lose the debate" on style points. But maybe he'll win just enough for the millions of people who don't want to go back to the 2000s... or the 1890s.
Really the only hope either way is that total obstruction continues, and the economy recovers, at an accelerated pace, in spite of any policy. The chances are unlikely, but it may be the best alternative at this point. Perhaps, if he does somehow get elected, Romney's plan isn't set in stone, but is instead a base from which to legislate from, so that policies most important to the right (tax cuts, social spending cuts) aren't overwhelming, but accommodating.— Murrayman- I am in agreement with Pa-Triot. However, if Romney wins what will be the difference? A: War with Iran. More GDP out the window and no economic recovery. This is what Republicans do well. Good Luck Suckers!— A. Martinez
- Willard will win the debate tonite.....even if he doesnt.....just ask fox noise.— Argos
- "It is imperative that Obama wins re-election"
LOL...to continue failed policies...yes more Green, more millions lost, continue policies that haven't worked...IDIOTS!! We need folks who can create jobs not organize communities, all the Lib billionaires will make money too...more of them than Republicans!!!
"Do we want more decisions like Citizens United? How about the Scalia/Thomas/Akin/Tom Smith/Paul Ryan attack on Roe v Wade"?
More decisions like Obamacare where more than 50% of people oppose it, more shovel ready that "wasn't as shovel ready as we thought" How about more Ginsberg, Kennedy, Sotomayer, Kagen?? How about Roberts..you like him???...LOL!!!
"Do we want schools teaching Creationism in public schools"?
Do we want schools teaching gay history while ignoring Civics and Social Studies?
"Tonight is do or die for President Obama"
The Lib media will find a way to make it seem like he won, look what they did with Creepy Biden...First thing "Leg Tingler" said was "Biden won" even while the polls were saying otherwise.
"He needs to call Romney out on his shape-shifting and take control of this debate".
Barry shouldn't go there with "shape-shifting", he is the King of it. Barry needs to tell us all how Green Energy, shovel-ready, infrastructure actually helped any of us. He needs to explain why Ford Motor Company is doing fine after taking no money while GM and Chrysler are in debt to taxpayers for billions...simple..why should we go "Forward", what are we missing???— sarah89 - Among the other idiotic parts of Sarah's post:
"Do we want schools teaching Creationism in public schools?
Do we want schools teaching gay history while ignoring Civics and Social Studies?"
Not even sure to start with this fruitcake. Better to just ignore her inane posts and chalk her up as a staunch member of the Mental Patient Party.— wokmaster - @PA-triot: I'm not so much voting *for* Romney as I'm voting against Obama. Probably the last candidate I actually voted for was Clinton's second run. I'm not crazy about either choice, but I'd rather vote than not vote. If only Ross Perot was back in the race (sigh)...just kidding.— LouDiamondPhillipsheadScrewdriver
- Only 97% of the nation's blacks favor Obama? I'm astounded. Why is that? It wouldn't be because he's BLACK, would it? Nah, there's no racism in the USA.— catharine_christian_carpenter
- And 97% of blacks voted for Gore and Kerry, clearly racists. You are a dope! — The Fundamentals of the Economy are Fine
- wok....sara is a religous zealot cut from the same cloth as the radical muslims— Argos
- I have a cousin who's a Catholic priest. Devout man of faith and brilliant mind. Even he says that the Bible should not be taken literally. But, no, the finest right wing intellectual minds like "LOL Sarah" don't want our children to be taught evolution. She's such a low-information voter that she grouped Kennedy in with the liberals. She thinks Biden lost the debate. Like I said, it's hard to know where to start with her.— wokmaster
- Where are Mitt's tax plan details? Still not on his website, and it makes you wonder why after all this time and the number of people who've asked for it. Why elect a president that can't/won't share the details of his plans with those whose votes he seeks? In your personal lives, would you make a decision like this, a major commitment of your life, to something you can't find out about? So why elect a Prez that way? BUYER BEWARE! If the salesman won't show you the product, don't buy it!— philharmonic55
- Really? Did you watch the debate? I am pretty sure Mitt Romney said it 4 times. He is going to lower the tax rate 20% for everyone. Lower the tax rate 20% for everyone. Simple as that. Pay attention clown. — Matt from Iowa
- Got any details? Cause Mitt doesn't. — wokmaster
- Love the libs panic, even to the point of Bunch making excuses ahead of time. Wok's & Murray's heads might explode if the messiah blows it again. Evidently for both, drones aren't just aircraft.— jimmymack
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