Obama will lose tonight's debate
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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.
Since the "decision" in the last presidential wrestling match was based on who could lie in the loudest voice, there's a good chance Obama could lose.
How long can a country be this stupid and still survive? The United States is over... doomed.
— carl and sons- #1 - way to insult the American voter. #2, he DOES need to apologize and say he should have done better... OVER THE LAST 4 YEARS. He is the 2nd worse President in the last 50 years (Carter wins that dubious title).— IggleFan68
- You're not living in the real world. America is obviously better off than it was four years ago under Bush.
- In today's survey, men back Romney 54 - 43 percent, compared to a 49 - 48 percent split September 26. Women back Obama 57 - 39 percent, little changed from last month. White voters back Romney 53 - 43 percent while black voters back Obama 97 - 1 percent. White Catholic voters go Republican 56 - 43 percent. Voters with college degrees back the president 54 - 43 percent while voters without degrees are divided with 49 percent for Obama and 47 percent for Romney.
Only 7 percent of Pennsylvania likely voters say they might change their mind in the next 21 days.
"Gov. Mitt Romney is coming on strong in the Keystone State, especially among white Catholics," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
-- PA is not in play. Tonight will help determine the outcome. However, it might be Obama's strength in format, but everything he said to get elected will be challanged tonight. Obamo's words will come to haught him.— Fisher 
It is imperative that Obama wins re-election. One of a myriad of reasons is that there could be 2 or 3 Supreme Court appointments at stake. Do we want more decisions like Citizens United? How about the Scalia/Thomas/Akin/Tom Smith/Paul Ryan attack on Roe v Wade? Do we want schools teaching Creationism in public schools? Tonight is do or die for President Obama. He needs to call Romney out on his shape-shifting and take control of this debate.— wokmaster- The Roe v. Wade stuff is funny. While basically pro-life, my daughter (who voted for Barry 4 years ago) recently floated the potential overturn as something to be concerned about. When told all that would do is send the decision back to the states and not outlaw anything, she said 'really?', and then did some research on her own. After doing the research, she then asked why Democrats are lying about R v. W? A fine question, I guess it is just what they do. She's voting Romney this time, enthusiastically. Forward. — bil,l atkins
- Overturning Roe would absolutely outlaw it many parts of the country, when most - if not all - of the red states declared abortion illegal. It shouldn't be up to the states to decide. It is the law of the land. Has been for 38 years. — wokmaster
- You can tell the democrats and you are freaking out when they have to play the abortion card to motivate their so-called base. I expect the race card to come out soon. All signs that Romney is winning. — CD75
- wok, your desperation is unbecoming. Well, not really. lol — bil,l atkins
- wackmaster-under your "law of the land" doctrine we should still have legal slavery, segregation and blacks count as 3/5 of a man. Oh, and women shouldn't vote. Moron.
— georgel - *myriad reasons*, *teachers teaching "creationism"*— wokmaster
- Little did I know the Republic will be on the brink of collapse if Romney wins! Gasp! I better start voting for Obama early and often!— LouDiamondPhillipsheadScrewdriver
- I'm assuming you were alive during the Bush years. See any difference in his policies with the ones Romney is proposing? — wokmaster
- There is absolutely NO daylight between Romney's policies and those of George W. Bush.
- There is an alarm going off across the country. People are looking within themselves and their wallet. High unemployment, rising consumer prices for everything, and barrels of hype and blame by the present administration. Obama has NOT solved our problems, but has decreased America's standing in the World. Be it foreign policy, our decreased credit rating, and our increasing debt which we cannot cover. As Hillary quoted... "the buck stops here."
Obama's buck is OVER spent.— FocusTruthFully
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