Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Tonight Romney had to show he was capable of being the commander-in-chief and steward of our international relations. He achieved that. He took small telling shots as in "attacking me is not a policy." More importantly, he was very effective whenever he went to strategy. He showed detailed understanding of numerous countries. Impressive.
The president's line equating the ships of the Navy with horses of the old cavalry struck me as laying a trap for himself. Sounded dismissive of the military and its needs. In this and other ways, he seemed small at times. Further, he needed to show Romney as unready and reckless. In that, he failed.
So bottom line: Romney wins again. To my eye, all the debates have been Romney wins -- the first one huge, the second small, this one in between.
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May '10
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Clark, I agree with your bottom line. I also think Ryan did a good job in the VP debate, against a nasty, snide jerk. He can't help being a wonk.
Aug '10
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Romney was presidential! Obama was angry and disrespectful.
May '11
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Agree. I bet even the instapundit is getting cocky.
Jun '11
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Romney had many more good points than less-good: even Peter had cop to that.
Aug '12
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
To hawkish partisans Romney was probably something of a disappointment. To swing voters I'm sure he seemed reasonable and reassuring. Win for Romney.
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Clark, I've known you for 30 years. Why do we always agree?
Apr '12
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
The main stream media are asking Debbie Wasserman about Romney saying "attacking me is not laying out a vision."
One talking head saying he thinks Romney won but he is getting slaughtered on Twitter and the other three are sighing and spluttering.
Mitt is a mature leader, the best of America.
May '10
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Ships? Ships are going obsolete, just like horse and bayonets. We're replacing ships with aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.
Feb '12
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Romney remains Mr Calm and Reason compared to Mr Manipulations and Distortions.. Romney is on track for a win.
May '10
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Today's navy can move beyond ships as its primary means of waging war, just like yesterday's navy was able to do away with horses and bayonets as its primary means of waging war.
May '10
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Washington Post:
What debate were they watching?
Mar '11
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Romney's was one of the most impressive debate performances I've ever seen. His main goal was not to be painted as uninformed, reckless or a warmonger. He repeatedly declined to rise to Obama's bait. He showed a great deal of discipline and respect for the voters' ability to see through Obama's bluster.
Aug '12
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Romney wins. I loved how Romney skillfully sidestepped the loaded question by the moderator about the hypothetical call from Israel that they'd bombed Iran. "My relationship with Israel is not such that I would get a call saying they are bombing Iran." --because the U.S. and Israel obviously would have discussed such a monumental decision beforehand. This man has the wisdom of Solomon.
Wrong and reckless? No, correct and careful; right and ready.
Aug '10
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Mitt went after Independents and undecided voters tonight. He went after those voters in the swing states and he did a great job. As conservatives and strong supporters, we may have wished that he had been more agressive. He's got our vote.
He was reassuring to those who voted for Obama in 2008 and know they made a mistake. This is exactly what he needed to do.
Now let's hope the spinners don't win the post-debate debate.
May '10
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Say it...over and over...
President Romney
Jun '11
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
What I find annoying, is that the lefties are pushing the Obama win. CNN pol pretends to be +R (who knows whats true?) and they score it 40 R and 48 O but its REGISTERED VOTERS.
Wolf Blitzer is spinning the poll hard. I think this is the last stand of the MSM.
Mitt won.
Jun '12
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
An astute observation D, I hope the others see it too.
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
I watched with the sound off for a while, and the difference was striking: Romney was engaged, expressive, with a wide vocabulary of gestures. Obama tilted his head down and to the side and stuck out his hand as if trying to generate Force Lightning. The difference between explaining and lecturing, communicating and commanding.
The closing statements? The difference between the wind in one's face and the wind at one's back.
Aug '10
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
While it's clear that Romney appeared much more presidential tonight it is also clear that the MSM is in a full out sprint to get Obama reelected.
In viewing the post-debate news shows CNN, MSNBC, et al have gone into a zombie like trance chanting, "Obama won debate - Obama will win election". Any hint of objectivity is gone - no time for that!
Edited on October 23, 2012 at 5:29amMay '10
Re: Assessment of debate: R did what he had to do; O didn't
Agree on all points--plus James' about gestures.
This was Romney's second best debate.
On the whole, he's a man that gives the regular voter hope that all is not lost. It might actually be possible to pull back from the brink and out of the morass.
Maybe America actually could get back on track if we had real leadership!
Obama is all hot air. No one believes him anymore.