The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
Troy Senik has commanded me to write a note about the first debate—invite a man to become an editor of Ricochet and he turns into a martinet—and for the last couple of days, I’ve been scratching my head, wondering what I might say that would prove at all useful or original. The best I can do, I’ve decided, is to suggest to Mitt Romney that from time to time during the debate he would do well to display a particular trait:
Indignation.
If Governor Romney truly believes that President Obama has damaged the economy, wasted billions of dollars, and enacted a partisan, divisive, and utterly unwarranted expansion of federal power that will only degrade American health care, then his demeanor toward the president ought to indicate as much. Mitt Romney needs to exhibit authentic emotion. He needs to get angry.
Doing so would enable him to connect with ordinary people. A very rich man, Romney need never worry about finding himself unemployed or underwater on a mortgage. For that matter, he need never worry about rationing under ObamaCare—rich people can always find doctors. When he displays indignation, then, Romney will do so not on his own behalf but on ours.
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Jul '10
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
Mitt needs to hold his own. That's it. No matter what the frauds in the DNC are saying he is not -I repeat not- the favorite in this or any other debate with Obama.
The President is an attorney, a law school lecturer, an accomplished public speaker, and, well, the President. Of course he will perform skillfully.
Many people who like the President and his rhetorical performances aren't too happy about their personal circumstances, nor those of their country broadly. Plenty of these folks will be happy to jump ship for a competent, ready on day one alternative.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to watch Mitt deal figurative knockout blows. However, that is not the bar he has to clear; he merely needs to be comparably "presidential."
Sep '12
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
I agree! He should express righteous indignation, especially about Fast&Furious-Gate and Benghazi-Gate.
I hope he talks about the contrast of values. The American Trinity vs. the Left Wing Trinity, as explained in Dennis Prager's book. We know we'll win on values!
Aug '12
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
Call him on every lie, identify every failed policy, contrast every socialist policy with genuine conservative free market solutions. That's all!!
Dec '11
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
On virtually every issue, Romney can pre-empt the President's usual talking points by repeating this mantra: "You took a bad situation...and you made it worse."
Sep '12
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
Perhaps: "If you'd acted on the advice of your own debt commission, we'd be better off now than we were four years ago. If you'd expedited the Keystone Pipeline, we'd be better off now than we were four years ago. If you'd cut regulations on small businesses, written a budget that Congress could pass, protected our consulates in the Middle East, and called out the Occupy movement for what it was, we'd be better off now than we were four years ago. But you didn't do any of that, and here we sit, poorer, more fearful and more divided than we were four years ago."
Edited on October 2, 2012 at 12:27pmNov '11
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
Sabrdance: I want Romney to do his impression of John Adams from1776 (alas, can't find the clip on YouTube) when Mr. Dickinson wants to make peace with England. Fill in the equivalent points.
"Good God, man, why can't you admit what already exists? It has been more than a year since Concord and Lexington. [CoC] man, we're at war! Right now!"
Maybe "It has been more than a year since job growth exceded population growth. We're in recession! Right now!"
or "It has been more than a month since Benghazie and Cairo and Yemen and Nigeria and... and Camp Bastion. We're under attack in the Middle East. Right Now!"
or "It has been more than a year since you shoveled guns into the hands of the Cartels. It is a bloody debacle. Right now! And has been from the start!" ·
Yup, and he should keep hitting and hitting and hitting, because the list of things, both foreign and domestic, that Obama has screwed up is practically endless.
There's plenty of ammunition for ten debates. Romney just needs to have the guts and the gumption to load, aim, and fire; reload, aim, fire; . . .
Edited on October 2, 2012 at 4:35amJul '11
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
I think America deserves better than a dishonest failure of a man running the show.
I'd love to see Romney at least discuss Obama's pathological lying, the complicit media, and Obama's dismal record.
Romney must win this debate. If he can't find a way to embarrass the president on his pitiful record, innumerable missteps, outright lies, and generally being the worst in history then we have minimal chance.
Does anyone else think Obama may have the questions already?
Jul '10
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
By the way Peter, I can totally see Troy as a martinet.
It's always the seemingly easygoing types you have to watch.
Jun '10
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
Today's Eeyore-ism:
I heard it early today, and haven't checked it out since. But I heard that Mitt's team has come up with a Sooper-Knock-Out technique: They have written, and had Mitt memorize, a bunch of so-called "zingers" to throw at Obama.
Dios en Cielo!
Edited on October 2, 2012 at 6:51amAug '10
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
For what it's worth, this is my take. http://ricochet.com/member-feed/We-can-do-better/(comment)/470261#comment-470261
Jun '11
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
Obama has been coddled and over-praised all his life. And we on the right have bought into this! Admit it, guys. Look into your heart, as I am doing for the first time. Haven't you said "brilliant speaker" when you knew in you heart "pleasant accent, nice voice, good looks" was the maximum you could honestly say? When you found out - inexcusably late - that he was no "constitutional law" "professor" but an untenured lecturer on some 14th Amendment law, were you, like me, too polite (in fact cowardly) to say so? We should have shouted it from the housetops. He has been exploiting this misplaced sense of decorum his whole life long. He is a fraud, a phoney, almost an ignoramus, talented only at self-promotion. He plays on people's guilt feelings over the wrongs of US blacks, wrongs of which he never in his privileged life had the tiniest taste. When he debated McCain Obama winged it with ignorant claptrap (on Pakistan, flagrantly). Even guilt-addled McCain managed to protest, but the dishonest ignorant, guilt-addled media let it drop.Search your hearts on Obama. Tell the truth. Your duty's to do, your country's to save.
Jul '11
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
He should go to the debates and tell them what he will give them. The one thing that seems consistent through out history is that the people can be bought.
Edited on October 2, 2012 at 9:14amJul '11
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
Though I admit it would be fun to watch Mitt get a good lather going, anger, even righteous indignation, is the worst thing Romney can display during the debate. There is a ready trope that is very easy for the undecided voter to fall back into. This trope is loosely expressed as, Conservative opposition to Democrat policies is driven by reactionary hatred buttressed by racism and bigotry. To feed this beast is to usher disaster. As of this moment, there is a crack in this hatred trope, a crack which can be widened by focusing without emotion, save disappointment, on policy themes. Instead, a focus on appearing objective and policy driven should fuel the growing sense of disillusionment between the promise of Obama as savior and the reality of Obama as President. Romney's anger, on the other hand, would offer to the undecided voter the familiar and comfortable fall back position of 2008 based upon the emotional oceanic appeal of Obama.
Feb '11
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
It always amazes me that Mark Steyn has new insights every time he is interviewed.
Here he is doing two hours with Milt Rosenberg. Just fabulous, especially when he seems to get hysterical. That is the tone we need from Romney on Wednesday.
May '11
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
Calling Jonah Goldberg!
Mitt needs to attack the cliches by which Obama has tyrannized us. He needs to portray Reid, Pelosi, and Obama as being, at the kindest, stupid people who govern by cliches which they are too stupid to know the limitations of. Start with "stimulus" and go from there.
Be prepared to go over the head of the moderator: "This is too important an issue for a two-minute sound bite. I'm prepared to stay here all night. If the President has a tee time or a Conan appearance he prefers to make, I'm sure your audience is willing to stick around for a full discussion. Just me and you. Without the President, we can cut out the middleman."
Feb '11
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
It's the economy, stupid, is top of the list. The foreign policy debacles are background of a house of fire, adding to the problems at home. In my Purple state I know a many voters who freely agree that Obama has been a bad President and made matters worse. BUT (and it's a big but), they don't think Romney will do better for them. They've bought the line fed by Obama and the Dinosaur Media that Romney will just help the rich. They don't see how Romney will help them. The FUD of Obama has worked so far, at this point they'll go with the devil they know.
Romney needs to be positive and negative to win them. The positive Romney is already doing, hammering how his policies will help the Middle Class. But he also needs to hammer Obama as a liar and divider, explicitly going after Obama's claims that Romney will only help the rich. If he doesn't hammer here, he's not credible and he won't win these voters.
The good news is these people are paying attention, can be won, and are probably about 10% of electorate.
Edited on October 2, 2012 at 10:20pmFeb '12
Re: The First Debate: What Mitt Must Do
I disagree. Mitt Romney does NOT need "to exhibit authentic emotion" or "get angry." He needs to do is what he already does brilliantly. Be amiable, honest, smart and genuine. All he has to do is show up. The rest is up to us.