One More (Useless) Summary of the Debates

Eli,

While you were galavanting in the Middle East last week there was a debate here between Romney and Obama. They tell me Romney mopped the floor with Obama. They say Obama is playing 12-level chess and this is all part of his plan. They say Obama was incapacitated by the Denver altitude (That's Al Gore's theory). They say Romney's twin brother showed up. They say Obama doesn't want to be President anymore; he's bored. They say Romney lied. They say Obama lied. They say it was Jim Lehrer's fault. The reactions are all rather amusing. Plenty of exuberance (rational or not to be determined) on the Republican side and plenty of pathos on the Democratic side.

My first impression of the debate was it was pretty even. But I don't watch TV, I listen to it. Many of the commentators tell me if you didn't listen to the debate it was clear Romney won. That's an odd thing. Shouldn't we be listening instead? Oh well.

My second impression was Romney was Romney and Obama was Obama. I don't think Romney was particularly different than what he is usually nor was Obama.

I believe the problem many supporters of Obama had was they thought their caricature of Obama was going to debate their caricature of Romney. Unfortunately for them, the actual men showed up. Anyone who has watched Romney at any of his campaign rallies, or delivering his stump speech knew the real Romney is nothing like the picture Obama has painted of him. And anyone who has watched Obama over the past four years knows he is nothing like picture painted of him by his supporters (and detractors) either.

Best lines of the night? Obama complaining about companies getting a tax break for shipping jobs overseas. Romney turns to him and says "Dude," (I paraphrase) "Dude, I've been in business for 25 years and I have no idea what you are talking about. There is no such law." Obama was silent. Obama was complaining about $4 billion of tax breaks the oil industry gets. Romney turns to him and says, "Bro, you've spent $90 billion on green energy subsidies and you are B&Ming about $4 billion? What up with that?" Obama was silent. Finally, Romney points out Obama's policy is to pick winners and losers in the economy, turns to Obama and says, "but as a friend pointed out to me, you don't pick the winners and losers, you just pick the losers." Obama was silent.

Game on.

Bill

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