The Great Debate Megathread! Black Lincoln versus whiter, richer Douglas!

[mongers]

I have to admit, I didn't think I'd hear a Presidential debate invoking "state's rights" in this day and age.

Got to tilt the debate to Romney myself, mainly because he showed up and the President didn't.   

Romney took control of the debate, beat up the moderator, and addressed the President directly.   Obama really failed to even bother to attack Romney on any of his well-known weaknesses, and it wasn't like Mittens didn't leave anything out there to attack.

Hey, maybe he knows something is going to happen within the next 2-3 weeks which is going to be a game changer ?   

[Faeelin]

Yes, poor debates.

[merithyn]

They're now critiquing Leher. "The audience wants to hear from the candidates, not the moderator." Well, that's what they got tonight.

[merithyn]

Reality Check says Romney said over and over again that he would not add to the deficit, but since Romney never explained how, it gets a grade of "incomplete".

[CountDeMoney]

Hey, maybe he knows something is going to happen within the next 2-3 weeks which is going to be a game changer ?   

A Libyan surprise, perhaps?

[DGuller]

Romney clearly had a very good night, but I don't really see where "Romney won the debate" is coming from.  Yes, he swung more confidently than Obama, but at the end of the night, it was a 0:0 draw.  For me personally, the only successful punch was Obama criticizing Romney plan of giving a choice between vouchers and Medicare, because that would lead to an extremely retarded adverse selection, but I doubt that more than 1% of the people understood that.

[Sheilbh]

Romney clearly had a very good night.  Did Obama?  If the answer's 'no', then that's why Romney won

[FunkMonk]

What is the format for the next two debates anyway?

[Neil]

Romney can have the debates, because Obama is going to win the election.

Obama has this locked up because two groups of people are stupid:  The people who think that the Tea Party is good idea, and women who vote.

[DGuller]

Romney clearly had a very good night.  Did Obama?  If the answer's 'no', then that's why Romney won

To win a debate, you actually have to make a damaging point successfully.  Being more poised while failing to land a punch doesn't get you a victory over an opponent who is less well poised while failing to deliver a punch.  Or, in soccer match terms, the team that got more corner kicks and free kicks close to the penalty area in a 0:0 game still doesn't win.

[Valmy]

Reality Check says Romney said over and over again that he would not add to the deficit, but since Romney never explained how, it gets a grade of "incomplete".

DIdn't he say that the deficit as it stands is unacceptable and immoral?  Something about robbing from the next generation?

Seems weird to say that and then promise to maintain the deficit as it stands.

[CountDeMoney]

I dunno, DG.  I think Obama really missed an opportunity with the taxes, with Social Security, and letting Mittens hammer him on that $700-whatever billion stolen-from-Medicare-to-fund-Obamacare myth without so much as return fire.
And the biggest thing was he left Mittens off the hook when he said he wasn't proposing a $5 trillion deficit bump with his tax cuts, which is simply an outright lie.  Never bothered to challenge Mittens at all on it.

Obama had a real chance, should he have come out with a killer instinct, to shut the door on this election, and he didn't. 

But I wonder how much flak Mittens will get from the Tea Partiers and the Grover Norvequist types.  In a lot of ways, Mittens pretty much took a left turn out there tonight and either 1) dispensed of some of the party platform or 2) outright lied.

[Sheilbh]

A debate isn't like a football match though, your other metaphor's better.  It's like a boxing match, with the audience (and punditocracy) as judges.  There's always a winner, and even if you don't knock your opponent out you can win on points - which Romney did.

I think the real issue is whether this is 2004 or 1980.

[Eddie Teach]

Obama has this locked up because two groups of people are stupid:  The people who think that the Tea Party is good idea, and women who vote.

I don't follow your logic here. Obama will win because stupid people are voting against him and for him? 

[DGuller]

I dunno, DG.  I think Obama really missed an opportunity with the taxes, with Social Security, and letting Mittens hammer him on that $700-whatever billion stolen-from-Medicare-to-fund-Obamacare myth without so much as return fire.
And the biggest thing was he left Mittens off the hook when he said he wasn't proposing a $5 trillion deficit bump with his tax cuts, which is simply an outright lie.  Never bothered to challenge Mittens at all on it.

Obama had a real chance, should he have come out with a killer instinct, to shut the door on this election, and he didn't. 

But I wonder how much flak Mittens will get from the Tea Partiers and the Grover Norvequist types.  In a lot of ways, Mittens pretty much took a left turn out there tonight and either 1) dispensed of some of the party platform or 2) outright lied.

Again, in soccer terms, Obama missed a penalty shot.  Yes, you definitely are not at your best when you get a penalty shot and miss it, but a 0:0 game is still a draw.  I agree that the apparent decision for Obama to look presidential rather than hammer Mitt was not the optimal strategy.