After 45 years of marriage, my wife will sit down and watch her very first presidential debate with me, from start to end. She watched a little of the 2008 debates, but tonight she told me that she would watch the entire 90 minutes because she's tired of hearing of what others think. She's behind Obama 100% but, she’s relying on what she will see tonight, instead of what the pundits will say tomorrow.
The pre-debate hype is as high as I've ever seen it, and I guess that's due to 24/7 media coverage of what to expect. Yesterday, Matt Drudge and Tucker Carlson tried to influence the media by digging up yet another exclusive Obama bombshell. Fox News picked up a tease and advertised it as breaking news tonight on Sean Hannity. As usual, it was nothing more than a 2007 Obama speech where he gave a shout-out to his Pastor Jeremiah Wright. Sean Hannity said he sounded blacker than usual. The people who are behind this must think that their viewers are pretty gullible because this video has already been hashed out by Tucker Carlson when he was a host on MSNBC.
Yesterday, I read an article by George Will, which puzzled me because I think the conservative columnist is a pretty smart man. I don't usually agree with him, but I like to hear or read his viewpoint. He said that although the economic figures are dismal, and our foreign policy is in shambles; President Obama shouldn't even be close to being reelected. I don't agree with that analysis, but I can understand why someone would see it that way. It's the reason he gave for the president being reelected that left me puzzled. He said that President Obama would get a second chance because voters are reluctant to throw out the first black president. He went onto say that Frank Robinson stayed on as the Cleveland Indian manager because the owner didn't want the fire the first black manager in major league baseball. George Will knew that he would be criticized and would be called a racist for having those views. I wouldn't say that he was a racist, but I know there's not a measurement of how many people who would vote that way. This is just my opinion, but I don't think there's that many people who think that way.
This morning the panel on “Morning Joe” were discussing the most-recent polls where it showed that the race is tightening prior to tonight's debate. Joe Scarborough started the discussion by mentioning what he thought was a gaffe by Joe Biden that was similar to Mitt Romney's 47% comment. Joe Scarborough went into a laughing fit mocking Joe Biden for saying, “This is deadly earnest, man. This is deadly earnest. How can they justify raising taxes on the middle class that’s been buried the last four years? How in the Lord’s name can they justify raising their taxes with these tax cuts?” Joe Scarborough said it was an indictment on the president's policies because they were in office. I guess you could see it that way, but I've been saying that the middle class has been suffering for over 10 years. It's no question that they suffered the most because their companies have either laid them off, cut back their hours and benefits, and many have lost their homes. Joe Biden's comment will get some blowback because people act on sound bites and how they are portrayed.
I don't think you can compare Joe Biden's remarks to the 47% comment that was reinforced by Paul Ryan's words in November when he told a conservative crowd that 30% of the people don't share the American dream. Those two comments are accurate depictions of what the Republican Party really thinks. It hasn't changed much throughout the years. I saw a clip of the 1976 debate between James L. Buckley and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, where Buckley constantly accused his opponent of supporting a welfare state. The GOP is proud of their “takers and makers" mentality. For example, the other day a Paul Ryan supporter asked the Congressman if there was a way to make sure everyone paid something “have some skin in the game." Paul Ryan had a chance for redemption, but he made it worse by saying, " we want to make those people taxpayers by making jobs available to move them into the middle class." A lot of the 47% are seniors, returning veterans, students working part time while attending college, so making more jobs attainable will not get them out of the 47%.
Joe Scarborough hates to be corrected, but he doesn't realize that non conservatives don't think that Ronald Reagan was perfect. Joe was saying that if Mitt Romney could have Reaganesque results if he uses the same tactics that the late president did against Jimmy Carter. He got angry when someone pointed out that Ronald Reagan never had a plan on how to release the hostages in Iran, he famously said, “we only have one commander in chief at a time" but he did give a great optimistic closing speech backed by an economy that was showing no sign of improvement. Mark McKinnon, political strategists for President George W. Bush tried to say that the debates won the election for his candidate. He showed a little anger when someone pointed out that Al Gore won the popular vote by 600,000 votes, and it was left up to the Supreme Court. It's funny how those little facts play into the picture.
The Romney camp is saying the people will finally get to know the real Mitt Romney. I thinks that's just spin like the one saying that people are just now starting to get interested in the election. I disagree because the 2012 GOP primaries were viewed by many and many people are requesting early voting ballots.
I'm eagerly awaiting the debate tonight, and I don't expect get much sleep because I'll have to watch the post-debate analysis. About 45 million people viewed Sarah Palin and Barack Obama's acceptance speech and that many will probably view tonight's debate.
11 comments:
Mitt Romney is hinting that his tax plan will limit the sum of all deductions at $17,000 for everyone but it doesn't explain how it it will offset the 20% tax cut the wealth will get and I wonder if it passes the Grover Norquist "no tax pledge?"
I,too, am excited about the debate!
Yeah, I was flipping around the channels yesterday, and I saw Carlson and Hannity trying to make a big deal out of the old video. My first thought was "This is the best you can do? Really?" Old news, folks! Putz!
George Will-->"wah,wah,wah..." like the adults in the animated Peanuts cartoons! I really get tired of his worn out baseball analogies! If he provides an explanation for Obama being reelected that doesn't blame the poor candidate on the right's side, then we will all feel good, right? Will wants to give them an out so the morning after the election they will suddenly appear to be benevolent.
I have gotten tired of Joe Scarborough. He needs to make up his mind. He just blurts stuff out, and then looks puzzled when folks don't 'get it'. Why doesn't he just go over to FOX, or do they find him too wishy-washy too?
I'm beginning to think that Paul Ryan is even more out of touch than Mittens is! He and Mitt ought to get together once in awhile and compare notes. They really need to be on the same page...
If the Romney folks are suggesting that we are going to finally get to know the real Mitt in the same manner that America finally got to know the real Rick Perry, then I whole-heartedly concur! Bring on your zingers, Mittens! I've been practicing my eye-rolls all day!
Yeah I'm getting a little tired of Joe Scarborough talking about his runaway election victories and the infallible Ronald Reagan.... He ragged on Mitt Romney until the race tighten in a few polls and now he's talking about one great debate will make Romney president.... Scarborough wouldn't last long at Fox because he thinks he's a moderate..lol
There's no doubt that Paul Ryan is more of an ideologue than Mitt Romney but that's not hard to do since Mitt doesn't have any core principles.
Mitt Romney may put on a different performance tonight but I think that's part of his persona... If he loses tonight, he'll try some else the next time. He's already made a full 180° on his immigration policy since he's pretty close in Colorado and Nevada. Instead of self deportation, he said (and this is no exaggeration) "Romney told the Denver Post in an interview Monday that those who qualify for the deferred action program created by President Obama in June would be permitted to stay for the allotted term. ..Just two hours ago," “Responding to a Globe request to clarify Romney’s statement to The Denver Post, Romney’s campaign said he would honor deportation exemptions issued by the Obama administration before his inauguration but would not grant new ones after taking office.”..He's hoping the Hispanics won't notice the fine print.
That may be the answer for George Will's new excuse because we all know Republicans never lose elections, it's either voter fraud, ACORN, Ross Perot, not conservative enough or people just wanted to make history and elect the first black president.
Your last comment about republicans never losing just affirms that republicans and aggies are almost interchangeable these days. The aggies never lose--they just run out of time.
IMO....Mitt Romney won the debate hands down but more on that tomorrow.
President Obama used the rope-a-dope and it didn't work.
Mitt won the debate, I agree, BUT he was way too vague and down right flip-floppy again. MSNBC has a lot of fodder for tomorrow's shows.
My husband pointed something out to me that I didn't notice. Did you notice how much Romney was blinking in his closing statement? Does he always do that?
I didn't notice the blinking but his team came in to dominate the debate and not let the moderator get in their way....The debate reminded me of the Sean Hanity show where the loudest and rudest wins..Did I hear Romney support regulations and drop his tax plan?
That's what I meant about flip-flopping. He was just telling the audienace what he thought they wanted to hear. It didn't come across as believable to me. Looked like he was on speed or something.
He said he wasn't going to raise taxes, but was lowering them. Hello, if you take away tax breaks, deductions and loopholes, that is raising taxes. The super rich will have a way of getting around that and the lower and middle class will catch the brunt of the "raised" taxes.
I also thought he came across as a bully, "boss (CEO)", and elitist.
Rules don't apply to him. He bullied his way over President Obama. The President was being mindful of decorum and following the rules set forth.
Kind of showed me how poised Romney would be around foreign leaders....NOT!
Here's a clip of Romney's closing statement. Lots of excessive blinking and it has been said by some that blinking is a indication of telling a lie, or something you dont' believe in, or are trying to get away with.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SFHhz0TR4Q
I haven't watched President Obama's closing statement yet. Off to do that now.
I got this from a body language website
"Blinking
Blinking is a neat natural process whereby the eyelids wipe the eyes clean, much as a windscreen wiper on a car.
Blink rate tends to increase when people are thinking more or are feeling stressed. This can be an indication of lying as the liar has to keep thinking about what they are saying. Realizing this, they may also force their eyes open and appear to stare.
Blinking can also indicate rapport, and people who are connected may blink at the same rate. Someone who is listening carefully to you is more likely to blink when you pause (keeping eyes open to watch everything you say).
Beyond natural random blinking, a single blink can signal surprise that the person does not quite believe what they see ('I'll wipe my eyes clean to better see').
Rapid blinking blocks vision and can be an arrogant signal, saying 'I am so important, I do not need to see you'.
Rapid blinking also flutters the eyelashes and can be a coy romantic invitation.
Reduced blinking increases the power of a stare, whether it is romantic or dominant in purpose.
http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/parts_body_language/eyes_body_language.htm
Watched the Presidents closing statement and he was blinking too, but he was not lookin into that camera, so in the clip, he was looking away most of the time.
Probably doesn't mean anything more than the lights were bright or the air dry.
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