Want to dialog about the debate as it happens?
If you hear anything false, call it. If you feel like something convinced you on something you weren’t sure about, tell us. Avoid slamming the candidate you don’t like.
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190 Answers
Doesn’t start until 9 pm eastern standard time
“If you hear anything false, call it.”
It’s a debate between two politicians…...lol. You’re going to be busy calling.
Is anyone watching on Huff Post?
I’m watching the pre-debate party.
” Avoid slamming the candidate you don’t like.” You’re taking all the fun out of this question…...
Ya, I did publish it in social. So I really don’t have control over that anyway, lol.
Just how disingenuous would it be for Romney to wish the Obamas a happy anniversary?
Mitt’s a liar. He sends jobs to China. One lie.
Did he say he didn’t send jobs to China? I missed that.
No, he said he would crack down on unfair trading between us and China
That is correct. That is what he said and what I heard.
Of course it contradicts what he has done
Yeah, but what did he do in real life?
Ha, My income came down more than $4,300
I love what Romney did with Joe’s comment about the middle class.
“Would you like to ask the president a question?”
Nahhhh I’ll just talk about how awesome I am instead….
High income people are doing fine in this economy. Duh.
“Clean coal” What a fuckin joke….
Romney scores points with coal folks. Yeah!!
Coal? There go the environmentalist.
Did Obama cut taxes for middle class?
I think he cut taxes by about $11 a week the first year he was in office.
Coal? What a fucking clown. I can’t eat fish from the waters around here because coal has dumped too much mercury on us.
I’m not going to vote for him but I think Romney is doing better than I would expect.
@janbb we’re only 15 minutes in :P ohhh wait there it goes already cuttin off the speaker…
Everything they have said is so vague, have either of them really said anything of substance? Oh wait, this is a presidential debate. Never mind
I loved that one about his boys and someone repeating something over and over and hoping he’d believe it. Made him look human and like a dad.
Yea they are both getting asked a question and then just being like yeaaa welllll lets talk about all this vague shit instead.
Romney just referenced 54% of Americans. Doesn’t the math on the flip side of that come to 46%?
Obama is smart to align himself with Bill Clinton, IMHO. He is working that angle and he should. It won’t hurt.
I agree. Bill was the man.
Dude its fine mr speaker just keep it goin mann I was talkin here…
Hmm 3% employs 50% in small businesses. hmmmm
Strong point there if he has that right
WOOOOW….. Mitt….. Just wowww….
I think Romney won that one.
How much preparation were they given on the questions that were going to be asked? Does anyone know?
You mean by ignoring the speaker telling him to stop and throwing a little tantrum?
and they said at the beginning that neither party was told what the questions would be.
I would like to see a US government/president serious about not raising the debt.
CANCELLING PBS….. WHAT THE HELL!?!
@bkcunningham the segment was over. Mitt was told to stop talking and to move on to the next one with a new question and he bitched about needing the last word and kept talking over the speaker…
LOL. People do see things differently.
Guess so. Point was it wasnt his turn to talk and he insisted anyway.
Ill admit Obama is doing it himself a bit right now..
Thank you for the admission. I think it is a debate strategy to attempt to get extra time and points in at the end of a timeframe.
Im still really pissed about PBS. I had no clue… I grew up on that channel….
Romney is getting flustered
Obama’s plan is a puppy chasing his tail.
But @uberbatman, nobody wants to give up their thing, and PBS should be waaaayyy down that list, but if we are in crisis, we’re in crisis. What are some things that should be cut first?
Am I the only one that caught Romney talking about how his focus is on creating jobs (in the first question) and then saying he was going to cut some federal government jobs (in the second question) by sending things to the state levels and merging departments?
“Defense” funding. War on drugs.
The Repubs have been trying to cut PBS for years.
On both sides, I don’t like their “personal” illustrations about the teacher, the wife, the laid off worker, they met. It doesn’t impress me nor does it make me think you feel our pain.
Ya, I think we use canons to take out flys, I agree
@bkcunningham I agree, I dont give two shits about sally the teacher, or bob the builder. They’re just a bunch of made up bs stories.
Obama is closer to feeling “our” pain than Romney. Obama wasn’t raised a spoiled rich kid.
You can find those stories in the best of economies. So I don’t buy them either
How is social security going to be “tweeked”?
Great question. I dont think social security was ever meant to last like this. When ss was set up people werent living as long and collecting as long as they are today.
He didn’t say how it was going to be tweeked, just gave example of medicare. hmmm
Great point about the across the board cuts to Medicare. I live in Florida, God’s waiting room. It is a huge issue.
Well they did say they were coming back to it so we’ll see, but yea he really didnt explain anything at all.
Huffpo people think Romney is winning.
Huffpo? Are those the independents they are monitoring?
Obama seems on the defensive. Romney is more confident than I expected.
He seems flustered though
He does seem to be on the defensive, @Earthgirl. I wish there was a split screen so we could see both candidates during the debate.
yeah, good idea. Surprising they don’t think of doing that
That 716 number needs to go; it’s an accounting trick not a talking point. I’d like to know what benefits Mitt says need to go – and they the shot at competition was with the collective competition – whatever that was called.
Reform the f-ing insurance companies then. Insurance companies were supportive of the approach Obama took, because they benefit.
wait, they are doing it now. Is it only happening when Obama talks?
Who actually thinks the premiums for the private sector are good and acceptable? I know so many people that can’t afford premiums for health insurance, I really don’t see how they are acceptable.
Rom thinks he’s pitching sales.
They need the lady speaker back from last time. She took control of the debate extremely well.
@bkcunningham the insurance industry and the overpriced medical industry. Yup!
US doctors make five times more than the American general public. European doctors make three times.
Mitt – nice to hear he understands regulation; oh but now we talk about excessive but he picks on dodd frank – a good point – only bankers liked the bailout – but doesn’t cover the other regulation he’s associated (truthfully or not) with repealing.
Transparency Romney? OTHER people need to have transparancy?
Obama – good hit on the cap req’s; was the repayment completed, documented publicly? He has the right point with regulation not being enough but Mitt’s got a better target with bailouts, he’s coming across better – but only because he’s not talking about saying what he’ll do only what he thinks was done wrong.
Good points, @wonderingwhy. He was keeping Obama on the defensive again.
Say what you want about Romney, but he is sharp.
Mitt – $2.5k more, more than what? Current rates? there’s that BS 716 number again, ugh – the board >.< he needs to stay away from that. Not hiring because of ins costs? BS – that’s 17.5K for a family that’s not the issue unless you’re talking about part time minimum wage people.
Obama says he’s going to force insurance companies. Oh that’s not going to work, they will find a way to stick it to people
Jim needs to speak up more and take control.
Ya, Jim’s a little milktoast. That’s it, I’m not voting for Jim!
Has any President ever been able to reach across the aisle?
Obama – pfft. I really don’t like him pointing at Mass for the model, it works for a purpose but there are scaling issues just to start.
Mitt – he’s got the partisan point; not liking hitting the same points, but it’s trying to drive it home; 20 million losing insurance – really? but what are they replacing it with and how many are choosing to give it up and pay a penalty vs. their insurance bill (which will likely be more than the penalty).
An friend just shared this with my college listserv. about her attorney husband.
“Mac says he is fascinated by the skill with which they are boring him to death.”
The twitterverse is supposedly all over Big Bird jokes.
I can’t believe poor people actually root for Romney and sympathize and relate most to him. It’s literally about to make me vomit.
tonight is sounding like an America that slants toward socialism or slants toward capitalism. I know which side of that option I land on.
Obama has lost his point and his focus on this one.
@bkcunningham He’s merely reiterating the point that Romney wanted Healthcare Reform
Since Romney’s new view is the opposite.
Cleveland clinic is a good model I worked with those guys, they’re on top of a lot of things, at least when I was there.
Romney – kids kept on ins, yes at an additional cost. The government isn’t effective at bringing down the cost because co’s take as much advantage of it as possible – how’s either of them going to address that. I used to consult with companies who set their prices specifically for the government. Mitt’s speaking really well.
Obama – he’s right about the ‘not saying what he’s going to replace it with’ but I wish he’d go a little more on point with response.
Romney will go from assertive to pushy if he doesn’t stop running over the moderator.
I feel like Romney has a good strategy in playing the “victim” and using light tone vs Obama. Fools will fall for this.
Mitt – those are the right ideas with taxes but again no detail and where is the base going to broaden?
“The genius of America is the free enterprise system, But”
No buts about it!
It’s been much more entertaining for me to watch Jill Stein and Rocky Anderson doing their own debate based on the questions from the main debate since they both actually stay on topic and don’t feel the need to talk over each other or bicker back and forth. It’s like watching children debate then watching adults debate.
I’m ready for an even more progressive America. It’s time to flush the uneducated from the top of society and let the educated ones on the bottom rise.
Obama – I wish he’d hit it where it matters (to me) pushing fundamentals to everyone and only the government can do it effectively, because it can take the losses. His talking about education did nothing for me, not sure why will have to read the transcript.
Romney – NO! not to protect documents to enforce the will of the people.
Ok now tell us that this is all John Locke’s ideas and not yours Romney.
My wife just said Massachusetts fired most of their teachers and made them apply and compete to get those jobs back. She says that was good, she’s a teacher
I was wondering when Mitt was going to bring up Ronnie Reagan.
Great discussions. I have enjoyed this post.
Romney – he’s going to have to cut the military unless that’s his job creation focus; eh – ouch that 50% college number’s already been debunked.
What did he say about Ronnie, I missed it
Our town does the voucher for education and we are the top system in our state.
I missed it too. Also, I didn’t know the 50 percent college numbers have been debunked.
Community colleges have been working with businesses.
Romney – I’m not hearing what I need to hear on education, students should be slotted based on their demonstrated capability – he’s just scratching the surface and only in a very shallow voter friendly way.
Obama – -20% in funding? where’s that come from? “Know there’s a job?” only if the company is paying for it.
How much student loan debt was reached this year?
We the people need to voice our opinions more about education, forget the government.
I feel like Obama is talking too slowly and stuttering too much.
Obama – parent funded college education is good when that’s a genuine option but should NEVER be a block.
How did Obama afford college?
Grade our schools?! To what? Create more pocket ghettos? You will freak out whole towns let alone communities.
Romney – of course he’s going to cut edu funding, he has to, both of them have to. the question is how to cut it and how to change the base of it and improve the results. Ugh, grade the schools but to what end?
Well at least he seems to know he failed….
Is Obama trying to be zen, it’s not coming across well
The challenge of Gay Marriage, Health Reform, Forcible Rape… Romney knows what he sure is talking about.
Mitt – he did do a good job as gov. (I say as an outsider looking in.) I wonder how much this talk of compromise is rankling core R’s. I wonder if he’ll publicly say the same thing to R’s in office if he loses.
Best high schools. Actually, Texas outranked Mass.
For those who were interested above, MSNBC has been showing the split screen to see both guys faces and reactions while the other is speaking.
@wonderingwhy He’s not going to act as he did governor. He’s going to act as the face and puppet of the Republican party which wants to revert backwards…
I’ve blocked MSNBC on my television.~ But thank you , @Kayak8.
Obama – be careful about promises, you’ve missed some too you know. Working across the isle is a tough issue when R’s state they’re goal is to see Obama fail. Ouch, with the hit on not saying no to far right R’s.
My town uses most of Romney’s approaches for education and is, I think number one in the state.
I WANT A PROGRESSIVE AMERICA INVESTED IN THE SCIENCE AND LESS ABOUT SEXUALITY AND SOCIAL STIGMAS.
those are High schools, our grade schools are number one and school system over all pretty high
“Oh but OBAMA CARE WORKED IN MASS.”
And, may I say, thank you to everyone for your input here. It was great. @choreplay, you get my vote for the moderator of the next debate.
And keep your pants off.
I am very impressed how this dialog went. Very impressed with the Fluther thinktank
Very dignified all. Thank you
Obama – opportunity and same rules for the middle class, and he’ll continue to fight for it. That’s what I took away.
Romney – too big on the statements without backing. Treating the states as companies. 716 again. LOL the cuts to the military are because y’all couldn’t work together to get it done when you were supposed to.
Romney did better than I thought for what I saw. Obama not as “elegant” as I expected.
My priorities. 1. Education 2. Jobs 3. Healthcare 5. Getting rid of ghettos in USA 4. Social Equality
Well its been fun everyone. Off to bed now for me now. Lookin forward to the next debate to do this again.
I really don’t want Romney to be President because he’s anti-gay marriage, anti-health care for all, anti-progress
@choreplay I’m not necessarily against vouchers for edu but I need more detail about how it would be implemented and how capability to determine eligibly would be assessed.
I want to see 1) a energy progressive country, 2) stop growth of debt 3) slowing down regulation to spur business growth.
@wonderingwhy there are a lot of details and my wife went to bed. sorry. She’s the expert I listen to.
@_Whitetigress true, his effort as governor was a completely different beast; I’d be curious how much of a puppet he’d be. He can’t be too much of one or he wouldn’t get reelected (if he made it in the first place). But even the idea he could push a “core” R agenda is disturbing.
I’m an hour behind since I’m watching the other candidates as well, but Romney has been doing a better job from how far I’ve gotten. Obama has looked very uncomfortable.
I’m on a lag. I’m still watching it. Mitt Romney is holding his own, but he is coming off like an arrogant prick. That smirk has got to go.
The polarization of agendas suck and don’t need to happen in either direction to either extreme.
@choreplay no problem. Edu has recently been a bit of a pet argument. I’m in favor of qualified placement and defining how best to assess that qualification, vouchers fit in nicely with that; I just don’t want to see parents “buying” slots or “vouchers first”. Unfortunately neither talked about how students will be assessed (that I caught).
Can’t wait for the next Fluther debate!
Every-time Romney speaks I want to punch his dick harder. I’m going to take a shot and pass the fuck out.
I’m late to the discussion. I don’t like anything about Romney, but I think he did really well. However, I was also really, really bothered by the smirk, as @tinyfaery pointed out.
Romney won. It seemed like he was doing better from the beginning. But it really doesn’t matter. He is too far behind, and Obama is going to bring up all the big weapons in the next few debates. He didn’t use 47%. He didn’t bring up the tax returns. He didn’t talk about the Cayman Islands. He didn’t talk about Bain Capital throwing people out of work.
Obama looks very tired at the beginning. I think he had low energy and wouldn’t be surprised if he was sick.
This debate is not the election. We need to look at it with clear eyes. Romney did well by being aggressive, and also by appearing as moderate as possible. He fudged the numbers and doesn’t give specifics and Obama didn’t challenge him on this very clearly. He should have been asking over and over where the cuts can come from. Ask him to do the math.
But Obama will do these things, I’m pretty sure. And he’s ahead in the polls. Romney may get a bump out of this, but not enough to win it, I think.
Romney came off as smug and lacking in detail. Obama did look like he didn’t feel well.
I really miss Bill Clinton this evening.
Funny how people on here thought Romney looked as if he was smirking. The commentary after the debate said that he was very crisps. What is he, a potato chip! LOL
I agree Obama looked tired. Romney did do well but it doesn’t erase the 47% thing which leads me to believe the things he said tonight was simply to appeal to the people but isn’t what his true intentions are. Before Obama health care costs were continuously rising and that was when insurance companies where calling the shots, so I don’t think handing them back the reigns is going to better situations for those who are not able to get health care. Towards the end, Romney made it sound like he will be extremely flexible where Obama made it sound that he will stick to his guns when he feels his view will move the country in the right direction. It made Romney sound wishy washy on his plans. But I will give him props for being Crisp!
@choreplay Nicely done on starting a Q on live chatting the debate! Looking forward to the next one :)
@jonsblond Bill would’ve flattened ‘em both and with style.
I think Romney’s biggest issue was lack of detail, he came across well but didn’t really give me anything more than I already had (which wasn’t much). In a way I actually feel bad for him, well almost, well not really. If he puts forth a plan that draws in the votes he needs to win he risks losing the hard R votes and seeing a congress that refuses to work with him (which in an eerie, Lovecraftian, way sometimes seems to be the R, or at least TP, goal).
@Pandora that made me laugh.
I think that Romney did what he needed to do in order to stand a chance at possibly winning this election. I already see friends and family posting that they’ve decided to support him. Crisp did it for some people, and he did present himself well, and he did say what people wanted to hear him say.
Absolutely, I think he’s full of shit, but I believe he achieved the goal of making himself look more accessible to people who may have been uncertain about him before tonight.
Also, @wundayatta, my first thought was that Obama looked unwell.
Two thoughts on the debate now that it is over.
1. WTF!!! Was I watching the same debate that the talking heads were watching?
2. I am sorely disappointed with Jim Lerher. I did not think he did a very good job of keeping the candidates on point.
3. I sincerely believe that the candidates should be forced to wear shock collars, with the controls set on “stun”, and that they should immediately be shocked once their answer waivers from the asked question.
(ok, three points, sorry)
Anyone watch on CNN? Their little tickertape on the bottom on undecided Colorado voters seemed to consistently show women thinking more highly of Obama than the men. With Romney, they were either the same or lower. So, what is is with you women?
You only “win” a debate if more people, particularly undecideds, say they want to vote for you after the debate.
What I got from this debate is that partisans on both sides (myself included) thought Obama lost because Romney was more aggressive and Obama merely played defense; democrats are pissed that Obama didn’t more forcefully call out Romney on his bullshit; republicans are happy that Mitt took it to Obama.
Here’s the thing: Romney’s biggest problems are that people don’t like him and they don’t trust him. So I don’t see how him being more “alpha male” improves those factors with undecided voters.
@rojo, in 2000, all the political commentators seemed to think that Gore won the debate, but then apparently undecided women broke heavily for Bush because Al Gore sighed condescendingly and came off as a jerk. Maybe the same thing is at work with Romney?
@rojo Women know a superficial phony when we see one. I didn’t think of Romney’s smile as a smirk, but as a pasted on attempt to appear unflappable and, to me, less of a real person.
So apparently it was boring dross & Romney acted like the arrogant prick that he is, no surprises there then….....yawn!
@rojo For one thing, we like the way he treats his wife. Romney strikes me as a condescending asshole to women, like, patting them on the head and saying, “Don’t worry your pretty little head about this Important Stuff.” He also strikes me as the kind of guy who would definately marry a women who is far dumber than him so he can feel good about his own intelligence.
This is a stretch, but I almost have a feeling that Ann may have made some serious comment about the windows not rolling down on a plane, and Mitt turned it into a national joke at her expense. Don’t know why I have that feeling.
That’s part of it from my POV (and I’m a woman!) I think he’s just a better man, all the way around, than Romney.
Actually, having had time to think it over, I think the debate was perfect. Mitt won. No problem, because he came off as forcefully holding any number of positions that are different from the positions he has had on the same issues in the past. His apologists were already at work today saying, “well, he didn’t mean that, our position is really this,” etc. This gives Obama an ARSENAL of material to use at the next event. Because Romney can’t seem to remember what he says from one minute to the next, I think the President will be able to retain his calm demeanor and slay his opponent in the next debate.
Well said, @Kayak8!
Hopefully Obama won’t be as ‘calm’ as he was in that debate. It was like, “Who are you and what have you done with my president??!!” Al Gore ventured to guess that it could be the fact that he hadn’t had time to acclimate to the rarefied air in Denver. That’s kind of a lame excuse..but then again, it fits.
@rojo “So, what is is with you women?” (sic)
Women know where Romney stands on issues related to gender equality and women’s health issues, regardless of what was said in this one debate. That is what it is with women.
I was trying to watch but it made me too tense.
Me too, @janbb. I need peace. Not screaming at the stupid television.
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