The Great Debate

I wasn't going to watch the debate tonight and in fact I didn't. I turned on the radio while I filled the dishwasher and then went into to the office and worked on a painting while listening. I thought Romney was articulate and on his game, scoring points at will, President Obama, in contrast was a bit smarmy at times, filling his time with tired anecdotes and false premises of what a Romney presidency would do to the middle class.

I thought Romney won, clearly, but I was not prepared for the post debate analysis that is declaring it a blowout. Perhaps watching it on TV was much more compelling. Obviously the President didn't have much to go on. The country is in a world of hurt. It was hurting before he got the job (a job he wanted by the way) but it has gotten so much worse on his watch that his holster was completely out of bullets tonight. Romney, on the other hand, had the whole playground to run around in - as if he owned it.

Perhaps the memorable moment for me was Romney saying "But don't forget, you put $90 billion, like 50 years' worth of breaks, into -- into solar and wind, to Solyndra and Fisker and Tester and Ener1. I mean, I had a friend who said you don't just pick the winners and losers, you pick the losers, all right?" The President was busy regurgitating his ads, misstating Romney's positions over and over, and setting up a straw men arguments.

The compelling sentiment for me was the number of times Romney had to say directly to the President "let me just start by saying virtually everything you just said is wrong" when rebutting Obama's critique of "Romney's" tax and deficit plans. Romney eventually said "you can choose your plane and your house but not your facts".

Right now on all the cable news shows they are declaring Romney the winner, hands down. Yes even MSNBC.

Good.



CW