So, Presidential Debate #2. In order to prep for this, I got a bottle of Bushmills, watched the two-parter 30 Rock about Valentine's Day and Ikea, and some Daily Show. I figured I was good and prepared. I wasn't too sure what to expect at this point, as Biden/Ryan was actually exactly what I thought it would be, but everyone was speculating on what Obama's "comeback" performance would be like. Trying to empty myself of expectations, I flip on the XBox Live feed and get to it.
I remember during the last election when there was a moment in a town hall meeting where a lady talked to John McCain and referred to Obama as a Muslim. There was a second in McCain's eyes where he seemed to realized just how deep the rabbit hole was at that point. McCain was never a particularly clean or perfect candidate, but you usually got the impression he was earnest in what he was saying or believed overall. While I'm looking at the debate waiting to start, I wonder if there'll ever be a moment where Romney is taken aback by the corner he's put himself in logically with his phantom tax plan and promises.
What a lot of folks don't seem to understand is that Romney is effectively a construct of what the Republicans thought Obama was in 2008 (and beyond): Someone who says anything that sounds good at the time, rails against how things are, and doesn't have any logical consistency in his pledges. It's funny to see people voting for Romney for all the reasons they thought Obama was an empty suit four years ago, I guess.
The camera pans over to the moderator, who mentions her job is to see that the questions will get answered and time is stuck to correctly. Let's see how well that holds up. With those huge shoulders, she seems somewhat more likely than Leherherheeher to actually bodycheck someone when time is called.
First question is about employment. What always kills me about this question is how little real control the President has over direct employment issues. And yet we keep batting it around like the President should be responsible for it. Romney starts by saying thanks to the moderator, Obama, the audience, Jesus, God, Mickey Rooney, Alf, and anyone else he could think of. He then digs into the question and touts his public education program in Mass, which kills me a little since he wants to minimize/destroy the Dept of Ed. Obama doesn't start by thanking everyone on the planet for being there, so I'm sure FOX or someone will notice how "rude" he is. He mentions Detroit "surging" back again, which sucks, since "surging" is not the best word ever for what actually happened. Eugh. So far, some predictable back and forth about who is going to do more damage in the next four years.
Romney gets to the follow up question about people in long-term unemployment. Naturally, he responds by bashing Obama's policies, which always kills me. What policies? Republicans have spent the last four years blocking the left from doing nearly anything. There have been very few "Obama's policies" that have any reason to be bashed. He also mentions Obama allowed GM to go bankrupt just like he said should have been done. Obama fires back by just talking about how Romney's policies favor the rich. Great, awesome. Answer the damn question, man.
Romney gets up to get a second rebuttal and is asked nicely to sit down. Actually happens. Shocking.
Next, a question about gas prices - something else the President has little control over (compared to what we think he can do). There's some talk about investing in businesses and domestic production, which is good. He mentions by shaving off demand, the gas prices go down, which makes sense. Obama is making a good case here for tying his answer into the previous question by stating domestic energy businesses will help. Romney goes into the "let's look at the President's policies" routine again, starting with a reduction of licenses, and then talks about how apparently the President doesn't walk the walk because he... uh... doesn't just hand licenses to everyone and allows people to drill and mine even if they break rules? Romney cites that Obama stated the gains in domestic energy production are up, and then asks the rhetorical question of "where did those gains in production come from" but never answers it. I dunno where he was going with that. Probably something of a logical handwave like Ryan did with the unemployment number last week. "But unemployment is at 10% in your hometown, Biden, thus unemployment is up, technically."
Romney is talking a lot about, effectively, achieving energy independence through a total or large loss of regulation. Personally, I pass on this notion, but it's at least something. He wants to hand out more licenses and allow more production, but isn't speaking to how that can be done safely.
Moderator asks a new question about gas prices, Obama says something mildly related about efficiency, and then gets back to the previous question, using this to get a second rebuttal. Like a dog with a Goddamned bone. Because of that circle-back, they're getting into it now. Romney says the President cut licenses in half, Obama denies it, Romney says "what's the new amount", and then we get into a bunch of "uh huh" "nuh uh" crap. Moderator has really lost control of what's going on here. She brings it back to gas prices, and Obama says the gas prices were low due to an impending economic collapse. I don't think I quite followed that, and I'm not sure a lot of folks will see the connection either.
Someone needs to give the Moderator the ability to cut the mic on either person. She tries to steer it back on task, and Romney throws a grown up tantrum, just stuttering and talking over her.
Oh man, now someone is asking about the tax plan Romney has. Credits, loopholes, and all that, and how it will actually all add up. Romney starts with some stats on budgeting and spending which is... I dunno. Not relevant? So he starts talking about tax credits and capping a total amount of deductions, and gives a "I'll pick a random number" example which is a horrible idea. We're trying to determine the specifics, here, guy. Buddy. Pal. He keeps saying that the middle class is being "buried", but not exactly how in regards to taxes. Obama gives some usual pandering to the middle class, and then goes to the $250k tax increase plan. He mentions a realistic view that crap just has to be paid for, and taxes have to be paid. He hits Romney on his record plus what he's said previously about taxes - cuts for the higher end. At this point, it's just a simple yes/no battle: Will Romney stick with what he's (vaguely) saying he'll do, or do what he's done and his Party is more prone to doing?
As a side note for Romney: Giving capital gains tax deductions to people who make under 250k is not substantial at all.
Obama goes back to the Big Bird thing. Let it die, man. Please let it die. It's a crappy, oversimplified meme, and it's nowhere near as clever or funny as people want to think.
Moderator: "If the taxes don't add up, will you..."
Romney: "Well of course it will add up. Now let me talk about the deficit and how Obama is to blame for all of it."
While she's having an ok time keeping people on the clock, this is a pretty good way to not get people to answer their questions. Romney gets back to trying to overtalk the moderator and is looking more desperate and spun than aggressive.
We now get a question about pay equality, which is interesting. Pay equality is an actual legal issue and societal one, and it's one that people just take on as a fact of life. Obama goes on about how women have had an impact on his life, mentions the Lily Ledbetter Act as an example of advocacy. I'm curious, really, to hear Romney's answer on this because the GOP has been really women unfriendly these past few years. In the middle of his answer, Obama mentions he "cut out the middlemen" in student lending, and Romney perks up a bit. I imagine he's going to have that comment shoved in his face about jobs.
Romney answers the question about how he had to go out of his way to hire women. He mentions child concerns as if that's the unique purview of women. He's just trying to sound concerned about women, but won't say what he's going to do other than "make it better than the last 4 years." Romney, do you understand what pay and employment inequality actually is? I don't think you do. Obama comes back with just the generally bad record the GOP and Romney have with women.
So this next person gets up and brings up the specter of Bush. She asks the question in a great manner - "I'm worried about Republican policy, like Bush's," rather than just dumping things on Bush. Romney comes out with a rebuttal out of turn once again, looking a little desperate and thrown still. He reverses his stance on birth control yet again, which is not a shocker. Romney, to my huge surprise, freely says Bush was wrong and outright says the GOP is too focused on big business. Just says it outright. If this was coming from anyone who wasn't Romney, it'd be heartening. From this guy, it just sounds like another in a long line of things he's saying that people want to hear.
This question is practically a gimmie for Obama to slam and slam and slam both Bush and Romney. He has a lot of good shots in here.
Next question - "Obama, what have you done for me lately?", effectively. Obama goes over a few things he's managed to help the economy and industry, but largely avoids the question. He states most of the commitments he's made, he's kept... but the ones he hasn't isn't lack of trying. I don't know if I can agree on that. Romney just comes up and says, "I think you know better." This is a reverse of the previous question - a gimmie for Romney to knock around Obama for a bit. Romney uses the time well to showcase the shortcomings of the administration, of which there are many.
Romney uses "we have his record to look at" during this time, which is a poor plan. You don't want us to look at records vs what we say, buddy. Chief. Guy.
Immigration question: Romney opens with "Did I get that right?" about her name. This is going WELL RIGHT OFF. And now he's comparing his white born-in-Mexico father and Welsh mother to the immigrants from Mexico who are Latino. What a fumble. What. A. Fumble. Brings up a good point about Obama's lame record on immigration vs his promises. Obama goes in to some detail about what he's done, including stepping up border patrols, which is not the greatest. He mentions that if you're going to deport folks, you want to target criminals first.
Moderator asks a new question, Romney flatly says, "No, let's talk about..." and then goes back to previous points. The problem is that Obama keeps remembering what Romney actually said. You say that the villified Arizona model of immigration reform is "THE model", and then want to back off that, but you can't. People remember. Romney is not enjoying that. He keeps trying to take control of the debate and is really upset he doesn't get to do whatever he wants on his timeline.
The next question is about Libya and scaling down security in the embassy. Most of this is a re-hashing of the same back and forth about how Obama is a bad leader and Obama claiming he is clamping down and controlling this stuff. No one really answers the question. Obama makes an interesting stand, taking the responsibility for what's going on, pushing off a claim that Sec Clinton should have to deal with it. Romney tries to put Obama's words out of order, the Moderator puts it back in the actual chain of events, to some applause. Romney then just repeats the attack with more vague terms so he can keep it.
Question about assault weapons, per a 2008 promise to keep them out of the hands of criminals. The President shares some touching story but nothing useful and some comments about what he MIGHT and WILL do. Talks some about making people just better, which is a nice rainbows and roses strategy. Interestingly, he does mention that handguns are the real problem in regards to guns and deaths. Romney rebuts saying he's not about adding more gun control (though he has actually done more for gun control than Obama has), and then goes into some faff about schools and parents. Moderator calls Romney out on the fact he put down an assault gun ban, and Romney says that it was agreed upon by both the gun control folks and the gun freedom folks. Romney then states that it was a great example of bipartisanship! Obama starts laughing.
Obama points out Romney changed his mind on guns to get the NRA on board.
Question comes up about overseas trade imbalance, and Romney somehow gets on "trickle down government" and how it doesn't work. What? Why are we here? This is about as bad as how the gun question somehow became a referendum on schools. There's just a bunch of general statements about taxes and tax code. Obama brings up a good point about tax-free gains overseas.
Question from the mod about getting labor jobs back here, Romney says that China just steals things from us and that's going to have to stop. Like, "they're hacking" and whatever. And he was going to label them "currency manipulators". Obama states flatly some of those jobs are gone and we need to aim for higher, better jobs. What on earth, you two.
Personal question now about dispelling misconceptions about themselves. Romney tries to say he loves ALL of America! And then goes on to talk a bit about himself and God and the Olympics and the stuff he's done with his record. Funny to watch him go on about his health care plan and public education. What party is he with, again? Obama goes for the misconception that he supposedly thinks government creates jobs, and that people think he wants to take from some and give to everyone else. Then he hammers away at the 47% comment some.
All in all, I'm saying Obama did better on this one, but it wasn't a beating one way or another. The damage done to Romney was done to himself most of the time. Obama spent way, WAY too much time going on about how Romney is bad and scary and won't do anything good. Listen, man - the reason why people were so lab monkey apecrap for you four years ago is because you had a series of ideas. Sure, they were oversold, but at least you had a direction. This run of the mill brand of "my opponent sucks, America. Vote for not my opponent," is sad. Sad.
