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2012 presidential election, auto bailout, barack obama, big bird, defund pbs, jim lehrer moderator, mitt romney, msnbc debate, obamacare, politics, presidential debate
Most pundits have declared that Governor Mitt Romney won the first presidential debate. Personally, I thought it was a rather boring debate with the biggest highlight being Jim Lehrer’s ineptitude. Lehrer made no attempt to moderate the debate, didn’t keep the candidates on topic, and never once challenged Romney or Obama on their responses or their records. I didn’t like the debate format itself. I favor a debate that gives the moderator more control, something like the Warren/Brown debate where David Gregory made the candidates answer for their previous comments and frequently interjected when Warren or Brown tried to go off topic and pander. Gregory was a bit too extreme and seemed to be a bit easier on Warren, but I liked the format and thought a less abrasive moderator would have made it a fantastic debate.
But let’s get to what the candidates said, and what they didn’t say, starting with President Obama. Clearly, the highlight for Obama is what he didn’t say. Obama never really attacked Romney; rather, he waited for Romney to attack him and then slung some mud back at the Massachusetts governor. When Obama did attack Romney, it came out like an snide remark from a person that had no interest in participating in this debate. Romney’s incredibly out-of-touch 47 percent comment was never mentioned. The Ryan budget was first mentioned late in the debate. Massachusetts being 47th in job creation under Romney was also never mentioned. The liberal pundits on MSNBC hammered Obama for not being tougher on his opponent and brutally attacking his mediocre record.