The Score

If we are keeping score, it is Romney 1, Obama 0. Well, unless you are in complete denial, which means that you are (a) a leftist in good standing, (b) a member of Obama’s immediate family, or (c) part of the Axelrod disinformation team.

If there is such a thing, several non-partisan academicians have said Romney was a clear winner. One even offered that it was apparent to anyone who muted the television and watched the body language. It didn't take long to notice how Obama rarely looked at Romney. I initially thought he was taking notes, but as it turns out, he was only pretending to do that. It was a ploy to avoid looking at his opponent; Romney didn't have any trouble at all appearing respectful of the president while he was talking.

Was Mr. Obama simply being rude, or is there another explanation? Was he suffering from altitude disengagement syndrome, as suggested by Uncle Al Gore, or was Mr. Obama angry? We can’t pretend to know what was going on inside Obama’s empty head … all we can do, and should do, is observe the following: one of these gentlemen looked presidential; the other individual was wearing a blue tie. One surmises [it was] “… an act of passive hostility.”

For Obama, there was no charming smile, no sense of humor, no affability, no personality, and no confidence. Where was the sportsmanship between two competitors? Where was the acknowledgement at the end that the contest was fairly won?

In a televised debate, we have to assume that visual cues matter. They matter to the television audience, they matter to those sitting unseen, behind the lights, and they matter to each contestant. Some have said it was painful to watch … and this could lead us to an over-simplification. No one expected Romney to do quite as well, but it is also true that no one expected Obama to do so poorly.

All we heard in the period leading up to the presidential debate was that Obama had the edge because of his “likability” factor. I must confess I don’t even know why such a thing is important. After all, we aren't selecting a prom king; we are selecting the next leader of the free world. Still, the so-called likability discussion seemed absent in the period following the debate. Is this yet another example of the media’s leftist bias, or have we simply to pretend that likability was never, ever, ever a factor in the first place?

The contest continues. Even if Mr. Obama doesn't like to study, there is little doubt that he’ll be taking his preparations more seriously in the future. One wonders, though … should a fully engaged sitting president even require preparations? As for Mr. Romney, people suddenly know who he is, and what he’s capable of … so the next debate should really be something to watch.

—Mustang Sends