Tuesday, October 9, 2012

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


49 comments:

Rita said...

I saw some hack body-language "expert" on Sunday spinning this story into the wildest tale I had ever heard. She was talking about Obama keeping his head down because he's too nice to be confrontational and how Mitt looking directly at O as being overly aggressive.

It was the biggest bunch of tripe I had ever heard.

How do these people keep a straight face when they say this stuff?

Unknown said...

When you think about it, It's really simple ,
Americans aren't into that Marxist ideology. that Obama is offering.

Always On Watch said...

This morning, I read some information about Obama's sequestering in that Nevada resort before the debate. He actually complained about being locked in and "doing my homework"! What was he locked away FROM?

And why was he so wound up the day after the debate?

I'm sure that you can surmise my hypothesis.

Michael Corleone said...


If this next debate is an honest one and Obama is NOT given the question in advance as I feel he will, then Mitt Romney should slaughter him as he did in the first debate. Because this on is on Foreign policy and Obama clearly doesn’t have any! Obama and his stooges that are called his administration lacks a consistent policy in the Middle East. Do you remember when the Iranians poured into the streets of Tehran to protest a stolen election and were begging for help to over- throw the Little Hitler Ahmadinejad? The Obama administration was silent, we did nothing to help them when that was the chance to help get rid of that Monster.. And when protests broke out in Egypt, the Obama administration along with Madam Hillary said Mubarak must go and we sent in our troops to help., But when protests broke out in Syria, the Obama administration along with Madam Secretary of State said that we should wait al-Assad could still become a useful reformer given time. The Obama administration chose to. intervene in Libya, and in Egypt to prevent a genocide in Benghazi but has refused to provide help or even supplies to the thousands of people being massacred in Syria. And we are still giving more and more time to Iran when we know damn well that sanctions are not going to work, while they are getting closer and closer to having nuclear weapons. What will be worse than that! And we do nothing at all to help as far as Israel is concerned

It's a good thing for Obama that he's isn’t counting on my vote, because he's not going to get it.

Silverfiddle said...

I heard the explanation for Obama putting his head down:

He thought there were foreign potentates in the audience, and he was bowing to them.

"One wonders, though … should a fully engaged sitting president even require preparations?"

Indeed. Astute observation, and one I will be making on Thursday!

Ed Bonderenka said...

SF: great!
Bill Maher said about the debate: Obama spent his million on weed.

Liberalmann said...

Now for some truth:

Romney debates himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cPgfzknYd20

Z said...

poooooooor Libmann is running SO scared :-)
Polls aren't too good for your guy, are they....and your gaffemeister's on deck Thursday against Paul Ryan! YIKES!

Vote for the guy who doesn't know how many states there are and pronounces Marine CORPSE like a dead body, folks. Vote for the guy who couldn't think on his feet against Romney and was only trained the Axelrod way to mischaracterize the opponent.
there's an idea :)

except it didn't work.

Hurrah!

Anonymous said...

"...should a fully engaged sitting president even require preparations?"

Of course not. Other than refreshing his knowedge of specific numbers, he should have been ready to defend his undefendaable record. And, there in lays the problem. His record is not defenseble. So, how then is he going to be able to defend his foreign affairs record in the next debate? He is toast!

Anonymous said...

And didn't known the amount of the deficit

JonBerg said...

AOW said......

"I read some information about Obama's sequestering in that Nevada resort before the debate."


I heard that Biden has been sequestered on Shutter Island but will be released from that mental hospital on Thursday.

FreeThinke said...

I agree with everything said here, but doubt that Governor Romney's manifest superiority -- as a person, as a politician, as a lifelong high achiever -- will have any effect whatsoever on the kind of thinking seen and heard every day at MSNBC, the alphabet networks, PBS, the Huffington Post, the Daily Kos, Democratic Underground, Buzzflash, TruthOut, The New Yorker, The New York Times and blogs such as the ferociously partisan, often fatuous Progressive Eruptions (I now call it Progressive Corruptions).

~ FreeThinke

Ducky's here said...

One aspect of black culture that The Black Bush has tried to mine is to "tell it like it is".
He used that in his first campaign to good effect.

Now it's useless as he's been exposed as a grifter who is more in touch with the authoritarian state than the social welfare state.

He's exposed and he's running from behind. So Romney, the greased skid to the full authoritarian state, is in a very good position.

Elect the black guy is useless and now he's floundering because his right wing persona has been pretty fully exposed.

Anonymous said...

From Z:

FT...it might not be having any impact on those venues but have you seen the polls?

JonBerg, that's funny!

Anonymous said...

From Z:

And don't look now, Ducky, but that "rightwing persona" is doing very well in the polls.

Good stuff

Anonymous said...

After all, we aren't selecting a prom king

Well I think it has something to do with American culture where being popular in highschool is highly regarded by many. It's always been something that has puzzled me.

Ducky's here said...

Well, that's true, z. But in light of America's rejection of any kind of competent political leadership over the last 50 years it isn't comforting.

Anonymous said...

Libman comes and post links then takes off and can't even debate.

We don't even watch your links Libman. If you can't make an argument without copying and pasting, then go back to grammar school.

Ducky's here said...

What was he locked away FROM?
-----
As I said, AOW. The experience of running from behind without being able to use race as a mask.

Romney is going to have his base energized. Obummer is going to have his base yawning.
The number of undecided voters is at an all time low. This election is about turnout. Nothing more, nothing less. Ideas are long since past and gone.

We are a nation of unthinking automatons.

Anonymous said...

Ideas are long since past and gone.

Politics is about promising welfare checks or tax cuts. Politics is about policies, not ideas. I think we can't expect all citizens to be philosophers.

For ideas, we'll have to stick to books.

That's just the way it is.

Anonymous said...

From Z..

We are, indeed, Ducky....
Thanksfully, there's thinking going on at the blogs.
And, thankfully, I'm comforted enough by hopefully excusing Obama from the mess he's created for us.
Time to have a businessman do the best he can and, when we're better economically, we can get philosophical again.

Anonymous said...

when we're better economically, we can get philosophical again

Well said.

FreeThinke said...

Sure I check the polls, Z, and apparently there hs been some movement toward Governor Romney, but unless and until I a see a comfortable 12 to 15 point lead across the board for the governor, I won't take much joy in the numbers as they are right now.

What happens in the next debates is vitally important, BUT we must remember that the vast majority of voters are nowhere near as involved and informed as we. They STILL get their information from the "Mainstream Media" whose relentless campaign of disinformation designed to aid Obama and thwart Romney.

Not trying to throw cold water on anything, but believe it's better to stay relatively calm and try to be realistic.

Our side is up against a MAMMOTH coldly ferocious Establishment determined to preserve the status quo "we" hate.

~ FT

Unknown said...

Rasmussen reports that 55% of the American people he surveyed believe Obama will be reelected. This is hard for me to understand on several levels, but beyond the ideological, nothing in the media seems to support such a notion.

Are the pollsters playing psychological games?

Trekkie4Ever said...

I watching, I believe it was O'Reilly, that one Black had the audacity to say that Obama was afraid to appear as the "angry black man!" What a bunch of bologna! Another person said it was jet lag, and so forth.

It was obvious to most viewers that Obama was out of his league, irritated and unable to respond to Romney because he had nothing concrete to back up his comments.

Michael Corleone said...

Mitt Romney Storms Into The Lead Over Obama
Business Insider, by Brett LoGiuratoIsimple:

In a shocking one-month swing, Mitt Romney stormed into the lead over President Barack Obama in a new Pew Research poll conducted after Romney's consensus victory in the first presidential debate.
The poll finds a 12-point swing among likely voters. In Pew's last poll, conducted in the middle of September, Obama led Romney 51-43 among likely voters. Now, Romney leads 49-45.
The shift is due to Romney shoring up key areas of strength among likely voters and improving his overall image, much of which can be attributed to his strong debate performance. Sixty-six percent of voters thought Romney won the debate, compared with just 20 percent who said Obama won. Among Independents, Romney won by an astounding 78-14 margin.

We've got problems that require adult leadership. We've got a man in Mitt Romney who has accomplished things in life. Barry, on the other hand, has been praised and promoted all his life for voting "present". Besides, Americans aren't really all that into Marxist ideology.

Ed Bonderenka said...

Robert Sinclair:
"Rasmussen reports that 55% of the American people he surveyed believe Obama will be reelected."
That doesn't mean they'll vote for him.
It just means they're pessimistic. :)

Bunkerville said...

Thursday should be interesting. They have locked up Biden for the week. Safer that way!

Anonymous said...

From Z:

Robert, I don't know if that means they WANT him to be elected. I'd have said Obama will be reelected last week, too... know what I mean?

Leticia, right...OUT of his league and without ability to think without notes...which I think made a big impression on viewers.
Of course, we have college kids who think it was unfair he couldn't use a teleprompter, and they VOTE! (did you see that video?)! How stupid can one BE? That's what leftwing 'education' does, I guess...so, that's a big problem.

Mindy, surprisingly enough, it looks like many Americans are NOT buying into the media's ideology...who knew!? :-)

Liberlman.. astonishing! And the media which hates Romney didn't catch it...but think PROGRESS did :-)
Who has time to read your links? I heard a guy today on the radio who probably had the article you linked; the one thing that Romney might ahve got wrong was that Obama signed a bill with Columbia and a couple of other S American countries... the details behind that proved he had not initiated that.

Nobody CARES what Romney says now, Pal, true or not.......they want OBAMA OUT.

I've been saying I'd vote for a ham sandwich for a year and I stand by it. Actually, our pal/fellow blogger Brooke came up with that and I loved it and agree.

I'd vote for Clinton over Obama, ANY DAY. That's saying something.

Obama's starting to reveal who he is(n't) and people are waking up. Will they wake up in time to vote him out? Not sure.
But America deserves better...and may never recover, particularly if Obama care is implemented or we continue to have a president who puts his ego and his "I know better and redistribution is the only FAIR thing" attitude (and all its myriad implications) away...

I WISH more Americans could have seen Brett Baer's piece on Obama and his GREEN policies...what BUNK they've been for our States...what a disaster.

We MUST get Obama out...

z

Ed Bonderenka said...

This is promising:
http://youtu.be/VuCaWYvpVZg

Bunkerville:
Ryan should just let Biden talk.
When asked a question, say one or two things and ask Biden what he thinks.
And keep a straight face.
That's very important.

Sam Huntington said...

@ Ed

And keep a straight face. That's very important.

Very funny stuff, Ed. If you don’t write comedy, you should.

I predict it won’t be long into the debate when Biden gives Ryan that “Look here, sonny” demeanor. If he does that, Ryan is an automatic win. Actually, I think Ryan wins just showing up.

Joe said...

Rita: That body-language "expert" should be fired.

Obama's body language from start to finish was classic "I'm out of my comfort zone."

He simply cannot abide confrontation and/or contradiction.

Ed Bonderenka said...

z: "We MUST get Obama out.."
Watch that video I linked.

Anonymous said...

@Sam..

" Biden gives Ryan that “Look here, sonny” demeanor..."

And he might Sam...ironically enough Biden had been the youngest Senator at the age of 30....Ryan at 28!

TS/WS said...

It should be noted that Red Ties are a sign (showing) of Power.

All Candidates who wear a Red Tie show a sign of confidence, comfort-ability, in a leader ship position.
A friend and I have been discussing this in the Presidential Elections for over three decades now.
Wonder who will wear a Red Tie in the next Debate?
Look for it in the V P Debate also.

Z said...

To set the "Romney lied" record straight...I just heard that AP, of all venues, and (ready?) The Washington POST says they checked and he did NOT lie.

Z said...

"Romney's tale of meeting Doherty came as the GOP candidate has moved to add more personal stories to his stump speech in recent days as a way of better connecting with voters. And it came a day after Romney gave a hard-hitting speech trashing Obama's handling of and response to the attacks in Libya."

Anybody EVER read an article that Obama TRASHED anybody?

No, I didn't think so. Does he 'trash' Romney? ?Heck yes...but let the media admit it? No, they don't use words like that for Obama.

#$(*&@W#$(*&($*#@&$

Anonymous said...

@Kid

A sampling of this POS attitude and hubris...

"When President Barack Obama stepped off the stage in Denver last week the 60 million Americans watching the debate against Mitt Romney already knew it had been a disaster for him.

But what nobody knew, until now, was that Obama believed he had actually won.

In an extraordinary insight into the events leading up to the 90 minute showdown which changed the face of the election, a Democrat close to the Obama campaign today reveals that the President also did not take his debate preparation seriously, ignored the advice of senior aides and ignored one-liners that had been prepared to wound Romney.

The Democrat said that Obama’s inner circle was dismayed at the ‘disaster’ and that he believed the central problem was that the President was so disdainful of Romney that he didn’t believe he needed to engage with him."


Of course...he thought his enormous "intellect and blackness" would be enough.

Who would be the first to question or dare to speak against the One? the Magic bullshit in Chief....the greatest orator since Plato?

Anonymous said...

"Wonder who will wear a Red Tie in the next Debate?"


Jesus...who gives a shit? Does that really matter? Does it mean that the One..the liar in chief will be more believable? Damn...what have we become if we believe a necktie will determine the success or failure of a debate?

Z said...

WHOA NELLIE, Imp!
There is research about the clothing, height of candidates, etc!

They were just discussing the red tie as a sort of after thought!

Tall candidates win nearly all the time...red's a power color; who knows what affects people and how that affects their votes!?

Weird, but true!

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

In state by state polling in terms of winner of the poll gets the electoral college votes, the score is:

Obama 294, Romney 244

Z said...

Well, that's nice, but it's not great, Ed...kids who can't vote but understand the Constitution and want to elect Conservatives is very sweet....let's hope they have older brothers and sisters who can vote.
Let's hope they have relatives who'll listen to them who live in the swing votes...the swing votes are starting to tighten up a lot.
can't wait till the debate Thursday night.

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

I can retroactively predict what the weather will be like yesterday.

Take an average of the latest state by state polls, and Obama is ahead by Electoral College votes.

Anyone expecting a Romney win, much less a Romney landslide, is setting themselves up for extreme disappointment.

Anonymous said...

Oi vey..

Anonymous said...

And the morons in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania will still vote for the job / energy killer?

"The Obama administration has imposed regulations on the coal industry ‘that have huge economic costs, but questionable and minimal environmental benefits,’ says Nicolas Loris, an energy-policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation.’The administration has made the construction of new coal-powered utility plants exceedingly difficult, if not almost impossible, and it has shut down mines or made it much more difficult to keep them open.’

‘The Obama administration has done everything it possibly can to destroy the American coal industry,’ says Mike Carey, chairman of the Ohio Coal Association and vice president of government affairs at the Murray Energy Corporation. ‘Under Obama’s leadership, we have gone from producing 1.2 billion tons to somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 million tons.

It’s disingenuous at best for Obama to say that he supports the coal industry when we have lost one-third of our production."


Just when the birdbrain Mr. Moonbeam realizes that California doesn't need boutique mixes of gasoline either.

Those who live in coal fired energy states...will see their electricity go upwards of 25%...

Anonymous said...

Nah...theres no voter fraud in the DNC...nope:


http://tinyurl.com/8c3ngl2

Anonymous said...

And again...

http://tinyurl.com/9jf89fa

MathewK said...

I hope Romney is bringing the big guns to the next debate, obama won't be caught out again and you can be sure the moderator will be hostile to Romney at best.

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