Debates a mixed bag for Romney

[cthulu2016]

Romney gets what all in challengers get from debates—enhanced standing. Being seen as someone operating in the same world (aka same TV world) as the President.

On the other hand, Romney loses his only asset, which is the unilateral cheap shot. The canned speech and the negative TV ad. Mitt has a practiced line of patter that literally makes no sense if there is any response—even a simple request for more. It's not that he won't have a few slightly more human arguments with some of the more glaring lies omitted... he will. But they'll be recently memorized and Palin-esque. If you interrupt him he'll have to start the answer over. He will blurt out buzzwords with no context because somebody yelled at him for a week to be sure to use the word a lot.

Because of the enhanced status factor, challengers are probably right to always want debates. In thinking of a viable challenger who self-destructed in a debate, though, Mitt Romney in his senate debate against Ted Kennedy comes to mind.

[SDjack]

1. When Pres. Obama gives 3 numbers in an answer, Willard will be lost. nt

[DonCoquixote]

2. Here is the danger

Mitt can look bad in debates as long as he has to follow the rules, but in less formal ones, he can be rude, self righteous, patronizing, arrogant, and clueless:

and that is EXACTLY what will make the right wing DROOL! As hateful as this is to say, there are a lot of angry white dudes out there who want to see the political equivalent of a cop beating one of those "uppity" types into submission. It is Mitt's one good card, and he WILL play it.

[Drunken Irishman]

3. Who cares what right-wingers think?

If Romney comes out like that, he just lost 20% of the country he needs to win the presidency.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Yup. He'll play the Gingrich card

and will "lecture" the President and the moderators on subjects that he has no idea about, and will continue to obfuscate, spout talking points, and lie. And the moderators will let it go. But it will look "strong" and "in command".

The only consolation is that this emperor stripped off his clothes a long time ago and since so many have already made up their minds by now and are about sick of it all, there may actually be lower ratings for these debates than in the past (and primarily because the rethugs already had something like 22 debates over the past year already). The one that might have a bit more viewership is the Biden-Lyin'Ryan debate.

[Cha]

5. Mitt has been trying..

to set it up that he, mitt, will have a challenge because Pres Obama..

Towards the end of the interview, however, Romney looked ahead to the upcoming debates and said he'll have a challenge to deal with: "he president tends to, how shall I say it, to say things that aren't true

."

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/14/13865583-chronicling-mitts-mendacity-vol-xxxiv?lite

AND..

"Romney tells Iowa voters he’ll ‘just have to come down hard’ on Obama in debates"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014242654#post33

Money Boo Hoo will be on steroids. His opening statement a la Scott Brown.. "Presdient Obama lies and I'm going to come down hard on him".