I think Americans will be reminded tonight that they really don't like Romney all that much

[Tom Rinaldo]

At the last debate a lot of voters woke up to see an actual human being on stage there debating Obama, rather than the cartoon villain version of Romney lodged in a lot of voters minds. The real Romney was able to speak in full paragraphs without sounding like he was on drugs (well, maybe speed but not hallucinogenics). People realized Romney actually had a case he could make for himself, and that he could do so forcefully. Obama kind of seemed a bit listless by comparison, and so it all went.

A lot of post debate discussion focused on the theme of two Romneys, the severely conservative one who had been campaigning for President over the last year and the newly reinvented so-called Moderate Mitt who showed up to debate Obama that night. Yes there were those two Romneys, but the true odd couple really was flesh and blood Mitt vs cartoon caricature Mitt , and flesh and blood Romney wildly surpassed his cartoon version. That was the gut take away for most people about Romney, not whether they actually liked him or could warm up to having Romney address our nation as President for four full years.

Now that Mitt Romney is seen as having a plausible chance of actually winning the election voters will, once again, see him differently tonight. They will ponder Romney being President, and that thought will not seem all that appealing. To turn an old conventional wisdom on its head, I think what President Obama has to do tonight, when all is said and done, is give people a good enough reason to vote against the flesh and blood Mitt Romney.

On edit let me add: I am not trying to imply that Obama just has to come across as a nice guy tonight, compared to Romney, in order to win. Obama has to display strength, he needs to show confidence, he needs to defend his record and attack Romney; all of the standard stuff. Clearly Obama has to hold his own, but if he does so he will win, because most Americans are innately comfortable with Barack Obama and not at all so with Mitt Romney.

[H2O Man]

1. I agree.

recommended

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

2. I may be the only one who thought the president won that debate.

I did not watch as I was driving and listened on the radio. I think the media spin heads actually lost this debate for Obama. And they continue to do so. The President is extremely smart and his brain works faster than his mouth which leads to his stammering, something that happens to a lot of smart people. Who knows what they wil do tonight.

[GoCubsGo]

3. The media bases their decisions on style, not substance.

That's why they've been harping on Joe Biden's "smiling", etc. in the VP debates. They don't care that he was refuting all of Ryan's lies, or that Ryan was absolutely clueless when it came to things like foreign policy. The same with the first debate. Willard lied his ass off for 90 minutes, but they only cared that the President "was writing notes a lot". It's all bullshit. And, I find it utterly disgusting that so many Americans will base their votes on shit like that.

[nc4bo]

4. +1 - Media hasn't once mentioned today the importance of Romney's big flip nor the lies

How irresponsible to neglect those facts. How disturbing media pretends that none of that happened at all!

They keep saying Romney won the debate when in reality he lost the most important test of all, character test.

Once again, the media has failed The People.

[Tom Rinaldo]

7. How long before they jold up cards after each question, saying 8.7 or 9.4?

They have, as you point out, already gotten to the point where they are openly grading these debates on style, without a hint of shame.

[ananda]

5. Romney had a case to make?

Which one?

Did it involve a real plan with details?

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. It was a fallacious plan, based on false assumptions, backed by phony studies

It had as much detail as Nixon's secret plan to end the war in Viet Nam. But that is Romney's case, and he made it.

[Tom Rinaldo]

8. I think Romney came through on this right on schedule n/t