Romney's debate performance is not surprising - since such a setting rewards bald faced liars.

[Bill USA]

Romney saying:

1) "my plan covers pre-existing conditions" (yeah, as of that moment) ..and...

2) "I don't have a $5 Trillion tax cut"... after the Tax Policy Center's analysis clearly established that a 20% cut in tax rates and repealing the estate tax entirely, along with a list of other changes, would produce a loss of revenues of $456 billion by 2015 - which over 10 years (this is usually the time frame discussed by policy wonks in making their estimates) gets you to a rounded figure of $5 trillion.


ON THE DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECTS OF BASE-BROADENING INCOME TAX REFORM (of the Romney tax plan)

This plan would extend the 2001-03 tax cuts,

reduce individual income tax rates by 20 percent, eliminate taxation of investment income of most taxpayers (including individuals earning less than $100,000, and married couples earning less than $200,000), eliminate the estate tax, reduce the corporate income tax rate, and repeal the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and the high-income taxes enacted in 2010’s health-reform legislation.1 We estimate that these components would reduce revenues by $456 billion in 2015 relative to a current policy baseline.2 According to statements by Governor Romney and his advisors, the remainder of the plan will include policies to offset this revenue loss, although there are no details on how that would be achieved.

I think this kinda 'threw' Obama, who is a classy, reserved guy, and who no doubt thought but, balked at saying: "Don't give me that shit! Those are fucking facts!!"

Once the fact checking begins, a clearer picture will emerge as to who did better in the first debate. But the only problem is, I admitt, a significant fraction (or, should I say 'faction') of the population seems to place little importance on the facts in these matters.



debate transcript

..."FACTS?....FACTS??...WEEEEE DON'T NEEEED NO STINKING FACTS!!!"....Mitt Rmoney(?)

[Life Long Dem]

1. Obama comes out the winner

The pukes think they have Obama down, and are looking to take him down more. But, I can see Obama is playing his game of chess. Romney will come out swinging in the next debate, and be so loose on his words that he screws himself up. And once again we will look at no drama Obama and say... hmmm... wow...maybe in fact Obama does have this.

[Bill USA]

3. I'm not saying Romney won.. but the media types are gushing that Rmoney won. This is not surprising

as media types only recognize superficial, style points. THey are not interested in the content of what is being said, just does it sound good. sure Romney was energetic and talked a lot, but what the fuck did he say? It was an uninterrupted gush of Big Lies. He reminded my of a three year old, who on seeing he's gotten the attention of all the grown-ups in the room, just performs saying manicly anything that comes into his head, just because he likes the attention he is getting.

Maybe Romney looked like he was pitchiing curves but check the balls, they were all wiffel balls filled with air bubbles. Those weren't legitimate strikes they were the acts of a kid playing at being a big league pichter.

[PATRICK]

2. The media debate system

sets up this scenario. To win you have to defeat this scenario NOT just present winning arguments in sterling oratorical fashion. Or else you are left like on election night with the results being switched fixed and adjudicated against all evidence and logic.