Topic: Domestic policy

Air Time: 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: University of Denver in Denver, Colorado (Tickets)

Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates

Participants: President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney

Moderator: Jim Lehrer (Host of NewsHour on PBS)

 The debate will focus on domestic policy and be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on topics to be selected by the moderator and announced several weeks before the debate.

 The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic.

As Americans await the first debate between the presidential candidates, several comments and questions come to mine.  First off, what we will see tonight is not a real ‘debate.’  That leaves the question, well, what is it?

How do we determine who won the debate?  It seems to me that the person we like the best will “win.”  Who decides who wins and what is the criteria?

Will the winner have zapped  the most zingers?  Will the winner have the cutest answers?  The quickest answers?   How will you determine who won?

The debate will be on all major channels.

 

 

78 Thoughts to “The Great Debate”

  1. Do we really care who “wins” this debate?

    1. I don’t but it is sure being discussed on all the cables.

      Ignore the questions if they don’t appeal to you is all I can say.

  2. I don’t know if I’m going to watch it. I’d rather get transcripts after the fact, if I want the information. I’ve already made my decision.

    However, if one of them announces that they will ban robocalling from their campaign and that voters will no longer get multiple phone calls that drone on even AFTER you hang up (I picked up the receiver a minute later and the call was still active) …..I’m voting for that man.

    1. Shall I call Obama and tell him yes, there is a way to get you to vote for him?

      :mrgreen:

  3. Need to Know

    I’ll give Joe Biden credit for his honesty. He stated forcefully yesterday that the middle class has been “buried” over the past four years. He’s absolutely tight. Joe is the gift that keeps on giving.

    Barack Obama – net loss of one million jobs since the end of the Bush administration and gain of an additional $6 trillion in debt.

    Joe Biden – priceless.

    1. Maybe some in the middle class were buried by what had been happening to them….

      Did you feel buried during the past 4 years? I didn’t. I am extremely middle class.

      I was fortunate though. When my husband lost his job, he just ended up retiring.

      I guess I might be asking what McCain would have done differently and more importantly, what Romney would do differently from Obama.

      I don’t think off shore bank accounts and not helping out the auto industry necessarily spells success.

      We saw that all the BS and blather from the t-party that ushered in that gang of do-nothings was just that…bs and blather. I have waited and waited for them to solve the problem like they kept telling us they knew how to do. It still hasn’t happened.

      I guess they didn’t know as much as they thought they knew before 2010 elections.

  4. Need to Know

    Sorry, my typo, Joe is absolutely “right”

  5. Need to Know

    @Cargosquid

    I’m definitely watching tonight, as is Mrs. NTK, with a Maker’s Mark on ice in hand, and looking forward to reading everyone’s comments tomorrow, even though most of us on MH already know what each other is going to say. It’s hard for me to imagine that any regular commenters on MH or any of the other blogs hasn’t already made up their minds.

    Regrettably, the campaign now is mostly for the “American Idol” fan base in the swing states.

    1. The American citizen is an enigma to me. I believe I have told you about a friend who was part of our Sat. evening dinner crew who kept telling one of the other women that she was going to shoot that n***** if someone didn’t beat her to it. We are no longer having dinner, to say the least. She kept posting ridiculous things on her face book saying that people voted for Obama because of white guilt.

      I finally went and asked her how she could stand to dine with such ignorant people.

      That was the end of that. Did I leave out the part about her not even being registered to vote? She hasn’t voted in 40 years.

      ps she didn’t use ****** she actually said it. Over and over and over.

  6. Need to Know

    @Moon-howler

    I agree with you completely on that point. I grew up in a moderate Republican home (my mom had been registered Democrat but since Reagan voted Republican) in the South. Both of my parents were middle class professionals. Such language was absolutely forbidden in our home. Growing up in the South in the 60s and 70s we saw a lot of racism and use of n***** and other such terms. My parents never invited anyone into our home who talked like that, and absolutely forbade the kids from talking or acting in such ways.

    1. I left out the part where she said she didn’t know that we were Obama supporters when I asked her how she could stand to eat dinner with us because we were so ignorant. How can you sit with people week after week when there was always time set aside for world events and politics and say you didn’t know who they supported for president.

      She knew that we thought Palin was a deal breaker for McCain. In the first place, I simply don’t understand why someone would throw away a friendship of 15 years over something so silly and especially when she doesn’t care enough to vote. Just an enigma to me.!!!

      The one person from the group she remains friends with is the friend with bi-racial grandchildren who was so offended in the first place. Another go figure.

      At any rate, who wants to eat dinner wondering if someone in the party is going to make a remark that causes the secret service swat team to surround you.

  7. Cato the Elder

    I’m gonna go out on a limb and suggest that all this racism stuff is generational in nature. In other words, you geezers hear it all the time because you were raised and indoctrinated with it. For most of gen X and younger, it just doesn’t come up. It’s extremely rare (actually, never that I can remember) for me to hear anything of the nature described here in my circle of friends, because it simply doesn’t occur to them. Racism will die off with the boomers, for the most part.

    Of course, you have a bunch of people who are in the business of running around and keeping racism alive and well, but the Sharptons and Jacksons of this world are aging too. All we have to do is wait for them to stop breathing.

    And they will.

  8. I see that agism is alive and well though. re geezer

    Just for the record, that’s one of those things you can say if you are one. If you aren’t, really just isn’t done nor is it considered acceptable.

    I can promise you that racism is not generational. How it is expressed is generational but its inherent existence is not.

    When was the last time you were in a school btw the way? You might want to check out the lunch tables. That is the first clue.

  9. Snap! This geezer is putting fresh batteries in her hearing aids to listen, not watch, the debate tonight (don’t want to be distracted).

    Prejudice in the post 9-11 world is alive and well. What’s that song from “South Pacific?” You have to be carefully taught…? Just watched a film at GMU-Prince William on Sunday about it, with a good discussion afterwards.

  10. Elena

    I hear racist comments about Obama more frequently than I should. Racism does exist, its thriving from my perspective. My hope is that as more people intermarry, it will fade.

  11. Starryflights

    Obama’s going to kick Romney’s butt tonight.

  12. Need to Know

    @Starryflights

    Starry – I’m still waiting for your numbers. I’m calling Virginia Romney 52%, Obama 47% and others 1%.

    No betting, but let’s see who comes closest. What are your numbers?

  13. SlowpokeRodriguez

    Starryflights :
    Obama’s going to kick Romney’s butt tonight.

    Your depth of argument is right at home here.

    1. Slow, we have talked about manners. You are not welcome to come here and take pot shots at us or the people here. Since you hang out here, you are are including yourself in the insult.

  14. Cato the Elder

    Moon-howler :

    When was the last time you were in a school btw the way? You might want to check out the lunch tables. That is the first clue.

    See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You see a a table with black kids and a table with white kids and it’s racism. I see the same thing and I see the human condition. It’s natural to fear different. It’s quite another to see different and think deficient.

    Trust me when I tell you the younger generations don’t think like you do.

    1. Cato, I have spent a great deal more time with young people than you have over the years, from a more objective position. You are making a sweeping generalization. It isn’t necessarily about who is sitting with whom. TALK to the kids.

      Perhaps racism is too strong of a word as far as school goes. Let me put it in another perspective. You have a very white view of things that does not take into account how people of color view the world. While things might appear A-OK to you, it might not be to others.

      There are plenty of places in and around PWC where the N word is every day speech and no one blinks an eye. It isn’t all old people.

      Actually, much of it has to do with class.

  15. Cato the Elder

    Oh, and if it’s not generational why is it 9 out of 10 times when we see the little videos going around those doing the spewing of racist crap are old, white boomers?

    I mean, take a look at the dude in the video on your own front page. Just sayin’

    1. What is it that you really are trying to say?

      I don’t think Boomers are any worst than anyone else. It really is a matter of class. It shows up differently but no less viciously. Ever read the comments in the News and Messenger? 🙄

  16. Censored bybvbl

    @Cato the Elder

    I hope you’re right, but my grand-niece who’s 9 years old and bi-racial already feels the need to straighten her hair because other classmates have said it’s too curly.

    I was on an Amtrak train from NYC recently which had an unexpected layover at Union Station. A lot of us shot the bull for an hour and a half because we’d already missed the last VRE. Most of the younger African Americans had less of a negative feeling about the South than we older geezers did. I’ll take their word for how much things have changed since I lived there but I know there’s still prejudice out there.

  17. Starryflights

    @Need to Know
    Why only Virginia number? Why not national numbers?

  18. Censored bybvbl

    Another incident makes me think there’s racism at play. DH and I attended a party composed of 50 and 60 year olds. All were white and had either shared a hobby or worked together or were spouses of those people. Toward the end of the evening the hostess , assuming everyone shared her view, invited all of us to an event south of here with the addition,”Mr. ***** won’t be selling any Democratic items.” Why would she assume some of us weren’t Democrats or Independents? Could it be that we could all be included in the old white geezer category and therefore assumed we’re Republicans or Conservatives?

  19. Emma

    President Sucks Less Than Romney seems a little tightly wound tonight. He’s speaking a mile a minute, tripping over some of his words. He doesn’t seem like himself tonight.

  20. The President is saying “aaaand” too much. They’re both nervous.

  21. Emma

    They really are. Maybe they’ve overpracticed.

  22. Emma

    Very high blink rate right now for both.

    1. My eyes are glazed over. Please let it be over.

  23. Emma

    Wine has been very helpful. A very nice ribolla from Opera House.

  24. SlowpokeRodriguez

    Booooooring!!

  25. Emma

    I do like the end, watching the two families greeting each other, smiling and laughing. That’s the kind of thing that makes me proud to be an American.

    1. Either proud of pinching yourself in disbelief.

      What standards do we use to evaluate? I think it boils down to who you like the most if you are looking for winners and losers.

      Liberals are all screaming because Obama seemed tempered. Conservatives all disappointed because Romney seemed tempered.

      The extremist party is over thank goodness, from here to the finish line.

      It really wasn’t a debate. It was an exchange.

  26. SlowpokeRodriguez

    I miss Al Gore’s sighing. That was at least interesting.

  27. SlowpokeRodriguez

    I wish I could drink wine….that might have made this a little more interesting.

  28. Emma

    Interesting debate. Very restrained on both sides, but I think Romney was a little more on point. Obama seemed a little scattered.

  29. Need to Know

    I had my glass of Maker’s Mark but it should have been champaign because Romney cleaned Obama’s clock.

    1. Using what standards? I didn’t see any clock cleaning at all. I saw two informative individuals appealing to us with their ideas for the country.

  30. SlowpokeRodriguez

    Actually, thinking about it, maybe the fact that there was no “weirdo moment” and that they both acted nicely is the interesting thing about the debate. Maybe I’ll have to wait for Ryan/Biden to be the “entertaining” exchange.

  31. Cato the Elder

    Moon-howler :
    What is it that you really are trying to say?

    Well, precisely what I am saying is that the boomers were the last generation to grow up with institutionalized segregation because the “other” was somehow “deficient.” This type of experience colors your thinking and affects worldview. Some learned to discipline their thinking and seek truth, but the vast majority did not. This is why I think we see this predominantly among boomers, not because they’re worse than anyone else, but you can’t deny that they’re a product of their environment.

    Gen X forward never had that experience. In fact, we are the product of forced integration.

    Show me a place in PWC where the n word is used repeatedly without anyone blinking and I’ll show you a collection of gray haired, white boomers. :mrgreen:

  32. Cato the Elder

    BAWHAHAHAHAHA Andrew Sullivan has a nervous breakdown while live blogging the debate: http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/10/live-blogging-the-first-presidential-debate-2012.html

  33. @Cato the Elder

    @Cato

    I almost wish you were right. You aren’t even close. You have definied racism to be between 2 races, perhaps unintentionally.

    I think probably to get the conditions that you described you probably have to go back past the boomer generation, to the older one. Remember that boomers are 1946-1964. Generation
    Xers are 1965-1980. The alpha boomers might have grown up with institutionalized segregation if they lived in the south. However, you are only speaking of a small portion of boomers if that is indeed true. Most boomers are probably the first to grow up in an integrated society, especially those not living in the south.

    I actually think you have read too many incomplete generational brochures. You apparently missed the illegal immigration “debate” in Prince William County October 16, 2007, just to take a snapshot in time. Did you miss the young woman, probably even too young to be generation x who told the Supervisors that her mama didn’t like hearing people talking Spanish and that they scared her? No way this chick was a boomer.

  34. Romney finally cut free from the “base” that had been making him tap dance. At long last, he didn’t care.

    We’ll see how that flies. Meanwhile, I place no bets.

  35. Watching

    I am excited that Romney wants to bring Obamacare to all fifty states. Wahoo.

  36. Marinm

    @Cato the Elder

    What I find amusing is that the President that howes up to the debate, came off as bored and uninterested, and vague is the same one we’ve been saying lacks experience these last 3-4 years.

    The emperor has no clothes.

    Biggest loser last night wasn’t the moderator, Obama or big Bird but it was KitchenAid…. Person sent a tweet from the KA account that was pretty nasty.

    1. Most Americans have no clothes either so everyone matches and got the same memo.

  37. I seriously have to ask what you all really expected Obama to do.

    Do people really expect him to grow wings, a halo and a superman cape?

    God they were both boring as hell. I didn’t expect to be entertained.

    The good thing is that Romney pretty much stuck the old middle finger up at his “base” and reverted back to his old Massachusetts self. I was pleased to see some of his old self confidence back after being saddled with ideologues for so long. He was more of a pragmatist than an ideologue in the old MASS days.

  38. Judging by the responses across the conservative blogosphere, the base did not see it as a rejection and consider Romney to have won decisively. Even many democrat pundits are saying that.

    1. Perhaps they should seen it as a rejection. It was rather obvious that he was giving it up and being his own person.

      No one has yet said what “won” even means. I asked long before the debate began. No one could tell me. All of a sudden we have a win.

      How comical. Yes, I have heard Ed Schultzand Chris Matthews on the subject, slobbering all over themselves. All I have heard for years is what dumb asses they are and now they are brilliant. You betcha.

      So tell me, what constitutes a win. Yesterday you blew me off when I asked and basically said who cares. bwwaaaahahahahaha the worm has certainly turned in 24 hours.

  39. Censored bybvbl

    We stayed away from the wine because we were afraid we’d fall asleep before the debate finished. I didn’t learn anything new. I guess we’ll have to count on the Veep debate for the fireworks.

  40. @Censored bybvbl

    I don’t think I can stand to be that bored again. Watching is just painful.

  41. Cargo must CARE all of a sudden.

    Yesterday cargo said:

    Do we really care who “wins” this debate?

    He obviously cares a lot today. Translation, act like a d!** to me over my questions and you get to own it.

    😛

  42. SlowpokeRodriguez

    Starryflights :
    Obama’s going to kick Romney’s butt tonight.

    I’d say called with typical “Starryflights” accuracy.

  43. @SlowpokeRodriguez

    noise~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  44. No one has yet said what “won” even means. I asked long before the debate began. No one could tell me. All of a sudden we have a win.

    Nope. Still don’t care. Didn’t watch it. I don’t know, personally, who “won.”

    Now, the debate may have changed the minds of some people…but, how many of those watching were undecided to begin with? Did any Americans that don’t follow politics even watch?

    @Moon-howler
    How did I act like a “d!** to you? All I did was tell you what was going on the net.

    I act completely polite and reasonable and you insult me?
    I was asking a freaking question! WHO REALLY CARES? Do you care? Does anyone on this blog care? As you said, who defines “winning?”

    If I ever decide to “act like a d!** you’ll know it.

    1. I didn’t insult you. If I insulted you, you would know it…to keep to form.

      Furthermore, I showed you what I was referring to and left a razz face.

      Did you stay up too late or something?

  45. Objective definition of winning:
    who had the more specific answers.
    Who met the viewers expectations.
    Who had the clearest plans.
    Who satisfied the viewers questions better.

    Only the individual can answer that.

    1. That I agree with, Cargo. In the end, we all have our own definitions.

      When I posed the question yesterday, I had been listening to hours of “pundits” discussing who would win. No one even say what the benchamrks were for winning. I have never been so sick of a a debate. I was sick of it before it happened. I have kept the sound off this morning. I wanted to see what Turkey was up to. Fat chance.

  46. Elena

    I agree with Emma in her analysis of the debate. I think that both candidates made their points, I dont believe it would have swayed anyone still undecided.

    I did wonder why Obama did not call Romney out on his contradictory statement regarding taxes or did I misundertand Romney. On one hand he said he was not giving a tax cut to the wealthiest 3 % but then said Obama was going to raise taxes on the “job creators” in that upper 3%. Which is it?

    1. I thought it was a nice change to have both of them having an adult discussion.

      The end was a decent gesture also.

      The terms of engagement made it boring.

      I doubt if anyone made any switches just over that debate. I think most people other than Chris and Ed pretty much stood by their man. Ed and Chris are what they are and will never change.

  47. marinm

    I did find it amusing how much they actually agreed with one another on. Again, there really isn’t that much of a difference.

    “Most Americans have no clothes either so everyone matches and got the same memo.”

    Spandex, its a privledge – not a right.

    According to Mr. Obama’s own people – he won the debate. So, lets go with that and hope that Mr. Obama debates the same way for the next two…

    I also do feel bad for Obama. The last few years anytime he’s gone up to a podium its been with a teleprompter and to appologize for ‘Merica. So, he may have been a little lost.

  48. @Moon-howler
    Sorry. Missed the face.

    Long week….

  49. Apparently the consensus is that Obama did poorly.

    Gore blamed Obama’s poor showing on the altitude in Denver.
    http://youtu.be/mtkw8stAlrM
    And this was not an “off the cuff” statement. He gave it some thought.

    And to think that Gore was one heartbeat from being the President and was almost elected.

    Whew!

  50. I think Obama did fine. He doesn’t have the privilege of just campaigning. He still has to deal with the crap of running the country. He still has a terrorist situation and Turkey firing missiles at Syria and a critical situation in Afghanistan, just to name a few issues.

    What I saw on his face is the same thing I saw on the face of Bush and Clinton, and that is the burden of office.

    Maybe hope vs reality is what I am trying to say.

    I was just happy for the civility from both of them. Too bad the American people can’t take a lesson from both.

    I was actually glad to see the old Romney. Although I am an Obama supporter, I was really doing some hate on the made over Romney. I had supported him during the primaries.

    Democrats are known for being fair weather fans. If they wanted to be entertained, they should have just stayed in Charlotte.

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