October 3, 2012
By Jamie SandersonPresident Obama looked calm and collected during the first presidential debate with Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Quite a few people have said he was too calm and looked defeated in some areas.
I won’t say he was defeated because being the incumbent president comes with a lot of stature. Romney’s job was to knock Obama off the pedestal, but that didn't happen – no matter what Republicans say.
What also didn't happen was the constant disputing of the numerous lies Romney spouted. There was no mention of Bain Capital or Romney’s disguised history at the company. There was no mention of the 47 percent where Romney basically threw a group of people in the gutter. No mention of women’s issues.
No retort to the lie Romney claims in where he would not make cuts to education.
There were no hard-hitting moments on Mitt Romney… period.
Liberals came away from the debate worried, upset and some were even mad.
This liberal understands Obama speaks to a nation of people, not to the liberal base, during debates. Mitt Romney realized this and threw the tea party in the trash during the debate and agreed with popular policy associated with Obama. The point of debates is more in not losing what you've gained than working to win over a few undecided.
Did Mitt Romney look presidential when he ran over the format of the debate and Jim Lehrer? No. Did the President handle the debate presidential? Yes.
But Obama let Romney off the hook plenty of times when he could have more aggressive in shutting down the lies being spewed.
And when lies go unchallenged, they grow into truth.
In South Carolina, lies fume in the media and across the political spectrum as gospel. Unchallenged by the people we enlist to do so.
Romney won’t share any specifics. There is a reason for that. The specifics would cost Romney votes.
Obama gave a presidential outline on why he should be elected. However, 100 percent of the people do not know how Romney feels about the 47 percent. They don’t know Romney’s record at Bain in outsourcing jobs. They don’t know he wants to end Medicare as we know it. They don’t know Medicaid will be thrown to the wolves.
President Obama never attacked Mitt Romney. I think the opposite ought to occur in the rest of the debates. Not only to enforce his compassionate concern for the American people, but for everyone to see it.
Romney is trying to define Obama. It’s what he has to do.
Obama needs to counter this and be more aggressive when confronted with the lies and missteps presented by Mitt Romney.
The people are looking for a fighter. Not a person protecting what he already has.
President Obama, it is OK to be the fighter we elected you to be, even in front of the country when debating a liar who needs his card called.
