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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Mitt Romney wins the first debate against a listless Barack Obama -- A debate with a flood of facts and figures to befuddle everyone

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Mitt Romney wins the first debate against a listless Barack Obama -- A debate with a flood of facts and figures to befuddle everyone

Posted on Thursday, October 04, 2012 at 12:10 AM

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Mitt Romney and Barack Obama at the Denver presidential debate

Mitt Romney won the first debate against Barack Obama just by showing up in a fighting mood against a lackluster incumbent.

In a debate weighed down by facts and figures and financial data, Romney was faster on his feet than Obama.

The aura of invincibility that descends on every White House occupant was scraped off by Romney’s combative performance.

It was Obama’s first debate in four years and it showed. He seemed disengaged, not the fiery candidate who took the stage by storm four years ago against John McCain.

Beforehand 72 percent of Americans thought Obama would win, the typical numbers for an incumbent. So Romney did far better coming from a lower expectation base.

But while Romney won on style, Obama landed some punches, especially when focused on Romney’s plan to cut $5 trillion in taxes.

“We have a horse race,” said David Gergen on CNN, the most seasoned of all political operatives who gave Romney the verdict on a night that may have changed the course of the race for the White House.

Even James Carville, the attack dog Democrat, had little good to say about Obama’s performance, saying he gave the impression he did not want to be there.

“The president did not bring his “A” game," said Carville

Obama was somehow subdued, his best moments were in his closing remarks when he finally felt and looked passionate when asking the American people for four more years.

At the same time, the two were reminiscent of two fighters clutching each other in the center of the ring without landing any punches for very long periods.

In the end, there was no knockdown, no moment like when Ronald Reagan floored Jimmy Carter, or Lloyd Bentsen when he decked Dan Quayle with his “You’re no Jack Kennedy” line.

All of which means that Romney will pick up some momentum making this a closer race than the pundits were predicting just a few weeks ago.

Read more: IrishCentral's up-to-date stories on the US presidential election 2012 here

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Jack | Oct 07, 2012, 05:03 PM EDT

Anglo-Norman is right on. Today's "democrats" like Obama are no way similar to those Democrats like JFK or Tip O'Neil. This "president" has vastly increased the use of food stamps and welfare but not through necesity but by relaxing the requirements to get on those programs/ He also increased the unemployment availability from 6 months to two years (99 weeks). PS: A study came out that after 99 weeks of unemployment most people find a job within three weeks. The reason Obama does this is by buying votes by giving away free money. This is the opposite JFK speech of "ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country". Clinton moved people off welfare and back to work and Obama has totally reversed that. He's real socialist.

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BrianO | Oct 06, 2012, 09:42 AM EDT

Ya EK. the Reagan years where a horrible time for the economy, sheesh.

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allentown | Oct 05, 2012, 11:07 PM EDT

Ephraim, as Romney told President Obama: "you own a plane and a house, but you don't own your own facts".

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EphraimKibbey | Oct 05, 2012, 01:38 PM EDT

susieq2 - Talk about "fooled me once, fooled me twice." Reagan - My tax cuts will help the economy so much that they will pay for themselves. Bush 1 called it VooDoo. Result - huge deficit for the time and sluggish economy. Reagan - we must now raise taxes to stimulate the economy. 2. W. - My tax cuts will not decrease what the rich pay and will pay for themselves as they will stimulate the economy. Result - very sluggish growth, doubling the deficit and a crash of historic proportion. 3. Magical Mitt the Mendacious - My 20% tax cut will be revenue neutral, will not decrease the taxes paid by the rich, will not raise the taxes of the middle class, will stimulate the economy and reduce the deficit. The country fell for this line of something for nothing twice before and it didn't work either time. Insanity - believing that doing the same thing over and over will have different results. Or - Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; fool me thrice, I am an idiot incapable of learning from my mistakes!

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susieq2 | Oct 05, 2012, 11:00 AM EDT

Arthur Cola... You said it all. I don't know why so many Irish were falling for Obama. He "Fooled me once - not twice!"

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Frosty38 | Oct 05, 2012, 10:45 AM EDT

Romney and Ryan 2012 And Ryan for president 2020!!! i hope Ryan gets a NEW TAILOR he looks like a ragamuffin when he appears

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BrianO | Oct 05, 2012, 10:33 AM EDT

Ephraim is really earning his money this week, After the election you might consider selling used cars. I would like to hear the real numbers from Obama, not axelrod, or a surrogate. I would like to know if he, Obama actually knows about free market capitalism.

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Arthur Cola | Oct 05, 2012, 10:22 AM EDT

After multi millions of dollars have been spent on destroying the person of who Mitt Romney is the Presidential Debate introduced not a combative Presidential candidate but rather one who is knowledgeable,assertive, confident and ready to lead. What we saw in that 1st debate was that our current President is indeed a celebrity President. He's more comfortable with the Hollywood set, apearing on The View or David Letterman than preenting his own ideas, which of course, he found challenging to do because they are limited in nature. (Except for the Auto industry bail out). Secondly, one has heard that Romney has not been specific enough with details on how he would turn the economy around. Now he has produced an abundance of examples and media is saying that the people were overwhelmed by the facts and figures used in this debate. There will be no tax increase for the middle class. And the reason for that is clear, not a Clintonesque Math cliche'. Reduce the corporate tax structure, reduce the tax rates, increase trade of USA products are three examples of what Romney presented as how this $5 tillion dollar issue is not an issue. If we do those three things more people will be employed, businesses will grow and thus more taxes would be collected. This would enable the government to have increased revenue and set US on the road to real recovery.

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seanfer7 | Oct 05, 2012, 07:50 AM EDT

I thought Romney sounded like a carnival barker. He was talking so fast you couldn't get your mind about what he was saying and what he said prior. Hurry up make a decision its going fast.

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Donegal6 | Oct 05, 2012, 02:11 AM EDT

Obama, "everyone get's a fair share"...of what? based on what? Sounds a bit Marxist to me.

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anglo-norman | Oct 05, 2012, 01:23 AM EDT

The Irish do have to give up that old emotional attachment to the Democrat Party & decide for themselves on the issues & the man. Obama is a spoofer & he can't pick himself up for the second debate then everyone will know the charade around this man.

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EphraimKibbey | Oct 05, 2012, 12:29 AM EDT

christinao't - Don't tell Ryan, but 2020 is a Tecumsah curse year. Look up what happened to the country and to every President elected in a 20 year multiple since Harrison. Recently, 1960 JDK shot; 1980 Reagan shot; 2000 W. 2 wars and financial collapse. Every 20 years the US suffers some catastrophe associated with the President they elect.

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EphraimKibbey | Oct 05, 2012, 12:15 AM EDT

Poll of likely voters: PREDEBATE - Obama 47%, Romney 41%; POSTDEBATE - Obama 48%, Romney 43%. This seems to align with instant polling that gave Romney the debate win 46% to 21%. So Romney won 2 former undecided voters for every one that Obama won but the minds of already decided voters was not swayed. If the rest of the presidential debates go just as badly for Obama, it will end up Obama 50% and Romney 47%. Since the Libritarian candidate may take the remaining 3%, that still gives Obama a 3% win. Since this was a national poll rather than a swing state poll, Obama's win margin may be even greater in those states. Keep the faith!

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christinao't | Oct 05, 2012, 12:13 AM EDT

Romney and Ryan 2012 And Ryan for president 2020!!!

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EphraimKibbey | Oct 04, 2012, 11:59 PM EDT

Here is what no one has called Mitt the mendacious on yet: IF his tax cut will be revenue neutral, will not add to middle class tax burden, will not increase the deficit AND will not lower the taxes paid by the rich, WHERE OH WHERE will the extra money come from that the job creators are to get so they can increase investment and create more jobs. OH YEA, Romney flunked arithmatic, I forgot! Sadly, he doesn't even get VooDoo math.

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