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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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Eschetic | Oct 04, 2012, 12:58 PM EDT

It was an interesting evening, and only the most "conservative" sources convinced themselves that Romney hit a home run. The best thing about it, that virtually everyone acknowledged was that it was the first "Presidential Debate" since Kennedy-Nixon which was actually about substantive issues and, like Kennedy-Nixon, who "won" largely depended on whether you were watching or listening. Mitt was composed and easy going even though he continued to refuse to give any hard specifics with his promises (just repeated "I'll work that out with Congress"), while , the president was in high "Perry Como mode" defending his superb performance in office adapting Republican ideas to the real world (even though radical Republicans would no longer support them when a Democrat backed them!). The unbiased "fact checkers" after the debate caught distortions on both sides, but those from Mitt tended to be whoppers bordering on knowing prevarications rather than the President's mere questions of interpretations - ESPECIALLY when it came to Mitt's assertions regarding tax rates and the impact of Obama's adaptation of his own Massachusetts healthcare plan. The one thing I was sorry the president didn't hit him with was in the face of Romney's assertion that his healthcare program was great if done by the individual states, the Federal government is THERE to take needed action when the states refuse to, and to date most of the states have refused to take responsible action on health care - and the charges about the the cost and impact of "Obama Care" are almost entirely fraudulent as even the most cursory investigation into the program easily demonstrates (and most of the "fact checkers" following the debate last night confirmed.

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howareya | Oct 04, 2012, 12:25 PM EDT

Oh come on gksmithlcw...do you actually think that Obama did not fictionalize any of his supposed facts? Obama wrongly said that over the last two years, health care premiums have gone up slower than any time in the last 50 years due to Obamacare. Not true. Obama claimed that 5 million jobs in the private sector were created in his term. He's about half a million jobs short and he's counting "projected" numbers that will not be final until next year. Obama keeps saying that his tax plan would return rates for the wealthy back to where they were during economically prosperous times under Clinton. But not true! They will increase due to the additional taxes to pay for his health care law. And on and and on... That's not to say Romney did anything different..but don't label one as spewing fiction and the other as speaking God's truth!!!!!

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katieherk | Oct 04, 2012, 12:07 PM EDT

Mitt was definitely the winner! Obama seemed lost and was truly pitiful!!

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CelticQueenUSA | Oct 04, 2012, 12:06 PM EDT

Mit Romney was his usual obnoxious self, interrupting when he felt like it and talking over the President and the moderator. I was reminded of a bully know it all and worst of all shades of Tricky Dick. He gave no indication of HOW he was going to deliver his platform but I just cannot see him as President. He will destroy America.

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CitizenWhy | Oct 04, 2012, 11:38 AM EDT

Compare Romney's words in the debate with Obama to his web site. Two different "narratives" on policy. Shifty guy.

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Frosty38 | Oct 04, 2012, 11:33 AM EDT

I don't know what that was about but he was not that great a gOV was he?

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CitizenWhy | Oct 04, 2012, 11:21 AM EDT

Romney basically claimed Obama's fiscal policies and Obama was random in response. Recommended phrases for Obama: "You said last week, that's not what you're saying now," "You said last month . . . ," "You said on . . . ' I cannot believe Obama's coaches failed to prepare him for Romney to sound compeletely different, with stands in conflict with his prior stands. They obviously obsessed on making Obama look mild and likable, not pompously professorial. Instead he looked like a wimp.

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cillowen | Oct 04, 2012, 11:20 AM EDT

funny what people want to see - I saw a herky jerky fella looking at Obama appearing to being about to cry time after time. The Mejia seems desperate for content - VP debate would be devoid of anything to excite were the Prez to strongly insist on an answer from a jesus/lucifer mormon believer who's focus appears to be on the 53% of us in the most glorious nation that has no equal on planet earth. We'll be left to shop around for healt insurance among states whose interest should be on their own citizens. Beam me up Scotty!

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cillowen | Oct 04, 2012, 11:16 AM EDT

It is very well known that Obama can only deliver with prepared speeches with his prompter. He does poorly ad-libbing as was evident last night. He had his chance to make changes. We've already heard numerous times what you inherited. It is time to step aside and give someone else a shot.

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jamthecat | Oct 04, 2012, 11:13 AM EDT

God help us, our choices for president are a wimp and a sociopath. I'm washing my hands of them, both, and voting for Jill Stein.

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PhlutiePhan | Oct 04, 2012, 10:23 AM EDT

It is still best out of three and the third will be for all the marbles. Next up is Biden versus Ryan. One is a graduate of Clown College and the other is a "stuffed shirt". If Ryan keeps scaring the old people, then momentum shifts back to Obama.

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robinjeanne326 | Oct 04, 2012, 10:10 AM EDT

If Romney needed to REMIND Obama that it was not a 5 trillion tax cut, I was going to scream! I guess it was the only thing that Obama could think of. Poorly done on Obama's side. Keep it up Mitt! This country needs you!

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rpbrown | Oct 04, 2012, 10:06 AM EDT

Yes Romney won the minds of all simpletons and sheep. President Obama was sticking to facts he has been sticking too and Romney was busy making broad sweeping statement that were contrary to what he and his running mate have previously said. This is the same nonsense George W. did. And Americans want to fall for that BS fairy-tale again. Which is so fascinating because Mitt Romney's plan says it will help the middle class, but by doing it indirectly. This NEVER works. It's the old "tax-cuts for small businesses creates jobs" BS. If you want to help America, stopping give the rich huge tax cuts, give tax cuts to the middle class and stop corporate America from stifling a freer trade market.

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rpbrown | Oct 04, 2012, 09:49 AM EDT

no matter who the moderator is or was " you still cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear"

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MotherIrish | Oct 04, 2012, 09:40 AM EDT

If you did not even listen to the words but just looked at the posturing and facial expressions of Obama, you knew you were looking at the body of a defeatd man. Romney was all over him!!! He had the facts and answers each and every time. Obama gets stuck in a rut and keeps on digging it deeper. Who looked, talked and acted presidential last night?? in a word ROMNEY!

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