WOWWW!! That's my President!!!
Mitt Romney with his Teflon removed by President Obama, second presidential debate.
President Obama delivered the performance that progressives wanted and felt they needed, decisively beating Mitt Romney in the second presidential debate. From his opening answer, which was enthusiastic, on point, organized, highlighted the 5 million jobs created under his term, and contrasted with Romney wanting to let Detroit go bankrupt. It was an A+ answer.
In his second answer, he lit out and said what the world needed to hear: "What Gov. Romney said just isn't true." Obama is correct.
He continued in his third response: "Gov. Romney says he has a 5-point plan. Well, Gov. Romney doesn't have 5-point plan, he has a 1-point plan" (let the rich get richer).
On oil, Obama said: "Very little of what Gov. Romney just said is true. What I've tried to do is be consistent." And Obama is correct.
By contrast, Romney seemed nervous: "Graduate without a college... without a college... job." "B" answer. Romney tried to blame Obama for jobs lost in Year 1 -- that makes no sense, no economist would suggest Obama was responsible for those jobs.
Incredibly, Romney continued to make lies big and small -- it's as though he can't help himself (and I suspect there's a lot to that). E.g., on the immigration question, Obama pointed out that Romney held up Arizona's law as a "model for the nation." Romney tried to weasel out by saying he meant only the E-Verify part of the law. But Obama held his ground, pointing out that the guy who wrote the AZ law is Romney's advisor on immigration. And in fact, in Feb 2012 the GOP-leaning LA Times wrote:
Romney calls Arizona immigration law a model for the nation
Mitt Romney called the controversial Arizona illegal immigration law a model for the country, and blasted the Obama administration for challenging it in court.
"I will drop those lawsuits on Day One," Romney said in response to a question on illegal immigration during a GOP candidate debate in Mesa, Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the bill, was in the audience.
"I'll also complete the fence, I'll make sure we have enough Border Patrol agents to secure the fence, and I will make sure we have an E-Verify system and require employers to check the documents of workers," he added.
That's as clear as it gets, in politics. Romney lies.
A small example: Romney very pompously (arrogantly? 'confidently'?) said "5 million jobs doesn't even keep up with our population growth rate." But the US total population is growing about 3 million/year (just under 1%), of whom no more than half (at most) are job-seekers. So Romney lied again -- it's good for the American public to see just how much of what he says (so 'confidently') is in fact untrue.
Obama, on the other hand, was unflappable and strong: "If someone came to you as an investor, but wouldn't tell you where the money would come from, you wouldn't take such a sketchy deal, because the math doesn't add up. No-one who looks at it who is serious, believe it adds up." Yes! Romney has no plan to balance the budget.
Romney tries to claim that he can balance the US Federal budget because he ran what David Stockman calls "a dangerous form of leveraged gambling that has been enabled by the failed central banking and taxing policies of the state," ran the Olympics, and was Governor. (He doesn't mention that as Governor he got $1 billion from a previously enacted capital gains tax, and $500 million in federal grants.)
Obama is on his game.
Romney is off -- he's much more garrulous, nervous, repeating himself, downright disrespectful of the President, has no specifics -- despite being pressed, and knowing that he would be asked for specifics.
On Libya: Obama TOTALLY DOMINATED! Wow! This gave the American public a chance to see just how thin is Romney's patina. Romney tried to bully his way into saying that Obama didn't acknowledge the attacks, and then that Obama didn't recognize them as an act of terror. Obama said he did -- and for once, the moderator spoke up and confirmed Obama over Romney! Because the transcript is there. In the Rose Garden, the day after the attack, Obama said: "No acts of terror [!] will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for. Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of the United States of America. We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done." http://www.whitehouse.gov/...
Romney was exposed on this, his Teflon peeled back, for the world to see how he behaves. The photo above shows how Romney looks when his lies are called out. It was just one of many such untruths he's tried to foist on the American public, but perhaps this humiliation of Romney may comem to symbolize all the political falsehoods he has said the past two years.
Obama's ending answer: "private enterprise is the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever known." Yes! That's a button he needed to press. He even included with some kind words about Romney as a person; then ended with the 47% quote from Romney, twisting the political stiletto!
The Teflon was removed from Romney tonight: the public could see Romney's modus operandi: lie through his teeth, with great bravado and a smug arrogance. But when Romney gets called out on his lies, he gets uptight and has no defense.
Obama was strong on his Administration's performance over the past 4 years, and on his plans moving forward.
Wow, this was a GREAT performance by the President.