Good evening, Kossacks, and welcome to the Wednesday edition of Obama Nightly News. I will admit that I had a bit of trepidation before last night's debate. I missed the first debate, and I knew that these was a lot riding on this one. After watching last night's debate, I am once again fired up and ready to go. I can't put myself in the shoes of an undecided voter. I am a life-long liberal Democrat. However, I realize that some of the remaining persuadable voters are suburban women. I certainly fall into that category. I was even co-president of the PTO when my youngest was in elementary school. Let me give you my take on the debate as a suburban mom below the fold.
Promoting women: More women are in the workplace now than every before, but we still make about 70 cents for every dollar that men make. Kaili Joy Gray has already shown that Mitt's remarks about his "binders full of women" were a load of BS. Even if they were true, they are no match for Obama's appointment of women like Secretary Clinton and Justices Kagan and Sotomayor. Moreover, Obama's first act as president was signing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a bill that VP candidate Paul Ryan voted against.
Women's health: Obama hammered Mitt more than once on his promise to de-fund Planned Parenthood. Mitt never responded. I was glad that the debate focused on contraception, as well as mammograms and cervical cancer screenings. Regardless of a woman's position of abortion, these are services that nearly all women will use, and Planned Parenthood is an important, low-cost provider of these important services. Romney also flat-out lied in saying that he would not let your employer determine whether or not you have access to birth control, since he is a supporter of the Blunt amendment. This is one more issue where multiple-choice Mitt has been all over the map. He was against it before he was for it before he was against it.
Gun Violence: Like many suburban women, I do support our constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. However, I do not carry an AK47 for personal protection, and I support reasonable gun legislation. This is a case where Mitt was unable to etch-a-sketch his way out of extreme, NRA-sanctioned position he took in the primaries. His suggestion that we can reduce gun violence by reducing the number of single-parent families is the equivalent of telling someone to take cough drops to cure cancer. I was raised by a wonderful single mom, and I have not shot up any convenience stores recently.
Tax Deductions and credits: Mitt continues to refuse to tell us which tax deductions he will limit in order to make his magic math work. He knows that in order to make his tax plan add up, he will need to limit the deductions for mortgage interest, state and local taxes, etc. As a suburban mom, I have relied on many of these deductions and credits including the mortgage interest deduction, the deduction for state and local taxes, the deduction for property taxes, the child care credit, and the college tuition credit. The property tax deduction is important to us suburban moms. Many of us are willing to pay high taxes in order to have outstanding public schools for our kids.
Demeanor: In many ways, the affective part of these debates is an important as the substantive one. Mitt came off as alternatively bullying and whiny. About half way through the debate, when it was clear that he was losing, he became so visibly rattled that you could hear his voice tremble. This is not the person I want taking that 3 am phone call. President Obama was strong and forceful, but he was also calm and rational.
Game, set, and match--President Obama.
I am writing this at work, so I can't post photos and clips. Please feel free to add your favorites from last night's debate. And don't forget to donate, to volunteer, and most of all to vote!
Link to Transcripts and Documents.