So many quotable quotes from last night's debate, but one in particular may not be getting the attention it deserves:
MS. CROWLEY: Mr. President, let me get — let me get the governor in on this.
And Governor, let's — before we get into a vast array of who said what — what study says what, if it shouldn't add up, if somehow when you get in there, there isn't enough tax revenue coming in, if somehow the numbers don't add up, would you be willing to look again at a 20 percent —
MR. ROMNEY: Well, of course they add up. I was — I was someone who ran businesses for 25 years and balanced the budget. I ran the Olympics and balanced the budget. I ran the — the state of Massachusetts as a governor, to the extent any governor does, and balanced the budget all four years.
When challenged on the mathematical basis for his ability to lower revenues while simultaneously claiming to lower deficits, Governor Romney did a curious thing--he cited no numbers, no figures--nothing, except his prior political record. I've heard of new math, but this particular brand of arithmetic appears to have no use for numbers at all. That got me wondering...if Mitt Romney were given a math test, what would his answers look like?
Question 1: Johnny and Billy each have 10 apples. If Johnny eats one of his apples and gives three to Billy, how many apples does each have left?
New "Mitt" Math: All I know is that I will work with Johnny and Billy, as I have many times before, to determine the best way to allocate apples.
Question 2: The student council is planning a dance. They expect 100 people to attend and pay $5 a ticket. If a DJ costs $200, decorations cost $100, and renting the space costs $200, will there be any money left for food?
New "Mitt" Math: I cannot answer this question unless I am elected student council president.
Question 3: Mark has cut a pie into 8 equal slices. If he invites 3 friends over to share the pie with him, what is the maximum number of slices that each one can have?
New "Mitt" Math: Mark's pies are smaller than the ones that he used to make 4 years ago.
Question 4: Suzy and Barbara are taking a poll of their classmates. Out of 20 students, 8 believe that school lunches are healthy, 10 say they are unhealthy, and 2 are undecided. What percentage of Suzy and Barbara's classmates say that lunches are unhealthy?
New "Mitt" Math: Wait, is this a question about women? I am sure the answer must be somewhere in my binder...