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Today's Poll: Who won the presidential debate?

By Howard B. Owens
Phil Ricci

Romney won on style, but neither could tell us how they're going to do anything. All we got was a series of commercials.

Listen, I've been pretty vocal about my distaste for both candidates, but I went in with an open mind to actually hear a factual debate. We didn't get it. We got a lot of fabricated flash statistics with bitchy undertones and pompous overtones.

Both of these candidates are big government advocates. Romney can't even get his conservatism message play right. He's for sending Medicaid back to the states, but wants to protect the profits of the healthcare industry. He repeal The Healthcare Act, but can't tell us what he is going to replace it with. I see no policy papers or direction, just "well people like these things, so I'll say we'll keep it.".

Obama looked agitated and miserable. He didn't want to be there, and I guess if it was my 20th anniversary, I wouldn't want to be there either. He said nothing that I didn't expect, neither did actually. I felt the POTUS was too rigid, and didn't call Romney to task at all. I for one wanted to hear Romney explain hi pathetic, asinine 47% comments live. Nothing. Instead, we got an empty, detail-less policy-ish debate.

I say fail.

Oct 4, 2012, 9:36am Permalink
Dave Olsen

Don't know who won, didn't watch it. But I DO know who lost. The American people who were denied the opportunity of a choice beyond the 2 who participated. I watched reruns of "Numbers", actors catching fictitious criminals using real math,instead of liars using fictitious math to address real problems.

Oct 4, 2012, 9:35am Permalink
Jerry Buckman

I don't believe we were "denied the opportunity of choice." Other candidates had the same opportunity to make it to the national stage but could not do it. Now is not the time to focus on candidates that do not command serious national attention.

Oct 4, 2012, 10:32am Permalink
Phil Ricci

Jerry that is the farthest thing from truth. Can you please explain to me the level playing field? I am really interested to know how there is equal opportunity.

Oct 4, 2012, 10:36am Permalink
Dave Olsen

I will give Barry a little love here. All accounts I have read said the President looked distracted, tired and annoyed to have to answer questions. Well, hey he does have arguably the hardest job in the world. He had better have a lot on his mind. Frankly Mitt Romney has been running for President for about 5 years now and not doing much else, he ought to be a better debater. I just want it over, because nothing much is getting done while everyone from the Pres to local politicians are campaigning. Not that all that much was getting done anyway. But, Rome burns while these jerks fiddle

Oct 4, 2012, 10:37am Permalink
Jason Crater

Jim Lehrer was the obvious loser last night. Obama and Romney walked all over him. AND, Romney said he wanted to cut funding to his employer!

Oct 4, 2012, 10:54am Permalink
Jerry Buckman

Phil, I'll try. Looking at my sample ballot, I see second from the bottom the candidates Tom Hoefling and Jonathan Ellis from the AIP. Probably most people have not heard of them or even know what the AIP stands for. Why? Because even though those two were on the campaign trail too, they were not able to get the masses to embrace their message enough to earn significant $$ contributions and media attention. Those candidates had every opportunity...but could not pull it off. Do you disagree with my logic?

Oct 4, 2012, 11:43am Permalink
C. M. Barons

How does one "command serious national attention?" As rare exceptions (John Anderson 1980, Ross Perot 1996, George Wallace 1968, Ralph Nader 1996/2000/2004/2008) account for third party candidates who have engaged the attention of the national media in my lifetime. The attention is almost never on par. Third party candidates who come under media scrutiny must either be freakish or stealing from another candidate's base to warrant attention. The system is rigged, first and foremost by the national media, to ignore all but the two major parties. ...And it works. As long as the media ignores third party candidates, American voters will also.

Oct 4, 2012, 11:54am Permalink
Phil Ricci

Jerry,

I agree to a point. Yes, they are on the trail, but their not getting the messages to the masses and earning enough money are two of the very fundamental flaws with the whole system! You don't get your voice heard on a national level unless the national media gives you the time.

Look at Ron Paul. At one time, he was the front runner in the Republican debate, but every news source ignored him, meanwhile his message was being heard and accepted. It was however, not the direction that the two parties wanted the election to go in, so both parties started flowing millions of ad dollars into the news networks with the candidates they wanted. Look at the Republican debates, Paul was not only give the least questions, but the least air time.

The problem, Jerry is this is an establishment built on money and greed. The system works because it feeds itself. It does the media nothing to promote smaller candidates because they don't have the resources to buy air time.

As far as the debates go, Jerry. The CPD was founded and is funded by the Democratic and Republican parties!!!! They created standards that essentially keeps any third party out.

It is a broken system that nets us a dysfunctional, bloated and clogged system ran by two parties that, while have extremes on either side, ultimately has done nothing to slow the rate of spending, government growth and reduction in personal liberties for decades.

Oct 4, 2012, 12:08pm Permalink
Rich Richmond

I believe the next debate will better. No doubt the President might bring up the 47% comment. 47% subtracted from 100% leaves 53% remaining.

The implication is Romney dismisses 47% of all voters.

According to the 2010 census, African Americans make up 13.6% of the US population; round the 13.6 to 13 and then subtract the 13% from 100% to get 87%.

Go to the following link and video where the now President is preaching to an audience of primarily black ministers.

Watch out Mr. President. If you open up that can of worms you most likely will be brought up on the carpet yet again without your teleprompter to save you.

The link: http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/02/obama-speech-jeremiah-wright-new-orle…

Oct 4, 2012, 12:37pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

When the system is designed to ensure that voices from outside the system never get heard, there's no such thing as getting the opportunity to get heard and gain a following.

Oct 4, 2012, 1:37pm Permalink
John Roach

Phil,
On just Ron Paul. He ran 3 times. Twice in Republican primaries and once on a 3rd party line. In his case this year, it was more of "oh, him again". For whatever reason, he had his base, but good never go past it. And it was not just lack of media attention, not after 3 times.

Oct 4, 2012, 1:58pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

The problem for Ron Paul is that he's hugely popular -- outside the GOP. All those big rallies he had during the primary -- mostly not registered Republicans. Most of the Republican party has lost its way on true conservatism (which we now call libertarian), so Paul was seen by too many in the GOP as too extreme, even though in the history of American conservatism, he's pretty mainstream).

I honestly believe that if the GOP had been smart enough to nominate him, the race with Obama wouldn't even be a contest. Most of the GOP that failed to support him in the primaries would have been behind him just because he was the R nominee. Combine that built in vote with all of the independent and youth vote, he wins in a landslide.

Oct 4, 2012, 2:09pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

President or not, it is his job to know facts. (After all I do recall many on this blog stating that Bush should have known the facts of WMDs in Iraq.) Which time and time again he does not and states lie after lie. I agree we do not have much of choice for the Presidency. My thoughts are this since; our economy is failing who I believe has a better chance at reversing this. A: A lawyer grad who knows civil law or B: A business grad who should (key word) know how the economy works. Obama has proven one thing to me during the debate. He is way over his head and cannot answer the public's main concerns. They both can argue taxes all they want but, until they stop spending more money than we have. Taxes will increase no matter who is elected. I for one am tired of Obama's blame the US or Bush theory. I am tired of him deceiving the American people. I am tired of his weak leadership. You are right Dave being President is a hard job but, that is not an excuse for not knowing the basic answers needed at the debate. As far as it being his wedding anniversary, he is the President of the United States and should have reschedule the debate for the week after or week before. That is okay, he rather have the sympathy of the America people because, he had to debate on his wedding anniversary, boo hoo!
One last thing that Obama proved to me is this. Unless he has a screen in front of him with someone else’s words he has no F-ing clue what he is doing or saying. Grant neither candidate stood out but, at least Romney showed respect and dignity towards his opponent and Obama showed disrespect and acted like a child. I did love Romney’s comment on how he has five boys who keep telling him the same story, hoping that he will believe them if they say it long enough. Obama is accusing Romney on raising taxes on the middle class, which is an F-ing joke too! Even Biden admitted that, the last four years the middle class has been burden with tax increases. Hmmm, who could he be referring to? Oh yeah! Obama and himself!

Oct 8, 2012, 6:18pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

President or not, it is his job to know facts. (After all I do recall many on this blog stating that Bush should have known the facts of WMDs in Iraq.) Which time and time again he does not and states lie after lie. I agree we do not have much of choice for the Presidency. My thoughts are this since; our economy is failing who I believe has a better chance at reversing this. A: A lawyer grad who knows civil law or B: A business grad who should (key word) know how the economy works. Obama has proven one thing to me during the debate. He is way over his head and cannot answer the public's main concerns. They both can argue taxes all they want but, until they stop spending more money than we have. Taxes will increase no matter who is elected. I for one am tired of Obama's blame the US or Bush theory. I am tired of him deceiving the American people. I am tired of his weak leadership. You are right Dave being President is a hard job but, that is not an excuse for not knowing the basic answers needed at the debate. As far as it being his wedding anniversary, he is the President of the United States and should have reschedule the debate for the week after or week before. That is okay, he rather have the sympathy of the America people because, he had to debate on his wedding anniversary, boo hoo!
One last thing that Obama proved to me is this. Unless he has a screen in front of him with someone else’s words he has no F-ing clue what he is doing or saying. Grant neither candidate stood out but, at least Romney showed respect and dignity towards his opponent and Obama showed disrespect and acted like a child. I did love Romney’s comment on how he has five boys who keep telling him the same story, hoping that he will believe them if they say it long enough. Obama is accusing Romney on raising taxes on the middle class, which is an F-ing joke too! Even Biden admitted that, the last four years the middle class has been burden with tax increases. Hmmm, who could he be referring to? Oh yeah! Obama and himself!

Oct 8, 2012, 6:17pm Permalink

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