Round Two: Who Do You Think Won The Debate?
Did Obama redeem himself? Was Romney as masterful as in the first debate?
The town-hall-style debate at Hofstra University Tuesday night proved much more combative than the first debate between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
Obama, who was roundly panned for his performance in Denver Oct. 3, came out much stronger, but Romney was equally forceful.
So, who won? Was it enough for Obama to do better? Or was Romney's ability to stay the course the deciding factor?
Let us know in the comments section below. And share your favorite debate moment.
jan gillis
7:27 am on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
"Last night, Mitt Romney was blindsided by Candy Crowley. The moment came while the candidates were being questioned about Libya. Mitt Romney was calling Barack Obama on the issue of Libya and the fact that Obama kept calling the attack one based on a video and was not an act of terror.
As Mitt Romney was moving forward for what would have been a damaging attack on Obama, Crowley stepped in and told Romney he was wrong. Romney was stunned and thrown back. Obama exploited the opening and for a while changed the momentum of the debate.
The problem?
Crowley was wrong.
Crowley could not have been any more biased if she had the Obama campaign sticker on her shirt. She chose the questions that would be used and the end result was there were more plants in that audience than your average family farm.
The Obama strategy was not to answer questions. When Mitt Romney turned on Obama to ask about Libya, Obama said, “Go on Governor.” He needed Candy Crowley to bail him out."
Barbara Taylor
5:16 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
AGREED!
Lynn
6:29 am on Thursday, October 18, 2012
She knew what deception she was up to..seemed totally planned out, right down to the fact that WHY did she have a copy of THAT transcript sitting there on her desk?! She waited for that question and time to help out the lying Obama...then she lied too...knew she was lying, but put it out there on debate night, knowing that she would make the rounds yesterday and on these little talk shows, say that Romney was right...with 65 million viewers watching the debate and what...10,000 watching these little talk shows, she knows that her correction would not even be noted by the masses. She did what she was supposed to do by the Democrat party, Axelrod, Obama and all of the rest of the liars that are in that Administration. I am a registered Independent, have been since I was 20, voted both sides of the aisle (did NOT vote for Obama thankfully) but the Democratic party, ever since Obama has become the head of it, has turned into a truly reprehensible, irresponsible and deceitful party that I would never become a member of. They and 90% of the media, are just liars.
Alicarn
10:19 am on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
It's really hard to rate a winner. How do you compare the lies of Romney to what the President said? Romney will always be a loser in my mind.
jan gillis
11:03 am on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Alicarn.. Obama constantly LIES. He has hidden his past. He wears a Muslim inscribed ring. He went to Muslim schools as a child. HE IS A MUSLIM .. TRYING TO SPREAD SOCIALISM AND DESTROY OUR ONCE PROUD COUNTRY. Obama has trillion dollar deficits
; has backed failed solar investments ..losing billions of our money.
Ericka Forman
2:05 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
are iI agree with Alicarn. Romney lied about quite a few things. His tax plan is a joke. His policies will continue to favor big corporations by continuing to deregulate them and the banks. It is not just the policies and debt that was inherited by the Bush administration that we are now dealing with. It's that the corporations and big banks have been making the laws, (or lack of them) that govern themselves for the last 30 years or so. These are the policies that Mitt Romney will continue with. He can't divulge the tax loopholes he''ll close because he's not going to close any. He says it will help the country. This is the biggest lie of them all. One day he says that the top one percent will get a tax cut, the next he says oh no, I didn't mean it like that. Well what the hell does he mean. Hell, I don't know if he does. Mr. Romney was mistaken about the number of women who have lost jobs since Obama became president. It is a lot less than he said (580,000) and a lot less than lost their job at the end of the Bush administration. The Bureau of Labor statistics numbers say: 283,000 since 2009, and 833,000 in the last FOUR MONTHS of the Bush administration. So we are still in the middle of a recession that has taken over 30 years to create. When Romney says he wants to deregulate and shrink government, this mess wen now is a result of this very same thing.
Ericka Forman
4:41 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Ok, I couldn’t quite finish what I had to say about Romney in my comment above, so here it is. His positions on women’s issues are unacceptable. Particularly his idea to defund Planned Parenthood and his position on the Blunt amendment. The latter would allow employers to deny their employees contraception coverage in their health insurance plans for moral reasons.
According to The National Center for Health Statistics 99% of women in this country have used birth control at some time in their lives for contraception or other health issues. So this affects a lot of women.
It has also been shown in a recent study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine that free and low cost long acting reversible birth control drastically reduced the incidence of unplanned pregnancy and abortion in the subjects.
Romney has a problem with truth especially where women’s issues are concerned. I doubt he is for women despite his binders.
Bill Pett
2:41 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Romney "won" the first debate be repeating the same lies over and over and by browbeating the moderator until Mr. Lehrer lay down like a welcome mat. Obama made the mistake of failing to get to Romney's level.
Biden won the VP debate by beating Ryan at the Republican game--hitting the ground running, being confrontational, standing up to lies, and refusing to be walked on. The hypocritical Republicans tried to pretend that he was over the top, when he really just bested the Republicans at their own game. And he had the benefit of an honest moderator.
Obama won last night the same way. He stood his ground and confronted Romney over ever lie and every attempt to get away with shouting vague platitudes as they're facts. Again there was an honest moderator who wouldn't listen to Romney's constant "It's my turn" whining. The best eviden for Obama's victory is the words of George Will, the pundit who has been a consistent conservative for his entire career. Will. comparing the debate to a heavyweight boxing match, said there was no knockout but Obama won on points.
My favorite moment? When the moderator informed Romney that he had his facts wrong about Obama's press conference the day after Benghazi.
Same thing last night.
jan gillis
2:56 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Debate Moderator Candy Crowley Validates Obama Libya Lie
http://bit.ly/RTQjxr
Crowley ROBBED tens of millions of Americans of the truth about Libya on national prime time television.
As to whining about time, Crowley said on the View today that at one point .. she was told during the debate that Obama had used up 5 mins more than Romney . As it was, by the end, Obama still had a 3-4 min advantage. I heard Obama try to coax her into more time on several occasions. Funny, she had the quote on hand that Obama mentioned. It would take a leap of faith to come to the conclusion that she came to; it was not her job to back up Obama or to interjectn her opinion. Can we say "COLLUSION" BOYS AND GIRLS?
Biden was disrespectful and inappropriate. During serious discussion topics, he was laughing uncontrollably. Scary to think that this guy is a heartbeat from the Presidency.
Romney won the first debate hands down. Biden lost the 2nd because he forgot his meds. Obama lost the 3rd due to avoidance of any answers to questions. Without the teleprompter, he memorized a set of answers and pulled one of of the hat.. whether it was appropriate to the question or not.
pam
7:40 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Bill Pett...I have a question for you? Did you at any point think that the Benghazi attack was related to the you tube video?
jan gillis
4:45 am on Sunday, October 21, 2012
BILL
CANDY WAS NOT A MODERATOR..SHE ASSISTED OBAMA IN SOMETHING THAT WAS PRE-PLANNED AND ORCHESTRATED. HE KNEW SHE HAD A COPY OF A TRANSCRIPT AND TOLD HER TO GET IT OUT. Can we say COLLUSION?
ALSO, you obviously are not up on the news .. so here it is:
Muslim Brotherhood Behind Benghazi Attack With Link To Obama
www.westernjournalism.com
On September 10, 2012, the amateurish, anti-Muslim YouTube video “Innocence of Muslims” had been on the Internet for three months with exactly seventeen views. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, UN Ambassador Susan Rice, and an army of Obama surrogates conducted a media blitz blaming this obscure video ...
READ THE ARTICLE. THE POTUS IS GUILTY OF MURDER AND TREASON!!!!
jan gillis
3:00 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
For a quick rundown of debate coverage, I compiled a few links below. Take a minute to read through them.
1.) Erick Erickson: At Best A Fleeting Tie For Obama.
2.) Fox Nation: Romney Buries Obama On Economy (ironically, Fox News uses CNN's polling data).
3.) Jonah Goldberg (author of Liberal Facism): Crowley: Never Mind (Romney Was Right).
jan gillis
7:09 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Women have become accustomed to strong words from politicians on equality and our role in the world. They are, after all, trying to win our votes. But when Mitt Romney talks about women, when he says he believes that we can do any job a man can do, I know from experience that he's speaking from the heart.
I served as Lt. Governor with Mitt Romney when he was Governor of Massachusetts. In fact, of the twenty top positions in the Romney administration, ten of them were filled by women, more than any other state in the nation. Romney's Chief of Staff was a woman - Beth Myers. As we took office, our administration actively sought to recruit the best and brightest women the Commonwealth had to offer. And Governor Romney wasn't just checking a box. He sought out our counsel, and he listened to our advice. We didn't always agree, but we were always respected. Mitt Romney didn't judge the people who were in his administration by their gender. He wanted the best, male or female. There's no greater evidence that Mitt Romney will represent all Americans than his record of treating all people fairly and impartially. His was a brand of leadership that got things done by bringing people together, not dividing them.
We need that kind of leadership today. kERRY HEALEY
Bill Pett
8:15 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
To Pam--
When the news about Benghazi first came out, it seemed connected to the riots over the video taking place in Egypt. As more information came out (and I don't remember if this was minutes or hours, or what, don't recall the timeline, it seemed more like the terrorists opportunistically took advantage of some kind of protest over overf the video to stage an attack that had been already planned. Eventually (and I think this took a lot more time) it appeared that the attack was just an attack. I'm not sure it was ever certain that they were not taking advantage of the riots in Egypt for cover. Incidentally, let's not forget that Romney opportunistically and without waiting for better information accused the embassy in Egypt of apologizing for the video after the attacks, when the statement that the video did not represent the true spirit of America came before. Following his previous attempts to brand Obama's foreign policy as an apology for being American, or whatever he thinks Obama has "apologized" for, Romney ignored the clear fact that the video, while protected speech, was still disgusting.
While Americans should not apologize for the First Amendment and our precious freedoms, that doesn't mean we should never apologize for what use bigots may make of those freedoms.
jan gillis
8:52 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Bill Pett.. The video had been on line for 3 months and no one knew about it or talked about it until Obama mentioned it as the cause of the "rioting". While Obama mentioned terror in the Rose Garden ., he did not say that the attack was calculated to coincide with 9/11.
Benghazi Attack Was Botched Kidnapping To Trade Blind Sheik
www.westernjournalism.com
America watched in disbelief as Barack Obama tried to tell the American people that the attack on the Libyan consulate on September 11 was the result of an amateurish, anti-Muslim video that had been on YouTube for three months with barely three hundred views. Check out this story .. It is much more plausible than any other I have seen or heard.
Bill Pett
8:23 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Additional notes--
Nobody kept the American people from hearing the truth about Benghazi. The truth was that Obama did refer to terrorism twice in the two following days, the first instance being when he spoke in the 'Rose Garden. That's what the American people did need to hear. As in the first debate, Romney displayed his belief that mere moderators are there to be walked over, not to call him to account when he steps over the line.
Re Romney on women--he never answered the question he was asked--what if anything he would do about the unfair disparity in wages between women and men in comparable jobs. Quoting his lieutenant governor just continues the fluff he puffed out during the debate. He never said what he might do about the wage disparity. It's in his favor that he tried to bring more women into his administation, but doesn't change his positions on women working and women's health which are less than helpful.
jan gillis
8:56 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Bill
Additionally, even though Obama used the word TERROR .. he NEVER SAID THAT THE ATTACK THAT KILLED 4 OF OUR PEOPLE WAS A TERRORIST ACT. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
pam
9:47 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Bill...the only reason I am engaging you in conversation is that I think you could be one of the only liberals responding on the patch who does not resort to personal attacks.
Two things I would add to what Jan said.. The obama administration kept talking about the you-tube video for days after the terror attack leading many to believe that it was the cause. He then switched his tune. Listen to the transcripts of the Rose Garden speech. He spoke of terror attacks in an abstract way. Certainly not referring to what happened in Benghazi as a terror attack. Candy Crowley was wrong. Secondly, Obama never answered the question about why his administration ignored requests for more security in an increasingly dangerous situation. Biden said they didn't know about the requests for more security. If that is true they should have known and either way negligence led to the deaths of 4 Americans.
pam
10:09 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Bill said " It's in his favor that he tried to bring more women into his administation, but doesn't change his positions on women working and women's health which are less than helpful."
What do you think his position on women working is? Are you trying to suggest that he doesn't think women should work? That couldn't possibly be true because of all the women he hired. Also, it is a well known fact that women in the Obama administration make less than men. Talk is cheap. Look at both their records on hiring women and their wages. You might be surprised.
In the debate last night Obama continued to perpetrate the myth that planned parenthood offers mamograms. This simply is not true.
What do you think Romney's position on women's health is? Do you think he favors unhealthy women?
jan gillis
4:03 am on Thursday, October 18, 2012
Bill
What has never been stated, to my knowledge, is that Romney DOES NOT NEED THE JOB of President. He has been hugely successful on several fronts and is a most charitable man. He could retire and enjoy the family.
When Obama became President he had accomplished -0- nada. he had assets of about 1 million thanks to a questionable property deal. How is it that Obama now has a net worth of approx 12 million? Where did it come from? And, for one with such a high net worth, why does he give so little to others?
pam
7:19 am on Thursday, October 18, 2012
Bill...I am continuing the discussion on women's health. Obama talks about planned parenthood as though it were synonymous with women's health. Planned parenthood is the nations largest provider of abortion. When a women goes to planned parenthood for an abortion, one person comes out dead and in a trash can and the other is wounded for life very often turning to drugs and alcohol for comfort. This is not healthy, (For anyone in this position Rachel's Vineyard is a Godsend.)
pam
2:07 pm on Saturday, October 20, 2012
For anyone looking for a good laugh about one of the so called "defining moments" of the debate click on this link...
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/331020/great-binder-blunder-mark-steyn#comments
Bill Pett
2:43 pm on Saturday, October 20, 2012
The National Review column was a rather heavy-handed and sophomoric attempt at humor. The only real significance of the binders full of women statement is that Romney was avoiding the question that was asked--what he would do about the ongoing disparities in women's pay. Obama responded to the question by talking about the Lily Ledbetter act while Romney just talked about women he had hired--a goog think in itself but not addressing the question. What seems more significant about that column is the attempt to make that THE defining moment in the debate, clearly employing the straw man fallacy--trying to get the audience to focus on a minor, arguable point. There were some real defining moments, such as Romney getting caught while trying to get the audience to buy into a clear falsehood. Obama's Rose Garden statement about acts of terror, made the day afterBenghazi, and the further statement the day after that, were perfectly clear references to Benghazi. Attempts to deny that because Obama didn't add a footnote saying "Yes, I'm talking about Benghazi" are simple equivocation and downright silly.
pam
8:42 am on Sunday, October 21, 2012
Oh Bill I thought you had disappeared. That column was not for you. I didn't think you would find it funny. It was not so much sophomoric as it was sarcastic. I don't blame you for not getting the sarcasm. You are probably a better person for it. Something that was lost in the translation though is that neither Mark Steyn nor I thought the binder moment was defining at all, it was the silly women in cardboard who did. No straw man involved.
Obama can sign all the Lily Ledbetter acts he wants to although it is useless since it is well known that he pays women staffers less than men. Not so with Romney while he was governor. ACTIONS matter, not what you say you are going to do.
As far as Obama's Rose Garden statements are concerned...we have already answered that and I will never get you to believe that he spoke about terrorism only in an abstract way. As a matter of fact Obama STILL has not called what happened in Benghazi an act of terror. You see things differently and I understand that. It's like a conversation I had with a liberal friend after Obama bowed to the Saudi king. I showed her the picture of Obama bowing and she said he was not bowing. Here is the picture... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/5128171/Barack-Obama-criticised-for-bowing-to-King-Abdullah-of-Saudi-Arabia.html
We have to agree to disagree.
pam
9:12 am on Sunday, October 21, 2012
One more thing...why is Obama still perpetrating the myth that planned parenthood performs mammograms?
Bill Pett
2:58 pm on Saturday, October 20, 2012
Re the fact that Romney doesn't "need" the job . . .so what? People who need work don't run for President; they don't have the money. Of course, anyone who does see that as significant must, of course, have a long record of supporting any member of the Kennedy clan who runs for office.
Lookong back, by the way--however long the video was on YouTube, what started people talking about was not Obama's statement in the Rose Garden, it was the riots in Egypt.
It's also worth pointing out that Joe Biden did not laugh uncontrollably in his debate, nor was he off his meds as Republican operatives began claiming almost immediately after the debate. He was in complete control of himself. A more recent argument that appeared in the papers was that Biden was ill-mannered. I would argue that point by saying that once Romney took the gloves off in the first debate, they couldn't be put back on. The debates are battlefields, now, not birthday parties. Perhaps there should be more decorum on both sides, but, unfortunately, that world does not exist--and it isn't just modern degeneration--such has been the way with political campaigns throughout the history of our country. Nevertheless, I do want to point out that by offering a counterargument to the rudeness argument, I am recognizing that that argument is a rational one about which reasonable people can disagree, unlike the "off his meds" theory that doesn't fit observable facts and is, frankly, just plain silly.
Ericka Forman
6:16 pm on Sunday, October 21, 2012
Planned Parenthood does not offer mammograms, this is true. The do, however, do breast exams during annual physicals like many OBGYN's. If there is a problem they will refer a woman to a facility that does do mammograms, just like other doctors will do. Planned Parenthood helps with payment for those who can't afford it. I don't know why the President said they do mammograms. Perhaps it was a mistake. Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of reproductive health services. They do a lot more than abortions, they provide health services for those who can't afford it and reduce the number of abortions by providing birth control to those who need it. They provide cervical cancer screenings. Treat infections and for some folks this is the only doctor they will be able to see. That is why Planned Parenthood's funding is important to many. Without them many men, women and children will suffer.
Ericka Forman
6:26 pm on Sunday, October 21, 2012
Please excuse typo's above. It's been a long day.
pam
3:44 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
Ericka, One of the reason's you don't like Romney is because you think he lies. You then go on to admit that something Obama said was not true.
You also said that Romney favors big corporations. Did you know that Obama gave millions of stimulus money (our tax dollars) to big environmental companies like Solyndra which went bankrupt so we might as well have flushed that money down the toilet.
I guess some lies and some big corporations are acceptable to you and others aren't.
Ericka Forman
8:43 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
Yes, I did say that part of the reason I do not like Romney for president is that he lies quite a bit. But, if you read above, it is only one of many reasons I would not vote for Mitt. Most of the other reasons are stated above. His stance on issues such as healthcare and particularly women’s healthcare are not in line with my stance. Also his tax plan and ideas about the role of government are things I can’t agree on. The mistake regarding mammograms, Planned Parenthood does do breast exams and does refers women to providers of mammograms (helping with the cost at times), this makes this seem more of a mistake that an outright lie. Obama's position on these issues and others is the reason I will vote for him. Regarding Solyndra, I don’t mind the government investing money in green energy. Sometimes investments fail. The government gives an awful lot of money to oil companies and I find that a waste considering they make billions in profits.