On the Denver Debate

Last night was an interesting.  Surprisingly, I got through it without muting it or swearing at the television.

(For the record, you could see my live reaction to the debate on Twitter last night.  If you were not, shame on you. *shamelessly hawks the Twitter account*)

While it most certainly worked to Mitt Romney's advantage, at the same time, I found President Obama's performance not only lackluster, but disappointing.  The entire time, he seemed disinterested and bored.  He rarely made eye contact with Mitt Romney and constantly put on a smug smirk when Mitt Romney spoke.  A few times, he pleaded with his eyes for Jim Lehrer to move on and even verbally asked him once.  He was pensive and petulant, constantly rambling instead of being concise and on point. 

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, came across as strong and forceful.  He was prepared for almost any eventuality.  When the president rambled off topic about things like jet owners, oil companies and Medicaid (in an unrelated question), Romney was ready to counter each point.  He was concise and he was fluid, moving from point to point and explaining his plans and ideas effectively, considering the time limitations. 

Opinions are mixed on Jim Lehrer's moderation, but I approve of it greatly.  As I wrote on Twitter last night, I was far more keen on just letting the men talk uninterrupted than trying to focus on the debate "segments."  I'm a little on the fence regarding Romney stopping Lehrer from changing subjects, but as Obama's primary focus was on Romney and Lehrer frequently tried to change the subject right after Obama attacked Romney's plans, Romney had every right to demand a rebuttal.

I've heard some argue that because he hasn't been challenged in four years, like most presidents, Obama was off his game like his predecessors.  I don't agree with this assessment simply because he was only ever challenged in a serious manner by Hillary Clinton, which was akin to a blip on the radar in '08.  He otherwise seems to express a disheartening disinterest in his job.  Others say that Obama is luring Romney into a sense of complacency, something I don't discount, but easily countered by Romney staying on his toes.  Even if Obama is sharper in future debates, if Mitt Romney is as sharp as he was last night, he'll merely match Obama instead of outclassing him.

So in the end, the debate did wonders for Romney, giving him a massive boost and showing Obama in an extremely poor light.  There are two more debates between the candidates and I'll be interested to see how they go.  However, for now, the point is clearly and decisively Romney's.

I intend on live tweeting at least the VP debate and the next presidential debate (we'll see if I get bored for the last one).  As such, I shall shamelessly hawk my Twitter feed again (despite doing it just at the beginning of this very article) and hope to have a few followers watching me next go around.