The First Presidential Debate Open Thread

Filed in National by on October 3, 2012

Here we go!  Hope you can join us… with the beverage of your choice!

Use this thread before, during and after tonight’s debate.

(Sorry, no live blog tonight – technical difficulties.)

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  1. Jason330 says:

    Part of me doesn’t want to watch. I think it is my brain.

  2. pandora says:

    I have to watch. Everyone is waiting for the zingers. Why did Romney set that bar?

  3. Delaware Dem says:

    LOL. I have to. I just am not looking forward to listening to Romney. His voice … finger nails on a chalk board.

  4. pandora says:

    Romney is playing Jenga before the debates. I hate that game. It’s nerve wracking.

  5. heragain says:

    Jim Lehrer has already caused me to suicide. Now he’s rehearsing.

  6. heragain says:

    Lost audio. God Almighty.

  7. Delaware Dem says:

    If you’re dead, who is typing your comment?

  8. Delaware Dem says:

    And is Romney really playing Jenga in the Green Room? Wow.

  9. heragain says:

    lip-reader ” Gonna kick your lilywhite ass, Mittens.”

  10. heragain says:

    My ghost is still walking until my unrestful shade has voted against Mitt Romney.

  11. Paula says:

    Not hearing much new in Obama’s answer to opening question on jobs. Sounds canned.

  12. pandora says:

    Romney’s 5 point plan has no details.

  13. Joe Cass says:

    Trickle up?

  14. pandora says:

    Romney says he won’t cut taxes on the rich???? What?

  15. pandora says:

    Romney says, “I like coal!”

  16. pandora says:

    Romney having trouble with his tax math.

  17. Joe Cass says:

    Clean coal. The kind you share with your family. No one would ever touch that dirty stuff.

  18. Joe Cass says:

    Gone. Gone. Gone.

  19. Paula says:

    I think we just heard our first zinger — 5 boys, used to people repeating things hoping I’ll believe it. Eh?

  20. pandora says:

    Romney’s tactic: Speak in legalese circles. I have no idea what he just said he’d do. What is his plan?

  21. heragain says:

    Trump doesn’t like to see himself as being anything small. lol

  22. pandora says:

    Oh my. Did Romney just say, “I should get the last word because he went first?” Seriously, how old is he?

  23. Jason330 says:

    This moderation sucks

  24. heragain says:

    Second segment. Should be Obama’s turn, because of romney’s rebuttal. No? Quel surpris.

  25. SussexAnon says:

    cut taxes. close loopholes. *magic* budget balances and jobs are created.

    Same story circa 2001, different speaker.

    I like big bird but I am going to cut PBS funding? Zing.

  26. pandora says:

    This debate seems to be missing a moderator. 🙂

  27. cassandra_m says:

    Lehrer has always been a weak moderator.

  28. John young says:

    Breaking: Romney likes Big Bird.

  29. Paula says:

    I don’t like the way the questions are formulated. I’m not interested in how each candidate characterizes the plans of the other. I just want each one to say what he plans to do.

    Romney is going to stop underwriting PBS. What about underwriting banks and other megacorporations?

  30. pandora says:

    Romney will cut PBS. Take that Jim Lehrer – You’re fired!

  31. Joe Cass says:

    China owns less than 3 trillion. They can come and get it.

  32. Joe Cass says:

    Paula, you are wonderful. Remember this is pledge week!

  33. pandora says:

    Romney: Obama should have grabbed Simpson Bowles.

    Lehrer: Would you implement S/B, Gov.

    Romney: No. I have my own super secret plan

  34. pandora says:

    Romney just pulled a Read my lips moment. No tax pledge.

  35. Paula says:

    Go go go. Oil company underwriting! Give us a zinger, Mr. Prez.

  36. John young says:

    FISKER!

  37. SussexAnon says:

    “I have no idea what you are talking about” Mitt Romney

  38. Joe Cass says:

    Well stated, John. Have you prayed on that post?

  39. John young says:

    Where’s Gary Johnson?

  40. John young says:

    Just noting that Mittens mentioned it.

  41. pandora says:

    Romney just told people 60 and older that they didn’t have to listen to his answer on medicare and social security. Really?

  42. pandora says:

    Romney confirms his medicare plan IS a voucher program.

  43. Paula says:

    Lucky Mitt, he can fire his insurance company. I couldn’t hire one for many years.

  44. pandora says:

    I am really tired of Mitt viewing everyone as consumers.

  45. Jason330 says:

    This format is killing me.

  46. Steve Newton says:

    @jason was this death before or after your suicide above?

    But agreed: not only the format but the camera direction is nauseating.

  47. pandora says:

    My kingdom for a moderator!

  48. Steve Newton says:

    Actually, just putting the two of them up there by themselves to have at it would be both more fruitful and more interesting than having a corpse with a hidden speaker pretending to moderate.

  49. Paula says:

    The moderator needs to focus on the contradictory statements. As it is, we’re just listening to opposing political ads. Obama is a little better — he’s able to elaborate his points.

  50. Paula says:

    Romney can’t describe his own plan.

  51. pandora says:

    Romney is explaining what he’ll replace ACA with… FREE MARKET!

    So… Romney’s got nothing.

  52. Paula says:

    Romney is going to lead by consensus.

  53. pandora says:

    Romney has no specifics. WTH is he talking about? But boy does he talk.

  54. liberalgeek says:

    I cannot watch or listen to the debate due to work. My only exposure tonight will be through the “DL Lens of Snark”

  55. cassandra_m says:

    Romney is really off the hook here — amazing mendacity. And Lehrer is apparently waiting for the two of them to call out the mendacity, meaning that Mitt continues to say the same false BS that he has been saying all year long. I’ve been watching Politifact on twitter and they seem to be nothing but #fail on this point. So I guess that having fact checkers in the room with these guys would not have made much difference.

  56. pandora says:

    BREAKING: Romney admits he has no plan.

    “Pick a number, any number”

  57. liberalgeek says:

    “Pick a number, any number”

    47%

  58. pandora says:

    Romney may end this answer by breaking into song. God Bless America.

  59. pandora says:

    Ooh, that’s great, LG!

  60. liberalgeek says:

    Also, I heard a good bit of discussion that Lehrer was not going to fact check, just ask questions and get out of the way.

  61. pandora says:

    Was Lehrer there tonight?

  62. pandora says:

    Vouchers for medicare! Vouchers for education!

  63. heragain says:

    I just can’t. If a student lied to my face OR interrupted the way Romney is doing tonight one of us would have to be transferred.

    I am truly stunned.

  64. John young says:

    Obama: “he wasn’t very detailed, this seems to be a trend.” ZING!

  65. puck says:

    Romney is finally shaking the Etch-A-Sketch, and is not doing anything dickish on screen (unless you are a fact-checker). So I think the public will agree Romney wins this debate. The media will open tomorrow with Romney closes the gap, dead heat etc. Probably won’t have much effect on EV maps though but we’ll see how many undecideds are out there.

  66. Paula says:

    Another zinger — Mr. Prez, you’re entitled to your own plane and your own house, but not your own facts.

  67. pandora says:

    So far Romney isn’t cutting any government except PBS.

  68. pandora says:

    Mitt wants to grade schools. First, we do that. Second, I hate that.

  69. John young says:

    Romney wants to grade schools. Awful policy that yields bad results.

  70. John young says:

    True Pandora, Obama wants them graded too. Bad on both of them

  71. Gloworm says:

    Medals, diplomas, and tiaras for EVERYONE!

    YAYYYY!

  72. pandora says:

    Holy crap, with three minutes left Lehrer actually asked for a specific.

  73. John Manifold says:

    I’m feeling very 1988 tonight.

  74. Steve Newton says:

    pandora, Jim Lehrer tonight is making the case for cutting at least one job at PBS. . . .

  75. Paula says:

    Obama reminds Romney that he needs a plan in order to get something done.

  76. Paula says:

    David Brooks calls it for Romney.
    Says Obama missed out because he didn’t take advantage of the many opportunities to zing.

  77. pandora says:

    Listening to Romney’s closing remarks and all the things he promised I kept saying at the end of his every sentence… HOW?

  78. Steve Newton says:

    Wolf Blitzer just promised us a “scientific poll” to tell us what we think. Thank God.

  79. John young says:

    I think the clear winner was Gary Johnson.

  80. Paula says:

    David Brooks thought there were *too many* details! Sheesh.

  81. Paula says:

    So now you lose a debate if you stick to the subject and resist taking a low blow. And this is PBS. They’re calling Obama rusty.

  82. pandora says:

    Rachel pointing out that Lehrer didn’t bring up women, immigration, abortion. None of the issues that have been the hot topics of this election season.

  83. liberalgeek says:

    We got girl moderators for that Pandora.

  84. pandora says:

    You’re funny. Don’t you have work to do? 😉

  85. liberalgeek says:

    Believe it or not, I get to test the Internet for work tonight.

  86. pandora says:

    I’m sorry. Here’s a happy thought… Just think of all the ads the Obama campaign will get out of Romney’s performance/lies tonight.

  87. SussexAnon says:

    Let the flip flopper ads begin.

  88. Liberal Elite says:

    Romney math just doesn’t add up. What he is proposing is just impossible. Too many promises he has no way to keep. I wonder which promises he’s going to abandon first?

  89. pandora says:

    Romney is one smooth liar.

  90. Paula says:

    Let’s hope we’re never in the position to find out!

  91. Paula says:

    Just talking to my mom — she’s wondering why in a debate about domestic issues there was no talk about pets! LOL

  92. pandora says:

    I like your mom, Paula! 🙂

  93. AQC says:

    I have to admit I was disappointed in President Obama’s performance tonight. Doesn’t change that Mitt is a sleazy liar though.

  94. pandora says:

    Uh oh, Rachel is grilling Giulliani about the specifics of the Romney plans… He’s got nothing but stuttering.

  95. Paula says:

    Big grin.

  96. pandora says:

    Chris Hayes now grilling Giuliani. Giuliani calls Chris silly and ridiculous. Here’s what happens when a moderator does his job. Giuliani is hostile and defensive and interrupting everyone.