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:
    October 3, 2012 at 8:25 pm

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

  2. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 8:37 pm

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

  3. Delaware Dem says:
    October 3, 2012 at 8:38 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 8:48 pm

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

  5. heragain says:
    October 3, 2012 at 8:56 pm

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

  6. heragain says:
    October 3, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    Lost audio. God Almighty.

  7. Delaware Dem says:
    October 3, 2012 at 8:58 pm

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

  8. Delaware Dem says:
    October 3, 2012 at 8:58 pm

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

  9. heragain says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:04 pm

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

  10. heragain says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:05 pm

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

  11. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:06 pm

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

  12. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:08 pm

    Romney’s 5 point plan has no details.

  13. Joe Cass says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    Trickle up?

  14. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:11 pm

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

  15. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:14 pm

    Romney says, “I like coal!”

  16. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:17 pm

    Romney having trouble with his tax math.

  17. Joe Cass says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:17 pm

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

  18. Joe Cass says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:18 pm

    Gone. Gone. Gone.

  19. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:18 pm

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

  20. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:19 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:25 pm

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

  22. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:25 pm

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

  23. Jason330 says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    This moderation sucks

  24. heragain says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:27 pm

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

  25. SussexAnon says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:27 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:27 pm

    This debate seems to be missing a moderator. 🙂

  27. cassandra_m says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    Lehrer has always been a weak moderator.

  28. John young says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    Breaking: Romney likes Big Bird.

  29. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:29 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:29 pm

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

  31. Joe Cass says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:30 pm

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

  32. Joe Cass says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:31 pm

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

  33. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:33 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:34 pm

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

  35. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:35 pm

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

  36. John young says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:38 pm

    FISKER!

  37. SussexAnon says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:41 pm

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

  38. Joe Cass says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:41 pm

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

  39. John young says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:42 pm

    Where’s Gary Johnson?

  40. John young says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:43 pm

    Just noting that Mittens mentioned it.

  41. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:44 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:45 pm

    Romney confirms his medicare plan IS a voucher program.

  43. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:48 pm

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

  44. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:51 pm

    I am really tired of Mitt viewing everyone as consumers.

  45. Jason330 says:
    October 3, 2012 at 9:52 pm

    This format is killing me.

  46. Steve Newton says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:00 pm

    @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:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:04 pm

    My kingdom for a moderator!

  48. Steve Newton says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:07 pm

    Romney can’t describe his own plan.

  51. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:08 pm

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

    So… Romney’s got nothing.

  52. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:12 pm

    Romney is going to lead by consensus.

  53. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:12 pm

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

  54. liberalgeek says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    BREAKING: Romney admits he has no plan.

    “Pick a number, any number”

  57. liberalgeek says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    “Pick a number, any number”

    47%

  58. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:17 pm

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

  59. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    Ooh, that’s great, LG!

  60. liberalgeek says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    Was Lehrer there tonight?

  62. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:19 pm

    Vouchers for medicare! Vouchers for education!

  63. heragain says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:19 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:20 pm

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

  65. puck says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:21 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:22 pm

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

  67. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:23 pm

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

  68. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:24 pm

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

  69. John young says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:24 pm

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

  70. John young says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:24 pm

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

  71. Gloworm says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    Medals, diplomas, and tiaras for EVERYONE!

    YAYYYY!

  72. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:25 pm

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

  73. John Manifold says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    I’m feeling very 1988 tonight.

  74. Steve Newton says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:26 pm

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

  75. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:27 pm

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

  76. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:34 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:34 pm

    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:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:35 pm

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

  79. John young says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:36 pm

    I think the clear winner was Gary Johnson.

  80. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:36 pm

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

  81. John young says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:38 pm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDSUoIVMze8

  82. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:41 pm

    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.

  83. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:42 pm

    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.

  84. liberalgeek says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:45 pm

    We got girl moderators for that Pandora.

  85. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:46 pm

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

  86. liberalgeek says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:47 pm

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

  87. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:49 pm

    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.

  88. SussexAnon says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:51 pm

    Let the flip flopper ads begin.

  89. Liberal Elite says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:51 pm

    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?

  90. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:52 pm

    Romney is one smooth liar.

  91. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 10:53 pm

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

  92. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 11:00 pm

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

  93. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 11:08 pm

    I like your mom, Paula! 🙂

  94. AQC says:
    October 3, 2012 at 11:10 pm

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

  95. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 11:10 pm

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

  96. Paula says:
    October 3, 2012 at 11:11 pm

    Big grin.

  97. pandora says:
    October 3, 2012 at 11:14 pm

    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.

  98. John young says:
    October 3, 2012 at 11:18 pm

    Sullivan melting down on Daily Beast: http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/10/live-blogging-the-first-presidential-debate-2012.html

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