Day: October 12, 2012

Ed Kilgore:

Having slept on it, and read this morning's ruminations from near and far, I haven't had any blazing new insights on last night's vice-presidential debate, but am convinced more than ever that Biden's performance, whatever its effect on swing voters, dispelled a dark cloud over the Democratic tribe. And that's not just because it might have interrupted Romney's "momentum" or countered the president's "loss" last week. In retrospect, what dispirited an awful lot of Democrats about the first presidential debate was that it emblemized the fear that in an intense, high-stakes battle with an ascendant and radicalized conservative movement, progressive elected officials just didn't have the willingness or ability to make a full and passionate case for their own cause. That was at the heart of criticisms not only of the president's demeanor, but also of his many missed opportunities to rebut Romney and expose the rickety substructure of the mendacious self-presentation Moderate Mitt was attempting. And this is obviously a complaint that's been just under the surface of mixed progressive attitudes towards Obama and many other Democratic leaders for years now.

Damn straight. We want fighters. The President let us down last week but he can recover. I know he is not as fiery as Biden and has a more measured "keep cool and calm" temperament, but the moment calls for righteous indignation and a fervent defense of all the good he has done. He is the most accomplished President since President Roosevelt. That is not spin, that is the fact. He needs to forcefully defend all he has done and will continue to do. He failed last week but hopefully he was taking notes on Air Force One while he was watching his Vice President fillet Congressman Ryan. Sure we don't expect Biden's laughter and eye rolls and the Biden Smile. But we expect the Obama smile and the patented Obama "That's Not True." I can hear it being said forcibly in my mind because the President has said it before. Now is not the time for politeness. Or kindness. If Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are going to lie they need to be called on it repeatedly. By the way, here is a pic of the President on Air Force One watching the debate:

You know what's the difference between Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan? Lipstick.

Florida and Colorado move to the red column today, and it takes the President's electoral college vote number down to the lowest point since before the summer. But no worries, since the statewide polling has now caught up to the Romney debate bounce reflected in the national polls earlier in the week. Now we get to see how Vice President Biden's performance last night and how President Obama's second debate affect the race. Here is the map:

The News Journal is out with a story by Jonathan Starkey and James Fisher concerning Bodenweiser's continued absence from the campaign trail and the confirmed existence of a criminal investigation into Bodenweiser personally. Here are the relevant details from the story about that investigation.