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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The First Presidential Debate Open Thread
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98 Comments
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98 Comments
Part of me doesn’t want to watch. I think it is my brain.
I have to watch. Everyone is waiting for the zingers. Why did Romney set that bar?
LOL. I have to. I just am not looking forward to listening to Romney. His voice … finger nails on a chalk board.
Romney is playing Jenga before the debates. I hate that game. It’s nerve wracking.
Jim Lehrer has already caused me to suicide. Now he’s rehearsing.
Lost audio. God Almighty.
If you’re dead, who is typing your comment?
And is Romney really playing Jenga in the Green Room? Wow.
lip-reader ” Gonna kick your lilywhite ass, Mittens.”
My ghost is still walking until my unrestful shade has voted against Mitt Romney.
Not hearing much new in Obama’s answer to opening question on jobs. Sounds canned.
Romney’s 5 point plan has no details.
Trickle up?
Romney says he won’t cut taxes on the rich???? What?
Romney says, “I like coal!”
Romney having trouble with his tax math.
Clean coal. The kind you share with your family. No one would ever touch that dirty stuff.
Gone. Gone. Gone.
I think we just heard our first zinger — 5 boys, used to people repeating things hoping I’ll believe it. Eh?
Romney’s tactic: Speak in legalese circles. I have no idea what he just said he’d do. What is his plan?
Trump doesn’t like to see himself as being anything small. lol
Oh my. Did Romney just say, “I should get the last word because he went first?” Seriously, how old is he?
This moderation sucks
Second segment. Should be Obama’s turn, because of romney’s rebuttal. No? Quel surpris.
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.
This debate seems to be missing a moderator. 🙂
Lehrer has always been a weak moderator.
Breaking: Romney likes Big Bird.
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?
Romney will cut PBS. Take that Jim Lehrer – You’re fired!
China owns less than 3 trillion. They can come and get it.
Paula, you are wonderful. Remember this is pledge week!
Romney: Obama should have grabbed Simpson Bowles.
Lehrer: Would you implement S/B, Gov.
Romney: No. I have my own super secret plan
Romney just pulled a Read my lips moment. No tax pledge.
Go go go. Oil company underwriting! Give us a zinger, Mr. Prez.
FISKER!
“I have no idea what you are talking about” Mitt Romney
Well stated, John. Have you prayed on that post?
Where’s Gary Johnson?
Just noting that Mittens mentioned it.
Romney just told people 60 and older that they didn’t have to listen to his answer on medicare and social security. Really?
Romney confirms his medicare plan IS a voucher program.
Lucky Mitt, he can fire his insurance company. I couldn’t hire one for many years.
I am really tired of Mitt viewing everyone as consumers.
This format is killing me.
@jason was this death before or after your suicide above?
But agreed: not only the format but the camera direction is nauseating.
My kingdom for a moderator!
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.
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.
Romney can’t describe his own plan.
Romney is explaining what he’ll replace ACA with… FREE MARKET!
So… Romney’s got nothing.
Romney is going to lead by consensus.
Romney has no specifics. WTH is he talking about? But boy does he talk.
I cannot watch or listen to the debate due to work. My only exposure tonight will be through the “DL Lens of Snark”
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.
BREAKING: Romney admits he has no plan.
“Pick a number, any number”
“Pick a number, any number”
47%
Romney may end this answer by breaking into song. God Bless America.
Ooh, that’s great, LG!
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.
Was Lehrer there tonight?
Vouchers for medicare! Vouchers for education!
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.
Obama: “he wasn’t very detailed, this seems to be a trend.” ZING!
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.
Another zinger — Mr. Prez, you’re entitled to your own plane and your own house, but not your own facts.
So far Romney isn’t cutting any government except PBS.
Mitt wants to grade schools. First, we do that. Second, I hate that.
Romney wants to grade schools. Awful policy that yields bad results.
True Pandora, Obama wants them graded too. Bad on both of them
Medals, diplomas, and tiaras for EVERYONE!
YAYYYY!
Holy crap, with three minutes left Lehrer actually asked for a specific.
I’m feeling very 1988 tonight.
pandora, Jim Lehrer tonight is making the case for cutting at least one job at PBS. . . .
Obama reminds Romney that he needs a plan in order to get something done.
David Brooks calls it for Romney.
Says Obama missed out because he didn’t take advantage of the many opportunities to zing.
Listening to Romney’s closing remarks and all the things he promised I kept saying at the end of his every sentence… HOW?
Wolf Blitzer just promised us a “scientific poll” to tell us what we think. Thank God.
I think the clear winner was Gary Johnson.
David Brooks thought there were *too many* details! Sheesh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDSUoIVMze8
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.
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.
We got girl moderators for that Pandora.
You’re funny. Don’t you have work to do? 😉
Believe it or not, I get to test the Internet for work tonight.
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.
Let the flip flopper ads begin.
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?
Romney is one smooth liar.
Let’s hope we’re never in the position to find out!
Just talking to my mom — she’s wondering why in a debate about domestic issues there was no talk about pets! LOL
I like your mom, Paula! 🙂
I have to admit I was disappointed in President Obama’s performance tonight. Doesn’t change that Mitt is a sleazy liar though.
Uh oh, Rachel is grilling Giulliani about the specifics of the Romney plans… He’s got nothing but stuttering.
Big grin.
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.
Sullivan melting down on Daily Beast: http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/10/live-blogging-the-first-presidential-debate-2012.html