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| Mitt Romney Steve Pearce event 057 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Romney looked determined, Obama looked tired.
Seen from the other side of the Atlantic pond, the debate was...well, slightly boring. Romney's arguments were all too predictable. How can he honestly ascribed the state of the economy to Obama? We all know Congress in the hands of the Republicans has done everything in its power to contrast and destroy Obama's efforts to stimulate the economy. Proposed government measure were regularly passed (if at all) with amendments that weakened them. Ditto for Obamacare that miraculously escaped total destruction thanks to the Supreme Court's unexpected last-minute - and somewhat partial - support.
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| Barack Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
We all know that government in America is weak, and more precisely, that it is weakened by Republicans relentless attacks. A weak government can do little to stimulate the economy, much less turn it around. Moreover, if we're in a mess, with unemployment still the number one problem in the US (but in Europe too), that has nothing to do with Obama and everything to do with the rich that the Republicans support - that famous one percent. It is the rich, enjoying Bush's tax exemptions since the early 2000s that have brought about the Great Recession playing all those financial games - indeed the Wall Street bailout was the doing of Bush's government (his Treasury Secretary was an ex-Goldman Sachs man, remember?).
Why would the rich ever get us out of the Recession now if they didn't before? By what miracle will they start to create jobs when all they do is put their money in tax heavens and play in the markets with derivatives and sovereign bonds? There's much more money to be made attacking the Euro than creating jobs in industry!
More to the point: why is Romney lying, why the deceit? All this reminds me painfully of the way lies were circulated in the Soviet Union. At every street corner in Moscow in the 1970s you could see posters screaming "Mir u Mir", which means Peace on the World. Peace, really? Astounding when you knew that the one big power threatening world peace was precisely the Soviet Union!
Mitt Romney seems to have taken a leaf out of Soviet propaganda: deny reality, win with out and out lies, the Truth be damned! One thing is certain: this can of approach can tire you out, it's so hard to answer lies and keep cool. Hence Obama's tired look.
Does this mean Obama will lose the elections? Not really, not if the debate now moves away from the never-ner land of lies and onto to real, concrete issues. We're still waiting for Romney to tell us exactly how he's going to get the US out of this economic mess - Soviet propaganda tactics don't work forever, as the fall of the Soviet Union has shown!
Truth and honesty always win in the end. At least, I hope so! What's your opinion?
Comments
First of all, the Republicans have not obstructed a damn thing. During the first two years of Obama's Administration, his party had a super majority in both houses of Congress. That is, they not only had the power to pass any legislation that they wanted, with Obama waiting in the wings to sign it, but also had a sufficient majority in the Senate to override any filibuster that the Republicans might attempt to delay proceedings. In the second two years, the Republicans attempted to pass a budget (a feat that the Democrats failed at even when they had the super majority). The Democrats in the Senate obstructed every attempt and now the country has been without a budget for almost four years.
So, what did the Republicans obstruct? Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Obama looked tired? Depression often evinces itself with that look. What does Obama have to be depressed about? Everything. He has no record to run on. He has invested billions in green energy companies that have universally gone bankrupt. They were poor investments. He has spent billions more keeping GM on life support and still it's failing. Unemployment remains high. He swore at the beginning of his Administration to raise gas prices to $8/gal to make alternative energy more economical; he only made it half way and even at that rate, the cost of shipping everything is raising prices. His foreign policy has failed so miserably that no one can defend it. Yes, he's depressed.
He's also depressed because his liberal base expected more from him that he failed to deliver. Only 19% of expected voters self-identify as liberal and few of them are excited to get out and vote. More than 45% of expected voters self-identify as conservative and they are counting the days - have been counting the days since the last election when they swept the Democratic majority from the House of Representatives.
Finally, Obama is not much of a debater. I doubt that he was looking forward to appearing on camera without his teleprompter. He did well in the 2008 debates because the moderators were fighting his battles for him. They asked leading questions. They argued with McCain. But, in the first debate of 2008 at the Saddleback Valley Community Church, he had a neutral moderator and appeared separately from McCain. Obama fumbled badly in that setting. And he often becomes tongue tied when he looks away from the teleprompter. Last night, Romney didn't allow the moderator to usurp the debate. He was aggressive and kept the proceedings on his track. Obama was helpless without his usual support.
I understand that Europeans love Obama. Hopefully, we will free him up soon and you can have him. Please, take him.
Europeans were fuming mad at Bush for Guantanamo, the war on terror, Iraq and Afghanistan. OK.
Obama was elected promising that he would get rid of these things in 1 year. HE LIED. They are always there ! But, of course they don't complain against Obama, the democrats are always their favorite.
I'm open to any opinion but from people who follow the American press and know what they're talking about.
Dimitri
The Republicans have blocked every single jobs bill, including an initiative to find jobs for veterans. They've blocked raising the debt ceiling, which they approved eight times for Pres. Bush. They even said- the moment they gained control of the house, "Our top priority is to ensure that this is a one term president."
Which is why Romney saying that he would work across the aisle- implying that it is OBAMA who refuses to work with the Republicans- was outrageous.
Well, I'm not either. Anyone who thinks that the Republicans obstructed anything while the Democrats held a super majority in both houses of Congress is one or the other.
Also, remember the last attempt to pass a budget. Obama's submission was defeated by the Democrats.
Does it make me either stupid or crazy when I recite facts?
You are not crazy or insane , you just don't let the true facts stand in your way, anymore than Romney's attack dogs do.
Speaking of dogs, this is a man who put the family dog in a crate on the roof of his car as if it was a canoe or a pair of skies and drove 12 hours with a living, breathing creature on the roof of his car. HE stilll thinks this was okay and so does Ann. I and many others do not think a man devoid of empathy for his own pet and showing such lack of common sense should have his finger on the red button.
Plus, if there was nothing wrong with his tax returns, he'd be showing them to EVERYONE. Along with his Swiss bank accounts, Caymen Island tax shelters, and Ann's accounts in numerous countries, you can BET THE FARM that he is not pulling out those tax returns because he doesn't want the American people to see the truth. He wants us to trust him enough to electe him President, when even Seamus, his dog couldn't trust him to keep him safe. Little wonder the dog kept running away and finally was given to a relative. Run way as fast as you can from Romney & Ryan.
Please go on, the debate is open!
Okay, your turn to make fools of yourselves. (BTW Jo, that's no name calling, that's just another fact.)
This constant attack on the Democrats on ethical issues that shouldn't elicit a partisan position (on the contrary, you'd expect everyone to agree)is very unfortunate. Not to mention the reckless games the newly elected Tea Party Republicans played last summer with the debt ceiling which has caused the downgrade of America's triple A rating. All this has had only one clear result: it has weakened America in the eyes of the world - though, of course, I know Americans don't care what the world thinks of them.
So, ok, forget the rest of the planet. Just focus on America. Isn't it sad that the political scene is so polarized that governing the country to guide and stimulate economic revival and improve the employment of your young is becoming near-impossible?
I find that polarization very upsetting. I am deeply saddened by it because I am a true friend of America, I have always loved and admired your country. I say this to both you, Jack, and Dimitri who appears to have been upset by my post.
Your country didn't use to be so polarized in the 60s and early 70s when I lived and worked there. Nor in the 80s, the time when Compassionate Republicanism rose and reached the White House with Reagan.
What happened to Compassionate Republicanism?
So, where did all the polarization come from? I can't speak for others, but I can tell you why I'm polarized. I never cared much for government. I lived a long and happy life under the radar. I didn't ask anything of government beyond that which was expected of them (as stated in the Constitution) - provide protection and stay the hell out of my life. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that progressives were altering the government. They were building a constituency of moochers who expected all from the government. They grew the government like a leech grows as it sucks blood from its host. Suddenly, I looked up and found that there was no place left for me to hide.
Now, I can adapt or I can fight. I choose to fight. I don't have to fight to tear this government down. It will implode soon (just as government in Europe is imploding now) because it is unsustainable. No matter how much they protest, we're running out of other people's money to spend.
I don't have many years to live (I'm almost 70) but I have a responsibility to make some effort to plant the seeds for a new American experiment. We already have a fine Constitution. All we need to do is instill a love of it in enough young people who are willing to fight for it when the existing government fails.
In this fight, there is no middle ground, no middle of the road. We are polarized. The moochers and those who thrive on the adoration of moochers on one side, and liberty loving peoples on the other. You revile the Tea Party? I admire them. However, truthfully, I'm not one of them either. I haven't seen enough evidence that they are willing to go far enough.
Do you agree with Jack that the Tea Party does not go far enough, that it is not sufficiently extreme? That it's good for America to be polarized because polarization will revive the country? That the poor and downtrodden, those looking for a job, be them young fresh out of college or old fired after 20 years of service - do you agree that all these people who depend on food stamps to eat are moochers?
I will assume that no further comment means agreement with Jack's views...
And please, Jack, don't reply to my comment here. Others must be given a chance to join the debate!
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