Romney won the first round, folks.
Do I enjoy saying that? Absolutely not. But I believe it to be true. This judgment is not rendered based on any of Mitt Romney's ideas, nor is it based on any of President Obama's. What was said tonight was unimportant, but the way in which those statements were presented dominated the evening. Thus, I won't be referring directly to any exact quotes from the debate. If you are like me, you became bored with Barack's nap-worthy figures and Mitt's failed attempts at humor. Still, I noticed enough to form judgment, even before the commentators started doing what they do best (or worst, depending on your point of view.)
The High Road was utilized by Obama--to a fault. I appreciated his calm, cool demeanor, especially against Mitt's early near-belligerent attack style. I never saw the President lose his cool once. Mitt was all over the map as far as mood goes. The President could have used Romney's "47%" gaffe and a number of other bumbles that have crippled the Republican's campaign. But he didn't. Unfortunately, that was a mistake.
Comfortable Incumbency means just what my friend and fellow debate-watcher, Beth, said in regards to Obama's performance. She said it reminded her of John Kerry catching George W. Bush off guard in their first debate. Bush had been on the job for four years, so he attempted to use the same "here, let me educate you" tactic that Obama seemed to court early on in tonight's debate. The President's attempt to initially 'educate' Mitt were like a professor's attempt to lecture amidst the creation of a giant paper wad--aimed in the professor's direction.
While at no point in the debate did the President have a deer-in-the-headlights look, Obama's 'professorial' tactic was no match for Romney's attack mode.
Concise speaking points were the only tie to be found in this debate. The President had some good ones, and so did Romney. Romney, I believe--had more of them. Again, Beth nailed it when she pointed out that the President has never been very at ease in this type of debate. Town hall debates are his style. Obama tiptoed too often into boring-statistic-mode, which made Romney glaze over, and gave Mitt enough time to mount a pointed, well-aimed rebuttal.
We saw too much of the President's hair, which meant that he was too focused on his notes--and not enough on the challenger. Obama appeared (key word 'appeared') to look interested in Romney's statements but as the debate progressed, I kept envisioning a GOP super PAC airing an ad titled, "You should be ashamed, Mr. President", showing Romney chastising Obama while Obama seemingly hung his head. I wanted to say, "What the hell are you writing, anyway!?"
Obama's eye contact with the public was great. I was shocked the first time that he started looking at the camera--a tactic that Mitt (unless I missed it) never employed. I watched the President as he addressed 'me' and thought that he did an excellent job of knowing which talking points deserved a direct eye towards the nation under his care.
Mitt stayed on message in a direct way that made his key points seem unforgettable. The President, full of details, was eager to confront Mitt--but all too often got lost in delivering his point.
President Obama knows what he's up against. He's pretty good at assessing situations, so my guess is that he knew that going into the ring tonight. Who's to say: perhaps as the days go on, viewers will remember less of Romney's well-aimed attacks and more of the President's cool demeanor. But as of right now, victory belongs to the elephants.
My guess is that a large percentage of you will agree with my assessment. Recent 'statistics' back me up in my theory that 53% of you will probably love it. ;)
