Last night was the first of three loooooong in the making presidential debates (this Obama vs. Romney matchup has really been in the works since 2006, John McCain just didn’t know it), and I’ll summarize Romney’s responses for those that missed them. Romney: “The president sucks, and I’ll be better, don’t ask me how, you’ll find out when I’m the president, but just know that Obama really sucks.”
Speaking of Romney, I can’t wait ’til we get to the questions on foreign policy. “Mr. Romney, what would you do about Afghanistan?” “The President should support Israel.” “To this question’s to Mitt, how would you stabilize peace in Iraq?” “I wouldn’t thumb my nose at Israel like the president has.”
And the general media consensus on Obama was that he was subdued and unable to keep up with a feisty Romney, but in fairness, I would have probably fallen asleep too after having to counter the same lies for the 15,000th time. There’s only so many times you can hear “The president stole 780 billion from Medicare to put into Obamacare” without mentally checking your watch. He probably just wants this race to be over, as we all do.
But why was the general media consensus to call this debate for Mitt so quickly? Oh, that’s right…because conservatives have been hammering the “liberal media” for reporting “liberal polls” showing Obama ahead with their “liberal” understanding of the way math works. This a popular trick to shape events. Scream that the media is liberal, and you’ll guarantee that their response is a little more conservative.
Asshole of the Night: Jim Lehrer. I’m sorry, but this poor fool was widely panned by everyone who watched the debate. And why was he in such a hurry for them to stick to the time limit? Is it because he’s a hundred years old and is afraid he won’t make it to the end of their responses? Just look at some of these celebrity tweets…
Why does Jim Lehrer keep trying to stop them from debating? Gentlemen, please, this debate is no place for debating! — Bill Maher (@billmaher)
FACT-CHECK – Obama makes baseless claim that Jim Lehrer did a good job moderating. — Ari Melber (@AriMelber)
Jim Lehrer did a much better job with the first debate he moderated: Lincoln vs. Douglas. — Todd Jones (@Todd_Jones)
“Gentlemen, PLEASE…” — Jim Lehrer, at 3:12 a.m., as Romney begins his recounting of the plot of PRACTICAL MAGIC #debate — Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt)
Somewhere, Bill Clinton is shouting answers to all of Jim Lehrer’s questions at his television — Onion Politics (@onionpolitics)
Worst drinking game ever: Drink every time Jim Lehrer asks a question — Louis Klarevas (@Klarevas)
#debates Jim Henson’s company is doing a great job moving Jim Lehrer around. — Tyler Hurst (@tdhurst)
One thing these two candidates CAN agree on: Jim Lehrer should only speak when spoken to. — Jeff Yerger (@jyergs)