Who Won the Debate? Obama, Romney Tie in Presidential Showdown
Like two roughnecks squared off on a playground, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney invaded each other’s personal space, raised their voices and fought. “It is just not true,” the president said. “It is true,” his rival replied. You could almost hear both men thinking: “Same to you and more of it.”
If you like to see presidential candidates fight for the job, if you want a passionate dialogue over big issues that matter, you got what you wanted Tuesday night. If it’s civility you seek, you’re sunk.
Who won? The cheap answer is Obama because his goal following a catastrophically sluggish first debate was so clear: Show some life. And, indeed, the president aggressively criticized Romney, labeling him a hypocrite and a liar who favors the rich at the expense of the middle class and poor.
But Romney got his licks in, too, wrapping a miserable economy around the incumbent’s neck. “The middle class is getting crushed by the policies of a president who does not understand what it takes to get the economy working again,” Romney said.
Bottom line: Call it a tie. Obama and Romney scored points while turning off independent voters with their point-scoring. Democratic and Republican partisans will find reason to celebrate the debate but it likely did nothing to reshape the closely fought race.
The town hall format posed a challenge for the candidates because it’s difficult to launch a political attack while fielding questions from the audience without appearing to ignore the questioner. Obama and Romney didn’t seem to care – indeed, neither of them appeared to connect well with the crowd – but perhaps that wasn’t their point.
“What Governor Romney just said isn’t true,” Obama said less than five minutes into the debate after Romney challenged his economic record. A few minutes later, Romney accused Obama of cutting the number of permits for drilling on public land.
“We are using oil more efficiently,” Obama shot back. “Very little of what Governor Romney just said is true.”
Then he turned his body to directly face Romney. "Governor, when you were governor of Massachusetts, you stood in front of a coal plant and pointed at it and said, 'This plant kills,' and took great pride in shutting it down. And now suddenly you're a big champion of coal."
Romney was having none of it. When Obama advocated an "all-of-the-above strategy" on energy, Romney said that has not been what the president has done over the last four years.
"You cut permits and licenses on federal lands and federal waters in half," Romney said.
“Not true,” Obama countered.
“By how much did you cut them?” Romney asked Obama directly.
“We have actually produced more oil … ..”
“How much did you cut licenses and permits on federal waters?" Romney pressed.
“Here is what I did …"
“I had a question. How much did you cut them by?”
And so it went, the leader of the free world and the man who presumes to assume the office squabbling like school kids.
