Obama’s Debate
Strategy: Unilateral Disarmament?
Well, I’m with all the other talking heads: Mitt
Romney won this debate. Barack Obama lost it. I mean, he got his butt kicked.
It was, in fact, one of the most inept performances I’ve ever seen by a sitting
President. Romney — giving credit where it’s due — was calm, clear, convincing
(even when he was totally full of it) and nearly human. The real mystery was
Obama. Where on earth was he? Why was his debate strategy unilateral
disarmament? Why did he never speak in plain English?
“Mitt, you’re selling a
fantasy. Bill Clinton proved it. He raised taxes on the wealthy and the economy
boomed. George Bush lowered taxes drastically and the economy tanked. How’s
your plan any different than Bush’s?”
Actually, the President did say something
like that, but it was well past most of America’s bedtime, about an hour into
the debate — and he didn’t do it clearly, concisely or directly.
It gets worse.
You may have noticed that the President never
mentioned his most important achievement in the most crucial states: the auto
bailout. He never said, “That $716 billion in Medicare savings you keep harping
on? That was in Paul Ryan’s Republican budget — you know, Mitt, the one that
passed the House because all the Republicans voted for it.” Romney was even
able to imply that he may not have such a good accountant when it comes to
taking advantage of sending companies overseas without the President saying, “I
think you have a terrific accountant, Mitt! Great tax rate!”
You may also have noticed that when Romney deftly
compared the $2.8 billion in oil subsidies to the President’s $90 billion in
green energy, Obama didn’t have a response. This was truly remarkable. He
didn’t talk about the world’s largest sun and wind farms. He didn’t talk about
the failed energy investments that Romney had made.
Obama’s cool was ice cold. Romney managed to wax poetic about the
pursuit of happiness, meaning that government should help everyone find the
American Dream, without the President saying, “Even that 47% you said you don’t
care about?” How could he go through an entire debate without mentioning or
even hinting at that 47% remark?
Did the President send out his body double to this debate? Because if that were
the actual Barack Obama out there, I’m not sure he could communicate well
enough to be an effective President in a time of trouble, to say nothing of
winning a second term.
