By: Ali B.
In the much
anticipated debate between the two presidential candidates, Romney and Obama
each had an entirely different approach. Obama’s campaign said that he went for
a calm and cool approach, while Romney went for a fiery and enthusiastic
approach.
But who won?
With some exceptions of course, many people agree that Governor Mitt Romney
clearly swept the night! According to the article, "5 Things We Learned From the Presidential Debate", by Peter Hamby, Mark Preston and Paul Steinhauser,
President Barrack Obama seemed shaky, unrehearsed and seemed to rely on his
predicted lead. Romney came out strong, rehearsed and a master of his facts.
Obama’s campaigned argued that he wanted to come out appearing as the “nice
guy” and did not want to attack Romney as much as possible. Democrats across
American were frustrated and surprised by the lack of aggression that Obama
brought to the table. Many supporters were disappointed in the President’s
performance. They wanted him to bring up previous attacks that he has made on
Romney and fight back during the debate. Aids on his campaign also displayed
frustration after helping him rehearse answers that were short and concise, but
what they got were long and rambling answers, according to Peter Nicholas.
The
difference in body language between Obama and Romney may have also swayed many
people in believing that Romney won. Romney looked confidently at Barack Obama
when speaking, while Obama looked at the moderators and the cameras. When
Romney was speaking, the President tended to stare down and make no eye contact,
sometimes looking irritated. Obama also cocked his head when speaking, which
can be a sign of lack of confidence according to the article.
President
Barack Obama is not the only President to come into the debate unprepared.
President George W. Bush pulled the same stunt in the 2004 election against
John Kerry where he seemed preoccupied with other issues going on in America.
There is no doubt that it is extremely difficult to run the country and campaign
at the same time. Mitt Romney was able to participate in 19 debates during the GOP primaries as well as extra debate
practice sessions. (GOP = Grand Old Party or the Republican Party.) Obama has not formally debated since running for office
against John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Democrats agree that for
Obama to win this election, he is going to have to put in more hours into his
campaign.
Did this
debate even make a difference in the election? Some argue yes, while others
argue no. John Harwood wrote in the New York Times that the only times a debate
have impacted the polls were the first televised debate between John F. Kennedy
and Richard Nixon and the race between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Others argue
saying that the debates help the undecided decide and can even shift a person’s
vote.
Whether you believe that Mitt Romney won the
debate or that Barack Obama did, one thing is for sure, the 2nd
debate will be much anticipated for both Republicans and Democrats across the
country.
CBS News Instant Poll: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ErbUrthPg
Additional Debate Resources:
ABC News
Washington Post
USA Today Picture Gallery
ROMNEY WON ALL THE WAY
ReplyDeleteI believe that Mitt Romney won the Presidential debate, because he looked at the people and the audience. When Obama he always looked down or around never focusing on the American citizens like Romney did.
DeleteAli,
ReplyDeleteI think that you had many valid arguments throughout your post, but, I don't agree that Obama was unprepared. Whenever he was looking down, he would be taking notes. I think that Romney came on too strong, all in all, because of the fact that he'd constantly interrupt and criticize the president. I'm aware that this was a debate, so criticism is expected to a certain point; but, there were parts where Romney could have kept his words much more professional. Lastly, I agree that the next debate is also much anticipated by the citizens of America!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHey, Ali c:
ReplyDeleteDebates aren't like football games where one team wins and on team loses, and assigning a winner and a loser to this situation seems unfitting. I certainly agree that Romney had a far better night than Obama did, but calling either candidate a "master of facts" is misleading whether it's meant to be or not. Romney didn't actually tell us a lot about what he'd do and Obama failed to bring up a lot of important points that he should have used. Both of the candidates sometimes used shaky or untrue evidence to back their points. I'm uncomfortable calling Romney's performance a success -- while he was very flashy, he lacked substance. I'm also uncomfortable calling Obama well prepared or successful. He fell flat on his face if you ask me, and I'm a liberal. So, yeah. That's my two cents.
Ali-
ReplyDeleteI was also able to watch the 2012 Presidential debate and definitely agree with you. Though public speaking is one of Obama’s stronger suits, I felt that Mitt Romney presented himself in a more confident and professional way.
As you had mentioned, Mitt Romeny stole the show that night. His topics of discussion were powerful and his responses to President Obama were thorough and thought provoking. It is proven that typically in presidential debates, the President has the short end of the stick. What I mean by this is that the President is always on the defensive end of the debate. Americans have watched President Obama and have seen the actions he has taken over the past 4 years. This is the time for newcomer Mitt Romney to show himself to people. The website (http://www.debates.org/index.php?page=2012-2) shows that no matter the candidates, the President of that time always seems to, quote, “lose” the debate. Romney threw hard yet necessary questions at Obama that I’m sure lots of Americans have been dying to ask.
It’s understandable that speaking on the spot is a challenge, but It was shown and identified that presidential Candidate, Mitt Romney truly grabbed the attention of the American people during the debate.
-Molly Hilgart
Ali,
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I did not watch the debate I heard many things about it. I heard that Romney did a very good job with this debate and he was very ready for it. I also think though that debates aren't going to sway many peoples votes, they already know who they are going to vote for. If they don't know who they are going to vote for, they shouldn't listen to the debate to get a good idea on who they want to vote for. Debates are not enough time for the candidate to explain what they will do, they are only saying the good parts of what they will help, they are not saying what may hurt America.
Ali,
ReplyDeleteI may have only watch half of the debate but it seem like Mitt Romney knew what to say at the debate and it seem like he connect to the people of America. Obama on the other hand did not do so well, it seem like he struggle at answering the question and was not prepare for the debate. So after these one Mitt Romney might get the lead, but who knows Obama might have a plan to catch up.
-Austin Weyer