Look, I have nothing good to say about Mitt Romney, but I don’t think this is a valid criticism.
I don’t think his facial expression was a sign of disrespect – that’s just what he looks like, and
I don’t think an elected official in a democratic system needs to be “shown respect” anywhere near that degree that you should worry about what your face looks like when you’re in his or her vicinity. So long as you’re not literally spitting in his face or kicking his shins, that’s as far as respect should go.
Romney came off well in this debate, far better than he deserved to considering the lying, unprincipled asshole that he is. He gets credit for that.
The facts are complicated, Obama tried to construct an argument by explaining the facts and why it lead him to the conclusion he’s made and subsequently the actions he took.
It doesn’t make for good tv, but it is how adults persuade adults.
You really like to live life on the edge, don’t you?
I think that it would be interesting to put each candidate in a soundproof room. Each of them has a mike which would be active for X number of minutes. They get to choose when to push the button that activates the mike. If the moderator is talking, or the other candidate is talking, the mike won’t activate, but they use up their time anyway. It’s fun to think about, no?
I think a significant number of them weren’t even aware that 47% of Americans have been let off the hook for federal income tax and don’t approve. Most people have no idea this is the case and a recent Fox News poll shows most think everyone, including 71% of Democrats, should pay something.
Coincidentally the RNC just put out a new election ad entitled The Smirk. Of course it’s Obama’s constant smirk during the debate they they’re talking about.
What sort of expression do you wear when the other guy is lying his ass off? Did Romney even so much as mention the policies that drove our economy into the ditch?
Perhaps this is the essential weakness of the whole “debate” format, the necessity that both participants argue in good faith? Romney is either a lying sack of shit, or utterly clueless. The distinction is too trivial for me to care about.
I think in the next debate, the candidate not speaking should be in the background, doing the jerk-off hand motion or that pretend blowjob thing people do, while viciously rolling his eyes.
I mean, that’s basically the level American politics is at. Might as well embrace it wholeheartedly.
