# The final presidential debate: 10/22/12 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 22, 2012, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497 "2012-10-22T06:57:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 33
**Author:** ![humblebumble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@humblebumble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/humblebumble)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/641 "2012-10-23T16:39:14Z")
I’ll try NOT to attack some of you guys too much, but I remember lurking at the first debate thread and seeing that some of you wanted to change your vote based on the first debate alone. Or am I wrong? Obama knew what he was doing. Give the man some credit. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/642 "2012-10-23T16:41:22Z")
1. I don’t remember anything like that in the first thread. 2. Are you suggesting Obama lost the first debate on purpose? > [@](#): > > Wouldn’t you, in their shoes? Don’t be silly. Historians can’t afford shoes. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/643 "2012-10-23T16:44:25Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > From Twitter: “I am glad to know that mitt agrees with Obama so much. No, really. Why vote?” > > Any guesses on who Tweeted this? > > [Glenn Beck](https://twitter.com/glennbeck/status/260564787027640320) Is this supposed to discourage Democrats from voting, or Republicans? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/644 "2012-10-23T16:44:56Z")
> [@humblebumble](#): > > I’ll try NOT to attack some of you guys too much, but I remember lurking at the first debate thread and seeing that some of you wanted to change your vote based on the first debate alone. > > Or am I wrong? > > Obama knew what he was doing. Give the man some credit. I saw the grand majority of us admitting Obama lost, no one said anything about changing their vote. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/645 "2012-10-23T16:55:12Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > The New York Times delivers [an absolutely brutal review](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/opinion/the-final-presidential-debate.html) of Romney’s performance: I read _The New York Times_ today as I do every day. The [lede story](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/us/politics/obama-and-romney-meet-in-foreign-policy-debate.html?ref=todayspaper) on the front page was, of course, about the debate. I noticed two things. One, Romney was ‘all over the place’, quibbiling, taking cheap shots, being overly simplistic. Two, Obama was focused, from the beginning of the debate - “strong steady leadership, not wrong and reckless leadership that’s all over the map”. The “all over the map” comment lit up on Twitter. As for Romney, the “go after the bad guys” comment lit up on Twitter for him. “Go after the bad guys” is something I would expect to hear from George W. Bush not necessarily from Mitt Romney. Another [article](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/us/politics/unseen-but-looming-over-the-race-george-w-bush.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0) mentioned Karl Rove’s comment, “I have no interest in participating in this silly exercise.” George W. Bush is the elephant in the room. Obama ended the Iraq War. People like Karl Rove have nothing to say except things like “I have no interest in participating in this silly exercise.” That comment is probably going to light up on Twitter also. Overall, an interesting 24-news cycle so far today. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/646 "2012-10-23T16:56:38Z")
> [@Belowjob2.0](#): > > wtf?! > > I want to say, “What a stupid mother lover!” but this man’s not dumb. Not by a long shot. But what the hell is wrong with him? Is it some kind of mental block? Tourette’s Syndrome? What? He chokes under pressure, which is a quality we like in our President. Not. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/647 "2012-10-23T16:58:38Z")
I’ve been sitting in an airport all morning with CNN on the TVs. They’ve had the “bayonet and horses” clip on a near-constant loop. Love it or hate it, this line is what the media narrative is going to be for the next week, and it makes Romney look like a fool. I know the base loved it and the Republicans are falling all over themselves to call it unpresidential/untrue/etc, but when this is what the average American sees over and over and over, the underlying message is going to stick-- Romney’s clueless in the realm of Commander-in-Chiefdom. Will it matter on election day? I don’t know, but this is gonna stick to the Rom. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/648 "2012-10-23T16:59:22Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > The inner historian in me dies whenever I watch debates. Really? Because mine pings on the most colorful, trivial shit: “Horses and Bayonets” = Battle of Beersheba ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/649 "2012-10-23T17:07:34Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Is this supposed to discourage Democrats from voting, or Republicans? 😕 He’s speaking for Tea Party Republicans that are grouchy about Romney running to the middle and agreeing with Obama’s policies. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/650 "2012-10-23T17:24:34Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I’ve been sitting in an airport all morning with CNN on the TVs. They’ve had the “bayonet and horses” clip on a near-constant loop. Love it or hate it, this line is what the media narrative is going to be for the next week, and it makes Romney look like a fool. > > I know the base loved it and the Republicans are falling all over themselves to call it unpresidential/untrue/etc, but when this is what the average American sees over and over and over, the underlying message is going to stick-- Romney’s clueless in the realm of Commander-in-Chiefdom. > > Will it matter on election day? I don’t know, but this is gonna stick to the Rom. That is great because with Monday Night Football and the World Series, some Americans did not watch the debates like Dopers who posted in this thread. Other than CNN, it will be interesting to see whether the evening news - ABC, NBC, CBS - show the “horses and bayonets” clip. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/651 "2012-10-23T17:48:50Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Obama won the debate, but he should have won it by a bigger margin given the advantages an incumbent has over a challenging governor. Interestingly, his Intrade odds dropped 3-4 points due to the debate, and Romney tied him on whether or not the debate made people more likely to vote for him. > > More ominously, Romney now clearly leads Obama in favorability. Yeah, well, I live in Texas and I’m still voting for Obama. Maybe you could explain in your own words what reason, related to foreign policy, makes a vote for Romney preferable, other than, " a bunch of random people plan to do so"? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/652 "2012-10-23T17:50:23Z")
I do have to give credit to Romney. When he said that we’re now four years closer to an Iranian nuclear weapon than when Obama took office, Romney was declaring to the world that he understood the concept of linear time. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/653 "2012-10-23T17:53:43Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > Bolding mine. > > Republicans are trying to suppress the historian vote, too?! Damn! Anyone who’s not on board with the spin is a danger to the country. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/654 "2012-10-23T17:57:59Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I do have to give credit to Romney. When he said that we’re now four years closer to an Iranian nuclear weapon than when Obama took office, Romney was declaring to the world that he understood the concept of linear time. This kept cracking me up. No matter what Obama did over the last four years, other than obliterating Iran from the map, it was always going to be four years closer to a nuclear bomb in 2012. What, would Romney have made the year 2008 stick around forever? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/655 "2012-10-23T17:59:26Z")
I also am four years closer to a nuclear weapon. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/656 "2012-10-23T18:02:38Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The SF Giants are going to the World Series. WOO-HOO!!! That doesn’t even make any sense. Look, the World Series is kinda like Schroedinger’s Cat. The waveform doesn’t collapse into an actual outcome until the Dodgers are celebrating with the Championship trophy. When the Dodgers aren’t even scheduled to play in it, it’s not REALLY a World Series; it’s just an empty box. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/657 "2012-10-23T18:03:21Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > This kept cracking me up. No matter what Obama did over the last four years, other than obliterating Iran from the map, it was always going to be four years closer to a nuclear bomb in 2012. What, would Romney have made the year 2008 stick around forever? \ ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/658 "2012-10-23T18:06:08Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > I also am four years closer to a nuclear weapon. And judging by your user name, you’ve already got a delivery system for it. Missile gap! Missile gap! ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/659 "2012-10-23T18:10:21Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Didn’t see the whole thing and my expectation was that this was Obama’s strongest position and he should wipe the floor with Romney but…have to say I thought it was pretty close to even. To me that’s really bad news for Obama who really needs to be pulling ahead at this point. :(. Guess we’ll see what, if anything changes in the polls. This one might go down to the wire. Still expect Obama to win, but starting to think it will be close…and not as confident as I was a few weeks ago that Obama is going to walk away with this thing. Paradoxically, that will make for an Obama win. Because now the President is going to New Hamshire this Saturday so that there won’t be an “Al Gore problem”. Al Gore underestimated George W. Bush. Barack Obama cannot underestimate Mitt Romney. With this strategy, what will happen on Election Day is either the President will take in alot of electoral votes or the President will j_u_st make it past the 270 electoral votes. Bottom line: The President can win it, but he has to fight for it. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497/660 "2012-10-23T18:29:03Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I can’t stand that smirk on Romney’s face. After the first debate someone on the radio described the look as “somewhere between a man trying to avoid a really bad smell, and a man desperately trying to resist the urge to tell you how much better his car is than yours.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-presidential-debate-10-22-12/638497.md?page=34)