# The first presidential debate: 10/3/2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 3, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602 "2012-10-03T17:16:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/201 "2012-10-04T02:35:24Z")
Rachel Maddow tearing [politely and respectfully] into Lehrer and the entire debate format. ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/202 "2012-10-04T02:35:51Z")
Romney won this one. Look for Obama’s lead to shrink. New ball game. Ethelred the Unready. Not sure what he and his prep team were going for here. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/203 "2012-10-04T02:36:26Z")
IMHO, I haven’t the slightest idea what the Obama strategy was. To appear Presidential? Why didn’t Obama even mention “47%”? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/204 "2012-10-04T02:37:01Z")
I think Romney did well. But I think my initial guess in this thread still has it right: > [@](#): > > I expect the debate to lack any particularly newsworthy moments of exchanges, and for that to redound to Romney’s benefit but not by enough to put him in the lead. I do think the media narrative will be about Romney having the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the President and hold his own, with something of a comeback narrative woven in. ---
**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 4, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/205 "2012-10-04T02:37:34Z")
Going negative _during a debate_ doesn’t work. It ties the attack to the attacker instead of the target. You can see it in CNN’s tracking. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/206 "2012-10-04T02:37:42Z")
Good call, **Richard Parker**. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/207 "2012-10-04T02:38:27Z")
Jim Lehrer sucked as moderator. I found no moderation in his job. On the contrary, he moderated Obama so Romney could talk and talk and talk, even when it wasn’t his turn. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/208 "2012-10-04T02:38:46Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Obama kind of stares at his lectern while Romney is talking, which probably turns off just as many voters. it can help careful listening. ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/209 "2012-10-04T02:38:56Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Romney is etchascetching tonight. Pretty centrist compared to the guy I saw during the primaries. Sure, but he got away with it. Unchallenged, pretty much every single false claim. [QUOTE=xenophon41] Rachel Maddow tearing [politely and respectfully] into Lehrer and the entire debate format. [/QUOTE] That’s like blaming the refs. Something the conservatives have been doing this whole campaign season wrt to the mainstream media. You gotta win despite the refs. O didn’t bring it. Gonna cost him. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/210 "2012-10-04T02:39:01Z")
As a person who wholeheartedly intends to vote for Obama, and hopes he wins, I have to say that the debate was a win for Romney, and a fairly decisive one (although not as slam-dunk of a win in 2004 during that first debate). Romney did an incredibly good job, he was well prepared, and he made great points. Obama came off as long-winded. I wish Obama had done better, but I don’t know how well he could have done. This was an ENTIRELY different Romney than I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curiosity_Kills_Her)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/211 "2012-10-04T02:39:40Z")
I lean toward Bill Maher’s assesment: “My rating: Romney won the debate, Obama had the facts on his side, and Lehrer sucked.” That about sums it up. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/212 "2012-10-04T02:39:59Z")
Obama sounded like me when I have to give a talk and tried to prepare at the last minute. Not sure what the malfunction was, but he really seemed drastically under-prepped for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/213 "2012-10-04T02:40:33Z")
Hope is not a game changer, but Mitt kicked The President’ butt 2nite. ---
**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 4, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/214 "2012-10-04T02:40:37Z")
Obama is bunting. He doesn’t have to win the debates; he just has to not lose terribly. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/215 "2012-10-04T02:41:09Z")
I’m interested in the foreign policy debate. Hopefully that moderator has balls. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/216 "2012-10-04T02:41:22Z")
> [@xenophon41](#): > > Rachel Maddow tearing [politely and respectfully] into Lehrer and the entire debate format. What are her objections, specifically? That it was too free wheeling for the President to handle? That Obama got too much time to talk? Obama got 36 minutes, Romney got 33. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/217 "2012-10-04T02:41:37Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Obama sounded like me when I have to give a talk and tried to prepare at the last minute. Not sure what the malfunction was, but he really seemed drastically under-prepped for some reason. Well, he does have another job other than campaigning. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/218 "2012-10-04T02:42:20Z")
> [@Belowjob2.0](#): > > That’s like blaming the refs. Something the conservatives have been doing this whole campaign season wrt to the mainstream media. You gotta win despite the refs. Maddow wasn’t making excuses for Obama, she was observing that the format didn’t elucidate anything and Lehrer didn’t moderate. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/219 "2012-10-04T02:42:50Z")
> [@xenophon41](#): > > Rachel Maddow tearing [politely and respectfully] into Lehrer and the entire debate format. She mad. This debate was a no contest. Romney went into a phone booth as Clark Kent and emerged as Superman. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/220 "2012-10-04T02:42:52Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Obama is bunting. He doesn’t have to win the debates; he just has to not lose terribly. I think that’s the strategy. Prevent defense is a better analogy. Obama never strayed from the script, so no gaffes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602.md?page=12)