# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/21 "2012-10-03T20:41:43Z")
Mitt’s problem is that he needs more than to simply “win” the debate. He needs Obama to dramtically “lose”, like maybe if he were to exsanguinate a litter of live kittens. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/22 "2012-10-03T20:54:35Z")
Here are some “zingers” Mitt has come up with recently against Obama. A Reagan resurrection, he is not: Obama doesn’t just like picking winners and losers. He likes picking losers We’ve had 43 straight months with unemployment above 8 percent, and what does the president have to say to all this? He says `forward.' I think `forewarned’ is a better term He’s out of ideas, he’s out of excuses, and on November 6th you’re going to put him out of office He’s making us more and more like Europe. I don’t want to be like Europe. Europe doesn’t work in Europe (Courtesy [www.electoral-vote.com](http://www.electoral-vote.com)) ---
**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 3, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/23 "2012-10-03T20:57:27Z")
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. If, contrary to my expectation, there is a “moment,” I would expect it to be Mitt Romney saying something especially empathetic about someone in the 47% and coming across as a genuine human being, at least for that moment. Or maybe a chance at self-deprecating humor that was clearly not pre-rehearsed. Something along those lines. Not an attack moment, but a humanizing moment. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/24 "2012-10-03T21:15:58Z")
I agree with that, and not only because I have extra admiration for anyone who knows how to use the word “redound”. Romney’s problem will be how well he’s rehearsed how to appear human. We’ll find out. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/25 "2012-10-03T21:26:05Z")
They seriously talked up his zingers? All I can do is think of the DJ-3000 on KBBL on the Simpsons. Hey, hey. How about that weather out there? Woah! _That_ was the caller from hell. Well, hot dog! We have a weiner. Those clowns in congress did it again. What a bunch of clowns. ---
**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 3, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/26 "2012-10-03T21:59:11Z")
[Apparently a pesky ol’ freight train kept poor Mittens awake Monday night](http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/restless-romney-braces-for-high-stakes-debate), and now he’s probably gonna be crankers in Denver for the big debate. Damn those plebs and their damn dirty rail conveyances. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/27 "2012-10-03T22:06:21Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > [Apparently a pesky ol’ freight train kept poor Mittens awake Monday night](http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/restless-romney-braces-for-high-stakes-debate), and now he’s probably gonna be crankers in Denver for the big debate. Damn those plebs and their damn dirty rail conveyances. Hey, I’m sympathetic. There’s a dog in the apartment under me that has this charming habit of barking at stuff when its owner awakens for the morning… at 5:30 am. Granted, this kind of thing should’ve probably been considered by the staff before it happened, but still. ---
**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 3, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/28 "2012-10-03T22:18:41Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Hey, I’m sympathetic. There’s a dog in the apartment under me that has this charming habit of barking at stuff when its owner awakens for the morning… at 5:30 am. > > Granted, this kind of thing should’ve probably been considered by the staff before it happened, but still. Yeah but what this tells me is that the staffers of a major party candidate for president didn’t have the wherewithal to go down to the nearest 7-11 and grab a pair of $3 ear plugs if their man was bothered by the train. Or that Mittens himself didn’t think of it. They’re talking logistics of changing hotels? How about the logistics of getting in a car and purchasing some little pieces of foam rubber? Even more likely, the logistics of lowering expectations for their candidate by making excuses involving a freight train and a restless night are easiest of them all. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/29 "2012-10-03T22:33:40Z")
Stupid question: when/where is the debate airing? Network TV? C-SPAN, surely. YouTube? PBS? Obama/Romney websites? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/30 "2012-10-03T22:45:25Z")
CBS, NBC, PBS, MSNBC, Fox News, CSPAN and CNN on television or watch via live stream on YouTube, AOL or [here](http://www.2012presidentialelectionnews.com/2012-debate-schedule/2012-presidential-debate-schedule/). ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/31 "2012-10-03T23:10:27Z")
Oh, awesome – thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/32 "2012-10-03T23:19:01Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > [Apparently a pesky ol’ freight train kept poor Mittens awake Monday night](http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/restless-romney-braces-for-high-stakes-debate), and now he’s probably gonna be crankers in Denver for the big debate. Damn those plebs and their damn dirty rail conveyances. I’ve lived within a few blocks of railroad tracks for about 40 years now, and I’m having a hard time believing that it would be very loud on a high floor of a hotel with probably excellent soundproofing. Jeez, if he wins all al-Qaeda has to do is to hire someone to drive by the White House and honk his horn every hour, and the Free World will be doomed. I’m betting this to lower expectations further. I was hoping it had happened because he slept in a hobo jungle by the tracks to experience the life of the common man - a “Sullivan’s Travels” kind of deal. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/33 "2012-10-03T23:19:34Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > CBS, NBC, PBS, MSNBC, Fox News, CSPAN and CNN on television or watch via live stream on YouTube, AOL or [here](http://www.2012presidentialelectionnews.com/2012-debate-schedule/2012-presidential-debate-schedule/). I’ll take this opportunity to mention that _Democracy Now_ will be airing a special “expanded” debate that will pause the live debate with the establishment candidates to include equal-time live responses from 3rd-party candidates that were excluded from the debates. That will include Jill Stein of the Green Party and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party. Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party was also invited to participate, but he had “schedule conflicts.” (Yeah, I’m not buying that, either… more like he didn’t want to appear with all the lefties.) Coverage begins at 8:30 Eastern. Information on how to tune in: > [@](#): > > Stream our special 3-hour show on the [Democracy Now! livestream](http://www.democracynow.org) or tune in on television on [Link TV](http://www.linktv.org/) (DISH Network Channel 9410 or DirecTV Channel 375) or on [Free Speech TV](https://www.freespeech.org) (DISH Network Channel 9415 or DirecTV Channel 348). ---
**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 3, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/34 "2012-10-03T23:31:27Z")
That’s a very cool and good idea assuming they tell people that you should only actually vote for a third party candidate if you think Romney and Obama are equally preferable. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/35 "2012-10-03T23:38:24Z")
The RNC, DNC, the airing network and both campaigns have agreed to the format, and probably agreed to what sorts of questions may be asked. There won’t be anything really tough to answer and the only fireworks would come from between the candidates. I really wish that after Mitt’s first “zinger”, Obama would fix him with a cool gaze and ask “Is this really what you believe is the level of discussion the American people tuned in to listen to?” Won’t happen, but I can dream. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/36 "2012-10-03T23:38:47Z")
Man, what do you have to do to have your debate not be good enough for Gary Johnson. He was on someonline Q&A thing a few weeks ago where he was reduced to answering whether he’d rather fight 100 normal ducks or one horse-sized duck (to be fair, he did chose the right answer). ---
**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 3, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/37 "2012-10-03T23:40:00Z")
Anyone who says horse-sized duck is unfit for office. Unless their plan is to beat it into submission, breed it, and ride them into battle in North Korea. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/38 "2012-10-03T23:40:06Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > That’s a very cool and good idea assuming they tell people that you should only actually vote for a third party candidate if you think Romney and Obama are equally preferable. Or, your state is surely going to one of the establishment candidates, no matter how you vote. Or, you believe you should vote for who you think would make the best president, NOT who you think can/will win. (It ain’t a horse race, after all.) ---
**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 3, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/39 "2012-10-03T23:42:51Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Or, your state is surely going to one of the establishment candidates, no matter how you vote. Or, you believe you should vote for who you think would make the best president, NOT who you think can/will win. (It ain’t a horse race, after all.) I disagree on both counts, but I’ll take my comments off the air. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602/40 "2012-10-03T23:51:58Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > I’ll take this opportunity to mention that _Democracy Now_ will be airing a special “expanded” debate that will pause the live debate with the establishment candidates to include equal-time live responses from 3rd-party candidates that were excluded from the debates. That will include Jill Stein of the Green Party and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party. Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party was also invited to participate, but he had “schedule conflicts.” (Yeah, I’m not buying that, either… more like he didn’t want to appear with all the lefties.) > > Coverage begins at 8:30 Eastern. Information on how to tune in: Much like the debate itself, this will just be fodder for those “already decideds” seeking affirmation of their beliefs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-10-3-2012/636602.md?page=3)