# The first presidential debate...did it change your mind? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 5, 2012, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793 "2012-10-05T11:43:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/1 "2012-10-05T11:43:20Z")
Although I feel that Romney did make his points in the debate, and did a good job of it he still doesn’t get my vote. I wondered if any of the dopers changed their minds. I feel talk is cheap. and wonder what sort of miracle he intends to preform to create all the jobs he talks about. If the country depends on the middle class getting jobs so they can pay taxes( so the rich don’t need to pay so much) and since the cost of gasoline is so high that the working man who has to drive to get to work is paying so much for gasoline, higher food prices etc. It will still be hard for a working person to support a family. If he indeed thinks that the 47% of the country won’t vote for him because they live off the government, did he also consider the other percent who don’t live off the government doesn’t include himself, in a way if he pays less taxes and lets the lower income people make it possible for him (and his ilk) to live higher on the hog because they can pay a higher % of their income than he, is that looking out for the middle class or just a plan to get people to vote him in to the office of president? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/2 "2012-10-05T11:52:06Z")
Nope, it only confirmed that they will both say anything to get elected. BTW, you are most likely in the wrong forum; more of a Elections or Cafe Society topic. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/3 "2012-10-05T12:26:27Z")
Moved from General Questions to Elections. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/4 "2012-10-05T13:32:18Z")
Yeah, it changed my mind. I think Romney has a slightly better chance of winning now. It didn’t change my mind about whom to vote for, especially since I didn’t watch it. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/5 "2012-10-05T13:39:23Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Nope, it only confirmed that they will both say anything to get elected. I might have said that about Obama 4 years ago. He seemed to be the one promising rainbows and kittens while McCain tried to talk reality but no one was really interested. Now the tables seemed to be turned and Obama’s attempt and trying to talk reality to the US didn’t work. People still like to hear promises about rainbows and kittens and that’s what Romney was spewing. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/6 "2012-10-05T13:44:55Z")
I agree with **John** - it changed my perception of the race, but not my vote. And I also didn’t watch it (October baseball is way more important!). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/7 "2012-10-05T13:48:04Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > I agree with **John** - it changed my perception of the race, but not my vote. And I also didn’t watch it (October baseball is way more important!). You ruined my spoiler. If this were a _Game of Thrones_ thread, you’d be instantly shunned and then summarily banned! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/8 "2012-10-05T13:49:48Z")
Ah, see I love spoilers so I find sharing them to be an act of kindness. _Survivor_ is so much better when you know which jackass is about to get voted off. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/9 "2012-10-05T15:41:12Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > I agree with **John** - it changed my perception of the race, but not my vote. And I also didn’t watch it (October baseball is way more important!). I don’t know if really changed much. Debates don’t seem to have much of an effect, other than letting people play drinking games. While I would have liked Obama to perform better, it didn’t change my mind about him and I doubt it changed many other people’s minds either. Also, [it seems that often the challenger wins the first debate against the incumbent.](http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/10/05/14240316-the-unseemly-handwringing) ---
**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 5, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/10 "2012-10-05T15:43:59Z")
Debates are more navel gazing for political junkies and partisans than for helping folks decide who to vote for. ---
**Author:** ![aag3981](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@aag3981](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aag3981)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/11 "2012-10-05T17:23:29Z")
I didn’t see this debate as a “win” for Mitt. I guess if you measure win has who was the more confident looking one. From what I saw, Mitt is suddenly a centrist now, which is great I guess, but where was this attitude before? He said what he had to go get the nomination and now it is trying to attract the rest of the folks. That bothers me. Also, ultimately, I just don’t align with conservative views. I don’t think lowerer taxes and reducing regulation is a good thing for th economy, I like social programs (though tweeking is necessary), and I don’t agree with Republicans on social policy. Oh, and I like Obama care, so he didn’t really have much of a chance to persuade me. But Mitt has really been flimsy with his issues. Obama, I can make since out of. However, I would like to know what the far right thinks about Mitt’s current stances. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/12 "2012-10-05T17:59:41Z")
The debate definitely changed my mind. Before the debate, I thought I was as sick as I could possibly be of election season. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/13 "2012-10-05T18:10:37Z")
It did change my mind in this way - before the debate I believed that Romney had zero chance of winning. I no longer believe he has zero chance of winning. IMHO he was targeting the centrist and undecided voter and I believe he was effective in that strategy. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/14 "2012-10-05T18:10:55Z")
If we were having an election for the person who would be the absolute unquestioned dictator of the economy… so the only thing they’d be in charge of was US financial policy, and they could literally do anything they wanted without having to deal with congress or party politics or anything like that, and they had no control over social issues, and they didn’t appoint supreme court justices… and also if I had a magical truth machine that verified for me that the things that the candidates said in that debate were actually the positions they truly and honestly held… If all of those ridiculous hypotheticals were true, the debate would have made me at least more open to the idea of voting for Romney. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/15 "2012-10-05T19:19:33Z")
I may be a little unusual, but the primary thing I watch debates for is to see how well the candidate can follow the rules. After all, the debate format is very carefully negotiated between the two candidates. If a candidate can’t follow their own rules for a two-hour debate, how much can I trust them over the next four years? Of course, this is just one data point among many. I can’t see any single data point being the sole motivation for my vote. I have always voted Republican in the past, but I’ve been seriously leaning toward an Obama protest vote this year. (What I really want is a “kick the Tea Party to the curb” vote, but that’s another topic). As a data point, the debate certainly weighs in Romney’s favor. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/16 "2012-10-05T20:21:54Z")
My mind is not changed. Nothing was said that would persuade me to change my mind. The consensus that Romney “won” is meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/17 "2012-10-06T11:06:35Z")
I wonder if now that Romney decided he was wrong abouy the 47%, it could show he says one thing in private and would do another in reality once he became president?. If that is how he would handle foreign heads of a country, or the American people, say one thing, then a few days later say,“Oh I was wrong”. Of course he wants the 47% that he put down, to vote for him.When it comes to the millions of Jobs he will create by some miracle, when it doesn’t happen does he say, "Oh I was wrong again? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/18 "2012-10-06T14:42:51Z")
I didn’t watch it, and it wouldn’t have changed my position in any case; as a Massachusetts resident, I’ve loathed Romney ever since he started running for President and trashing the state in the last election cycle. As to the debate changing anyone’s vote, [here’s a data point](http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2012/10/bad-night-little-difference.html) from P.M. Carpenter’s blog: > [@](#): > > Andrew Sullivan used, in conclusion, the all-important “may” word: “this was a disaster for the president for the key people he needs to reach, and his effete, wonkish lectures may have jolted a lot of independents into giving Romney a second look.” > > Here’s the first look at that second look. MSNBC held a post-debate focus group of independents. Its members, overwhelmingly, believed Romney dominated the evening’s debate. But get this: When asked if any were now supporting Romney, not one focus-grouper said yes. _Not one_. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/19 "2012-10-08T00:22:09Z")
It changed my mind about **Jim Lehrer**. I used to think he was a competent journalist. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793/20 "2012-10-08T01:18:07Z")
That really good English teacher you had? Probably not all that good at wrestling alligators. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-presidential-debate-did-it-change-your-mind/636793.md?page=2)